Brockport, NY – This weekend, the SUNY Brockport football team looks to make it three straight wins with a home matchup against Alfred University. Kickoff at Bob Boozer Field is set for 12pm for this Empire 8 football game.
 
DATE – TIME: November 1^st, 2025 – 12pm
LOCATION: Bob Boozer Field – Brockport, NY
LINK: Live Video | Live Stats
 
Bob Boozer Plaque Presentation: Before the game kicks off on Saturday, the Brockport community will take time to honor the one and only, Coach Bob Boozer. Coach Boozer started the Brockport football program back in 1947 and coached with passion and dedication for 13 seasons through 1959. Although Coach Boozer passed away in 2006 at the age of 94, his legacy continues to inspire — through the Brockport Athletics Hall of Fame, through Bob Boozer Field, and now through a beautifully crafted plaque to honor his lasting impact on Brockport football.
 
Brockport Back on Track: Following an overtime loss to Fisher in week five, Brockport has bounced back with a pair of dominant performances. In the last two weeks against Alfred State and Morrisville, Brockport has outscored its E8 foes 109-17. At home the Green and Gold defeated the Pioneers, 48-14. Then on the road last week, Brockport dismantled the Mustangs 61-3. Heading into week nine of the regular season, the squad holds onto a 3-1 record in the conference with a 5-2 overall mark.
 
Last Time Out: With 51 points in the first half, Brockport marched past Morrisville in E8 play on Saturday. Finishing the day with a 61-3 final score, Brockport is now on a 3-game win streak. The Golden Eagles improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Empire 8 after the win.
 
It was a dominant showing from the defensive unit, as Brockport kept its opponent out of the endzone for the third time this season. The Morrisville Mustangs were held to just five total first downs in the game and totaled only 71 yards of offense. Brockport's nationally recognized run defense kept Morrisville at -10 yards rushing on 26 carries for the day. The Golden Eagles also forced a trio of turnovers in the contest (1 INT, 2 FR).
Offensively, the Green and Gold ran an efficient operation that leaned on the run game as usual. With 460 yards of total offense, Brockport rushed for 282 yards on 54 attempts against the Mustangs (5.2 yards per carry). Through the air, the offense went 10-for-15 passing, averaging 17.8 yards per completion on the way to 178 yards in the air.
 
McGowan Goes Back-to-Back: For the second week in a row, Brockport's Zach McGowan was named the Empire 8 Football Special Teams Player of the Week. McGowan handled all the Brockport kicking responsibilities in the team's 61-3 win over Morrisville on the road Saturday. McGowan went 7-for-8 on extra points and 2-for-2 on field goal tries from 19 and 36 yards out. On 11 kickoffs, McGowan booted six touchbacks on the way to 673 yards for an average of 61.2 yards per kickoff. For the season, McGowan is 3-for-3 on field goal attempts and 20-for-23 on extra points. He also has 28 touchbacks and averages 62.9 yards per kick across 45 total kickoffs so far in 2025.
 
Dominant Defense: The Golden Eagles continue to create nightmare fuel on defense for opposing offenses. They remain highly ranked across multiple key team defensive statistics this season. Take a look at where Brockport's defense stacks up against the rest of the country heading into Saturday's contest:
 
2^nd Total Defense – 194.6 yards per game
2^nd First Downs Defense – 77 allowed
3^rd Team Tackles for Loss – 9.4 per game
13^th Passing Efficiency Defense – 99.37 pass efficiency allowed
15^th Scoring Defense – 12.57 points per game
17^th Passing Yards Allowed – 149.0 per game
20^th 3^rd Down Conversion Pct Defense - .293 pct
T-22^nd Defensive Touchdowns – 2 TDs
 
Top Threats Offensively: Brockport's Isaiah Simmons and Daniel Manneh have proven to be the offense's top playmakers with the ball in their hands. Both players individually rank Top 30 in the nation in all-purpose yards this season. Isaiah Simmons is not only 26^th in all-purpose yards (138.71 yards per game), but also ranks 10^th in the nation in rushing. Simmons has totaled 842 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns (T-7^th nationally) on 158 carries. Manneh comes in at 27^th in the nation in all-purpose yards (138.00 yards per game). To go with 633 yards on 44 receptions, he also has totaled 324 return yards on special teams bringing back punts and kickoffs.
 
Slinging the Rock: Ben Gocella is on pace for the best season of his collegiate career at Brockport, currently playing some of his best football for the Green and Gold. The junior signal caller is ranked 14^th in the nation in completion percentage at 71.6% and is 19^th with a passing efficiency rating of 174.96. Brockport's QB has totaled 1,523 passing yards on 116-for-162 passing with 15 touchdown passes on the season. He tied his career high of four touchdown passes against Morrisville and set a career-high in passing yards the week before with 360 against Alfred State.
 
Defensive Playmakers: Brockport has seen outstanding performances from several players on the defensive side of the ball this season. Alan Ramirez-Jimenez forced two fumbles on the road last week at Morrisville. Liam Nealy recorded his second interception of the season in the same game, taking it all the way back for his first career pick-six. Chamarr Ware (1 INT, 1 FR) also has scored for the defense, taking a fumble recovery back for a touchdown.
 
Disrupting the Backfield: The Green and Gold have consistently penetrated opposing backfields for sacks and tackles for loss this season. Jayden Ferrell leads the squad with 9.5 tackles for loss, while Kanye Davis is tops on the team with 3.5 sacks. Nose tackle Jayson Thomas has gotten free for 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Fellow defensive lineman Alan Ramirez-Jimenez has 3.0 sacks to go with 5.5 tackles for loss. Luca Friedman has 2.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss, while Nazhier Wilson has been active with 7.5 tackles behind the line.
 
In the Secondary: Through seven games, both Colton Thorp and Brady Schnell have broken up five passes in the Brockport secondary. Liam Nealy is close behind with four breakups, to go with his pair of interceptions. Kyle Slywka and Chamarr Ware both have one interception as well this year.
 
Top Tacklers: Luca Friedman continues to be the team's leading tackler on defense. With 20 solo stops, Friedman has 41 total tackles to his name. Liam Nealy is second for Brockport in tackling with 33 total, including a team-high 21 solo tackles. Nazhier Wilson and Jayson Thomas are in the mix as well with 29 and 23 total tackles respectively.
 
Looking Around the E8: With the final few weeks of the regular season coming up, here is a look at the Empire 8 Football standings ahead of a big weekend around the conference:

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

 
Brockport vs Alfred: These two teams have played against each other 48 times in the all-time head-to-head series. Although Alfred holds the lead all-time in the series, but Brockport has dominated as of late. The Golden Eagles are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings with Alfred, which included a 6-game win streak from 2017-2023. However, the 2024 clash between Brockport and Alfred saw the Saxons snap the streak. They defeated Brockport at home, 23-14, in the regular season finale last year.
 
Scouting the Saxons: The Alfred University Saxons enter the week at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in Empire 8 play. They are looking to get back on track after a pair of back-to-back losses in league play. They recently fell to Cortland, 65-12, and Utica, 51-28. The Saxons are scoring 24.14 points a game, but are giving up 34.57 points in the process. Carmine Hoag is the team's top threat in the pass game, as he has caught seven touchdown passes this season on 31 receptions and 376 yards. He caught a trio of touchdowns in the team's win over Hartwick earlier this season. Defensively, the Saxons' star is Thomas Welch the senior defensive back. Welch has a full stat line this season of 61 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and three fumble recoveries.
 
Coming Up Next: Next week the Golden Eagles travel for a key E8 clash with Cortland in another chapter of this conference rivalry. Kickoff is set for 12pm on Saturday, November 8^th.