GAME #2 – BUFFALO STATE BENGALS VS APPRENTICE SCHOOL BUILDERS
Saturday, Sep. 9, 2023 – 1:00 PM
Coyer Field – Buffalo, NY
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THE MATCHUP… Buffalo State is home once again in week two of the 2023 season. The Bengals square off against the Newport News Apprentice School for just the third time. Buffalo State has come away victorious in both of the previous matchups, a 27-0 victory at home in 2005 and a 30-19 win on the road in 2004.
THE BENGALS' LAST GAME… The Buffalo State football team dropped its season opener of the 2023 season on Thursday night to Brockport in the I-90 Bowl by a final score of 42-6.
Nick Sciandra (N. Tonawanda, NY/N. Tonawanda) went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts for the day, connecting from 22-yards and 40-yards.
Ale Wilson (Bronx, NY/KIPP College Prep) rushed for 71 yards on 17 carries, averaging 4.2 yards per attempt.
Kenneth Mosley (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) led the Bengal defense with 11 tackles.
After Brockport returned the opening kickoff out near midfield, the Bengals forced Brockport into a 3rd and 10, but the Golden Eagles rushed for a first down, then completed a nine-play drive to open the scoring with a three-yard quarterback keeper by Todd Simmons.
After a Bengals' three-and-out, the Golden Eagles punched in a 5-yard run for another score. Sciandra got Buffalo State on the board with a 22-yard field goal, set up by 24 yards rushing on the drive by Wilson. The Bengals' first scoring drive of the season spanned 13 plays and covered 80 yards.
After being pinned deep in their own territory, the Bengals were forced to punt, which Brockport's Raylens Boutin returned for a 42-yard punt return touchdown to take a 21-3 lead into halftime.
The Bengals opened the second half on an 11-play, 53-yard drive, which Sciandra finished off with a 40-yard field goal.
Brockport responded with a touchdown drive, then added a pair of late scores to put the game out of reach.
LAST TIME WE MET... Buffalo State and the Apprentice School met for an Atlantic Central Football Conference matchup in 2005, which the Bengals came away victorious by a final score of 27-0. The following year, Buffalo State joined the New Jersey Athletic Conference, and the teams have not met since.
LEADING THE CHARGE... Buffalo State has four Liberty League All-Conference selections from last year back on the roster this year. Offensive tackle
Alex Westcott (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) was a first team selection, while wide receiver
Tariq Nelson (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls), defensive end
Orlando Cabrera (Brooklyn, NY/Plainedge), and safety
Ethan Biscaro (Batavia, NY/Batavia) were second team choices.
TWO FOR YOU... Tariq Nelson has recorded at least two receptions in 16 consecutive games dating back to the middle of the 2021 season. That is the longest such streak for a Bengal since Jordan Evert caught two passes in 23 straight games from 2016 to 2019.
PUT THEM IN REVERSE... In
Nicholas Moore's (Buffalo, NY/Buffalo Academy of Science) 11 career games, he has recorded 9.0 tackles for loss. He has been part of a tackle for loss in seven of those games, with a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss last season against.
GIVE US MORE ALE... In his last three games,
Ale Wilson has combined for 288 yards from scrimmage. The running back has 61 rushes and three receptions, averaging 4.5 yards per touch.
PROTECT THE QB... In the last four home games dating back to Oct. 2022, the Buffalo State offensive line has allowed a total of just four quarterback sacks, or only one per game.
GOING FOR 2,000... Tariq Nelson enters today's game with with 1,395 career receiving yards, just 605 shy of reaching 2,000 for his career. The last Bengal to reach that mark was Jordan Evert in 2019, who surpassed that total with a program-record 256 yards in his final game.
LONG GAINER... The Bengals' longest play from scrimmage in the 2022 season was a 54-yard touchdown run by
Ale Wilson against St. John Fisher.
BIG KICK NICK... Nick Sciandra's 40-yard field goal against Brockport was a career long, surpassing his previous career-long field goal of 39 yards against Union in 2021.
DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE... Ethan Biscaro has 70 career interception return yards on four interceptions. The Buffalo State career record for return yardage is held by Rey Jordan at 215.
SMARTIES... Six student-athletes for Buffalo State were honored on the SUNYAC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll for the 2022-23 school year.
Caden Wheeler (Waverly, NY/Waverly),
Ian Behrens (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster),
Julian Maloney (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca West),
Caleb Kruzicki (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South),
Sebastian Sierra (Farmingdale, NY/HHH East), and
Jeffrey Burgess (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) all maintained a 3.30 cumulative GPA.
BACK IN A NEW ROLE... Michael Drywa '22 is back with Buffalo State as a defensive graduate assistant this year. He led the Bengals in tackles last year with 78.0 and was an All-Liberty League honorable mention.
CALLING ALL CAPTAINS... Buffalo State brings back three of four captains from the 2022. On offense, left tackle
Alex Westcott and wide receiver
Tariq Nelson enter their second seasons as captain. Safety
Anderson Osei-Gyimah (Bronx, NY/New Visions) is a captain once again. He is joined by first-time captain defensive lineman
Orlando Cabrera as the leaders of the defense.
ABOUT THE BENGALS' COACH…
Lazarus Morgan enters 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 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.
A native of the Bronx, Morgan was a 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.
ABOUT APPRENTICE SCHOOL...
The Newport News Apprentice School is a four to eight-year apprenticeship vocational school owned and operated by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company. The school trains students for careers in the shipbuilding industry. The Builders' football team is a full member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.
The Builders finished the 2022 season with a 9-1 record, but have started 2023 with a 0-1 record, falling to Averett by a final score of 34-14 in the season opener.
The Builders rushed for over 200 yards in the contest, led by Kamron Jackson's 115 yards and one touchdown. However, quarterback Mason Tatum struggled mightily through the air, completing just three of 18 pass attempts for only 21 total passing yards and an interception. It might have just been an off game for Tatum, who completed 56.5% of his passes for 2,114 yards with 18 touchdowns and just six interceptions during the 2022 season.
On defense, the Builders were led by Kaytwan Shuler, who had six tackles and two tackles for loss. Chase Gayness also recorded six tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and recovered a fumble. The defense allowed 265 rushing yards against Averett, a weakness the Bengals could look to exploit in Saturday's matchup.
SCHEDULES/RESULTS…
BUFFALO STATE (0-1/0-0 Liberty)
Aug. 31 BROCKPORT L 42-6
Sept. 9 APPRENTICE SCHOOL 1 pm
Sept. 16 at Dean Noon
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 8 game HOME GAMES IN CAPS
APPRENTICE SCHOOL (0-1)
Sept. 2 AVERETT L 34-14
Sept. 9 at Buffalo State 1 pm
Sept. 16 at Moravian 1 pm
Sept. 23 WASHINGTON AND LEE 2 pm
Sept. 30 DAYTONA ELITE 1 pm
Oct. 14 at Thaddeus Stevens Tech 1 pm
Oct. 21 at Monroe College 1 pm
Oct. 28 ARMY PREP 1 pm
Nov. 4 HOCKING Noon
Nov. 11 GEORGIA CHRISTIAN 1 pm
