CORTLAND, N.Y. - Susquehanna University's 22nd-ranked football team heads back up to Upstate New York this weekend with a pivotal top-25 matchup at 10th-ranked SUNY Cortland. Though the River Hawks escaped Brockport last week with a last-second field goal in a 6-5 win, Susquehanna looks to return to the uptempo style of offense that aided them well in Week 1's 51-19 win at Bridgewater. A win Saturday will give the River Hawks their third straight 3-0 start and most likely a move up the D3football.com rankings, where they've maintained their #22 slot since the preseason poll. The Susquehanna defense has remained on-point through the first two weeks, allowing a total of 13 offensive points through two games. The remainder of which were scored on special teams.

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GAME NOTES: SUSQUEHANNA | CORTLAND

SUSQUEHANNA OFF TO FIFTH STRAIGHT 2-0 START, WINNING AT BROCKPORT ON LATE FIELD GOAL...
It was an unconventional game to say the least in Susquehanna's Week 2 matchup at Brockport on Saturday. Stifling defense from both sides kept the River Hawks and Golden Eagles' offenses off-balance. The River Hawks made enough big plays on both sides of the ball to set up field goal opportunities, which proved to be just enough to win. Trailing 3-0 late in the first half, Cam Noble sacked Brockport quarterback Jake Ritts to force a fumble, which was recovered by Keith Green III to set up a Christian Colasurdo field goal to go into halftime tied at 3-3. Both teams moved into the fourth quarter with the same score, with the Golden Eagles forging ahead on a blocked punt that went through the back of the endzone. On their next possession, Susquehanna countered with an eight-play, 47-yard drive to set Colasurdo up with a 21-yard attempt which got blocked. The defense once again stepped up with a three-and-out to give one more chance for the offense. Faced with a 4th and 8, quarterback Josh Ehrlich found Jacob Ertz for 19 yards on their own 49 yard line. With time running out, Ehrlich threw a desparation pass to Kyle Howes down to the one yard line, setting up another opportunity for Colasurdo with five seconds left. This time his kick went through, cementing an improbable 6-5 comeback victory. Howes' 49-yard reception single handedly put him over 1,000 career receiving yards, while Colasurdo and Noble earned Landmark Athlete of the Week for special teams and defense, respectively. Noble and the "Wild Dawgs" defense held Brockport to just 135 yards of total offense, including a meager 26 yards passing, while allowing just 1-of-14 third-down conversions. Susquehanna's offense controlled the ball for 35:48, converting on 6-of-18 third-down conversions and 2-of-4 fourth-down conversions. 

RIVER HAWKS SPREAD THEIR WINGS WITH UNPRECEDENTED NON-CONFERENCE SLATE, TRAVEL...
Saturday's contest marks the last of a three-game road trip for Susquehanna to start its season. It is also the third of four consecutive non-conference games, an unprecedented number for Susquehanna Football in any season in recent memory. With the football program's move to the Landmark Conference, consisting of six other members, it has allowed Head Coach Tom Perkovich and his staff to assemble a competitive slate to open its campaign. It has also expanded the River Hawks' reach to play schools outside of their region, with their next two opponents marking Susquehanna's first-ever matchups with those teams. Following SUNY Cortland the River Hawks will play host to non-conference Western New England in their home opener, then hosting Catholic as part of the Landmark Conference's kickoff weekend. Catholic, a charter member of the Landmark like Susquehanna, brings their football program over to their native conference after residing in the NEWMAC. Coach Perk's team also embraces this year overnight travel, an accommodation they did not experience during their Centennial Conference era, which required same-day travel due to the close localities of the member schools.