GAME #8 – BUFFALO STATE BENGALS AT BROCKPORT GOLDEN EAGLES
Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022 – 12:00 PM
Bob Boozer Field – Brockport, NY
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THE MATCHUP… A trophy is up for grabs this weekend as Buffalo State takes on the Brockport Golden Eagles in the 20
th installment of the I-90 Bowl. The contest was developed prior to the 2002 season, with the trophy being designed by former Buffalo State football player Aaron Woloszyn. Brockport has a 14-5 edge in the previous 19 I-90 Bowls.
This will also be the 40
th meeting of the squads all time, as the sides have met each year since the 1982 season, excluding the 2020 season that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Golden Eagles hold a 22-17 advantage, including victories in five straight meetings.
THE BENGALS' LAST GAME… The visiting Bombers scored 37 consecutive points from the middle of the first quarter to the middle of the fourth quarter, turning a 7-3 lead into a decisive advantage for Ithaca in a 51-10 victory over the Buffalo State football team on Friday evening at Coyer Field.
Ithaca drove the ball down the field on its opening drive, punching it into the endzone on a five-yard rushing touchdown by Jake Williams to cap a 13-play, 75-yard drive.
Buffalo State responded with a 13-play drive of its own, but stalled in the red zone and had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by
Nick Sciandra (N. Tonawanda, NY/N. Tonawanda) to make the score 7-3.
Williams added his second and third rushing touchdowns on the next two Ithaca drives, scoring from one yard and four yards out. A 22-yard field goal by Nicholas Bahamonde and a 10-yard touchdown strike from A.J. Wingfield to Michael Anderson finished off the scoring in the first half as Ithaca led 31-3 at halftime.
The Bombers extended the lead to 44-3 with a pair of short field goals by Bahamonde, sandwiched around a 22-yard touchdown pass from Max Perry to Anthony D'Addetta.
Tom Delgado (Bayside, NY/Bayside) connected with
Tariq Nelson (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) on a 37-yard strike over the middle for a touchdown, as Nelson beat the corner on a slant route off the line of scrimmage, and sprinted untouched to the endzone.
Ithaca added another touchdown in the final two minutes of the game, a 16-yard rush by Conner Hayes for the 51-10 final score.
Nelson had his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game, finishing with six catches for 104 yards and his first touchdown of the season.
Darren Thompson (Buffalo, NY/St. Joe's) led the Buffalo State defense, finishing with eight tackles and three tackles for loss.
LAST TIME WE MET… Brockport claimed the I-90 Bowl trophy for the fifth consecutive season, as the Buffalo State football team dropped a 41-16 decision to the Golden Eagles, in non-conference action from Coyer Field on Saturday, October 30, 2021.
After a slow start offensively for both teams, Brockport struck first with a 12-play, 73-yard drive midway through the first quarter, capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run by Jala Coad. On the extra point attempt, Nate Wigent's kick was blocked by
Zach Rathka (Blenheim, NY/Cobleskill-Richmondville), rolling out of bounds as Brockport led 6-0.
On the ensuing drive, Thomas Dupee's pass was intercepted by Kenny Hernandez at the Bengal 46-yard line. Brockport took advantage, as Cheshire found Imhotep Cromer for a 22-yard touchdown pass as the Golden Eagles led 13-0.
The Golden Eagles turned Buffalo State over early in the second quarter, as Alaan Montgomery stepped in front of a Dupee pass, returning it to the Buffalo State 35-yard line. A couple of Bengal penalties aided Brockport on the ensuing drive, as Lawrence Jenkins eventually scored on a one-yard touchdown run up the middle to take a 20-0 lead.
With the Bengals driving in Brockport territory, the Golden Eagles forced a third Dupee interception, as Raylens Boutin made the big play at the 30-yard line. Brockport extended its lead to 27-0 at the beginning of the second half, as Coad scored his second rushing touchdown of the game, this time from five yards out.
The Bengals responded on their next possession, as Nelson caught a jump ball over a defender at midfield, racing down the near sideline for a 73-yard touchdown catch and run. Dupee rushed it in on the ensuing two-point conversion to make the score 27-8.
On the ensuing kickoff,
Nick Sciandra placed a high, bouncing onside kick that was recovered by
Ethan Biscaro (Batavia, NY/Batavia) at the 50-yard line, but the Bengals couldn't capitalize on the ensuing offensive possession.
Brockport extended its lead to 34-8 after Coad's third rushing touchdown of the afternoon.The Golden Eagles saw a third rusher run in a score, as Rashad Law scored from one yard out early in the fourth.
With
Cam Sionko (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) in at quarterback late in the fourth, the Bengals engineered a long, 13-play, 67-yard scoring drive, capped off by a Sionko pass to Cam Crosier in the front corner of the end zone from six yards out. Nas Jackson wrapped the scoring with a catch in the endzone for the two-point conversion.
BLOCK PARTY… Alex Westcott (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) has block two kicks this season, an extra point against St. John Fisher and an extra point against Rochester. His two blocked kicks lead the conference and are tied for 10
th nationally.
A CUT ABOVE… Tariq Nelson (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) leads the conference is multiple receiving categories, and by a significant margin. His 49 catches are 15 more than the next closest receiver, and 613 receiving yards are 105 more than second. Nelson is averaging 87.6 receiving yards, while his 7.0 receptions per game are 15th-most in the country.
RIDING SOLO… The Bengals has four of the top 10 leaders in the conference in solo tackles.
Michael Drywa (West Babylon, NY/East Islip) leads the Liberty League with 36 solo tackles, while
Ethan Biscaro (Batavia, NY/Batavia) is fifth,
Kenneth Mosley (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) is sixth, and
Anderson Osei-Gyimah (Bronx, NY/New Visions) is seventh.
TOP FIVE… Nicholas Moore is fifth in the Liberty League in tackles for loss. The freshman defensive end has 6.5 total tackles for loss, and has been part of a tackle for loss in five of the six games that he has played this year.
KEEP FEEDING HIM… Tariq Nelson has accounted for over one-third of the total offense for Buffalo State this season. His 613 yards are 34.2% of all of the offensive yardage that the Bengals have.
THROUGH THE AIR… The Buffalo State offense has picked up the most passing first downs in the conference this season. The Bengals have 81 passing first downs, while Ithaca is in second place with 67 passing first downs.
PICK MAESTRO… With another interception this season,
Ethan Biscaro would be the first Bengal since Tiquan Simpkins in 2017 to record four interceptions in a single season.
CONFERENCE COMBO… The move by Buffalo State from the Empire 8 to the Liberty League in 2019 helped to strengthen the relationship between the conferences. The conferences play multiple inter-conference contests, and created the New York State Bowl, which pits the highest non-NCAA tournament participating finishers of each conference against each other.
In addition to the I-90 Bowl, Buffalo State faced Empire 8 members St. John Fisher, Cortland, and Morrisville State in non-conference contests this year. Brockport also matched up with Liberty League members Ithaca and Rochester earlier this season.
FROM THE BRONX TO BUFFALO… Lazarus Morgan was appointed as the sixth head coach in the history of the Buffalo State football program In January 2022.
A native of the Bronx, Morgan was a defensive back at Utica from 2006-08, then began his coaching career at his alma mater from 2009-13. He then moved to Alfred University from 2014-19, serving as the Saxon's defensive coordinator in the final four seasons.
He arrives to Buffalo after serving as the defensive coordinator at SUNY Cortland during the 2021 season, where he oversaw the fifth-ranked overall defense in NCAA Division III, helping guide the Red Dragons to an 11-1 record, an Empire 8 title and a trip to the NCAA playoffs.
CAPTAINS OF MORGAN... Four players will lead Buffalo State in 2022 as team captains.
Seth Penn (Angola, NY/Lake Shore) and
Anderson Osei-Gyimah (Bronx, NY/New Visions) will lead the Buffalo State defense, with
Tariq Nelson (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) and
Alex Westcott (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) serving as offensive captains.
BREAKING DOWN BROCKPORT… Brockport enters the weekend with a 4-3 overall record, but playing much better than the record suggests. The Golden Eagles' three defeats have come at the hands of nationally ranked #12 Ithaca and #13 Cortland, as well as a loss to another team that is garnering top 25 votes in Utica.
The strength of the Golden Eagles' offense is its rushing attack, which is second in the Empire 8 with 211.6 rushing yards per game and 12 touchdowns on the ground. The backfield is led by Rashad Law (624 yards, 4.8 yards per carry) and Gino Fontanaros (399 yards, 6.0 yards per carry) and their 10 combined rushing touchdowns. The ground game has allowed Brockport to control the clock with an average time of possession of 32:06 per game. Brockport also has lost just one fumble on the entire season.
On defense, the Golden Eagles have been excellent at limiting opposing offenses on the ground and through the air. The Brockport defense is 22
nd nationally in total defense at 234.4 yards allowed per game. The Golden Eagles have been especially proficient at stopping the run, allowing only 69.7 yards per game on the ground and a paltry 2.4 yards per carry. The most impressive stat for this Brockport defense may be its ability to get off the field on third down. Brockport opponents are converting third down opportunities at just a 31.5% success rate, tops in the conference.
SCHEDULES/RESULTS…
BUFFALO STATE (0-7, 0-4 Liberty League)
Sept. 3 at St. John Fisher............................... L 62-21
Sept. 17 #15 SUNY CORTLAND………………........... L 66-7
Sept. 24 MORRISVILLE STATE (Homecoming)..L 31-10
Oct. 1 * at Union……………………........................... L 45-0
Oct. 8 * RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC............ L 45-14
Oct. 15 * at Rochester....................................... L 12-6
Oct. 21 * #12 ITHACA........................................ L 51-10
Oct. 29 at Brockport (I-90 Bowl) ......................... 12:00
Nov. 5 * HOBART……………….................................. 1:00
Nov. 12 * at St. Lawrence……………......................... 1:00
* Liberty League 8 game HOME GAMES IN CAPS
Brockport (4-3, 2-2 Empire 8)
Sept. 3 FRAMINGHAM ST (MA).................. W 27-7
Sept. 10 at #16 Ithaca.……….……………….......... L 24-0
Sept. 17 at Rochester.................................... W 23-3
Oct. 1 * ST. JOHN FISHER………………............ W 25-0
Oct. 8 * #13 CORTLAND............................... L 42-24
Oct. 15 * at Utica…………….…............................ L 35-21
Oct. 22 * at Hartwick…….……........................... W 35-14
Oct. 29 BUFFALO STATE..............................12:00
Nov. 5 * MORRISVILLE ST.............................. 2:00
Nov. 12 * at Alfred U…………………………………........ 1:00
* Empire 8 game HOME GAMES IN CAPS
