Brockport, NY – The SUNY Brockport football team is at home for its final regular season home game on Saturday, November 5^th. It is Senior Day for Brockport, as the team welcomes Empire 8 opponent Morrisville for a 2pm kickoff at Bob Boozer Field.
 
DATE – TIME: November 5^th, 2022 – 2pm
LOCATION: Bob Boozer Field – Brockport, NY
LINKS: Video | Stats | Audio | Game Notes.pdf
 
Senior Day: Prior to the game on Saturday, the team will take time to recognize its seniors who will be playing in their final home game. Each of the 12 players will be honored during a brief ceremony to thank them for all the hard work, dedication, and contributions to Brockport football. The full list of participating seniors includes: Derrick Chance, Ben Damiani, John DeRidder, Nic Esposito, Nolan Frisbey, Ben Marshall, Jared Maurino, Max O'Quinn, Demetri Swann, Hakeem Yaya, Kyle Haettich, and Jordan Harris.
 
Brockport vs Morrisville: This weekend's meeting between the Golden Eagles and Mustangs will be the 15^th installment of the all-time series. Brockport has historically held the advantage over Morrisville, holding a 10-4 record all-time in the matchup. However, Morrisville is entering Saturday having won two in a row against the Green and Gold. The Mustangs got wins of 13-7 and 24-21 in 2021 and 2019 respectively.
 
6th Straight I-90 Bowl Win: It was the 20^th annual I-90 Bowl Rivalry Game between Brockport and Buffalo State last Saturday. Brockport dominated the visiting Bengals, 54-2, claiming its sixth consecutive year with the I-90 Bowl Trophy. The win pushed the Green and Gold record up to 5-3 overall, while Buffalo State stayed winless at 0-8.
 
Co-Defensive Player of the Week: The Empire 8 selected Giovanni Frisenda as the Co-Defensive Player of the Week after his effort against Buffalo State. Frisenda came up with two big plays for the Brockport defense in a dominant performance over the Bengals. His first interception was ran back 26 yards early on in the game. Giovanni then gave the Golden Eagles a 20-0 lead in the first quarter with a 29-yard interception returned for a touchdown. He finished with 55 return yards on two picks and three total tackles, including one for a loss.
 
Defensive Dominance: The Golden Eagle defense put forth an incredible performance, forcing eight turnovers from the Buffalo State offense including six interceptions and two fumbles. With 15 tackles for a loss in the game, Brockport held the Bengals to -23 rushing yards and 87 passing yards for a total of only 64 yards of total offense. Brockport had four defensive touchdowns in the game, including three pick-sixes and a fumble recovered for a touchdown. Ben Marshall, Giovanni Frisenda, Raylens Boutin, and Ismael Doumbia all recorded defensive scores in the game.
 
Gino Stays Hot: Gino Fontanarosa has now rushed for over 100 yards for back-to-back games for the first time in his collegiate career. After putting up 246 yards and four scores on the ground against Hartwick, Gino broke 100-yards again against Buffalo State. In the win over the Bengals he ran for two more touchdowns as well as 115 yards rushing. Fontanarosa is now the team-leader in rushing scores with seven on the year.
 
Don't Throw it There: The Golden Eagles are now tied for first in the conference with 13 interceptions as a team in 2022. They had six picks last outing against Buffalo State, as the secondary made plays all game. Ben Marshall, Giovanni Frisenda, and Raylens Boutin all had interceptions returned for touchdown on the day. Marshall and Frisenda both had two picks, while Boutin and Vincent Daviero had one each.
 
Ground and Pound: Brockport continues to rely heavily on the run game behind its top-notch offensive line. The offense leads the Empire 8 in total rush attempts (343) and ranks second in total rushing yards (1, 591), average yards per carry (4.6), yards per game (198.9), and rushing touchdowns (14). Rashad Law and Gino Fontanarosa have both collected more than 500 yards rushing each and combined for 12 rushing touchdowns.
 
Behind the Center: Against Buffalo State we saw Chris McGuire and Todd Simonds share snaps for the Golden Eagle offense. McGuire threw for 45 yards, one touchdown pass, and ran for 16 yards. In his first game of action since an injury, Simonds also threw for one score to go with 35 passing yards.
 
Penetrating the Backfield: The two seniors up front on the defensive line, Hakeem Yaya and Jordan Harris, have caused problems in the backfield for opposing offenses. Yaya leads the team with 7.5 tackles for a loss of 49 yards, including a team-high 3.0 sacks for 36 yards. Harris is right there with 7.0 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for 23 yards lost and 2.0 sacks for 15 yards. Each with 2.5 sacks for the Green and Gold, Joseph Rodda and Aidan Thomas have also gotten into the backfield this year.
 
The Air Force: Jared Maurino leads the group of receivers with 19 receptions, 239 yards, and three touchdown catches. The tight end James Altenburger has caught two touchdowns this season. With his 9-yard touchdown against Buffalo State, Louis Usera joins Anthony Testa with one score through the air on the year.
 
Making Tackles: Ben Damiani leads the defense in total tackles with 48 from 25 solo and 23 assisted tackles. Raylens Boutin leads the squad with 28 solo stops this season. Ben Marshall's 45 tackles is second on the team, coming from 24 solo and 21 assisted. With 21 solo and 23 assisted tackles, Ben Robinson is third on the team with 44 total stops. Jordan Harris and John DeRidder have also contributed at least 30 tackles each on defense this year.
 
A Game of Chance: Senior Derrick Chance has been a problem for opposing teams on the punt return. He is tied for sixth in the nation with his average of 16.6 yards per punt return this year. Last game he had two returns for 52 yards, which gave him 216 yards on 13 punt returns this season. Brockport ranks 14^th in the team rankings for punt returns, averaging 16.2 yards per return.
 
Kick Return Game: Brockport has had three separate kick returners break free for runs of 40 or more yards. Anthony Testa has done it twice, with a 55-yard return against Utica and a 40-yard return against Hartwick. Gino Fontanarosa got loose for a 61-yard return against Utica, the longest of the season for the Green and Gold. Raylens Boutin got involved with a 41-yard run back against Hartwick. As a team Brockport ranks 21^st in the nation on kickoff returns, averaging 23.72 yards per return.
 
Meet the Mustangs: The Morrisville State Mustangs enter the contest 6-2 overall and 2-2 in the Empire 8 this season. Last weekend they lost a heartbreaker to Utica, 20-17, after giving up a last-second touchdown pass. Morrisville's #2 Ernesto Mitchell has been a force on the defensive side of the ball all season, ranking second in the Empire 8 with 89 tackles. #12 Steven Frerichs leads the offensive attack from the quarterback spot. This year he has thrown for 1,091 yards and 11 touchdowns with just one interception. Frerichs has also rushed for 461 yards and four scores. #3 Justin Adams has hauled in a team-high six touchdown receptions on the season from Frerichs.
 
Regular Season Finale: Next week the Golden Eagles will conclude the regular season on the road when they travel to face Alfred University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1pm at Yunevich Stadium in Alfred, NY on Saturday, November 12^th.