GAME #4 – BUFFALO STATE BENGALS AT UNION COLLEGE DUTCHMEN
Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022 – 1:00 PM
Frank Bailey Field – Schenectady, NY


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THE MATCHUP… Buffalo State opens its 2022 Liberty League schedule with a trip to Schenectady, NY for a matchup with the Dutchmen of Union College. The squads have only faced off twice before in their history, with Union coming away victorious in both meetings. Buffalo State joined the Liberty League conference prior to the 2019 season, while Union has been a member of the conference since the 2004 season. This will also be the first time in which the teams have met at Frank Bailey Field, with the previous two games taking place at Coyer Field in Buffalo.

THE BENGALS' LAST GAME… The Buffalo State football team dropped a 31-10 decision to Morrisville in the Homecoming game on Saturday evening at Coyer Field.

Buffalo State drove down the field on its opening possession, but Nick Sciandra's (N. Tonawanda, NY/N. Tonawanda) 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Omar Jarvis. Morrisville responded with a 29-yard field goal to take the 3-0 lead just under a minute into the second quarter.

Midway through the second quarter, the Mustangs snuffed out a fake punt by Buffalo State, then capitalized with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Steven Frerichs to Quamel Jarvis, who made a spectacular catch in the corner of the endzone. Morrisville added another touchdown on a two-minute drill just before halftime to take a 17-0 lead at the half.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Mustangs added another touchdown early in the fourth, before Sciandra nailed a 30-yard field goal to make it 24-3. Fullback Brandon Mapp's second touchdown of the game made it 31-3.

Cam Sionko (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) found Phaybian Livingston (Buffalo, NY/St. Joe's) over the middle for a 14-yard score on the Bengals' last possession for the 31-10 final score, capping off an 11-play, 75-yard drive.

Sionko finished the game 22-for-28 for 181 yards and a touchdown, as well as 38 yards on the ground. Tariq Nelson (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) recorded his second consecutive 100-yard game, grabbing nine passes for 107 yards. Michael Drywa (West Babylon, NY/East Islip) led the Buffalo State defense with 11 tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss.

LAST TIME WE MET... Down 23-3, the Buffalo State football team struck for two touchdowns and two interceptions in the fourth quarter to make it a one-score game, but the Bengals were stopped on downs at the six-yard line with a chance to take a late lead as 12th-ranked Union hung on for a 30-17 victory in the Liberty League opener Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021.

Both teams were unable to score on their first two possessions, before Union struck first with a 17-yard touchdown pass from William Bellamy to Andre Ross, Jr. Union took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, as Jonathan Anderson ran it in from six yards out after a nine-play, 44-yard drive.

Buffalo State then got on the board on its next drive, as freshman kicker Nick Sciandra made a 38-yard field goal to make it 14-3.

After a sterling 42-yard punt by Union's Andrew Lau, the Dutchmen forced a safety on Buffalo State's first play from scrimmage, as Jimaar Edwards stopped sophomore running back Ale Wilson (Bronx, NY/KIPP College Prep) in the endzone for the 16-3 halftime lead.

Union took a 23-3 advantage on its second drive of the second half, as Anderson rushed for a four-yard touchdown on a 4th-and-goal play.

Buffalo State began the fourth quarter with a touchdown after a 14-play, 83-yard drive, as Cam Sionko found Tariq Nelson with a 22-yard touchdown pass.

On a 2nd-and-9 play in Union's next possession, Bellamy's deep pass downfield was picked off by Ethan Biscaro (Batavia, NY/Batavia) at the Buffalo State 17-yard line.

On the Bengals' first play from scrimmage after the turnover, Sionko passed it backwards to Jackson, who heaved a deep pass to an open Moore at midfield. Moore shook off the final tackler and sprinted 40 yards into the endzone for the Bengal touchdown as the squad trailed 23-17.

The Bengals struck again with a key turnover, as Justin Jones read the screen play and jumped the route for an interception, taking the ball to the Union 10-yard line.

With a chance to take the lead, Buffalo State was stopped on downs just yards shy of the endzone, as Sionko's attempted pass to Jackson was broken up by Diavon Clements.

Union then marched 81 yards down the field for the final score of the game late in the fourth quarter, as Irabor punched it in from five yards out.

Mike Glinski led the Buffalo State defense with a career-high 20 tackles in the game.

100-YARD RECEIVER… Tariq Nelson (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) is the first Bengal receiver to record back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since Ricky Bailey had 106 yards against St. John Fisher and 114 yards against U.S. Merchant Marine Academy to close out the 2017 season. Nelson also leads the conference with 292 yards receiving through three games.

BACK-TO-BACK WITH A SACK… Michael Drywa (West Babylon, NY/East Islip) has now record a sack in each of the last two games. The senior linebacker's two sacks are tied for second in the Liberty League this season.  

RUNNING WILD… Ale Wilson (Bronx, NY/KIPP College Prep) leads Buffalo State on the ground this season, and his 6.0 yards per carry are eighth-best in the conference. Even more impressive, the sophomore running back has yet to be tackled for a loss on any of his 25 rushing attempts.

RETURN SPECIALIST… Phaybian Livingston (Buffalo, NY/St. Joe's) had the longest kick return for Buffalo State this season. His 47-yard kickoff return against Morrisville last weekend was the longest since Nas Jackson's 49-yard return last year against Union.

DROP 'EM FOR A LOSS (DROP IT LIKE IT'S HOT REMIX)… Kenneth Mosley (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) has 3.5 tackles for loss this season, which is fifth in the Liberty League. He has recorded at least one tackle for loss in every game 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.

STATE OF THE UNION… Union enters Saturday's contest with a 3-1 record, after falling 31-24 to Utica College last weekend. The Dutchmen had been ranked 25th-nationally prior to the defeat, but dropped out of the rankings due to the loss.

Union's high-powered offense has averaged 40.8 points per game, led by the rushing attack of Ike Irabor and Michael Fiore. Irabor has 334 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the season, while Fiore has 224 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Union has averaged a conference-high 426.8 yards per game, with 253.5 of those yards coming on the ground.

The Union defense is led by linebacker Cole DaSilva's 33.0 total tackles, while defensive back Spencer Goldstien has snagged two of the Dutchmen's five interceptions on the year. The Union defense allows 17.8 points per game. Opponents have rushed for an average of just 2.6 yards per carry, and have scored just two rushing touchdowns.  

SCHEDULES/RESULTS…

BUFFALO STATE (0-3)
Sept. 3            at St. John Fisher............................... L 62-21
Sept. 17          SUNY CORTLAND…………………............. L 66-7
Sept. 24          MORRISVILLE STATE (Homecoming)..L 31-10
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
 
UNION (3-1)
Sept. 3              at Allegheny....................................... W 42-27
Sept. 10            WORCESTER ST.……………………..........  W 76-7
Sept. 17            at Springfield……….............................W 21-6
Sept. 24            UTICA…………...................................... L 31-24
Oct. 1             * BUFFALO STATE.................................. 1:00
Oct. 8             * at St. Lawrence…................................. 1:00
Oct. 22           * ROCHESTER…………….......................... 12:00
Oct. 29           * at Hobart..............................................1:00
Nov. 5            * ITHACA………....................................... 12:00
Nov. 12          * at Rensselaer Polytechnic................ 12:00
 
* Liberty League game      HOME GAMES IN CAPS