GAME #9 – HOBART STATESMEN AT BUFFALO STATE BENGALS (SENIOR DAY)
Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 – 1:00 PM
Coyer Field – Buffalo, NY

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THE MATCHUP… Buffalo State heads into the final home contest of the year against the Hobart Statesmen, looking to finish the year off strong in front of the home crowd for the last time in 2022.
 
This will be just the ninth meeting all-time between the two sides, with the squads meeting the previous two seasons in Liberty League contests, both won by Hobart. The Bengals and Statesmen also faced off six times between 1984 and 1993, including a three-game winning streak for Buffalo State from 1990-92 in which the Bengals outscored Hobart by a combined margin of 112-7.
 
THE BENGALS' LAST GAME… The Golden Eagles scored four defensive touchdowns, while holding the Bengals' offense to just 64 total yards in a 54-2 victory over the Buffalo State football team on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, Brockport won the I-90 Bowl for the sixth consecutive year.
 
After Buffalo State punted on its opening possession and Ben Robinson returned the punt to the Buffalo State 22-yard line, Brockport needed just two plays to capitalize on a Gino Fontanarosa nine-yard touchdown run. The extra point failed as Brockport led 6-0.

Tom Delgado's (Bayside, NY/Bayside) pass was intercepted and returned 55 yards for a touchdown on the next Bengals' possession.

After another interception, the Buffalo State defense held, and Noah Panepinto's 30-yard field goal was no good.

The Golden Eagles' defense forced a second pick-six on the next drive to take a 20-0 advantage after one quarter.

Buffalo State got on the board on a safety on Brockport's second possession of the second quarter. Those two points were the only points of the quarter as the Golden Eagles led 20-2 at halftime.

Brockport scored two offensive touchdowns and another pick-six in the third quarter to extend the lead to 41-2 after three quarters.

Brockport scored again on a Louis Usera nine-yard receiving touchdown, and wrapped up the scoring with a fumble recovery and return for a touchdown.

Orlando Cabrera (Brooklyn, NY/Plainedge) and Taheim McEachin (Brooklyn, NY/Abraham Lincoln) each registered a sack for the Buffalo State defense. Cabrera, Ethan Biscaro (Batavia, NY/Batavia), and Darren Thompson (Buffalo, NY/St. Joe's) all had seven tackles.  
 
LAST TIME WE MET… The Buffalo State football team struck first, but Hobart responded with 28 unanswered first-half points, as Buffalo State dropped its road finale to the Statesmen by a 45-21 score in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon.

A pair of well-timed fake handoffs led to Buffalo State's first touchdown, as Thomas Dupee completed a 63-yard touchdown drive with a 18-yard touchdown run.

The Statesmen responded with a scoring drive of their own, as David Krewson scored on a 23-yard touchdown run.

After a Buffalo State three-and-out, Hobart got the ball in Bengal territory, and Rayshawn Boswell scored two plays later on the ground. Early in the second quarter, Sionko's pass was intercepted by Jared Leake, and Boswell scored his second touchdown of the game three plays later as Hobart led 21-7.

The Statesmen forced the Bengals to punt, then drove down the field as Tim Denham Jr. capped the drive with a 26-yard touchdown run, leading 28-7.

On the ensuing Buffalo State drive, Forde Emmett forced a strip sack of Dupee and recovered the ball for the Statesmen. The Buffalo State defense held, as Rob DiGregorio missed a 45-yard field goal into the wind.

The third quarter began with Hobart striking on the ground, as Denham Jr. raced up the middle with a 36-yard touchdown run. A 31-yard DiGregorio field goal and Denham Jr's third touchdown run gave the Statesmen a 45-7 lead after three quarters.

The Bengals fought back in the fourth quarter, beginning the period with a 12-play, 78-yard drive, but was stopped at Hobart's one-yard line on fourth down. Buffalo State drove down the field once again on its next drive, this time hitting paydirt as Cam Sionko found Praise Prawl for his first touchdown, a 10-yard reception.

After a Hobart three-and-out, Buffalo State finished the scoring as Sionko found Cam Crosier for a 19-yard touchdown pass.

After Sciandra successfully converted an onside kick, Buffalo State moved the ball into Hobart territory, but Sionko was sacked by Jamien Bliss on a 4th-and-2 play, and the Statemen ran two plays to end the contest.

HITTING THE BOOKS… Buffalo State had seven players selected to the Liberty League All-Academic team, the conference announced this afternoon. Jeffrey Burgess (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster), Dominic Ferguson (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West), Julian Maloney (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca West), Kyle Melito (Rochester, NY/Aquinas), Cristian Schuster (Clarence, NY/Clarence), Cam Sionko (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island), and Caden Wheeler (Waverly, NY/Waverly) all have maintained a 3.30 cumulative GPA through their collegiate careers.

SENIOR DAY… Prior to today's game, Buffalo State will honor its eight seniors from this year's roster. We would like to thank Brandon Barksdale (Buffalo, NY/Bennett), Michael Drywa (West Babylon, NY/East Islip), Phaybian Livingston (Buffalo, NY/St. Joe's), Kyle Melito (Rochester, NY/Aquinas), Seth Penn (Angola, NY/Lake Shore), Zach Rathka (Blenhiem, NY/Cobleskill-Richmondville), Cristian Schuster (Clarence, NY/Clarence), and Darren Thompson (Buffalo, NY/St. Joe's) for their contributions to the Buffalo State football program.

FINISHING STRONG AT HOME… Since 2010, Buffalo State has a strong record in the final home game of the season. The Bengals hold a 7-4 record in their final home game in that time frame.

BLOCK PARTY… Alex Westcott (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) has blocked 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 13^th nationally.

A CUT ABOVE… Tariq Nelson (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) leads the conference is multiple receiving categories. His 58 catches are 19 more than the next closest receiver, and his 675 receiving yards are also tops in the conference. Nelson is averaging 83.6 receiving yards, while his 7.4 receptions per game are 12th-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 38 solo tackles, while Ethan Biscaro (Batavia, NY/Batavia) is fifth, Anderson Osei-Gyimah (Bronx, NY/New Visions) is eighth, Kenneth Mosley (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) is 10th.

TOP FIVE… Darren Thompson is fifth in the Liberty League in tackles for loss. The senior linebacker has 7.5 total tackles for loss, while his 1.25 tackles for loss per game are third in the conference.

KEEP FEEDING HIM… Tariq Nelson has accounted for nearly half of all of Buffalo State's yardage through the air this season. His 675 yards are 42.9% of all of the passing yards 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 85 passing first downs, while Ithaca is in second place with 72 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.

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.

STATESMEN STATEMENT…  Hobart enters the weekend with a 5-3 overall record (2-2 Liberty League) after scoring a late touchdown to defeat Union, 23-21, last weekend. The Statesmen share a trio of common losses with Buffalo State, falling to Morrisville State, Ithaca, and RPI.
The Hobart offense is scoring 25.6 points per game, the third-highest total in the Liberty League. The Statesmen are 5-0 in games that they have scored at least 17 points, while holding an 0-3 record in games scoring 16 or fewer points.
Hobart is lead on the offensive side of the ball by quarterback David Krewson and running back Tim Denham Jr. Denham Jr.'s nine total touchdowns this season lead the Liberty League, and is seventh with 62.1 yards per game. Krewson has done exactly what has been asked of him this season, averaging 136.3 passing yards per game, while sporting a 10:3 touchdown to interception ratio.
On defense, Anthony Romano and Peterson Monexant are third and fourth in the conference in tackles for loss, while Abdoulaye Diallo is second in the Liberty League with eight passes defensed and Alex Karpawich is fourth with three sacks.
Punter Vicente Lyon has been solid with flipping field position, booming six punts of 50+ yards, and placing 12 punts inside the 20-yard line while only having one touchback.  

SCHEDULES/RESULTS…

BUFFALO STATE (0-8, 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) .......................L 54-2
Nov. 5             * HOBART……………….................................. 1:00
Nov. 12           * at St. Lawrence……………......................... 1:00
 
* Liberty League 8 game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS


HOBART (5-3, 2-2 Liberty League)
Sept. 2              ALFRED U. …………………….................. W 36-6
Sept. 10            at Morrisville State.………………..........  L 24-13
Sept. 17            ST. JOHN FISHER............................ W 17-0
Sept. 24            at Keyston (PA)…………………............. W 65-6
Oct. 1             * #13 ITHACA..................................... L 31-7
Oct. 15           * Rensselaer Polytechnic.................. L 16-13
Oct. 22           * at St. Lawrence…........................... W 31-10
Oct. 29           * UNION………………..............................W 23-21
Nov. 5            * at Buffalo State….............................. 1:00
Nov. 12          * ROCHESTER.……………………………........ 1:00
 
* Liberty League  game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS