Brockport, NY – This weekend the Brockport Golden Eagles (5-1, 3-0 E8) will celebrate Senior Day at Bob Boozer Field, with the Morrisville Mustangs (1-5, 3-0 E8) coming to town. This Empire 8 matchup is set to kickoff at 12pm on Saturday, October 24^th.
 
DATE – TIME: Saturday, October 24^th – 12pm
LOCATION: Bob Boozer Field – Brockport, NY
LINKS: Video | Stats | Radio
 
Recap of Last Week: Brockport rallied from an early two-touchdown deficit by scoring 24 unanswered points to defeat Alfred State, 24-14, on the road. With the victory, the Golden Eagles improved to 5-1 overall and remained perfect in Empire 8 play at 3-0. Alfred State found the end zone twice to go up 14-0 in the first half, but the Golden Eagles responded. A pair of scoring strikes from Zymier Jackson to Nolan Slywka would tie the game up heading into halftime.
 
In the second half, the Brockport defense shutdown Alfred State's offense and kept the Pioneers off the board the rest of the game. Austyn Gollnitz would break the tie in the fourth quarter with a pick-six, giving the Golden Eagles a 21-14 lead. Christopher Bascetta would follow up with a 34-yard field goal late in the game to finish it off, 24-14.
 
Brockport outgained Alfred State 370 to 174 in total offensive yards and held the Pioneers to 0-for-4 on fourth-down conversions. The Golden Eagle front seven dominated the line of scrimmage, recording 10 tackles for loss and six sacks, holding Alfred State to 24 net rushing yards on 33 carries (0.7 yards per carry).
 
E8 Defensive Player of the Week: Following his work against Alfred State, Austyn Gollnitz was recognized as the Empire 8 Football Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Gollnitz provided the game-winning, pick-six in the fourth quarter to highlight his day. The sophomore linebacker also finished with five total tackles, one for a loss, and one sack to go with the 19-yard interception return for a touchdown. It is his second weekly award of the season so far. Gollnitz leads the Brockport defense with 4.0 sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
 
Jackson Running the Offense: Since taking over as the starting quarterback for the Golden Eagles, Zymier Jackson has led the team to four straight wins. The sophomore has completed 65 of his 107 passes for 855 yards and nine touchdowns. A threat on the ground as well, Jackson has rushed for 230 yards and four touchdowns this season. He has thrown a pair of touchdowns in all four starts.
 
Battle & Paul in the Backfield: The 27^th ranked rushing attack in all of Division III Football, features a pair of freshmen in Derrion Battle and Allan Paul. Battle leads the way with 503 yards and five touchdowns on 65 carries. He is averaging 83.8 yards per game and ranks fourth in the country with a healthy 7.7 yards per carry. Paul hit the century mark for the first time in his collegiate career last week, breaking loose for 136 yards on 22 touches. He has 334 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns to his line for the year. Behind a strong offensive line, these talented Golden Eagle runners are averaging 221.2 rushing yards per game.
 
Slywka's Special Season: Nolan Slywka continues to be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. Against Alfred State the senior wideout set a career-high with 11 receptions, totaling 90 yards and two touchdowns. Through six games he has 42 catches for 574 yards and eight touchdowns. He is tied for 11^th in the nation in touchdown receptions, tied for 18^th in receptions per game, 28^th in total receiving yards, and 28^th in receiving yards per game. Last week was his third multi-touchdown game of the season.
 
Top Tier Defense: The Golden Eagles have proven through six games to have a top tier defense week in and week out. Their most recent performance defensively saw Alfred State's offense held to just 24 rushing yards. The Pioneers were held to 3-for-11 on 3^rd Downs and went 0-for-4 on 4^th Downs. Brockport ranks top three in the Empire 8 in just about every defensive category, as well as ranking Top 25 in the nation in the following categories:
 
2^nd in 4^th Down Conversion Percentage Defense (.100)
3^rd in Total Defense (195.2 yards per game)
T-6^th in First Downs Defense (65 total allowed)
T-6^th in Defensive Touchdowns (3)
8^th in Rushing Defense (51.5 yards per game)
T-22^nd in Passing Yards Allowed (143.7 yards per game)
T-24^th in Team Sacks (3.0 sacks per game)
 
Shining on Defense: A strong defensive unit comes with playmakers at each level. In the middle of the field is reigning Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, Nazhier Wilson. He leads the team with 51 total tackles and is tied for 19^th in the nation with his 1.75 tackles for loss per game (10.5 total). Austyn Gollnitz leads Brockport with 4.0 sacks and he has forced four turnovers (2 INT, 2 FF). Jahmere Clarke and Brady Schnell each have an interception, while combing for seven pass breakups in the secondary. Pass rushers Ari Gefell and Jayden Ferrell have 3.5 and 3.0 sacks respectively.
 
Looking at Morrisville: The Mustangs have lost five straight games heading into Saturday's matchup. They look to improve upon a 1-5 overall record and a 0-3 start to conference play. Morrisville pulled out a 33-30 win over Kean University to start the season, but it has been a rocky road ever since. While putting up just 15.7 points per game offensively, the Morrisville defense is allowing 36.2 points a game. Recently in the head to head matchup with Brockport, Morrisville is 2-8 across the last 10 meetings (2019 & 2021). Brockport has won the last four matchups, outscoring the Mustangs 151-6 in that span of games.
 
Heading to Alfred U. Next Week: After the Senior Day celebration this week at Bob Boozer Field, the Golden Eagles will hit the road next weekend. They travel to face the Alfred University Saxons for a 12pm kickoff on Saturday, October 31^st.