Brockport, NY – SUNY Brockport Football is set to begin the 2023 campaign in dramatic fashion, playing Buffalo State for the I-90 Bowl Rivalry Game in the season opener. The Bengals will host the Golden Eagles on Thursday, August 31^st at 7pm.
 
DATE – TIME: August 31^st, 2023 – 7pm
LOCATION: Coyer Field – Buffalo, NY
LINKS: Video | Stats | Game Notes
 
2022 Season Review: Brockport completed last season with a record of 7-3 overall and a 4-2 mark in the Empire 8, finishing third in the conference. The team earned hosting rights for the ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl Game, however the contest was cancelled due to the weather. Sitting at .500 (3-3) midway through the year, Brockport rattled off four consecutive wins to close out the season. The Golden Eagles boasted 13 All-Conference and four All-Region awards following the campaign. Last year marked the sixth winning season in a row for the program.
 
Leading the Battalion: Head Coach Jason Mangone is now heading into year 11 of his successful run with the program at Brockport. Since taking control of the team in 2013, Mangone has put together a record of 73-28 while gaining national attention in recent years. Under his leadership, the Golden Eagles claimed three straight Empire 8 Titles, E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors, and NCAA DIII Championship appearances (2017, 2018, 2019). Brockport football has seen postseason play in seven of the last nine seasons with Mangone at the helm.



Preseason All-Americans: This fall, D3football.com recognized both Raylens Boutin and Dan Giangrasso as Preseason All-American selections. Boutin was chosen as a 1^st-Team selection, while Giangrasso earned 3^rd-Team honors.
 
Boutin has now earned D3football.com's Preseason All-American honors for the fourth consecutive year. Adding 1^st-Team this time around, Brockport's star defensive back has previously been named to the 2^nd-Team in 2022 and 3^rd-Team twice (2020 & 2021). Following last season, Boutin was named All-Region for the second time in his career. The former Empire 8 Rookie of the Year also earned all-conference first-team honors for the second time in his career.
 
From his spot in the secondary he led the defense with 33 solo tackles. Boutin made several plays in the passing game with two interceptions, seven pass breakups, and a 36-yard pick six. He was a leader in the defensive backfield that ranked 13^th in the nation in passing yards allowed. He was also great on the kick return unit, averaging 29.75 yards over four opportunities to total 119 return yards.
 
Punter, Dan Giangrasso claimed preseason All-American for the first time in his career after an outstanding season in 2022. Last year he earned 1^st-Team All-Region status for the first time in his collegiate career. He was also first-team all-conference for the first time in his career to go with being chosen to the third-team in 2021.
 
As Brockport's punter, he separated himself from the rest of the field at the position in the Empire 8. He had the highest average of 42.2 yards per kick in the conference, which also ranked eighth in the nation. Dan totaled 1,435 yards on 34 punts which included seven kicks of 50 or more yards and 12 kicks that pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line.
 
All-Conference Returners: There are seven 2022 All-Conference players that are back lining up for the Green and Gold again this season. These key returners include Raylens Boutin, Dan Giangrasso, Gino Fontanarosa, Nicholas Kalke, James Altenburger, Jacob Lucier, and Malik Kelly. Boutin and Giangrasso took 1^st-Team selections on the way to All-Region and Preseason All-American honors. Fontanarosa, Kalke, and Altenburger landed 2^nd-Team selections, Lucier earned a 3^rd-Team nod, and Kelly was chosen as the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year.


 
Schedule Layout: Brockport begins the year at Buffalo State for the annual I-90 Bowl Rivalry Game. After that the home opener will see the team face #22 Susquehanna for a 12pm start on September 9^th. Up next on the schedule is a meeting with Wilkes on the 16^th before another home matchup against Lycoming on the 23^rd. Empire 8 play starts up on September 30^th as the Golden Eagles head to St. John Fisher for the Courage Bowl. Then Brockport's Homecoming weekend will welcome Hartwick on October 7^th. After that weekend the team travels to face Morrisville ahead of a home game against Utica. The battle with #17 Cortland is on the road on November 4^th. The regular season wraps up at home on November 11^th with Alfred coming to town.
 
Welcome Back: A pair of impact players were missing from the offensive unit last season but are back for the 2023 campaign. 2021 1^st-Team All-Conference selections Scott Ochsner and Jala Coad have returned to the lineup. Ochsner helped Brockport garner the second-best total rushing yards in the Empire 8 in 2021, as the offense ran for 1,734 yards on the ground. As the left tackle he protected the blindside of the quarterback, Jack Cheshire, who threw for 1,503 yards and six touchdowns that season. Coad was also a 2^nd-Team All-Region selection in 2021, as one of the most productive running backs in the country. He scored at least once in 10 of 11 games that year and was seventh in the nation with 1,410 rushing yards.
 
Ground & Pound: Brockport's offense ran the ball more than any other team in the Empire 8 last year. The unit totaled 447 rushing attempts for 1,939 yards and 17 touchdowns on the way to averaging 193.9 yards a game. Gino Fontanarosa and Rashad Law both ran the ball well for the Golden Eagles in 2022. Fontanarosa racked up 767 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Law rushed for 624 yards and five scores. Brockport will likely continue to line up behind its strong offensive line and pound the rock.
 
Paving the Way: Providing a big push up front for the offense is the reliable offensive line unit, which features three returning All-Conference selections. Nicholas Kalke is back in the tackle slot after collecting 2^nd-Team All-Conference last season. His counterpart on the other side is tackle Scott Ochsner, a former 1^st-Team All-Conference player from 2021. 3^rd-Team All-Conference selection Jacob Lucier is also back on the front lines for the Golden Eagles. The line is also reinforced by James Altenburger, a 2^nd-Team All-Conference tight end. Last year Brockport's offense was second in the Empire 8 in rushing and fourth with an average of 301 yards per game.
 
Behind the Center: Todd Simonds is back for another go around at quarterback for the Golden Eagles. During his 2022 campaign he earned a 106.9 rating in his first season with the program. He threw for 736 yards, went 76-for-135 on pass attempts, passed for five touchdowns, and threw five picks. The transfer from Mount Union was also effective on the ground, running for 201 yards and a score. Chris McGuire took some snaps last year as well, appearing in nine games for the squad. He completed 28 of his 54 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns. McGuire used his legs to pick up 209 rushing yards and a touchdown.
 


Putting on the Pressure: Brockport's strong defense is headed by the men in the trenches fighting to get pressure in the backfield. In 2022 the team allowed just 194.8 yards per game and 3.4 yards per play, leading the Empire 8 in both categories. The Green and Gold surrendered just 55.1 yards a game on the ground to once again lead the conference. The defense also was credited with 28 sacks on the season which was second in the E8. Joseph Rodda broke through for 3.0 sacks last year, while Aidan Thomas had 2.5 sacks. Ben Robinson and Ryan Culhane are also back after a solid showing in 2022. Robinson came up with 6.5 tackles for a loss and 2.0 sacks. Culhane made 5.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and got credit for 2.0 sacks.
 
Aerial Defense: The Golden Eagle secondary was responsible for 17 interceptions last season and is returning four players that got in on the action. Four-time Preseason All-American Raylens Boutin is back in his corner spot after having two interceptions and seven breakups in 2022. The reigning Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Malik Kelly lines up at corner as well, finishing his freshman year with two picks and six breakups. Vincent Daviero and Kyle Haettich are back for the defense as well, after both came away with one interception last season. To matchup with the best rushing defense in the Empire 8, the Brockport secondary allowed just 139.7 yards a game through the air to lead the conference.
 
Special Teams: Dan Giangrasso headlines the special teams unit after earning his first career Preseason All-American selection. In 2022 he averaged 42.21 yards per punt and had seven kicks of 50 or more yards. Nate Wigent will likely get more reps as the place kicker after going 2-for-2 on field goals last year. On the other side of the action, the Golden Eagle return teams were the best in the Empire 8 last season. They averaged 23 yards on average for kickoff returns and 15.3 yards on average for punt returns. Gino Fontanarosa and Raylens Boutin both had kickoff returns of over 40 yards during the year.
 
I-90 Rivalry Bowl Game: In 2022, Buffalo State went 0-10 on the year which included an 0-6 mark against Liberty League opponents. The Golden Eagles dominated the Bengals, 54-2, last season for a sixth straight I-90 Bowl victory. The defense had an outstanding performance, forcing eight turnovers including six interceptions. Buffalo State was held to just 64 total yards of offense in the game, while Brockport's defense scored four touchdowns. Offensively, Gino Fontanarosa rushed for 115 yards and two scores to lead the attacking unit on the day. Brockport enters the season opener with a 7-3 record against Buffalo State in the last 10 meetings.


 
Home Opener: Following the season opener against the Bengals, Brockport will prepare for its home opening game against #22 Susquehanna. Kickoff at Bob Boozer Field is scheduled for 12pm on Saturday, September 9^th. Tickets for home games can be purchased ahead of time online at the following link: https://brockportsg.universitytickets.com/.