CORTLAND, N.Y. – Tailbacks Dylan Peebles (Port Leyden/South Lewis) and Layton Lassiter (Madison, NJ) combined for 150 rushing yards and three touchdowns and Cortland outgained Southern Virginia 460-107 in total offense as the Red Dragons shut out the Knights, 35-0, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) contest.
Quarterback John Grassi (Oceanside) completed 20-of-27 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown for the Red Dragons (2-4, 2-2 NJAC), who won their second straight game. Peebles ran 18 times for 87 yards and two scores and Lassiter finished with 16 carries for 63 yards and one touchdown.
Jack Delahunty (East Northport/Northport) caught a 90-yard TD pass from Grassi in the second quarter for the longest completion in school history. The previous record was 85 yards from Ray Miles to Keith Greene at Kean in 2007. Delahunty finished with three receptions for 101 yards.
Cortland's defense recorded three interceptions, including a pick by cornerback Mark DelPrete (Staten Island/Monsignor Farrell) that he returned 20 yards for a TD in the second quarter. Carson Lassiter (Madison, NJ) and Joe DeLuca (Sayville) also intercepted passes and Andrew Tolosi (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) forced a fumble. Cortland held the Knights to an average of just 1.6 yards per play from scrimmage.
Defensive end Gabe Ostrow (Nanuet) led a balanced Cortland defensive effort with eight tackles and a fumble recovery, while defensive end Jake Ceresna (New Fairfield, CT) made seven tackles.
John Babin (Warwick/Warwick Valley), seeing his first action since suffering an injury in the first quarter of the season opener at Buffalo State, caught a team-high seven passes for 64 yards. Babin increased his career reception total to 166, four shy of tying the school record.
Southern Virginia (0-6, 0-3 NJAC) was led by Robert Robbins' (Glendale, AZ/O'Connor) 15 tackles, nine solo. Matthew Gregory (Churchville, VA/Buffalo Gap) made 13 tackles, two for losses, and Colter Evans (Wayan, ID/Soda Springs) finished with 11 stops. Richie Sparrow (Piscataway, NJ/Rustburg) intercepted a Cortland pass in the end zone to halt an early second-quarter scoring threat.
Also for the Knights, Jerry Washington (Gloucester, VA) ran for 51 yards on 21 carries and Kyler Harris (Muskogee, OK/Northeastern St. Univ.) caught four passes for 24 yards. Both of Southern Virginia's quarterbacks struggled as Mitch Stevenson (Muskogee, OK) went 7-of-19 passing for 32 yards and two interceptions and Bryan Phillips (Knoxville, TN/Farragot) was 2-for-15 for 17 yards and one interception.
Both teams struggled on third-down conversions in the contest, leading to a combined 23 punts. Cortland was just 1-of-16 on third down and Southern Virginia went 2-for-20. Cortland, however, finished the game with 22 first downs compared to just five for the Knights.
Peebles scored from seven yards out midway through the first quarter to cap a 4-play, 46-yard scoring drive. Tight end Josh Riley (Poughkeepsie/Spackenkill) caught two passes for 26 yards to open the series.
Early in the second quarter, Southern Virginia punter Mackey Smith (Burbank, CA) pinned Cortland on its own 13-yard line after a 61-yard punt. After Cortland's first play lost three yards, Grassi connected on a deep pass to Delahunty near midfield. Delahunty shed his tackler and ran untouched to complete the 90-yard scoring pass and Cortland led 14-0.
Later in the quarter, SVU faced 3rd-and-11 at its own 6-yard line when DelPrete picked off a Phillips pass at the 20-yard line and ran in untouched to give Cortland a 21-0 lead. DeLuca's interception in the third quarter set up the Red Dragons near midfield. The Red Dragons drove 53 yards for a TD, highlighted by a 32-yard Babin catch and capped by a 9-yard Peebles run, and Cortland led 28-0 with 6:48 left in the period.
On the ensuing SVU possession, Carson Lassiter picked off a pass and returned the ball 15 yards to the Knights' 25-yard line. A couple of plays later his twin brother, Layton, ran 13 yards to the 1-yard line and took the next carry into the end zone with 5:13 left in the third to close the scoring.
Cortland will travel to Kean next Saturday for a 1 p.m. start and Southern Virginia hosts Morrisville State Saturday at noon.