Brockport, NY – The Golden Eagle football team returns to Bob Boozer Field on Saturday, October 29^th for the annual I-90 Bowl Rivalry Game against Buffalo State. The battle for the I-90 Bowl Trophy is set to kickoff at 12pm, as the winning team gets to keep the trophy on campus for the year. Brockport has won five consecutive I-90 Bowl Games, the annual rivalry game between these two teams that are just over 60 miles apart along Interstate-90 on the New York State Thruway.
 
DATE – TIME: October 29^th, 2022 – 12pm
LOCATION: Bob Boozer Field – Brockport, NY
LINKS: Video | Stats | Audio | Game Notes.pdf
 
Last Week's Recap: Last week on the road at Hartwick, the Golden Eagles got a much-needed bounce back win, 35-14. Gino Fontanarosa carried the offensive load behind a great performance from the offensive line for four rushing touchdowns. Malik Kelly added the team's fifth score from a 65-yard pick-six. The Golden Eagle defense was fantastic against the run, keeping the opponent to -13 rushing yards and a total of just 190 yards of offense. They outgained Hartwick, 412-190, behind a season-high 353 rushing yards. With the victory the squad improved to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Empire 8.
 
Where We Stand: A nice win in conference play last time out jumps Brockport above .500 for the season at 4-3 overall. At 2-2 in the conference the team is currently fourth in the Empire 8 standings. The full listing of the standings is as follows: 1. Cortland, 2. Morrisville, 3. Utica, 4. Brockport, 5. St. John Fisher, 6. Alfred, and 7. Hartwick. The regular season is beginning to wind down with just two more conference matchups left out of three remaining games.
 
Brockport vs Buffalo St: Saturday's meeting between the Golden Eagles and the Bengals will be the 40^th time the two programs have faced off. In the 39 previous matchups, Brockport owns a slight edge all-time with a 22-17 record against Buffalo State. This year will mark the 20^th go around for the two teams competing for the I-90 Bowl Trophy, as Brockport has won the last five meetings. Since 2011, the Green and Gold have kept the trophy six times, while the Bengals have four wins in this rivalry recently.
 
Two-Time Player of the Week: After earning Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week last Monday, this week Gino Fontanarosa earned Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors after an incredible outing against Hartwick. The sophomore had himself a career day, as Gino posted career-bests across the board in the run game. He totaled a career-high 246 rushing yards and a career-high four touchdowns on a new career-high 38 carries. Taking on a full workload this past week, Fontanarosa crossed the goal line for rushing scores of 34, 2, 2, and 4 yards on the day. His longest rush of the day was a 40-yard scamper on his way to averaging 6.5 yards per carry in the game.
 
Defensive Player of the Week:  Malik Kelly snagged his first career weekly award, earning E8 Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. The freshman made multiple big plays in the secondary in Brockport's, 35-14, win over Hartwick. Kelly intercepted two passes in the game, notching the first and second interceptions of his young career. In the fourth quarter he put the game away with a 65-yard pick six for the highlight reel play. Malik also had three tackles and credit for three pass breakups to cap off his performance.
 
Ground and Pound: Brockport's offense comes into Saturday's battle with the second-leading rushing attack in the Empire 8. Brockport is averaging 211.6 rushing yards a game behind what has turned into a dual-threat backfield. Rashad Law, out recently with an injury, leads the team with 624 total yards and five scores on the ground. Gino Fontanarosa exploded on the scene with a big game against Hartwick. He also has five rushing touchdowns to go with 400 yards.
 
Ben, Ben, & Benny: The top three tackles for the Green and Gold on defense are Ben Robinson, Ben Damiani, and Ben Marshall. Damiani is first on the squad with 46 total stops, including team-highs in 24 solo and 22 assisted tackles. Marshall is second for Brockport defensively with 43 tackles in total, as the only other player to have 20+ solo and assisted stops. Robinson comes in at third for the Golden Eagles with 39 tackles in total, making 20 assisted and 19 solo tackles.
 
McGuire Behind Center: Chris McGuire has taken over the quarterback role with Simonds out due to injury recently. He has thrown for 189 yards and one touchdown pass so far. His real impact has come from his ability to run the ball, totaling 176 yards on 34 carries. The freshman quarterback is averaging 5.2 yards per carry and has one touchdown run this year.
 
Disruptive Front: Leading the Golden Eagles with 6.0 tackles for a loss and with 3.0 sacks, defensive end Hakeem Yaya has made plays in the backfield consistently. He has 23 tackles on the year and leads the squad with five quarterback hurries. Joseph Rodda and Jordan Harris each have made 3.5 tackles for a loss, while Rodda also has 2.5 sacks. Harris has 1.5 sacks and also adds a highlight play with a 2-yard pick six.
 
Through the Air: Jared Maurino is still the team's leading receiver heading into Saturday. He leads the wideout group with 16 catches for 212 yards and three touchdowns. James Altenburger and Anthony Testa are the only other two receivers with a touchdown reception so far.
 
In the Secondary: Last week with two interceptions, Malik Kelly jumped up to tie John DeRidder for the lead on the team with two picks. Kelly is also now tied with Raylens Boutin as leaders in the secondary with four pass breakups each. Boutin has one interception to his name and is fourth on the defense with 28 total tackles. Giovanni Frisenda has also made plays in the defensive backfield, interrupting three pass attempts on the season.
 
The Return Game: Ranked 13^th in the nation, Derrick Chance has been effective on special teams averaging 14.9 yards per punt return. As a team, the Golden Eagles are now 25^th in the country on kickoff returns. Anthony Testa has broken off returns of 40 yards and 55 yards in just the past two games. Raylens Boutin got loose for a 41-yard return against Hartwick, while Gino Fontanarosa had an explosive 61-yard run back against Utica.
 
Time of Possession: Part of the Brockport strategy on the gridiron is to maintain possession of the ball so opposing offenses can't score. By leaning on the run game behind a strong offensive-line unit, the Green and Gold grind out drives by consistently moving the chains. In doing so the team is ranked first in the Empire 8 in time of possession, averaging 32:06 per game.
 
Meet the Bengals: Buffalo State enters the week without a win, at 0-7 overall and 0-4 in the Liberty League so far this season. Most recently the team fell to the nationally-ranked Ithaca Bombers, 51-10. Quarterbacks Tom Delgado and Cam Sionko have split time behind the center this season. Delgado has thrown for 777 yards, two touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while Sionko has three scores, six interceptions, and 659 yards through the air. Wideout Tariq Nelson has racked up 613 yards and one receiving touchdown on 49 catches, averaging 87.57 yards a game. Ethan Biscaro has caused problems from the secondary with three interceptions, while Michael Drywa leads the defense with 3.0 sacks.
 
One Last Home Stand: Next week the Golden Eagles will play their final home game of the regular season on Saturday, November 5^th. They host an Empire 8 opponent in Morrisville State for a 2pm kickoff on Bob Boozer Field.