Brockport, NY – The SUNY Brockport football team opened the 2026 season in dominant, record-breaking fashion. Brockport defeated Buffalo State, 68-0, to claim a 10
th straight I-90 Bowl Rivalry Game win and set a program record for largest winning margin.
In front of a blackout crowd at Bob Boozer Field, the Golden Eagles were in control of the game from the opening kickoff. They scored 14 points in the first quarter, on the way to an astounding 42-0 lead going into halftime.
In the first half, the Golden Eagles outgained the Bengals, 290-43 in yards of total offense.
Ben Gocella went 10-for-10 with 124 yards and two touchdowns,
Nolan Slywka had six catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns, and
Derrion Battle ran for 99 yards and a score.
Zymier Jackson also got in on the action in the first half with a pair of rushing scores, both from 2 yards out.
Brockport continued to dominate as the third quarter began, quickly adding to the scoreboard. This time the defense added to the team's total, with
Malik Kelly taking an interception back 35 yards for a touchdown.
Christopher Bascetta added three more points to the board for Brockport later in the third, nailing a 27-yard field goal to make it a 52-0 lead. Bascetta and the kicking unit was money all night, going 9-for-9 on extra points as well.
The scoring for the Golden Eagles continued in the fourth as the reserves saw action. Early in the period,
Sameer Thomas found the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown to make it a 59-point advantage.
The next big highlight for the blackout crowd to get excited about in the season opener. The Bengals, looking to punt, botched the snap and
Elijah Campbell brought down the punter in the end zone for a safety. The scoreboard showed a 61-0 lead for Brockport with just over nine minutes left to play.
The final score of the game came from
Micah Harry on a 10-yard rush. That combined with one more extra point set the new program record with a winning margin of 68 points against Buffalo State. The old record stood at 66 points, coming from a 66-0 win against Plymouth State back in 2017.
Overall, it was a near perfect performance from the Golden Eagles to start the season in all three phases of the game. The passing game was efficient at 13-for-14 with 161 yards and two touchdowns. The run game was unstoppable with 326 total rushing yards, six touchdowns, and a 6.7 yards per carry average for the game.
Defensively, Brockport pitched its third consecutive shutout against Buffalo State and has now kept this rival out of the end zone in five consecutive meetings. The Golden Eagles held the Bengals to just three first downs for the game and only 60 yards of total offense. Freshman
Ari Gefell led the team with nine total tackles, while
Sal Montaperto Jr. came away with 2.0 sacks for a loss of 17 yards.
The defense forced two turnovers in the contest, highlighted by
Malik Kelly's 35-yard pick-six in the third quarter. On one of the four fumbles from Buffalo State,
Brady Winter came away with the fumble recovery.
Brockport opens the new season 1-0 after winning the I-90 Bowl Trophy once again. Week two will take the Golden Eagles on the road to Geneva, NY for a matchup with Hobart College on Saturday, September 12
th at 1pm.
