SUNY Cortland quarterback Daniel Pitcher carries the ball in the Nov. 12 Cortaca Jug game against Ithaca College.

SUNY Cortland’s Nov. 12 football win over Ithaca College didn’t make the highlights on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” – but that doesn’t mean the 53rd annual Cortaca Jug game struggled to live up to the expectations that once led Sports Illustrated to bill the game as “the biggest little game in the nation.”

Separated by about 20 miles on Route 13 in upstate New York, the two schools play the Division III football equivalent of New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox baseball. The rivalry game routinely draws close to 10,000 fans and offers two important things to its victor: possession of the all-important Cortaca Jug and eternal bragging rights. Continue reading →