Brockport, NY – Brockport football returns to Bob Boozer Field on Saturday, October 28^th to take on the Utica University Pioneers. This Empire 8 matchup is scheduled to kickoff at 2pm.
 
DATE – TIME: October 28^th, 2023 – 2pm
LOCATION: Brockport, NY – Bob Boozer Field
LINKS: Video | Stats | Radio
 
Five in a Row: Following the bye week the Golden Eagles returned to action with a road matchup against Morrisville. They dominated the Mustangs from start to finish, 49-0, to record a second consecutive shutout. Brockport is now on a five-game win streak heading into the home game against Utica. The squad is now 6-1 overall with a 3-0 mark in the Empire 8.
 
Last Time Out: The nationally recognized defensive unit was relentless for Brockport, tying a season-low of just four first downs allowed to the Mustang offense. Giving up just 45 yards total for the game, it is the second lowest output an opposing offense has had against the Green and Gold. Morrisville did not convert on a single third down play for the entire game (0-for-8).
 
Offensively it was all about the offensive line and the run game for the Golden Eagles. They set new season-highs with 60 rushing attempts and a total of 329 rushing yards. The four rushing scores went along with three passing touchdowns and 81 yards through the air for 410 yards of total offense. The unit on offense went 12-for-14 on third downs and racked up 38:21 possession time in the game.
 
E8 Weekly Award: Earlier this week, Mike Talbert Jr. of the Brockport football team was named the Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Talbert Jr. returned to the field this week for the Golden Eagles and helped lead a dominant defensive performance against Morrisville. After missing the last two weeks of action, Talbert came up with five tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks, and a quarterback hurry. Collectively, Brockport posted its second straight shutout. It is Talbert's second E8 honor of 2023.
 
Top Tier Defense: Defensive Coordinator Mike Fox has Brockport's defensive unit playing as good as any other defense in all DIII football. Easily a Top-5 defense in the country, the Golden Eagles rank inside the top 10 in each of the following statistical categories:
 
2^nd in Passing Efficiency Defense – 72.19 rating for the season
3^rd in Scoring Defense – 5.7 points allowed per game
3^rd  in Total Defense – 168.1 yards allowed per game
3^rd in Passing Yards Allowed – 101.4 yards allowed per game
3^rd in First Downs Defense – 75 total allowed this season
7^th in 3rd Down Defense – .235 percentage this season
9^th in Tackles for a Loss – 8.9 tackles for loss per game
 
Hot Streak: The Golden Eagles have bounced back from their lone loss of the season with five wins in a row. Previously getting no national recognition, they have now been in the receiving votes category for three weeks in a row in the national D3football.com Top-25 poll. Heading into this week's game, Brockport currently has three votes in the national poll following the games on October 22^nd. During this winning streak, the team is outscoring opponents 188-28 and has only allowed four touchdowns.
 
Big Targets: Over the past three weeks, the tight ends for the Golden Eagles have caught six touchdown passes. In those three games, James Altenburger has racked up 10 receptions for 165 yards and five touchdowns. Last week against Morrisville, teammate Myles Goddard caught an 11-yard score for his first of the season. Along with their ability to block, Brockport's big targets from the tight end spot have been vital to one of the Top-5 red zone offenses in the nation. Brockport has scored on 97% of its trips to the red zone this season (32-for-33).
 
Protecting the Airspace: One of the best passing defenses in the country benefits from having several individual playmakers all over the field. Brockport's six interceptions on the year have been credited to Louie Usera (3), Kyle Haettich (2), Raylens Boutin (1), and Andrea Costanzi (1). Haettich leads the secondary with seven pass breakups, while Mike Talbert Jr. is close behind with six. Malik Kelly has four breakup, Boutin has three, and Usera has two.
 
Controlling the Offense: Freshman QB Ben Gocella is still undefeated as the starter under center for Brockport, helping lead the team to a five-game win streak since taking over the offense. For the season he has completed 54-of-93 passes for 707 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. Now averaging 40.6 points per game, Brockport's offense currently is tied for 21^st in the nation in scoring.
 
Backfield Depth: The Brockport running attack features four different backs with three or more rushing touchdowns this season. Gino Fontanarosa has eight touchdowns to go with 464 rushing yards. Jala Coad has found the endzone five times this year and has totaled 365 yards on the ground. The pair of freshman backs Cameron Mesh and Isaiah Simmons each have three touchdowns to their name. Mesh is averaging 7.6 yards per carry, while Simmons is at 6.6 yards per carry when called upon. Behind a fantastic offensive line unit, Brockport ranks 25^th in the nation in rushing yards per game (213.1).
 
Leading Tacklers: Linebacker Ben Robinson leads the Golden Eagles defensive effort with 53 total tackles (20 solo, 33 assisted). He also has 3.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for a loss. Talbert Jr. leads the team with 10.0 tackles for a loss, while also registering 3.5 sacks. Haettich has made 44 tackles (16 solo, 28 assisted) for second most on the team.
 
Split out Wide: Nolan Slywka leads the receiving room with 24 receptions for 292 yards and three touchdown catches. James Altenburger (14) and Tyler Ronk (11) are the only other two pass catchers with at least 10 receptions so far this year. Ronk is joined by Rashad Law, Alex Card, Gino Fontanarosa, and Liam O'Mara with one receiving score on the season.
 
4^th Down Offense: The Green and Gold have found success more times than not while going for it on 4^th Down. Going 9-for-14, the team is tied for 24^th in the nation with a .643 success rate on 4^th Down attempts.
 
Special Teams Effect: Special Teams Coordinator Matt Arita has created several highlight plays with the Brockport special teams unit. With a total of four blocks altogether, Brockport is tied for 22^nd in the nation in blocked kicks. Mike Talbert Jr., Vincent Daviero, Ryan Jafarjian, and Liam O'Mara have all blocked one this season. Jafarjian's block on a punt scored a safety for the Green and Gold. The team has also earned special teams scores from Raylens Boutin on a 42-yard punt return touchdown and Louie Usera recovering a fumbled kick for a touchdown.
 
Elite Discipline: Head Coach Jason Mangone has instilled discipline at a top-tier level within this Golden Eagle program. Seven games into the season the team has committed just 24 penalties for 241 yards to rank sixth in the nation in fewest penalties, fifth in fewest penalties per game, 16^th in penalty yards, and 13^th in penalty yards per game.
 
Strong Legs: The Golden Eagles are fortunate to have a pair of outstanding legs to rely on each week. Punter Dan Giangrasso remains among the best in the nation, ranking fifth with his average of 43.48 yards per punt. Teammate Nate Wigent is 3-for-3 on field goals and 38-for-38 on extra points for a perfect track record in 2023 as the placekicker.
 
Scouting Utica: The Utica Pioneers enter the game on Saturday 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the Empire 8, looking for their third straight win. They shutout Alfred University, 28-0, last week to make it two straight weeks without the defense giving up a touchdown. Utica's one loss came against the nationally-ranked Cortland Red Dragons in conference play. QB Brett Fuller has thrown for 1,625 yards, 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions on the year. Matt Brantley leads the backfield with 75 carries for 403 yards and two scores. QB Sam Florio leads the team with seven rushing touchdowns. On defense, lookout for Doug Simmons on the pass rush as he leads the Pioneers with 7.0 sacks. Anthony Fasano has a team-high 58 tackles (32 solo, 26 assisted), including 11.5 tackles for a loss. Last season Utica defeated Brockport, 35-21, to snap a five-game losing skid against the Golden Eagles.
 
Looking Ahead: The highly anticipated matchup with Cortland is up next for Brockport football, set for a 12pm start on Saturday, November 4^th. The Red Dragons will host this year's matchup down in Cortland, NY.