Brockport, NY – On Saturday, October 12^th the SUNY Brockport football team is on the road for an Empire 8 clash with the Hartwick Hawks. Kickoff is set for 1pm out in Oneonta, NY.
 
DATE – TIME: October 12^th, 2024 – 1pm
LOCATION: Wright Stadium – Oneonta, NY
LINKS: Video | Stats
 
Courage Bowl XIX Recap: The SUNY Brockport football team dominated Courage Bowl XIX at home on Saturday, 35-0. The Golden Eagles have now defeated St. John Fisher seven times in a row in this annual event meant to celebrate the kids of Camp Good Days.
 
On the field, the Green and Gold took care of business to improve to 3-1 overall on the season. Brockport opens Empire 8 play 1-0, after the convincing win over the visiting Cardinals. Brockport remains undefeated at 3-0 on its home field this season.
 
Pitching a shutout for the second time this season, the Golden Eagle defense kept Fisher off the scoreboard for the third time during this 7-game win streak over the Cardinals. Brockport allowed a total of 188 yards, holding the opposing rushing attack to just 17 yards on 30 carries (0.6 ypc). With the Cardinals trailing and forced to take to the air, the Green and Gold took advantage. Brockport terrorized the opposing quarterback with seven sacks and a pair of interceptions in the game.
 
It was a productive day for the offense, totaling 432 yards in front of the home crowd. Rushing for 237 yards in the game, Brockport continued to feed Isaiah Simmons the ball. The talented sophomore had 19 carries for 164 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Both of his scores came in the first quarter, including an explosive 60-yard touchdown run. The offense also threw for 195 yards and three scores in the passing game. Ben Gocella threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns (1 INT) on 11-for-19 passing on the day. Gocella linked up with Nolan Slywka for four catches, 76 yards, and two touchdowns. The third passing score was a 24-yard completion to Brian Caldwell Jr.
 
Talbert's Weekly Awards: On Tuesday, October 8^th the popular football media outlet, D3football.com, announced that Mike Talbert Jr. was selected to D3football.com Team of the Week. Talbert joins the national weekly team after a dominant showing against St. John Fisher that earned him Empire 8 Football Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Talbert Jr. created problems for the St. John Fisher offense all afternoon in Brockport's 35-0 win on Saturday, as the team earned its seventh consecutive Courage Bowl win. The Golden Eagles kept the Cardinals to just 188 yards of total offense, including only 17 yards rushing for the game. He was in the backfield making plays consistently with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Not only did he have seven total tackles (4 solo), but Talbert also had an interception (18-yard return) which setup a score for the offense.
 
Top Tier Defense: Brockport's defense this season has continued its tradition of excellence as one of the best in the nation. Allowing just 11.0 points a game right now, the team is tied for 13^th in the country in scoring defense (1^st in the E8). The Golden Eagle defense also ranks T-4^th in redzone defense, T-12^th in first downs defense, and 23^rd in rushing defense. Teams have only been able to manage 2.3 yards per carry through the first four games in 2024. Last week's 35-0 win marked Brockport's second shutout of the season. Allowing 273.3 yards of total offense per game, the defense is second in the Empire 8.
 
Balanced Offensively: Through the first four games, the numbers show that the Golden Eagles have deployed a well-balanced attack on offense. Averaging 373.3 yards of offense per game, it comes from the combination of 212.5 passing and 160.8 rushing averages. Of the 14 offensive touchdowns, Brockport has had eight passing and six rushing scores. Further demonstrating the balance is the play calling with 133 rushes to 115 passes, as well as 34 rushing first downs compared to 32 passing first downs. This has helped the offensive unit total over 400 yards twice with 435 yards in week one and 432 in the most recent win.
 
E8's Leading Rusher: Sophomore running back Isaiah Simmons is off to an incredible start to the season, leading the Empire 8 with 486 rushing yards. He has found the endzone seven times this season with six rushing touchdowns (1 Rec. TD). Simmons is currently one of the most productive backs in the nation with averages of 121.50 rushing yards a game (11^th in the nation) and 7.18 yards per carry (10^th in the nation). He is 100 or more all-purpose yards in three games this season, scoring at least one touchdown in every game so far.
 
Through the Air: Ben Gocella has thrown two or more touchdown passes in three of the four games this season. He has totaled 828 yards passing with eight touchdowns (4 INT) and a 141.77 rating. Gocella's two top targets so far have been Nolan Slywka and Daniel Manneh. Slywka has a team-highs across the board with 22 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns. Manneh has 15 catches for 260 yards, finding the endzone twice. Brian Caldwell Jr. has caught a pair of touchdowns as well this season.
 
Leading Tacklers: With 37 total tackles in the first four games, captain Ben Robinson leads this strong defense from his linebacker spot. He is second on the team with 15 solo tackles, behind only Mike Talbert Jr.'s 17 solo stops. Talbert has 31 total tackles, including 6.5 for a loss which is first in the conference. Kyle Haettich (22) and Luca Friedman (21) both have over 20 tackles as well for the unit.
 
Rushing the QB: The pass rush hit hard in last week's game against St. John Fisher. Brockport ended up with seven sacks in the contest, giving the defense 12 on the year (T-23^rd in the nation) to lead the Empire 8. Talbert has 3.5 sacks to lead the team, after getting to the QB for 2.5 sacks against Fisher. Andre Marianetti, Ben Robinson, Jayson Thomas, Christopher Leahy, Malik Kelly, Marqwan Fluitt, and Dawin Fanor have all gotten to the quarterback.
 
Ballhawks on Defense: Brockport's defense is currently tied for 22^nd in the nation with seven interceptions this season. Malik Kelly (3), Kyle Haettich (2), and Mike Talbert Jr. (2) are all currently top five in the Empire 8 in interceptions. Kelly is among the nation's leaders in interceptions per game, averaging 0.8 INT per game which is tied for seventh in the country.
 
Forcing Fumbles: The Golden Eagle defense has also been knocking the ball loose early on in the season causing turnovers. Marqwan Fluitt leads the squad with two forced fumbles, while Malik Kelly and Christopher Leahy each have one. Jayson Thomas has recovered a pair of fumbles, with one coming from both Mike Talbert Jr. and Jahmere Clarke. Brockport is tied for 20^th in the nation with 11 takeaways this year and at +5 the team is tied for 24^th in turnover margin.
 
Special Teams Highlights: Punter Dan Giangrasso is currently averaging a league-best 45.75 yards per punt, which is good for fourth best in the nation. In 12 punts he has five of 50+ yards and four have been pinned inside the 20-yard line. Over the last three games, freshman Sal Montaperto has been perfect on his kick attempts. During this span he made his lone field goal try from 28 yards out and has gone 15-for-15 on point after touchdowns.
 
In the return game, Brockport has a pair of returners over 100 yards and has seen four different players break off 20+ yard returns. Daniel Manneh has provided the lone special teams touchdown with an 81-yard return in week two. With just three returns on the season he has 102 yards with the punt return unit. On the kickoff return, Joshua Limage has totaled 164 yards on eight tries, with a season-long of 29 yards. Limage averages 20.5 yards per return, which is currently fourth in the E8.
 
Around the Empire 8: Heading into another week of conference play, here is an early look at the Empire 8 standings through week five of the regular season:
E8 Standings as of 10/11/24

1. Cortland (4-0, 2-0 E8)
2. Utica (3-1, 1-0 E8)
3. Alfred (3-1, 1-0 E8)
4. Brockport (3-1, 1-0 E8)
5. St. John Fisher (1-3, 0-1 E8)
6. Morrisville (1-3, 0-1 E8)
7. Hartwick (1-3, 0-1 E8)
8. Hilbert (0-5, 0-2 E8)

 
Scouting Hartwick: The Hartwick Hawks will step on the field Saturday looking to improve upon a 1-3 record that includes a 0-1 start in E8 play. Last time out they suffered a lopsided loss at home to Utica, 65-7. Hartwick is on a 3-game losing streak going into the matchup with Brockport. Hartwick  has proven to be able to score points outside of the recent loss, scoring 26 or more in the three previous games. This included a 62-point explosion in the week one victory over Maine Maritime. However, since that game the Hawks have allowed 51, 37, and 65 points to opposing teams on the current losing skid. Currently 0-2 at home in Wright Stadium, Hartwick hopes to defend its home turf to right the ship.
 
Up Next: The Golden Eagles are on the road once again next week for another E8 matchup. They head to Frontier High School in Hamburg, NY on Saturday, October 19^th to play Hilbert College. Kickoff is at 12pm.