Game #10 – St. Lawrence Saints (4-5) at Buffalo State Bengals (1-8)
Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019 – Noon (SENIOR DAY)
Coyer Field (Buffalo, N.Y.)
 
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
 
The Matchup…Buffalo State enters the final game of the season 1-8 overall and 1-4 in Liberty League play. St. Lawrence is 4-5 overall and 2-3 in league play. The Saints have won two of their last three games, defeating RPI and Rochester. St. Lawrence leads the all-time series, 3-2, but Buffalo State won the most recent meeting in 2017.
 
Senior Day…Prior to Saturday's game, the Bengals will honor its 14 seniors for the effort, the contribution and tremendous leadership that they have brought to the Buffalo State Football program. This senior class includes: Zak Ciezki, Tre Smith, Jordan Rychcik, Anthony Wasiyo, Jayson Taylor, Martin Bailey, Merrick Sproule, Elloheim Tucker, Darren Wesley, Jordan Evert, Gino Bonagura, Zach Britton, Di'Jon Stone and Iyore Odigie.
 
Sticky Fingers...Senior wide receiver Jordan Evert leads the Liberty League and ranks seventh in the nation with 73 catches and is second in the league with 926 receiving yards.  He has topped the 100-yard mark in four of the nine games this season with 101 receiving yards on eight catches in the Bengals' opener against St. John Fisher, 11 grabs for 157 yards against Brockport, 10 catches for 183 yards at Ithaca, and nine catches for 144 yards at RPI.
 
Scoop and score...Offensive lineman Kyle Schreader scored his first career touchdown when he scooped up a fumble and rumbled into the end zone from eight yards out in the Bengals loss to Union on Oct. 26.
 
Tackle attack...Gino Bonagura leads the Liberty League with 102 tackles through nine games.  He had a season-best 20 stops against Cortland. Bonagura led the Bengals with 104 stops last season.  Devin Delmont is fourth in the league with 75 tackles.
 
Defensive Accolades...Buffalo State junior linebacker Devin Delmont was named the Liberty League Defensive Performer of the Week during the Bengals' win over the University of Rochester.  Delmont finished with a career-best 15 tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage as the Bengals' defense held the Yellow Jackets to just 297 total yards and just one fourth-quarter touchdown.
 
Breakout...Buffalo State senior running back Martin Bailey had a breakout performance against Rochester earning Liberty League Weekly Honor Roll status as he rushed for a career-high 122 yards on 16 carries against the University of Rochester, including a 28-yard touchdown.  He also had one catch for 12 yards.
 
Pick-6's...Darren Wesley registered a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown during the Week 2 loss at Utica. Gino Bonagura added a second Pick-6 of the season, with a 37-yard return for a score against Cortland.
 
Signal call from the hardwood...Buffalo State's starting quarterback Zak Ciezki was originally recruited as a football player, but elected to play basketball instead for the past three seasons.  In 63 games with the Bengals' hoops team from 2016-2019, Ciezki averaged 3.1 points and had 34 steals as a guard.  As a senior in high school, Ciezki led Cheektowaga's football team to a Section VI Class B championship in 2014.
 
Oh captain, my captains...Four players will lead Buffalo State in 2019 as team captains.  Senior offensive lineman Dave Lauer will represent the offensive side of the ball.  The defense will be led by senior safety Gino Bonagura and senior defensive end Anthony Wasiyo, while senior kicker Tommy Carr will be the special teams captain.
 
With honors...Buffalo State returns a pair of players that earned All-Empire 8 honors last season.  Senior offensive tackle Dave Lauer was named second team, while senior wide receiver Jordan Evert earned honorable mention recognition in 2018.
 
New Home...Buffalo State is officially an affiliate member of the Liberty League starting this season.  The move stabilizes both The Liberty and Empire 8, creating a pair of seven-team conferences that will collaborate for both non-conference scheduling and a postseason bowl game.  Buffalo State will compete with Hobart, Ithaca, RPI, Rochester, St. Lawrence and Union in the Liberty League. The Bengals played as an independent from 1981 through 2003, then joined the Atlantic Central Football Conference for 2004 and 2005, played in the New Jersey Athletic Conference from 2006-2011, and then in the Empire 8 from 2012-2018.