Brockport, NY – Brockport football is in action once again this Saturday for a road matchup with Morrisville State. This Empire 8 contest is scheduled for a 12pm kickoff.
DATE – TIME: October 25
th, 2025 – 12pm
LOCATION: Drake Field – Morrisville, NY
LINKS: Live Video |
Live Stats
Bounce Back for Brockport: The Brockport Golden Eagles totaled 609 yards of offense in a dominant 48-14 win over Alfred State at home on Saturday. With this impressive bounce back win, Brockport moves to 4-2 with a 2-1 mark in the E8. Brockport broke the 600-yard mark as an offense for the first time since 2019 when the team last played Alfred State. Back on September 28
th, 2019, the offense totaled 603 yards in a 55-6 win over the Pioneers. Alfred State's Noah Currier entered the game as the E8 leading rusher, averaging 131.2 yards per game. The Golden Eagle defense allowed little room on the ground for Currier, holding him to just 39 yards (1 TD) on 16 carries. Brockport kept Alfred State to just 196 yards of total offense and forced the Pioneers to punt eight times.
Team of the Week: Brockport's
Colton Thorp was recently selected to the D3football.com National Team of the Week. On Monday, Thorp earned the first E8 Weekly award of his career as the conference's Defensive Player of the Week. On Tuesday, he adds to his accolades as a member of the D3football Team of the Week.
In Brockport's win over Alfred State this past weekend at home,
Colton Thorp's four pass breakups set a career-high as a member of the Golden Eagle secondary. The sophomore from Hilton also stepped up from his corner spot for a big solo tackle in space.
Thorp's efforts helped the Golden Eagle defense keep the visiting Pioneers to just 13-for-35 passing with 109 yards through the air. Altogether, Brockport allowed a total of just 196 yards of offense in the contest.
E8 Weekly Awards: Brockport's
Colton Thorp and
Zach McGowan were recognized as Empire 8 Football Weekly Award winners following their performance against Alfred State over the weekend.
Colton Thorp was named the E8 Football Defensive Player of the Week for his work in the secondary against the Pioneers. Helping hold the opposing offense to just 13-for-35 passing with 109 yards, Thorp was credited with four pass breakups on the day. To go with a career-best showing defending the pass, Thorp also made a big hit for a solo tackle in space.
Kicker
Zach McGowan had a big day with his leg for the Golden Eagles. Outside of one blocked kick, McGowan was 6-for-7 on extra points in the contest. He also handled kickoff duties, going for 523 total yards on eight kicks. This included seven touchbacks which prevented Alfred State from getting many chances for a return.
Highlight Performances vs Alfred State: Ben Gocella,
Isaiah Simmons, and
Daniel Manneh all had incredible games for Brockport offensively against Alfred State. Gocella went nearly perfect at 16-for-17 passing with a career-high 360 yards and three touchdowns. Simmons found the endzone a career-high four times on the ground, totaling 95 yards on 19 carries. Manneh registered a career-high 209 receiving yards on 10 catches, catching one touchdown pass as well.
Flying Around on Defense: The Golden Eagles defense has caused problems all season for opposing offenses. They did the same this past weekend against the Alfred State Pioneers and Brockport continues to rank among the best defensive units in the nation:
T-5
th Team Tackles for Loss – 8.8 tackles for loss per game
T-6
th First Downs Defense – 72 first downs allowed
8
th Total Defense – 215.2 yards allowed per game
8
th Rushing Defense – 54.8 rushing yards allowed per game
T-18
th Scoring Defense –14.17 points allowed per game
E8's Leading Rusher: Isaiah Simmons is back on top of the list as the leading running back in the Empire 8 this season. After his career-high, four touchdown performance against Alfred State he now has 12 rushing scores on the season. He leads the conference with 740 rushing yards and an average of 123.3 yards per game. To go with his work on the ground, Simmons also adds 16 receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown in the pass game.
Gocella Letting it Rip: Ben Gocella had a fantastic day throwing the ball last Saturday, going 16-for-17 with a career-high 360 yards and three touchdowns. For the season he is 106-for-149 throwing (71.14%) with 1,345 yards, and 11 touchdowns (5 INT). He is averaging 224.17 yards passing per game for the Brockport offense.
Leading Wideout: Daniel Manneh has proven to be the top target for Brockport in the passing game this season. The receiver has totaled 41 receptions, 559 yards, and four touchdown receptions. Twice this season he has recorded double-digit receptions, 190+ yards, and a touchdown in a game. He also has returned a kickoff (80 yards) and a punt (67 yards) back for touchdowns on special teams this year.
Middle of the Trenches: Brockport's defensive tackle,
Jayson Thomas is having another strong season at the center of the defensive line with 7.5 tackles for loss. Thomas has racked up 23 total tackles and even broke through for 2.5 sacks.
Jayden Ferrell has also hit the backfield for 7.5 tackles for loss.
Luca Friedman leads the Golden Eagle defense with 38 total tackles on the season.
Nazhier Wilson has also made an impact with 24 stops, as Wilson and Friedman each have 4.5 tackles for loss.
Kanye Davis leads Brockport with 3.5 sacks so far.
In the Secondary: Liam Nealy has been effective in the secondary for Brockport this season. He has four pass breakups, one interception, and has 29 total tackles (18 solo).
Brady Schnell leads the team with five breakups, and
Colton Thorp has four breakups.
Kyle Slywka also has an interception for the defense, to go with three deflections.
Brockport vs Morrisville: Saturday's Empire 8 battle between Brockport and Morrisville will have the Golden Eagles looking for a fourth straight win in the head-to-head series. They are currently on a 3-game win streak against the Mustangs, including shutouts in the last two games. This 3-game span has Brockport outscoring Morrisville, 90-3. Brockport has controlled the series all-time, holding an 13-4 mark over the Mustangs.
Looking at the Mustangs: The Morrisville State Mustangs are heading into this weekend 0-6 on the season with a 0-3 mark in the Empire 8 Conference. Still looking for the first win of the season, Morrisville fell to Utica last week, 27-21. The offense is averaging just 13.33 points a game, while the defense is surrendering 32.33 points a game. Last year's meeting saw Brockport take a 24-0 win at home over the Mustangs.
Empire 8 Standings: Here is a quick look at the current Empire 8 Football Standings heading into week eight of the regular season:
- Cortland (4-0, E8)
- St. John Fisher (3-0, E8)
- Brockport (2-1, E8)
- Utica (2-1, E8)
- Alfred (1-2, E8)
- Alfred State (1-2, E8)
- Hartwick (0-4, E8)
- Morrisville (0-3, E8)
Looking Ahead: Next week the Golden Eagles return home for a 12pm kickoff against Alfred University on Saturday, November 1
st.
