Brockport, NY – The SUNY Brockport football team is set for its biggest game of the season so far this weekend when it travels to face No. 20 Cortland. This key Empire 8 Conference battle is scheduled for a 12pm kickoff at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex.
DATE – TIME: November 8
th, 2025 – 12pm
LOCATION: SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex – Cortland, NY
LINKS: Live Video |
Live Stats
Set to Impact the Standings: Going into this weekend's slate of games around the conference, Cortland is first in the standings at 6-0. In second, Brockport and Utica are tied with a 4-1 mark. With just one week left in the regular season following this weekend, these games are a must win for all three teams hoping to fight for an Empire 8 Title. Here is a look at the full conference standings heading into Saturday:
- Cortland (6-0)
- Brockport (4-1)
- Utica (4-1)
- St. John Fisher (3-2)
- Alfred St. (2-3)
- Alfred U. (1-4)
- Hartwick (1-5)
- Morrisville (0-5)
Brockport vs Cortland in 2024: Last season the Golden Eagles hosted No. 2 Cortland for an instant classic in this head-to-head series. Coming in as the reigning national champions, the Red Dragons pulled out a nail-biter at Bob Boozer Field, 29-28. A field goal with just 27 seconds remaining to play stole the game from Brockport at home on Senior Day.
Brockport jumped on its conference rival early with 14 points in the first quarter. A
Ben Gocella touchdown pass and a
Liam Nealy punt block that turned into a touchdown gave the Golden Eagles all the momentum early. Cortland bounced back with 17 points in the second quarter, but Gocella's second touchdown pass kept Brockport ahead, 21-17, at halftime.
A defensive battle in the third quarter yielded just three points for Cortland, as Brockport held onto a 21-20 lead going into the fourth. Gocella connected for another touchdown pass, making it a 28-20 lead for Brockport. Cortland quickly answered, but the 2-point conversion was stopped to keep the Golden Eagles ahead by two, 28-26.
Looking to kill the clock in the final minutes, Brockport leaned on the ground game for some key first downs. However, Cortland's defense got the stop it needed to give the offense a chance. A clutch 2-minute drill and an ever more clutch 38-yard field goal gave the Red Dragons the win, 29-28.
Last Week's Win: Brockport football honored its founding father, Bob Boozer, last weekend as his memorial plaque was unveiled with a dominant performance. The Golden Eagles defeated Alfred University, 51-0, for a third straight win. They improved 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the Empire 8.
Brockport's defense forced nine punts on the day, allowing only seven total first downs to the Alfred offense. The Saxons totaled just 107 yards of total offense (46 rushing, 61 passing), as the Golden Eagles go two games in a row without allowing a touchdown.
Offensively, 502 yards of total offense was highlighted by a season-high 344 rushing yards (158 passing). Brockport had four rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown as well in the team's fifth 40-point performance of the season.
Simmons led the backfield behind a great effort from his big offensive line, totaling 236 yards and three touchdowns.
Zymier Jackson found the endzone as well (2 car, 23 yds).
Ben Gocella went 18-for-26, tossing for 158 yards and one touchdown. He found Daniel Maneh nine times for 125 yards and a score.
Luca Friedman (4 tackles) and
Darius Cervi (5 tackles) both registered sacks for the defense, with Cervi causing a fumble on his play. The recovery was scooped up by
Jayden Ferrell, for Brockport's lone takeaway of the contest.
Jahmere Clarke and Nazhier Wislon both registered five tackles for the squad.
Multiple players in the secondary came up with deflections to force incompletions and made tackles in space.
Kyle Slywka not only had four solo stops, but he also had that blocked punt returned for a touchdown on special teams.
Elijah Grooms (2),
Liam Nealy (1),
Austyn Gollnitz (1),
Colton Thorp (1), and
Destin Branch-El (1) all had pass breakups.
The two-time, back-to-back Empire 8 Special Teams player of the week,
Zach McGowan, had another great outing. He went perfect with his leg on field goals and extra points on the day. He was 6-for-6 on PATs and 3-for-3 on field goals from 25, 25, and 41 yards out.
Looking at Cortland: The No. 20 nationally-ranked Red Dragons didn't let a season-opening discourage them, as they have since won seven in a row. In 2019, Brockport and Cortland shared the Empire 8 Title. Since then, Cortland has won four in a row and are chasing another one this season. The Red Dragon offense is first in the E8 and 27
th in the nation, averaging 40.5 points per game. Defensively, they are on par with Brockport's rank 8
th nationally in allowing just 11.0 points per game.
QB Mike Rescigno leads the charge with 17 passing touchdowns (10 INT) and 10 rushing touchdowns. In the backfield with him is. Ethan Gallo, who has nine rushing scores on the season. Combined, the two average just under 180 rushing yards a game. Four different players in the passing game have multiple touchdowns this season. Jacque LaPrarie leads the team with six touchdown catches. Joe Iadevaio (4), Sam Cotton (3), and Jayson Zeva (3) are also proven threats.
With 6.5 sacks on the season, Aden Wiser has been incredibly impactful as a pass rusher for the Cortland defense. Junior linebacker Aiden Lochner leads the Red Dragons with 47 total tackles. In the secondary, Nazair Jean-Lubin has caused problems with four interceptions and 10 total pass breakups. This defense that allows 113.8 rushing yards a game will take on Brockport's offense that averages 209.9 yards per game on the ground.
E8 Rivalry Matchup: Following Alfred University's Empire 8 Title in 2016, the Brockport vs Cortland matchup has become the big conference rivalry matchup each season. Starting with Brockport's 2017 title, the Empire 8 Champion has been either Brockport or Cortland. Often with the Brockport/Cortland regular season game deciding who takes the crown that year. Saturday marks another chapter in this rivalry, as the Golden Eagles look for a big win over the Red Dragons.
Saturday marks the 76
th matchup all-time between the Golden Eagles and the Red Dragons, going all the way back to 1948. Cortland has the lead in the head-to-head series 52-20-2. Between 2013-2019, Brockport won six of the seven meetings. However, the Red Dragons have taken the win in each of the last four battles. Brockport's last win came in 2019, in an overtime clash on the road, 32-26.
Regular Season Finale: Next weekend the Golden Eagles will return to Bob Boozer Field for Senior Day, as they welcome Utica for the final game of the regular season. Kickoff is scheduled for 2pm for this E8 matchup.
