BOXSCORE
Freshman Maurice Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Grand Street Campus) returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown in his collegiate debut and junior Jordan Hogan (Lockport, NY/Newfane) turned a 20-yard pass play into an 81-yard score with a long run after the catch to help The College at Brockport Football team recover from an early 13-0 deficit Saturday afternoon in Ithaca.
The Bombers (1-0) scored early in the fourth quarter to regain the lead and held on stopping two late drives by the Golden Eagles (0-1) for a 19-14 victory in the season opener for both teams.
After a scoreless first quarter, Ithaca scored on two short drives of five plays each to take a 13-0 lead into the locker room for the halftime intermission.
Three plays into the second half, Brown stepped in front of a receiver on the sideline, picked off a pass and scampered 61 yards into the endzone to cut the Ithaca lead to 13-7.
The teams traded punts for most of the remainder of the third quarter until Brockport took over possession on its own 20-yard line with 4:18 to play in the quarter. After an incomplete pass and a loss on one yard on a Joe Scibilia (North Tonawanda, NY/Starpoint) rush, Scibilia completed a pass over the middle to Hogan who slipped out of the arms of a tackler and raced to the endzone for an 81-yard scoring play. The touchdown and successful extra point by E.J. Genzano (Albany, NY/Guilderland) gave Brockport a 14-13 advantage.
Ithaca responded on the ensuing possession with the longest drive of the game – a 13-play, 64-yard drive that was capped by a one yard plunge to regain the lead for the Bombers early in the fourth quarter. The key play in the drive was a fourth down completion for a first down that kept the drive alive inside the Brockport 20-yard line.
Brockport had a pair of chances late in the game to win the game. With 2:32 to play, Derek DeCandia (Beacon, NY/Beacon) intercepted a pass and returned it 40 yards to give the Golden Eagle possession inside Ithaca territory at the 40-yard line. Seven plays later on a fourth down play, Scibilia threw into the endzone toward sophomore Jake Spalik (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) but the incomplete pass ended the drive.
Just over a minute later, Brockport had one final chance after an Ithaca punt gave Brockport the ball on its own 27 yard line. With no time outs left, Scibilia engineered a nine-play drive to move the ball into Ithaca territory and the 31-yard line but a final pass into the endzone as time expired fell incomplete to end the game.
Scibilia finished with 232 yards passing on 22-of-39 passes with one touchdown but three first half interceptions. Hogan gained 121 yards on six receptions. DeCandia finished with five tackles, an interception and three pass break ups while Jake Ekross (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport) registered six stops, two for lost yardage, one sack and forced one fumble. The defense allowed just 70 total yards rushing and intercepted three passes.
