GAME #4 - BUFFALO STATE BENGALS VS. ROCHESTER YELLOWJACKETS
Saturday, Sep. 30, 2023 - 5:00 PM
Coyer Field - Buffalo, NY

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THE MATCHUP… After an early bye week, Buffalo State is home for the 2023 Liberty League Opener on Homecoming weekend. The Bengals host the Rochester Yellowjackets in the seventh meeting of the squads all-time.

THE BENGALS' LAST GAME… Buffalo State rushed for 348 yards, led by 199 rushing yards and three touchdowns by Ale Wilson (Bronx, NY/KIPP College Prep), in a 41-7 victory over Dean College on Saturday, September 16. Wilson came up just shy of 200 yards, but averaged 9.0 yards per attempt, and also hauled in one reception for four yards. Cody Phillips (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) rushed for 119 yards and added a rushing score. Noah Kimble (Depew, NY/Lancaster) and Amir Cameron (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison) each tossed their first career touchdown passes. On defense, Nicholas Moore (Buffalo, NY/Buffalo Academy of Science) recorded six tackles, including a pair of sacks, while Justin Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Lincoln) and Kenneth Mosley (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) each had seven tackles.
     The first two Dean drives, and the first Buffalo State drive, all ended in three-and-outs, as defense was the theme early.
     On the second possession for Buffalo State, Wilson broke free for a 45-yard run to set up the Bengals at the Bulldogs' eight-yard line, and Phillips gave Buffalo State the lead three plays later on a 5-yard rushing score.
     Caden Wheeler (Waverly, NY/Waverly) partially blocked a punt on the ensuing Dean drive, setting the Bengals up with great field position, but Buffalo State was unable to capitalize as Kimble was intercepted to end the drive.
     After the Bengal defense forced another three-and-out, Kimble found Tyler Mills (Fulton, NY/G. Ray Bodley) for a 26-yard touchdown strike to extend the lead to 14-0. The Bengals recovered Nick Sciandra's (N. Tonawanda, NY/N. Tonawanda) ensuing onside kick, and Wilson cashed in on the next drive with a 36-yard rushing touchdown to make it 21-0 early in the second quarter.
     The next two Dean drives, and a Bengal drive, all resulted in punts, and after Julian Maloney (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca West) kept a Buffalo State drive alive by recovering a fumble by Kimble inside the Dean five-yard line, Wilson added his second score of the day to make it 28-0 with just 27 seconds left in the half.
     The Bengals got the ball out of halftime and scored within two plays, as Wilson found paydirt on a 55-yard touchdown scamper. Another tipped punt by Wheeler came on the next drive, but Phillips then fumbled in the red zone, and the Bulldogs were able to recover.
     At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs finally got on the board, as Paul Hammond found Jordan Mason for a one-yard touchdown pass, taking advantage of a pair of critical Bengals' penalties. The Bengals responded with a nine-play, 50-yard scoring drive, capped by a 26-yard strike from Cameron to Tariq Nelson (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) for the final score of the contest.

LAST TIME WE MET... Tariq Nelson had a career-day for Buffalo State, but it wasn't enough for the Bengals to avoid defeat on the road to Rochester in a 12-6 defensive struggle in Liberty League action on Saturday, October 15, 2022.
     Nelson set new career-highs with 13 receptions and 157 receiving yards, accounting for over 50% of the Buffalo State passing yards. Ethan Biscaro (Batavia, NY/Batavia) had an interception for the second straight week, while also leading the Buffalo State defense with 8 total tackles. The Buffalo State defense held the nation's leading rusher coming into the game in Daniel Papantonis (181.0 rushing yards per game) to just 129 yards on 23 carries.
     The Rochester offense moved the ball down the field on its opening drive, but the Bengals tightened up just outside the red zone to force a 38-yard field goal by Jordan Laudani for a 3-0 lead. Buffalo State responded by driving down the field and into the red zone, but turned the ball over on downs from the three-yard line.
     Rochester went on an eight-play, 61-yard touchdown drive, capped by a Papantonis 6-yard rushing touchdown. Alex Westcott (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) blocked the ensuing extra point to keep the score at 9-0.
After Cam Sionko's pass was intercepted on the next Buffalo State drive, Laudani's 37-yard field goal attempt was no good as the score remained 9-0 into halftime.
     Buffalo State moved the ball past midfield to start the second half, but the Bengals turned the ball over on downs again at the Rochester 43-yard line. After the Buffalo State defense forced the Yellowjackets to punt, Sionko was intercepted for a second time, leading to a 30-yard field goal for a 12-0 Rochester lead.
     Tom Delgado (Bayside, NY/Bayside) came on in relief of Sionko, but was intercepted on his first pass attempt. Biscaro returned the favor five plays later, intercepting his third pass of the season at the Buffalo State 14-yard line. On the second play from scrimmage of the fourth quarter, Delgado was intercepted again, but the Bengals forced a three-and-out to give the ball back to the offense.
     The next Buffalo State drive covered 66 yards in 12 plays, but ended in another interception at the Rochester 14-yard line.
Buffalo State forced another stop on defense, and then drove down the field, with Ale Wilson rushing in for a four-yard touchdown with 2:08 remaining.
     Nick Sciandra's extra point was unsuccessful, and after Rochester recovered the ensuing onside kick, the Yellowjackets were able to gain one first down and run the rest of the clock out.

BLAST FROM THE PAST... In Game #4 of the 2018 season, Buffalo State defeated Hartwick by a score of 41-7, the exact score of the Buffalo State victory over Dean this season. The Bengals received excellent season-high offensive performances from quarterback Kevin Torrillo (296 passing yards, two touchdowns) and Martin Bailey (117 rushing yards, two touchdowns), while Jordan Evert chipped in eight catches for 114 yards and a score. The 34-point win was the greatest margin of victory since the 2015 season for the Bengals, before being matched by this year's team. 

HIGH HONORS... Following Buffalo State's victory over Dean, running back Ale Wilson was named the Liberty League's Offensive Performer of the Week, and was honored on the d3Football.com National Team of the Week. Wilson accounted for over 200 yards from scrimmage, and three touchdowns.

TWO FOR 100... Ale Wilson and Cody Phillips both rushed for over 100 yards in the last game, the first time that the Bengals had two 100-yard rushers in the same game since 2011, when Rich Pete and Brooks Estarfaa both went over the century mark against The College of New Jersey.

GOING HARD IN THE TRENCHES... Buffalo State rushed for 348 yards against Dean, the most rushing yards in a game since 2011, when the Bengals recorded 438 yards on the ground against Western Connecticut.

MR. CATCH IT... Tariq Nelson has recorded at least one reception in 18 consecutive games dating back to the middle of the 2021 season. That is the longest such streak for a Bengal since Jordan Evert caught a pass in 23 straight games from 2016 to 2019.  

GETTING INTO THE BACKFIELD... In the Bengals' three games, they have registered 23.0 tackles for loss. That average of 7.7 per game is the best mark in the Liberty League, and 44th-best mark in the nation. Nicholas Moore leads the team with three sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss, while Evan Cervantes (Cicero, NY/Bishop Ludden) has 4.0 tackles for loss.  

BLOCK PARTY... Caden Wheeler's two blocked punts against Dean moved him into second place in the country, behind only Hunter Coleman of Berry College, who has three blocked kicks this season. 

QUICK STRIKE POTENTIAL... The Bengals have eight plays of over 20 yards from scrimmage on the season, with five of those plays going for touchdowns. The longest play of the season was a 55-yard touchdown run by Ale Wilson. 

TOP 25... Ale Wilson is ranked 25th nationally in rushing average. His 105.7 rushing yards per game average also puts him on pace to become the first Bengal 1,000-yard rusher since Rich Pete in 2014.

TACKLING MACHINES... Kenneth Mosley has 29 tackles through three games, and his 9.7 tackles per game lead the Liberty League. The Bengals also have five other players in the top 15 in the conference in tackles per game: Sincere Green (Jamestown, NY/Jamestown) (5th, 7.5), Evan Cervantes (8th, 7.0), Ethan Biscaro (11th, 6.7), Nicholas Moore (13th, 6.3), and Anderson Osei-Gyimah (Bronx, NY/New Visions) (15th, 6.0).

CALLING ALL CAPTAINS... Buffalo State brings back three of four captains from the 2022 season. On offense, left tackle Alex Westcott and wide receiver Tariq Nelson are in their second seasons as captain. Safety Anderson Osei-Gyimah is a captain once again. He is joined by first-time captain defensive lineman Orlando Cabrera (Brooklyn, NY/Plainedge) as the leaders of the defense. 

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, 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.
      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.

RESEARCHING ROCHESTER... The Yellowjackets come into the weekend with a 3-1 record, and riding a three-game winning streak after a 29-27, double-overtime, victory over the University of New England last week. Quarterback Ryan Rose found Aidan Papantonis for a five-yard touchdown in the second overtime period, and the two-point conversion from Rose to Trey Johnson proved to be the difference after UNE was unable to connect on a game-tying conversion attempt.  
     Back on offense for his senior year is the 2022 Liberty League leading rusher in Daniel Papantonis. Papantonis averaged over 140 yards on the ground last season, and current ranks first in the conference, and 25th in the nation in all-purpose yardage. Rose also returns at quarterback for Rochester, and has passed for 797 yards and seven touchdowns this season, while leading the conference with 19.0 completions per game. As an offense, Rochester is averaging 28.0 points per game. 
     The Rochester defense has successfully employed a bend-but-don't-break strategy. The Yellowjackets have allowed the most yards in the conference, but their red zone defense has also been stellar, leading the Liberty League by only allowing a 64.3% conversion rate inside the 20-yard line. Judah Thomas and Jack Yensel have also combined for all five of the defense's interceptions on the season.    

SCHEDULES/RESULTS...

BUFFALO STATE (1-2/0-0 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 **                    5 pm
Oct. 7           at Hobart **                           1 pm
Oct. 14         at RPI **                                1 pm
Oct. 21         HILBERT                               5 pm
Oct. 28         at Ithaca **                            1 pm
Nov. 4           UNION **                              1 pm
Nov. 11         ST. LAWRENCE **               1 pm
**LIBERTY LEAGUE CONTEST**

ROCHESTER (3-1, 0-0 LIBERTY LEAGUE)
Sept. 2         UTICA                                   L 20-17
Sept. 9         ALFRED STATE                   W 49-7
Sept. 16      at Salve Regina                     W 17-10
Sept. 23      at Uni. of New England          W 29-27 (2 OT)
Sept. 30      at Buffalo State **                  5 pm
Oct. 7          UNION **                               1 pm
Oct. 14        at St. Lawrence **                 1 pm
Oct. 21        ITHACA **                             Noon
Oct. 28        at RPI **                                Noon
Nov. 11        HOBART **                           Noon
**LIBERTY LEAGUE CONTEST**