GAME #9 - BUFFALO STATE BENGALS VS. UNION GARNET CHARGERS
Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 - 1:00 PM
Coyer Field - Buffalo, NY

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THE MATCHUP… Buffalo State is back at home for the final two games of the season. The Bengals host Union in the penultimate game of the year. This is just the fourth meeting of the sides all-time, with the Garnett Chargers holding a 3-0 edge in the previous matchups.  

THE BENGALS' LAST GAME… Host Ithaca scored 31 points in the opening quarter, and defeated Buffalo State team on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 62-0 in Liberty League action.  
     Kenyon King (Syracuse, NY) had two tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. Sincere Green (Jamestown, NY/Jamestown) led the Buffalo State defense with 11 tackles.
Tariq Nelson (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) caught five passes for 61 yards.  
     The Bengals were forced to punt on their opening possession, and Ithaca kicked a field goal to go up 3-0 with 8:55 remaining. Noah Kimble (Depew, NY/Lancaster) was intercepted on the next play from scrimmage, and the Bombers scored on a trick play two plays later, a 37-yard touchdown pass from Julien Deumaga to Sam Kline.
     After a Buffalo State three-and-out with a solid return by Ithaca, the Bombers scored on a 17-yard rushing touchdown by Jalen Leonard-Osbourne.
     Ithaca stuck for touchdowns of 80 yards and 68 yards on the next two drives to lead 31-0 after one quarter.
     Kimble was intercepted on the second play of the second quarter, leading to another Ithaca touchdown. Ithaca drove down the field again on the next drive, but the Bengals' defense stiffened to force a 20-yard field goal attempt, which was successful.
     The Bengals went three-and-out again, and Colin Schumm connected with Deumaga for a 36-yard touchdown to make it 48-0 at halftime.
     Ithaca scored a touchdown out of half on a 12-play, 71-yard drive to make it 55-0. Kimble was intercepted again on the next Buffalo State drive, leading to a two-yard touchdown run by Ryan Brozovic on the opening play of the fourth quarter.
     Kimble was intercepted on the final two Buffalo State drives to end the game.

LAST TIME WE MET... Host Union jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter on the way to a 45-0 victory over Buffalo State on Saturday, October 1, 2022 at Frank Bailey Field in the Bengals' Liberty League opener. 
     Michael Drywa led the Bengals' defense with 18.0 total tackles, including one tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and fumble recovery. William Kitching (Flushing, NY/Bayside) had six receptions for 63 yards, while Nicholas Moore (Buffalo, NY/Buffalo Academy of Science) recorded two tackles for loss. 
     Union drove down the field on its opening possession of the game, capping a 15-play, 75-yard drive with a four-yard rushing score by Ike Irabor.
     Buffalo State picked up one first down on its opening drive before being forced to punt. The Dutchmen drove right back down the field for a another score, this time a 15-yard pass from Patch Flanagan to Nicholas Dunneman.
     Union recovered a successful onside kick, and cashed in with another touchdown one play later, a 28-yard pass from Flanagan to Andre Ross down the left sideline for a 21-0 lead after one quarter.
     Irabor scored his second touchdown of the game midway through the second quarter for a 28-0 score.
     After Union forced another Buffalo State punt, Drywa forced his first fumble of the season, and recovered the fumble to give the Bengals the ball back. Neither team was able to score the rest of the half as Union maintained its 28-0 lead at halftime.
     Union added a field goal, and a pair of touchdowns on a 7-yard pass from Flanagan to Jonathan Anderson and a punt return touchdown by Dunneman for a 45-0 lead after three quarters.
     Buffalo State moved the ball into the red zone on its final two possessions of the game, but was thwarted by the Union defense by an interception and a turnover on downs.

BLAST FROM THE PAST... Buffalo State trailed Hartwick 20-14 entering the fourth quarter, but outscored the Hawks 10-0 in the final, including a 16-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Hoppy to Had Bryant with 10 seconds remaining, to lift the Bengals to a 24-20 victory in Game #9 of the 2017 season.  
     Stephen Johnson recorded a game-high 136 receiving yards, while Antoine Holloman rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown for the Buffalo State offense.   
     On defense, Paul Krowel recorded a crucial sack that led to a safety for Buffalo State in the fourth quarter.   

CAN HE DO IT… Tariq Nelson is currently sitting just 153 yards shy of 2,000 career receiving yards. The senior receiver leads Buffalo State with 30 catches for 475 yards this season.

FINDING PAYDIRT… Ale Wilson's (Bronx, NY/KIPP College Prep) six rushing touchdowns this season are the most by a Bengal since Martin Bailey found the end zone six times during the 2019 season. Wilson is also averaging 5.8 yards per carry this year, which would be the highest yards per attempt for the lead running back since Tre Jones, who also rushed for 5.8 yards per carry in 2016.

3 OUT OF 4… Buffalo State has three out of the top four leaders in the Liberty League in tackles per game this season. Kenneth Mosley (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) is second in the conference with 8.8 tackles per game, Sincere Green is third with 8.7 tackles per game, and freshman Evan Cervantes (Cicero, NY/Bishop Ludden) is fourth with 8.6 tackles per game. 

BLOCK PARTY… Buffalo State leads the conference, and is 14th in the nation, with five blocked kicks this season. 

PROTECT THE QB… The Buffalo State offensive line has allowed the second-fewest sacks this season in the conference. With an average of just 0.75 sacks per game, the Bengals are also 16th in the country in that category. 

AIR IT OUT… Buffalo State leads the conference with 13.7 passing yards per completion this season. 

ALMOST A HUNDRED… Ale Wilson is averaging 99.0 all-purpose yards per game this season, while Darion Jones is close behind at 95.4 all-purpose yards per game. 

GROUND ATTACK... Ale Wilson's 723 rushing yards are second in the conference, and 38th in the nation.

IMPACT ROOKIE… Evan Cervantes is third in the conference, averaging 1.1 tackles for loss per game this season. The linebacker has been part of a tackle for loss in six of eight games for the Bengals.

PICKING IT… The Buffalo State defense has eight interceptions this year. With two games remaining, the Bengals have already registered their most interceptions in a season since 2018.   

ABOUT THE BENGALS' COACH…
     Lazarus Morgan is in his second season at the helm of the Buffalo State football program in 2023 after being appointed as the sixth football coach in Buffalo State history in January 2022. 
     In his first season as head coach, Morgan guided six student-athletes to Liberty League All-Conference selections, as well as seven All-Academic team winners. 
     He arrived in Buffalo after serving as the defensive coordinator at SUNY Cortland during the 2021 season, coordinating 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.
      A native of the Bronx, Morgan played defensive back at Utica College 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.

NOT THE DUTCHMEN ANYMORE... Union enters the weekend with a 7-1 overall record (3-1 Liberty League). The Garnet Chargers, a new nickname beginning with the 2023 season, are receiving votes in the most recent D3football.com poll. 
      The Union offense has been most effective on the ground this year, leading the conference in rushing with 267.1 yards per game, a mark that is seventh in the nation. The ground game is led by the two-headed attack of Joseph Fiore, who leads the conference with 793 rushing yards and 12 rushing scores, and Jonathan Anderson, who is fourth in the conference with 702 rushing yards. At 36.8 points per game, the Union offense is second in the conference.  
     The Garnet Chargers' defense is pretty strong too, allowing just 7.2 points per game, the fourth-best mark in the country. Union has also posted three shutouts on the year, and has only allowed two of eight opponents to score over 10 points in a game. The defense has allowed only 76 total first downs this season, leading the nation in that category. Cole DaSilva leads the Union defense with 42 total tackles, including 7.0 tackles for loss this season. 
     On special teams, Andrew Lau is second in the conference in punting, with an average of 37.8 yards. Max Gluck has made 8-of-12 field goal attempts on the season, while Kevin Rabacs has a long kickoff return of 40 yards. 

SCHEDULES/RESULTS... 

BUFFALO STATE (2-6, 0-4 LIBERTY LEAGUE)

Aug. 31	BROCKPORT	L 42-6
Sept. 9	APPRENTICE SCHOOL	L 37-23
Sept. 16	at Dean	W 41-7
Sept. 30	ROCHESTER ***	L 29-22
Oct. 7	at Hobart ***	L 45-21
Oct. 14	at RPI ***	L 51-28
Oct. 21	HILBERT	W 44-12
Oct. 28	at Ithaca ***	L 62-0
Nov. 4	UNION ***	1 pm
Nov. 11	ST. LAWRENCE ***	1 pm

*** LIBERTY LEAGUE CONTEST ***

UNION (7-1, 3-1 LIBERTY LEAGUE)

Sept. 2	at Hilbert	W 65-0
Sept. 9	at Worcester State	W 63-0
Sept. 15	SPRINGFIELD	W 34-7
Sept. 23	MONTCLAIR STATE	W 43-7
Sept. 30	ST. LAWRENCE ***	W 34-0
Oct. 7	at Rochester ***	W 21-17
Oct. 14	at Ithaca ***	L 17-9
Oct. 21	HOBART ***	W 27-10
Nov. 4	at Buffalo State ***	1 pm
Nov. 11	RPI ***	12 pm

*** LIBERTY LEAGUE CONTEST ***