ALFRED, NY - Consistent scoring efforts from SUNY Cortland led to a 59-17 win over the Alfred University football team on Saturday from Yunevich Stadium. 

Chris Kelly (Lake Ronkonkoma, NY/Lake Ronkonkoma) completed 13-of-26 pass attempts for 119 yards and a touchdown. Max Freeman IV (Corning, NY/Corning Painted-Post) totaled 107 rushing yards across 16 attempts. Joe Copp (Minoa, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) led the defense with a team-high nine tackles, three of which were solo. 

"We knew we were going to have to play a near perfect game today to have a shot at them in the fourth quarter," Head Coach Bob Rankl said. "I am proud of how our guys competed, but unfortunately we didn't play well enough to beat the defending National Champions today. We know that there's a lot of games left in the season, and we are excited and ready to start working for Utica next week."

Cortland was the first to score during their opening possession, but Alfred University later got on the scoreboard following a field goal from Dominic Bronco (Rochester, NY/Aquinas). The defense for AU stepped up in the first quarter, with Danny Quiñones (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) forcing a fumble that was picked up by Copp. The Red Dragons scored twice before the Saxons relied on a touchdown pass from Kelly to Andrew Morling (Canisteo, NY/Canisteo-Greenwood), marking his second of the fall season. Cortland responded with 10 additional points before taking a 31-10 lead into halftime. 

The Saxons offense attempted to get momentum early in the second half, with Alexander Coffey (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) rushing in for his sixth rushing touchdown of the season. However, 28 points from the Red Dragons in the second half was enough to extend their lead and seal the game. 

Alfred University will next be on the road at Utica University on Saturday at 1:00 PM.