SUNY Cortland's football team is well on its way to defending its NCAA Division III national championship. The Red Dragons are 9-0 and have clinched the Empire 8 championship and an automatic berth into the upcoming D-III playoffs.

There's one other trophy they'll need to defend before a national championship trophy, though: the Cortaca Jug. Rival Ithaca enters Cortland for this Saturday's 65th edition of the rivalry, set for a noon kickoff.

Cortland hasn't lost since Sept. 16, 2023, a 38-35 home loss to Susquehanna in the season's third week. That unbeaten run since includes a 38-28 win over Ithaca in last season's Cortaca Jug game — to say nothing of the stunning Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl win over North Central to end the year.

The Red Dragons haven't lost any momentum since the title game, either. They've been tested twice this season, holding on 40-38 to win at Susquehanna in September and getting a Mike Baloga field goal in the final minute last weekend to hold off Brockport's upset bid, 29-28, and claim the Empire 8 crown for a fourth consecutive season.

Quarterback Zac Boyes, an AP All-American last season and a first-team preseason All-American selection by D3Football.com this year, has thrown for 2,440 yards with 24 touchdown passes in 2024. He also just got a new target in his receiving corps, as sophomore wideout Sam Cotton — having moved from the defensive backfield, where he was the conference rookie of the year a season ago — caught 10 passes for 140 yards and a score in the win over Brockport. Cotton was injured in the preseason and played in his first game of 2024 on Saturday.

Ithaca (6-3) hasn't held the Cortaca Jug since defeating Cortland 34-17 at Yankee Stadium in 2022. That win clinched a perfect regular season for the Bombers, who reached the D-III quarterfinal round.

The Bombers shook off an 0-2 start and have won their last five games, three by shutout. Their defense hasn't allowed a point since a 49-14 win at Buffalo State in late October. Senior running back Jalen Leonard-Osbourne should factor into the offense this weekend, having scored at least one touchdown in each of his last three games. He's passed the 100-yard mark in rushing in four games this season. Sophomore quarterback Matthew Parker, meanwhile, is coming off a St. Lawrence game in which he threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

A Cortland win would allow the Red Dragons to not only keep the Jug, but close the gap in the all-time series. Ithaca leads 43-35-3 all time, and 38-26 in Cortaca Jug games.