GAME #10 - BUFFALO STATE BENGALS VS. ST. LAWRENCE SAINTS
Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023 - 1:00 PM
Coyer Field - Buffalo, NY

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THE MATCHUP… Buffalo State hosts St. Lawrence on Senior Day to close out the 2023 season. This will be the ninth meeting of the teams, with the Saints holding a 6-2 edge and riding a three-game winning streak over the Bengals. Both teams are in search of their first conference victory of the season.  

THE BENGALS' LAST GAME… Darion Jones (Buffalo, NY/Hutch Tech) took a kickoff 95 yards back to the house for the first Buffalo State kickoff return touchdown since 2017, but the Bengals couldn't rally from a slow start, falling at home to Union by a final score of 43-17 in Liberty League action Saturday afternoon.
     Jones' 95-yard kick return is the Bengals' first kick return for a touchdown since September 17, 2017, when Jamar Rutledge went 96 yards in a 53-48 win over Morrisville. He also added five receptions for 36 yards. Nicholas Bruce (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) scored the lone offensive touchdown for the Bengals, with five receptions for 84 yards. Tariq Nelson (Brooklen, NY/Boys and Girls) led the receiving corps with eight receptions and 94 yards. Kenneth Mosley (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) led the Bengals with 14 tackles, one for loss. Anderson Osei-Gyimah (Bronx, NY/New Visions) and Aaron Espinet (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) added 12 tackles apiece for the defensive unit. Noah Estriplet (Nyack, NY/Nyack) tallied two tackles and his first interception of his career.
     Union struck quickly, opening the scoring four minutes into the game with a Michael Fiore two-yard run. After the Bengals punted on their opening possession, Union scored two plays later, as Donovan Pacatte tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Robbie Tolbert.
     Nick Sciandra (N. Tonawanda, NY/N. Tonawanda) later opened the scoring for the Bengals after a 14-play drive, kicking a 27-yard field goal to make the score 14-3.
     Union scored 36 seconds into the second quarter, with Fiore scoring his second touchdown of the afternoon from four yards out. Max Gluck added a 34-yard field goal to take a 24-3 lead, before Jones' return on the ensuing kickoff, where he found a seam, broke a few tackles, and sprinted untouched the final 50 yards, put the Bengals within striking distance at 24-10.
     Union converted its second field goal of the half, this time from 38-yards out as the Garnet Chargers led 30-10 at halftime.
     After a Buffalo State interception, Fiore answered with his third touchdown of the game, scoring from nine yards out to take a 37-10 lead. Buffalo State struck back with a four-play, 69-yard drive, capped by a 55-yard catch and run by Bruce as the hosts trailed 37-17 heading into the fourth quarter.
     Union capped its scoring midway through the final period, as Pacatte tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Dan Quinn to lead 43-17. Buffalo State had a chance late to close the gap, but Union's Charles Johnson recovered a Noah Kimble (Depew, NY/Lancaster) fumble at the 1-yard line in the final minute of regulation.

LAST TIME WE MET... Buffalo State wrapped up the 2022 season with a 31-7 loss to St. Lawrence in Liberty League action on Saturday, November 12, 2022.
     Darren Thompson made 12 tackles to lead the Buffalo State defense. Michael Lastique (Far Rockaway, NY/Midwood) grabbed the first interception of his career. Ale Wilson (Bronx, NY/KIPP College Prep) rushed for 79 yards on 19 carries, averaging 4.2 yards per attempt.
     St. Lawrence moved into Buffalo State territory on its opening drive, but the Bengals forced a turnover on downs from their own 29-yard line. Buffalo State gave the ball back three plays later, as Javon Ford was intercepted by Owen O'Brien on a deflected pass. The Saints capitalized shortly after on a four-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Lawther to Joseph Ott.
     After each team punted, the Bengals drove into the red zone, before Nick Sciandra's field goal attempt was blocked by Victor Gamberoni. St. Lawrence took advantage of the momentum swing, extending the lead to 14-0 on a 26-yard touchdown from Lawther to running back Peyton Schmitt.
     After another Buffalo State interception, the Saints quickly drove into field goal range, and Clayton Fogler nailed a 48-yard field goal as time expired in the half.
     The Bengals drove 75 yards in 12 plays to open the second half, and Ford capped the drive with a one-yard quarterback keeper to make the score 17-7.
     St. Lawrence drove down to the Buffalo State one-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs after three straight stops for no gain by the Bengal defense, including a pair of tackles by Orlando Cabrera (Brooklyn, NY/Plainedge).
     After another Buffalo State punt, St. Lawrence drove down inside the red zone, but Lawther was intercepted by Lastique in the endzone. The Bengals went three-and-out, and two plays later, the Saints found the end zone on a 26-yard run by Lawther.
     St. Lawrence completed the scoring with a pick-six on the first play of the next drive, and the Bengals were stopped by an interception and a turnover on downs on their final two possessions of the game.

BLAST FROM THE PAST... A balanced offensive attack that piled up 483 yards of offense, and a pair of interceptions on the first and last plays by the Bengals' defense, led Buffalo State to a 35-28 victory over Brockport in Game #10 of the 2015 season. 
     Quarterback Dan Serignese completed 18-of-25 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown, while Dale Stewart rushed for 155 yards and two scores to lead the Buffalo State offense.
     Mitch Thomas and Nick Anderson both recorded an interception for the defense.

SENIOR DAY… Buffalo State will honor its eight seniors from the 2023 team prior to kickoff this afternoon: Ethan Biscaro (Batavia, NY/Batavia), Anderson Osei-Gyimah, Caden Wheeler (Waverly, NY/Waverly), Jayson White (Rockville Centre, NY/Malverne), Orlando Cabrera, Andrew Georgia (Tribes Hill, NY/FFCSD), Jonah Wisniewski (Lockport, NY/Newfane), Nicholas Bruce (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park), and Isaiah Cox (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls).

CAN HE DO IT... After an eight-catch, 94-yard performance against Union, Tariq Nelson is just 59 yards shy of 2,000 career receiving yards. The junior receiver leads Buffalo State with 38 catches for 569 yards this season, and has caught at least one pass in 24 consecutive games. 

TO THE HOUSE… Darion Jones returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown last week against Union. It was the first kickoff returned for a touchdown by the Bengals since 2017, when Jamar Rutledge took a kick 96 yards for a touchdown against Morrisville.

BIG PLAY GUY… Nicholas Bruce is averaging 16.38 yards per reception this season, second in the Liberty League. The senior receiver has caught a pass in every game this year, and has caught three passes of over 50 yards this year. 

PROTECT THE QB… The Buffalo State offensive line has allowed the second-fewest sacks this season in the conference. With an average of just 0.67 sacks per game, the Bengals are also 14th in the country in that category. The offensive line has only allowed six sacks on the year, and is on pace to allow the fewest sacks in a season in over a decade. 

RETURN STAR… Darion Jones is second in the conference, and 13th in the country, with 661 combined kick return yards this season. He is also tied for sixth in the nation with his kickoff return touchdown. 

GROUND ATTACK... Ale Wilson's 726 rushing yards are fourth in the conference. Wilson's 5.76 yards per carry average is also third in the Liberty League. 

HERE'S THE KICKER… Buffalo State is the only team in the Liberty League to convert all of its field goal attempts in the red zone this season. Nick Sciandra is 4-for-4 on field goal attempts from under 40 yards, and also has the longest made field goal in the conference this season at 51 yards.

RACE FOR THE TOP… Kenneth Mosley is second in the conference with 84 tackles this season, just one behind the leader. His 9.3 tackles per game are also second in the Liberty League, and 43rd in the nation. 

BLOCK PARTY... Buffalo State leads the conference, and is 19th in the nation, with five blocked kicks this season. 

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.

SCOUTING THE SAINTS... St. Lawrence enters the final game of the season with a 2-7 overall record (0-5 Liberty League). The Saints are on a five-game losing streak, which the Bengals will look to extend on Saturday.
      St. Lawrence has the lowest-scoring offense in the Liberty League, scoring just 12.3 points per game. At just 253.2 yards per game, St. Lawrence is also worst in the conference. Quarteback Will Lederman has thrown for 843 yards and six touchdowns, and is also the leading rusher with 261 yards on the ground. 
     The Saints' defense is giving up 30.4 points per game, and has allowed at least 34 points in each of the past five games. Joseph O'Neil leads the defense with 50 tackles. Grady Harrington has one interception and 11 passes broken up, while Nicholas Giardina has three interceptions on the season. 
     The Saints have not made a field goal this season, and have attempted just one field goal. St. Lawrence has committed the fewest penalties in the conference, with only 37 in nine games. The Saints have also recorded the second-greatest time of possession in the conference this season. 

SCHEDULES/RESULTS... 

BUFFALO STATE (2-7, 0-5 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 ***	L 43-17
Nov. 11	ST. LAWRENCE ***	1 pm

*** LIBERTY LEAGUE CONTEST ***

ST. LAWRENCE (2-7, 0-5 LIBERTY LEAGUE)

Sept. 2	at Endicott	L 31-0
Sept. 8	NORWICH	W 14-7
Sept. 16	at Western New England	L 42-21
Sept. 23	CASTLETON	W 28-0
Sept. 30	at Union ***	L 34-0
Oct. 14	ROCHESTER ***	L 37-27
Oct. 21	RPI ***	L 37-7
Oct. 28	at Hobart ***	L 35-0
Nov. 4	ITHACA ***	L 51-14
Nov. 11	at Buffalo State ***	1 pm

*** LIBERTY LEAGUE CONTEST ***