Brockport, NY – On Saturday, October 15^th the SUNY Brockport football team will be on the road for an Empire 8 contest against the Utica University Pioneers. Kickoff is scheduled for 5pm at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.
 
DATE – TIME: October 15, 2022 – 5pm
LOCATION: Charles A. Gaetano Stadium – Utica, NY
LINKS: Video | Stats | Audio | Game Notes.pdf
 
Last Week: The Golden Eagles hosted the nationally-ranked Cortland Red Dragons for Homecoming last weekend. They came up short in the Empire 8 rivalry matchup, falling to Cortland, 42-24. Brockport moved to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference, while Cortland improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Empire 8.
 
Empire 8 Matchup: Saturday will be another conference battle for the Green and Gold against Utica University. At 1-1 in the Empire 8, Brockport will look to hand Utica its first loss in league play this season. With each game impacting the conference standings, here is a full listing of the Empire 8 standings heading into the weekend: 1. Cortland (2-0, E8), 2. Utica (1-0, E8), 3. Alfred (1-0, E8), 4. Morrisville (1-1, E8), 5. Brockport (1-1, E8), 6. Hartwick (0-2, E8), 7. St. John Fisher (0-2, E8).
 
Brockport vs Utica: This weekend will be just the 10^th time in history that Brockport and Utica have played each other. Brockport has the all-time lead in the series between the two programs, owning a 7-2 record against the Pioneers. The Golden Eagles enter the contest with five consecutive wins over Utica, which includes a 26-14 win last season. During the 2021 battle they rushed for 246 yards on the way to 309 yards of total offense, while holding Utica to just 190 yards of offense. The defense was able to force four turnovers in the game, including three interceptions from the secondary.
 

Law Named Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week https://t.co/6UxwdfCIsY

— Brockport Athletics (@BportAthletics) October 10, 2022

Offensive Player of the Week: Earlier this week, Rashad Law was selected as the Empire 8 Football Offensive Player of the Week. Law set new season-highs across the board in the ground game against nationally-ranked SUNY Cortland. The junior running back rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Rashad has now gained over 100 yards on the ground for three straight games. For the year he has rushed for 521 yards, five touchdowns, and owns an average of 4.7 yards per carry. Law is now averaging 104.2 yards rushing per game.
 
Among the Nation's Best: The defensive unit for the Golden Eagles remains among the best in all of DIII football this season. Allowing just 204.8 yards per game, they rank seventh in the nation in total defense. Brockport ranks 12^th in the country in passing defense, allowing just 125.2 passing yards a game. The crew has given up just 60 first downs through five games, ranking eighth in the nation in first down defense.
 
Behind the Center: Todd Simonds is the signal caller for the offense as the starting quarterback. On the season he has thrown for 686 yards, four touchdowns, and owns a 56.9% completion rating. Simonds has been effective running the ball as well, rushing for 171 yards and a touchdown on 50 carries.


 
Getting Stops: Ben Damiani leads the Golden Eagles with 34 tackles on the season, including 17 solo and assisted tackles. Ben Robinson and John DeRidder have both come up with 17 solo stops as well. Robinson is second the team with 30 total tackles, Ben Marshall has made 26 tackles, and DeRidder has 21 on the year.
 
Through the Air: Jared Maurino leads the group of receivers this season in the passing game. Maurino has 11 receptions for 145 yards and three touchdowns. Rashad Law also has 11 reception out of the backfield for 35 yards. James Altenburger grabbed his first touchdown of the season last game, giving him six catches for 62 yards on the year. Will McCarthy and Louis Usera have both broke 100 yards receiving for the season for the Green and Gold.
 
Pressuring the QB: Thomas Aidan leads the team with 2.5 sacks for a loss of 22 yards this season. Hakeem Yaya has 2.0 sacks for a loss of 18 yards and leads the Brockport defense with four quarterback hurries. John DeRidder also has 2.0 sacks on the season, while Ben Robinson and Joseph Rodda each have 1.5 sacks.
 
Second Level Defenders: The Golden Eagles secondary will be tasked with covering one of the top receivers in the country this weekend in Utica's Nate Palmer. Preseason All-American Raylens Boutin and fellow defensive back Giovanni Frisenda lead the team with three pass breakups each. Boutin also has an interception and 15 solo tackles in the open field. Freshman Malik Kelly has a pass breakup with go with nine solo stops in the secondary.
 


Give Him a Chance: Averaging 17.1 yards per punt return, Derrick Chance remains among the top punt returners in the country. His yards per return numbers rank him sixth in the nation. Chance has racked up 120 yards on seven returns and ripped off a 42-yard play for his longest of the season.
 
Making Plays: Gino Fontanarosa is listed as the second running back on the depth chart, but has made an impact offensively and on special teams. With two blocked punts to his name, Gino is tied for fifth in the nation in punt blocks. He has also rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. The sophomore back is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and 20.3 yards per kickoff return this season.
 
Time of Possession: The Golden Eagles have been consistent with running the ball and moving the chains to maintain possession of the ball this year. On average they hold time of possession for 33:05 per game, which ranks 26^th in the nation.
 
Meet the Pioneers: The Utica University Pioneers are off to their first 5-0 start in program history and are 1-0 in Empire 8 play heading into the weekend. They are one of 25 undefeated teams remaining in all of DIII football. The big playmaker for the Pioneers is wide receiver Nate Palmer. Palmer heads into the matchup ranked nationally at sixth in receiving touchdowns (8), third in receiving yards per game (145), 15^th in all-purpose yards per game (157.2), and 25^th in receptions per game (6.6). On the defensive side of the ball, Utica has the sixth best redzone defense in the nation. The team is averaging 35 points a game on offense and allowing just 19 points a game to opposing teams.
 
Up Next: Next week the Golden Eagles are on the road once again for another Empire 8 competition. They head down to Oneonta, NY for a 1:30pm start against Hartwick College at Wright Stadium.