BROCKPORT, NY – The SUNY Brockport football team returns home for the first time since mid-September on Saturday when the Golden Eagles host Utica College for an Empire 8 Conference matchup at 6 p.m.
 
DATE – TIME: Oct. 16, 2021 – 6 p.m.
LOCATION: Bob Boozer Field – Brockport, NY
LINKS: Video | Stats | Audio | Game Notes .pdf

Follow The Action: All five of Brockport's home games will be broadcast live by Roc Sports Network (RSN). ROCSportsNetwork.com is Rochester's only local network showcasing Rochester and Western New York sports through podcasts, television shows and game broadcasts both online and on television. Saturday's game will also be streamed live on gobrockport.com/watch. Brockport alum Marty Czekala will be on the play-by-play for the Brockport live stream.  Live audio for all home games will be provided by 89.1 The Point, Brockport's student radio station. Live stats for all home contests will be available at gobrockport.com.
 
Week 6 Recap: The SUNY Brockport football team jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first 26:59 of the contest, but host and nationally ranked No. 19 SUNY Cortland rallied with 31 unanswered points as the Red Dragons earned a 31-10 victory over the Golden Eagles in Empire 8 Conference action last Saturday.  Brockport runningback's Jala Coad and Rashad Law combined for 164 yards rushing on the ground and Coad powered home the Golden Eagles lone touchdown of the afternoon in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles posted 305 total yards of offense compared to the Red Dragons 292 and Brockport once again won the time of possession battle as it held the ball on offense for 35:51 of the contest with its consistent ground game. Senior linebacker Andrew Covais posted a team-best nine tackles and broke up one pass, while reigning Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Raylens Boutin posted seven tackles and added two pass break ups.  Alaan Montgomery added his third interception over the course of the last two games and also picked up three tackles for the Brockport defense. 
 
Where We Stand: Brockport is currently 3-2 overall and 1-1 in Empire 8 play this season. The Golden Eagles topped Framingham 31-0 on the road in the season opener.  Brockport then fell to visiting and nationally-ranked No. 17 Ithaca College 23-8 before defeating visiting Rochester 16-7 at home in week three. Following a bye week, the Golden Eagles topped Fisher on the road 34-7 in Courage Bowl XVI before falling to No. 19 Cortland on the road last Saturday. 

Protect the Nest: Brockport is 22-2 at home dating back to midway through the 2016 season.  The Golden Eagles were a perfect 5-0 at home in 2019 and they also went 7-0 at home back in 2017. 

All-Time Against Utica: Brockport has won four straight games against Utica College. The Golden Eagles are 6-2 all-time against the Pioneers. 

Last Meeting Against Utica: Brockport jumped out to a 20-0 lead over the course of the first 22:58 of the contest and never looked back as the Golden Eagles topped Utica, 41-14, on Oct. 26, 2019. Brockport nearly doubled the visitors in time of possession (39:54-20:06) and held the Pioneers to -2 rushing yards on the day as the Golden Eagles won their 19th consecutive Empire 8 Conference contest. Jala Coad had two rushing touchdowns in the victory. Kenny Hernandez posted two interceptions and returned one of them for a touchdown in the victory. 

Among the Nation's Best: The Golden Eagles rank third nationally and first in the conference having allowed just 50 first downs all season.  The green and gold have 12 interceptions, which ranks fourth nationally. Brockport's rushing defense also ranks fourth nationally, allowing an average of 38.6 rushing yards per game.  Brockport has allowed an average of just 188.4 total yards per game, which ranks third nationally.  Brockport ranks 14^th nationally and first in the Empire 8 with a 3^rd down conversion percentage defense of .257. 

INT Machine: Senior Alaan Montgomery ranks seventh nationally and first in the Empire 8 with an average of 0.8 interceptions per contest.  He has four INT's, including three in the last two games for the Golden Eagles. 

Climbing the Ladder: Jala Coad rushed for 80 yards on the ground last Saturday and moved into sixth on the program's all-time list with 2,186 career rushing yards.  He also has 23 career rushing touchdowns.  He currently leads the Empire 8 and ranks 11^th nationally with an average of 127.4 rushing yards per contest.  He also leads the conference in total touchdowns with eight, and points scored with 48.
 
League Leader: Senior receiver Imhotep Cromer ranks 12^th nationally with an average of 7.8 receptions per game and he leads the league with 435 receiving yards for an average of 87.0 yards per game.  He has caught eight or more balls in three of five games, including a season-high 10 in Brockport's season opening win over Framingham. 
              
Tackle Machine: Linebacker Ben Damiani leads the team with 31 total tackles this season.  He has 12 solo tackles and 5.0 tackles for a loss of seven yards.  He also has one interception for the Golden Eagle defense. 

Getting in the Backfield: Senior linebacker Lawrence Jenkins leads the team with 6.5 tackles for a loss this season. Jenkins also has one sack and two interceptions.  Damiani is tied with defensive end Josh Greenwood for second on the team with 5.0 tackles for a loss this year.  15 different players have at least one tackle for a loss this season.

Eagle Eye: Freshman kicker Nate Wigent ranks in the top 20 nationally and first in the conference with a .833 field goal percentage this season. He has made at least one field goal in 4-of-5 games this year, including a career-long 43 yarder in the season opener at Framingham.  He is also 10-of-11 on extra point opportunities this year. 
 
Value Possession: The Golden Eagles rank fifth in the nation in Time of Possession with an average TOP of 35:38 per contest. An excellent ground game and one of the top defenses in the country leads to this accolade. 

Lockdown Corner: Sophomore defensive back Raylens Boutin, the 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, ranks 10^th nationally with an average of 1.8 passes defended per game this season.  He leads the team with seven pass breakups and he also has two interceptions.  He now has 23 career pass breakups and six interceptions in just 17 career games. Boutin was a D3football.com Preseason All-American this Fall.
 
Under Center: Freshman quarterback Jack Cheshire leads the Empire 8 with an average of 18.60 completions per game this season.  He has thrown for 839 yards passing and he has three touchdowns.  He has 93 total completions through five games in the green and gold. 

We're in the Second Half: Brockport will host two straight Empire 8 games at home against Utica on Saturday and Hartwick on Oct. 23^rd.  Oct. 23^rd will be homecoming for the Golden Eagles as they take on the Hawks at 1 p.m. Bport will then hit the road for two straight at Buffalo State and Morrisville, before returning home for the regular season finale on Nov. 13^th against Alfred at 12 p.m.
 
Captains of the Ship: Brockport's three captains for this season include Luke Lodini, and senior linebacker's Lawrence Jenkins and Andrew Covais. Jenkins is now a two-time Empire 8 All-Conference selection, while Covais earned all-conference honorable mention in 2019. Lodini was a 2021 D3football.com Preseason All-American First Team pick for the Golden Eagles.
 
Meet the Sideline General: Head Coach Jason Mangone posted his 61st career victory following Brockport's Courage Bowl win over Fisher. He now has a 61-24 overall record. Following the 2019 season, Mangone and his coaching staff became the first group to earn three consecutive Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors in the 19-year history of the conference. Mangone has been named the AFCA Region I Coach of the Year in two of the last three seasons. Mangone and his staff have compiled a 36-6 overall record in the last four seasons.  In 2017 he was named the AFCA National Coach of the Year after guiding the Golden Eagles to the semifinals of the NCAA Div. III Championships.
 
Meet the Pioneers: Utica is currently 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the Empire 8 Conference heading into Saturday's contest at Brockport.  The Pioneers are coming off a bye week.  Their last contest was back on Oct. 2^nd when they topped host Hartwick 16-10.  Their lone loss of the season came against nationally-ranked No. 12 Union College, 30-9. The Pioneers currently lead the Empire 8 with an average of 3.60 sacks per game.  Jimmie Warren leads the conference with an average of .75 sacks per game.  Kicker Maki Medici was a preseason All-American and is tied for first nationally with an average of 1.60 field goals per contest.  Quarterback Sonny Badyna has completed 97 passes for 1,265 yards and nine touchdowns this year.  Head Coach Blaise Faggiano is in his 14^th season at Utica and he has a 64-65 overall record.  In 2018, the Pioneers earned their first postseason win after defeating Ithaca in an ECAC Bowl Game.