Sep 19, 2015
ALFRED, N.Y.—Alfred University scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns and capitalized on three Buffalo State turnovers and an injury to Buffalo State starting quarterback Kyle Hoppy (Orchard Park/Orchard Park) to rally for a 29-26 victory over the visiting Bengals in the Empire 8 season opener today at Yunevich Stadium.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Alfred University – 29, Buffalo State - 26
LOCATION: Yunevich Stadium, Alfred, N.Y.
RECORDS: Alfred (3-0/1-0), Buffalo State (1-1/0-1)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Hoppy was 14 of 19 for 197 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 54 yards, but was injured early in the fourth quarter with the Bengals leading 26-14.
- Dan Serignese (Pt. Jefferson/Pt. Jefferson) was just 1 of 5 for 10 yards in relief.
- Tre Jones (Rochester/Greece-Athena) rushed for more than 100 yards for the second-consecutive game, finishing with 119 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns. Dale Stewart (Niagara Falls/Niagara Falls) had 88 yards on nine carries as the Bengals finished with 245 yards on the ground and 452 yards of total offense.
- Madison Wesolowski (Elma/Iroquois) was the leading receiver with four catches for 77 yards.
- Marquis Artis (Amherst/Amherst) led the Bengals' defense with nine tackles and had an interception, while Shaq Frederick (Brooklyn/Holy Cross) and Andrew Cleveland (Rensselaer/Columbia) added seven stops apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a stalled Bengals' drive on the opening possession and a shanked punt, Alfred took its opening drive 68 yards on 10 plays, capped by a Maleke Fuentes 1-yard run.
- Buffalo State found the end zone on back-to-back possessions midway through the second quarter to take a 13-7 lead. A 3-yard touchdown grab by tight end Nick Jones (Buffalo/W. Seneca West) from Hoppy put the Bengals on the board, but the extra point try was blocked which proved critical in the final outcome of the game. Another defensive stand by the Bengals set up a 39-yard touchdown run by Tre Jones to put the Bengals in front.
- Alfred answered with a quick six-play, 77-yard drive the ended with a 9-yard scoring connection from Tyler Johnson to Brendan Buisch to give the Saxons the 14-13 lead heading into halftime.
- Buffalo State found the end zone twice more in the third quarter. After a three-and-out by the Saxons to open the half, the Bengals drove 63 yards in 10 plays, and Tre Jones scored his second touchdown of the game from 11 yards out. The Bengals attempted to reclaim the point from the earlier extra point miss, but failed on the two-point conversion. The Bengals' defense forced another three-and-out, and the offense marched down the field again, traveling 65 yards on seven plays, and Hoppy hit Edwin Young (Buffalo/Williamsville North) with an 18-yard scoring strike.
- Artis came up with an interception on the first play of the fourth quarter and the Bengals seemed in control. Hoppy was injured five plays later, however. Then on the ensuring third-and-4 from near midfield, Serignese was sacked. The Bengals then had an errant snap on the punt attempt and turned the ball over at their own 44.
- The Saxons took advantage of the shot field and Johnson hit Buisch for a 20-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 26-21.
- Alfred forced a quick punt on the ensuing drive, and then took the lead with a six-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard quarterback keeper by Johnson. The quarterback kept it again for a successful two-point try to push the margin to three points.
- Buffalo State quickly moved into Alfred territory on the ensuing possession, but a bad pitch resulted in the Bengals' third lost fumble of the game with 3:20 remaining.
- Buffalo State's defense forced a turnover on downs at the Bengals' 39, setting up one more chance with 2:12 remaining.
- Stewart had a 12-yard run on the first play to move the ball into Alfred territory, but a fumbled snap for a loss and two incomplete passes set up a fourth-and-13. The Bengals only gained 10 yards on the play and Alfred was able to run out the clock.
FOR THE FOES
- Johnson finished 17 of 28 for 233 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
- Fuentes had eight catches for 115 yards, and Buisch had five grabs for 66 yards with two scores.
- Casey Bright led the Saxons on the ground with 96 yards on just eight carries.
- AJ Licata had 13 tackles with a sack and a forced fumble. Corry Wallace and Liam Hobbins finished with 10 tackles each.
NOTEWORTHY
- Buffalo State has lost four-straight games against Alfred while committing a combined 14 turnovers in the four contest.
COACH'S CORNER
- "Buffalo State was its own worst enemy today," said Buffalo State head coach Jerry Boyes. "We made three turnovers at critical times, and just could not make enough plays to overcome the mistakes."
UP NEXT
Buffalo State will play its third-consecutive road game to open the season next Saturday at Morrisville State at 1 p.m. It will be the first time the Bengals and Mustangs meet in an Empire 8 contest, with Morrisville joining the league this year after winning the New Jersey Athletic Conference crown last season.