Brockport, NY – The SUNY Brockport football team is on the road Saturday, November 18^th to take on Carnegie Mellon in the ECAC Asa. S. Bushnell Bowl Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 4pm down in Pittsburgh, PA.
 
DATE – TIME: Saturday, November 18^th – 4pm
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, PA – Gesling Stadium
LINKS: Video | Stats | Radio
 
Last Week's Recap: Brockport bounced back at home last weekend in the regular season finale against Alfred, defeating the Saxons 35-14. Brockport celebrated Senior Day with the win, moving to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in Empire 8 play.
 
Continuing its season-long production, the Brockport special teams unit was responsible for two touchdowns and two blocked kicks. In the third quarter Raylens Boutin celebrated his Senior Day with a 22-yard punt return for a score. Then in the fourth, Liam O'Mara returned a blocked punt for a touchdown. Aidan Thomas got his hand on the punt, and O'Mara also had a blocked punt of his own.
 
Brockport's defense did its job in slowing down the Alfred attack. The Saxons went just 4-for-17 on third down conversions and were held to 2.1 yards per rush. The Green and Gold gave up just 237 yards of total offense, had four sacks and forced a pair of turnovers. The two interceptions came from two seniors on their big day. Dylan Mann and Raylens Boutin both picked off the Saxon quarterback. Classmates Aidan Thomas (2), Joseph Rodda (1), and Ben Robinson (1) all got after the QB for sacks.
 
Offensively, the Green and Gold stuck with the traditional ground and pound. The team ran for 218 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry on the day. Isaiah Simmons had the best game of his career at Brockport, finishing with 166 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Chris McGuire and Cameron Mesh also found the end zone for rushing scores.
 
E8 Defensive Player of the Year: Recently is was released that Raylens Boutin was chosen as the 2023 Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named 1^st-Team Defense (DB), 1^st-Team Special Teams (Return Specialist), and 1^st-Team Offense (All-Purpose). Brockport's four-time Preseason All-American adds to his outstanding career resume with the Golden Eagles thanks to his all-around production in 2023. Previously the 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, Boutin is now a three-time 1^st-Team selection. He is the leader of one of the top defenses in the country, consistently locking down the opposing offense's top receiving threat. For the season he has racked up 43 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, and six pass breakups. Raylens also features as one of the top punt return threats in the country, ranking sixth in the nation with an average of 16.8 yards per return. He has broken off five returns for 30 or more yards and scored a pair of touchdowns.
 
Empire 8 All-Conference Selections: Earlier this week the 2023 E8 All-Conference selections were announced, and the Golden Eagles were well represented. They had 11 total 1^st-Team nods including: Raylens Boutin (3), Jayden Prina, Nicholas Kalke, Scott Ochsner, James Altenburger, Mike Talbert Jr., Kyle Haettich, Nate Wigent, and Dan Giangrasso. The Green and Gold also had seven 2^nd-Team and one 3^rd-Team Selection to go with one member of the Sportsman of the Year Team. The 2^nd-Team players include Gino Fontanarosa, Joseph Delgado, Jacob Lucier, Nolan Slywka, Joseph Rodda, Jayson Thomas, and Louie Usera. Ben Robinson made the 3^rd-Team, while Vincent Daviero joined the 2023 Sportsman of the Year Team.
 
Back in the Postseason: The SUNY Brockport football team earned its seventh consecutive postseason berth as the Golden Eagles were selected to play in the ECAC's Asa. S. Bushnell Bowl Game at host Carnegie Mellon. The Asa S. Bushnell Bowl Game is considered the premier matchup of the four ECAC Bowl Games. The Golden Eagles finished the regular season with an 8-2 overall record and a 5-1 ledger in the Empire 8 Conference (2^nd place).  Carnegie Mellon finished with a 9-1 record and placed second in the President's Athletic Conference.
 
Defensive Rankings: Through 10 games the Golden Eagle defense has shined as one of the best in the nation. They now have a chance to prove it once again in this weekend's ECAC Bowl Game. Brockport's defensive unit ranks highly among the top defenses in the nation in multiple statistical categories:
 
2^nd – Total Defense (193.3 ypg)
T-3^rd – 1^st Down Defense (117 allowed)
4^th – 3^rd Down Defense (.231 pct)
5^th – Passing Yards Allowed (125.3 ypg)
6^th – Scoring Defense (9.8 ppg)
8^th – Passing Efficiency Defense (87.87)
T-12^th – Tackles For Loss (8.3 tflpg)
18^th – Rushing Defense (68.0 ypg)
 
Top-25 Rushing Offense: Brockport's offense has crept into the top 25 in the nation in regards to its ability to run the ball. With a strong group of All-Conference linemen, fullback, and tight end, the Golden Eagles have the Empire 8's second best run game. They rank 24^th in the nation, averaging 217.7 rushing yards per game. Last week it was Isaiah Simmons who stole the show from the backfield that has totaled 29 rushing touchdowns this season. Against Alfred, Simmons put up a career-high 166 rushing yards on 27 carries for one touchdown. It was his first ever game with 20 or more touches, resulting in his first career 100-yard rushing effort.
 
All-Conference Kicking: Both Nate Wigent and Dan Giangrasso earned postseason accolades this year from the Empire 8 after strong performances all year long. Wigent remains one of the few kickers in all of the country to not miss a single kick in 2023. He is a perfect 5-for-5 on field goal attempts and 50-for-50 on extra points. Giangrasso has punted the ball 50+ yards seven times and pinned the opponent inside the 20 on 14 occasions. He ranks 13^th in the nation with his average of 41.05 yards per punt this year.
 
Defensive Leaders: Ben Robinson leads the Green and Gold with 77 total tackles (28 solo, 49 assisted) on the year. He has broke into the backfield for 5.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss in his senior season. Kyle Haettich and Mike Talbert Jr. have matched each other with 61 tackles each. Talbert includes seven pass breakups, 11.5 tackles for a loss, and 3.5 sacks to his stat line. Haettich has four takeaways for the defense (2 INT, 2 FR) to go with seven pass breakups and one forced fumble. Louie Usera and Raylens Boutin have made an impact defending the pass, combining for five interceptions and eight pass breakups. Edge rusher Joseph Rodda leads Brockport with five QB hurries and has racked up 4.0 sacks for losses of 31 yards.
 
Scouting the Tartans: The Carnegie Mellon Tartans are just off the grid in the D3football.com Top-25 rankings, receiving 33 votes in the latest national poll. They enter Saturday's postseason game on a six-game win streak, owning a record of 9-1 overall. The offense averages 35.1 points per game and 319.2 yards per game this season from a balanced attack. This dangerous offense scored 80 points earlier in the season against Thiel on October 7^th. The Tartans match a strong offense with a defense that is allowing just 10.5 points and 244.5 yards per game. In total they have 27 takeaways (9^th in the nation) and 32 sacks on the year. Allowing just 65.4 rushing yards per game, the battle in the trenches will be vital as they hope to stop Brockport's persistent rushing attack.
 
Saturday's trip to Carnegie Mellon for the ECAC Asa S. Bushnell Bowl Game will be the final outing of the season for both teams. The Golden Eagles look to win their seventh postseason game under Head Coach Jason Mangone (2 ECAC Bowls, 4 NCAA Tournament wins). Kickoff is set for 4pm on Saturday, November 18^th down in Pittsburgh, PA.