GAME #2 – CORTLAND RED DRAGONS AT BUFFALO STATE BENGALS 
Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022 - 12:00 PM
Coyer Field – Buffalo, NY

FOLLOW ALONG…
 
LIVE STATS
VIDEO

THE MATCHUP… Head Coach Lazarus Morgan will face his former team in his first home game with Buffalo State. This will be the 38^th consecutive season in which the teams have met. The squads first faced off in 1984 when the Red Dragons came away with a 30-17 victory, and have played every year since, excluding the 2020 season when no games were contested due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cortland holds a 23-14 edge in the all-time series, including victories in the last four meetings over the Bengals.

THE BENGALS' LAST GAME… Host St. John Fisher raced out to a 34-0 lead early in the second quarter, and it was too much for the Buffalo State football team to overcome in a 62-21 loss on Saturday afternoon.  

The Bengals were unable to get things going on offense early, and St. John Fisher took an early lead by scoring touchdowns on their first two drives go up 14-0 after one quarter. Buffalo State's defense forced a punt early in the second quarter, but the ensuing punt was muffed and recovered by the Cardinals, leading to another touchdown. Malachi Duvall rushed for a pair of St. John Fisher touchdowns from 13 and 83 yards to extend the lead to 34-0 after a blocked extra point.  

Buffalo State responded with a touchdown on its next possession, as quarterback Cam Sionko (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) connected Burgess on a four-yard strike to cap a 11-play, 70-yard drive that included two clutch receptions each by Tariq Nelson (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) and Darion Jones (Buffalo, NY/Hutch Tech). The Cardinals added another touchdown to lead 41-7 at halftime.

Duvall rushed for a 65-yard touchdown on the opening play from scrimmage in the second half to extend the Cardinals advantag. Following a roughing the punter penalty, Ale Wilson (Bronx, NY/Kipp Prep College) took advantage of the second chance, breaking free down the right sideline for a 54-yard score.  

After another St. John Fisher score, Tom Delgado (Bayside, NY/Bayside) led the Bengals on a 57-yard scoring drive, finding Maloney for the 16-yard score to complete the scoring.

Nelson led the Bengals with six catches and 78 yards receiving, while Wilson finished with 70 yards rushing on just six carries.

LAST TIME WE MET... Cortland jumped out to a big lead in the first half, as the Buffalo State football team returned to action with a 58-9 loss to the Red Dragons in non-league action Saturday, September 18^th, 2021 from the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex.

Cortland jumped out to a 21-0 lead, scoring on each of its first three drives in the first quarter, punctuated by rushing touchdowns by Brees Segala and Ashton Capone, and a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jake Quosig.

Buffalo State snapped the streak on Cortland's fourth drive, as Glinski came up with a sack on 2^nd-and-4, leading to a Cortland punt. However, on the third play of the ensuring drive, Sionko's third-down pass was intercepted by Stone Murray, who returned it 61 yards for a Cortland touchdown.

Cortland made a heady special teams play later in the second, blocking a Thomas Dupee punt. The punt was recovered by Carl Greene, who brought it back for a Cortland touchdown to take a 37-0 lead. Cortland finished the quarter with Segala's second passing touchdown, finding Trevor Ash for 16 yards to take a 44-0 lead into halftime.

Cortland scored first midway through the third quarter, as Segala found JJ Lapp for a 26-yard touchdown pass. Buffalo State responded with a 7-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a 15-yard touchdown run by Omar Robinson on 3rd-and-1.

Buffalo's defense made a big play on Cortland's ensuring drive, as Glinski forced a Zac Boyes fumble, and Seth Penn (Angola, N.Y./Lake Shore) recovered. Buffalo scored again, this time with a 29-yard field goal by Nick Sciandra (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda), to cap off a 13-play, 40-yard drive. Dom Gombetto finished the scoring for Cortland with a one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

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.

CORTLAND-BUFFALO STATE CONNECTIONS… In addition to Coach Morgan's tie to Cortland, Buffalo State special teams coordinator G. Chandler Williams Jr. was a four-year student-athlete for the Red Dragons, suiting up as a wide receiver and defensive back until 2015. Wide receivers coach Ky'Sawn Veale was also a wide receiver for Cortland through the 2021 season, catching two touchdown passes last season. 

On the other side, a trio of Cortland players, and one coach, have links to Buffalo State. Wide receiver Cam Crosier was a member of the Bengals from 2019-21. Quarterback Zac Boyes and offensive lineman Ryan Bitka are the sons of former longtime Buffalo State football coach and athletic director Jerry Boyes and former longtime associate football coach and defensive coordinator Terry Bitka. Cortland defensive line coach Paul Shaffner served as the head football coach of Buffalo State from 2004 to 2008.  

LOOKING FOR MOORE OF THAT… Freshman defensive lineman Nicholas Moore (Buffalo, NY/Buffalo Academy of Science) registered two and a half tackles for loss in his first collegiate game to lead the Bengals' defense.

GIVE ME SOME ALE… Ale Wilson (Bronx, NY/Kipp College Prep) showed great speed on his 54-yard touchdown scamper against St. John Fisher, the longest rush by a Bengal since Tre Jones had a 58-yard run against Hartwick in 2016.

B.B. COME BACK... Defensive back Brandon Barksdale (Buffalo, NY/Bennett) returns to the Buffalo State defense for the 2022 season as the lone returning All-Liberty League selection. Barksdale led the Bengals with nine passes broken up, and also snagged one interception on his way to All-Liberty League honorable mention. Barksdale was the leading tackler for Buffalo State in its last game, totaling 7.0 tackles.

RESEARCHING THE RED DRAGONS… Cortland is off to a 2-0 start on the season, achieving a national ranking of #15 at this point. The Red Dragons exploded offensively in their season opener against Wittenberg, amassing a program record 681 yards on offense in a 48-28 win. Zac Boyes set a Cortland record with 543 passing yards, while receiver J.J. Laap hauled in nine passes for a school and Empire 8 conference record 312 yards.

Cortland followed the impressive week one performance with a 63-7 drubbing of The College of New Jersey last weekend. Joshua Cordero intercepted three passes, while Cole Burgess caught three touchdown passes, both tying program records.

SCHEDULES/RESULTS…
BUFFALO STATE (0-1)
Sept. 3            at St. John Fisher....................................... L 62-21
Sept. 17          SUNY CORTLAND…………………..................12:00
Sept. 24          MORRISVILLE STATE (Homecoming)........ 5:00
Oct. 1              * at Union……………………............................ 1:00
Oct. 8              * RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC.............. 12:00
Oct. 15            * at Rochester............................................ 12:00
Oct. 21            * ITHACA.................................................... 7:00
Oct. 29            at Brockport............................................... 12:00
Nov. 5             * HOBART………………................................. 1:00
Nov. 12           * at St. Lawrence…………….......................... 1:00
 
* Liberty League 8 game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS
 
CORTLAND (2-0)
Sept. 3            WITTENBERG (OH)............................. W 48-28
Sept. 10          THE COLLEGE of NEW JERSEY.........  W 63-7
Sept. 17          at Buffalo State...................................... 12:00
Oct. 1              * MORRISVILE STATE........................... 1:00
Oct. 8             * at Brockport........................................... 1:00
Oct. 15            * HARTWICK.......................................... 1:00
Oct. 22           * at Utica.................................................. 1:00
Oct. 29           * at Alfred................................................ 1:00
Nov. 5            * ST. JOHN FISHER................................ 1:00
Nov. 12           Ithaca (Yankee Stadium)........................ 1:00
 
* Empire 8 game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS