BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State football team is ready to kickoff their 2025 campaign on a positive note. The Bengals will open their season tonight as they will host Brockport under the lights of Coyer Field with a 7:00 pm start time.
Head Coach
Lazarus Morgan enters his fourth season leading the Bengals. After earning their first conference win since 2019 a year ago, Morgan and his squad are set for another jump forward this season.
"Preseason has been excellent. Everyone is healthy and we saw some good positional battles", Morgan said.
"Everything has been building each day. This is probably the closest team we have had as far as their relationships both on and off the field. It's the team that plays together as a team that wins."
Leading this year's squad are captains
Amir Cameron (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison),
Mikai Johnson (Far Rockaway, NY/James Madison),
Carlos Almeyda (Syracuse, NY/Institute of Tech),
Brody Stevens (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park), and
Ian Behrens (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster).
"Leadership is tough. The guys have embraced it. The standard is the standard. If we are consistently doing things the right way it will lead to more opportunities being successful", Morgan added.
Amir Cameron entered his first full season as the starting quarterback and made immediate impact. In the team's home opener against Hilbert, Cameron threw five touchdown passes to match the program record while also throwing for 171 yards. Five touchdown passes had been accomplished four previous times in program history, but not since Kyle Hoppy back in 2014 against Waynesburg.
For Johnson, his breakout season included 25 receptions for 417 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball,
Sincere Green (Jamestown, NY/Jamestown) was a force on a very strong Bengals' defense. Green led the Liberty League with 17.0 tackles for loss while also registering 78 total tackles, a forced fumble, 4.5 sacks, and an interception on his way to a First Team All Liberty League selection. Green was the engine of a Buffalo State defense that was second in the conference in forced fumbles, third in fumble recoveries, and fourth in sacks.
Stevens also had a breakout campaign featuring 48 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
"Every week will bring a new test", Morgan stated.
"We need to focus on being present. Right now, our focus is on Brockport. After Thursday, we will go look at the film and see what we can get better at and move on to the next team. That's how we will get better as a program when we focus on the little details and be consistent and disciplined."
Following Brockport, the Bengals will host Hartwick (Sept. 13) for the first time since the 2018 season. The Bengals will then travel to Alfred State (Sept. 20) before finishing the regular season with seven straight Liberty League games. Buffalo State will open conference play on the road at Hilbert (Sept. 27) before hosting Union for Homecoming (Oct. 4). The Bengals will then be on the road at RPI (Oct. 11), home against Rochester (Oct. 25), at Ithaca (Nov. 1), home against St. Lawrence (Nov. 8), and on the road at Hobart (Nov. 15) to close out the regular season.
"We spend nine months getting ready for a three month season", Morgan added.
"I'm super excited for this year. We have great energy on campus. Things have changed dramatically since our first year here. To see our guys respond to adverse situations and make good things happen that will tell me the program is going right where we want it to go."
The Bengals look to improve their win total again in 2025. In a tough Liberty League conference, Morgan and his team are set to raise the bar and raise the standard of the Buffalo State football program.
