The Matchup…The Buffalo State football team wraps a two-game road trip against SUNY foes, facing Morrisville State in a non-conference matchup Saturday at 2 p.m. The Bengals hold an 8-2 edge over the Mustangs in the all-time series, which began in the 2006 season.

The "Ruby" Season...Buffalo State Football embarks on it's 40th season of varsity competition in 2021. Sept. 12, 1981 was the first varsity football game for the Bengals, falling to Alfred. The Bengals finished 3-3 in their opening season, defeating Niagara twice, sandwiched around a victory over St. John Fisher by a 16-7 score. The Bengals originally started as a club program in 1980, before earning varsity status the next year.

Buffalo State 150...This year marks the 150th year of Buffalo State College. Founded in 1871, Buffalo State has grown tremendously, and is now the largest comprehensive four-year college in the State University of New York system, educating over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students each year.

The Bengals' Last Game…The Bengals hit the road after a week off, falling to SUNY Cortland by a 58-9 score. 

Cortland jumped out to a big lead, scoring the first 51 points through the first 40 minutes of action. The Bengals got on the board with 4:02 remaining in the third quarter, after a seven-play, 75 yard drive was capped off by an Omar Robinson (Arverne, N.Y./Abraham Lincoln) 15-yard touchdown run.

On Cortland's ensuing drive, the 'State defense got going, as Mike Glinski (Buffalo, N.Y./West Seneca West) forced a Zac Boyes fumble, with Seth Penn (Angola, N.Y./Lake Shore) recovered. Buffalo then scored again, grinding out a 13-play, 49-yard drive, which included a 11-yard rush by Ale Wilson (Bronx, N.Y./KIPP College Prep) and a connection by quarterback Cam Sionko (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) to receiver Cam Crosier (Kenmore, N.Y./Kenmore West) for nine yards. Nick Sciandra (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda) kicked a 29-yard field goal as the Bengals trailed, 51-9. Cortland added a touchdown on the ensuing drive, finishing the scoring for both teams. 

Ethan Biscaro (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia) led the defense with nine tackles. Gilinski added six tackles, three for loss, adding a sack and a forced fumble. Offensively, Robinson led the Bengals on the ground, finishing with 69 yards on 19 carries, scoring the lone touchdown. Sionko threw for 122 yards on 17 of 30 attempts. Crosier led the receiving corps with six catches for 48 yards.

Last Time We Met... Morrisville State forced four turnovers and jumped out to a 24-0 first-half lead before claiming a 38-14 victory over host Buffalo State on Oct. 27, 2018 from Coyer Field. 

Morrisville jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter after producing three interceptions on the Bengals' first five pass attempts, including two pick-6's. The Mustangs then kicked a field goal to increase its lead to 24 at the half.

The Bengals got a spark in the third quarter courtesy of Jordan Evert. Playing on special teams, he knifed through and blocked a Morrisville punt and fell on the loose ball in the end zone to cut the deficit to 24-7. The Mustangs reclaimed the momentum, however, responding immediately with an eight-play, 72-yard drive capped by a 24-yard pass on a halfback option from Nick Edmond to Kyle Tuohy. Edmond added a fourth-quarter touchdown on a 49-yard run before Buffalo State completed the scoring with a 5-yard run by Martin Bailey.

Kevin Torrillo finished the game 8 of 15 for 78 yards with two interceptions. Tony Maple was 8 of 22 for 70 yards with an interception and a fumble. He also had 40 rushing yards on 14 attempts. Bailey led the Bengals on the ground with 20 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown. Jamar Rutledge led the receiving corps with 55 yards on five catches. Gino Bonagura led the Bengals defense with 18 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. Devin Delmont added nine tackles with one for loss.

Shootout at the Drake...The last time the Bengals took on Morrisville State on the road was Sept. 16, 2017, a 53-48 shootout victory. The 53 points were the most scored by the Bengals that season, and the 101 combined points were the most in a Buffalo State game since the Bengals defeated Hartwick, 59-42, in 2013.

After a back-and-forth game between the two teams, Morrisville led 48-47 in the fourth quarter and assembled a 15-play drive that at 7:35. On third-and-goal from the Buffalo State 5, Paul Krowel came up with a sack, forcing fourth-and-goal at the 12.  The Mustangs then failed to convert a pass and turned the ball over on downs with 3:35 remaining.

With the Bengals in possession, they worked the ball to midfield, before Kyle Hoppy connected with Had Bryant for a 41-yard touchdown strike with 57 seconds remaining to give Buffalo State a 53-48 lead. Morrisville had one more chance, driving to the their own 42-yard line with seconds remaining, but a last-second heave was picked off by Tiquan Simpkins on the final play of the game. 

Jamar Rutledge had an explosive game, with 289 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, including a 96-yard kick return for a touchdown. The kick return was the longest score on a return for the Bengals since Dale Stewart went 100 yards against Utica on Oct. 24, 2015. Hoppy finished 18 of 30 for 364 yards through the air with three touchdowns. Stephen Johnson and Bryant both passed the century mark for receiving yards.  Johnson had four catches for 124 yards and a touchdown, and Bryant caught seven passes for 121 yards and a score. On defense, Bart Mazzara finished with nine tackles, including three for loss, while Krowel had eight stops with the key sack.

National Leaders...Sionko is 41st in the nation with 21 completions per game. He is also second in the Liberty League with 225 yards of total offense per game... both Brandon Barksdale (Buffalo, N.Y./Bennett) and Darren Thompson (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joe's) are tied for fifth nationally with 2.5 passes defensed per game. That mark currently leads the league... Mike Drywa (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) leads the league with 9.5 tackles per game.

Oh captain, my captains...Four players will lead Buffalo State in 2021 as team captains. Drywa, a junior linebacker, and Thompson, a senior defensive back, will lead the Bengal defense, while senior wide receiver Nas Jackson (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's) and senior offensive lineman Kyle Schreader (Lockport, N.Y./Starpoint) will lead Buffalo State offensively.

Scouting Morrisville...Morrisville comes into its Mustang Weekend festivities with an 0-3 record. The Mustangs dropped its home opener to St. Lawrence by a 27-14 score on Friday, Sept. 17.

Leading the Mustangs offensively is Alek Britten, who has completed 48 of 109 attempts for 549 yards through the air. He has two touchdowns compared to five interceptions so far. Toure' Hall leads the Mustangs with 150 receiving yards on 13 completions, while Jarrell Chaney leads the team with a pair of receiving touchdowns, tallying nine catches for 132 yards. On the ground, Alex McBurnie has 89 yards on 19 carries, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. 

Defensively, Ernesto Mitchell is one of the national leaders in tackles per game, sitting inside the top-25 with 11. Joe Miller-LaBar isn't too far behind, ranked 36th with 10 tackles per game. Giovanni Vigliotti leads the team with two interceptions.

The Wizard of 'Oz'...Christian Ozolins was promoted to interim head football coach on Nov. 16, 2019 and will serve in that capacity through the 2021 season.

Ozolins joined the Bengals' coaching staff in 2003 and was promoted to assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2013. He also served as the offensive backs coach and the recruiting and academic coordinator.

His previous college coaching experience includes stints at Maryville, Methodist, Alfred University and Hamilton. As a player, he played in the NAIA National Championship Game for Cumberland University in Tennessee.

He earned his bachelor's in education from Cumberland and completed a master's degree from Alfred University. Christian also serves as the recreation and intramural manager on campus. He and his wife Sharon reside in South Buffalo with their son CJ who played football at Canisius High School.

Looking Ahead…Homecoming weekend returns to Buffalo State in full force, as the Bengals host Union College in the Liberty League opener on Saturday, Oct. 2 in a 12 p.m. start.