Oct 01, 2016
PITTSFORD, N.Y.— Buffalo State took a lead in the fourth quarter but could not close out the upset as No. 14-ranked St. John Fisher responded with a late touchdown to escape its homecoming with a 28-24 victory today in Empire 8 action.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: #14 St. John Fisher – 28, Buffalo State - 24
LOCATION: Growney Stadium – Pittsford, N.Y.
RECORDS: #14 St. John Fisher (5-0/3-0), Buffalo State (2-2/1-2)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Kyle Hoppy (Orchard Park/Orchard Park) returned to the Bengals' lineup for the first time since being injured in the season-opener and finished 23 of 48 for 287 yards with three interceptions.
- Tre Jones (Rochester/Greece-Athena) led the Bengals on the ground with 85 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Jones also had two catches for 71 yards. Dale Stewart (Niagara Falls/Niagara Falls) was limited to 53 yards and one score also on 14 carries.
- Had Bryant (Bronx/Cardinal Hayes) paced the Bengals' receiving corps with seven receptions for 75 yards.
- Sekret Kukaj's (Bronx/Archbishop Stepinac) 10 tackles led Buffalo State on defense.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- St. John Fisher opened the scoring on the very first play from scrimmage with a 78-yard touchdown pass from freshman Colin Fiutko to William Coon.
- The Bengals answered on their first possession, assembling a 13-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a 7-yard scoring run by Stewart to even the score at 7-7.
- Buffalo State took its first lead with a 10-yard touchdown run by Jones early in the second quarter, capping another long Bengal drive, covering 77 yards in 12 plays.
- Fiutko connected with Mike Collichio for a 5-yard touchdown strike later in the quarter to even the score. The Cardinals drove into Bengals' territory again late in the half, but Tiquan Simpkins (Syracuse/Henninger) came up with a fumble recovery for Buffalo State at his own 30-yard line with 1:41 remaining in the half.
- The Bengals capitalized, advancing the ball far enough for Marc Montana (E. Amherst/St. Joe's) to boot a 41-yard field goal as time expired to give Buffalo State a 17-14 lead heading into the locker room.
- Buffalo State opened the second half near midfield after a strong kick return, but Hoppy was picked off for the second time of the day on a deep ball on the first play from scrimmage.
- After punts by each team, the Cardinals took a 21-17 lead on a 35-yard pass from Fiutko to Wyatt Stehle for the only points of the third quarter.
- Montana missed a 39-yard field goal try on the ensuing possession.
- After a Fisher punt, Buffalo State put together another sustained scoring drive, marching 50 yards in 10 plays, culminating with Jones' second touchdown of the day on an 8-yard run to the left side of the end zone, putting the Bengals ahead 24-21.
- After a sack-fumble by Khalil Sommerville (Buffalo/Bennett) on the next play from scrimmage, Buffalo State was back in business with ball in Fisher territory, but could not capitalize, turning the ball over on downs.
- The Bengals appeared to have Fisher stopped on the ensuing possession with a sack on a third-and-13 play, but offsetting penalties gave the Cardinals another chance on which they converted. Fisher continued the drive and scored on a 17-yard run by Chris Smith to take the 27-24 lead with 4:28 remaining.
- Buffalo State had two more chances with the ball, but a turnover on downs and a late interception on fourth down sealed its fate.
- Buffalo State outgained Fisher, 472-368, and had 26 first downs compared to 19 by the Cardinals. The Bengals also threw three interceptions, however, and committed 10 penalties for 90 yards, while Fisher was penalized seven times for 60 yards.
FOR THE FOES
- Fiutko finished 15 of 22 for 209 yards and three touchdowns in his first collegiate start, filling in for an injured Matt Naton.
- With the Cardinals top running back also sidelined by injury, James Chambers and Smith shared the duties in the backfield. Chambers had 94 yards on seven carries, and Smith had 81 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Smith, a natural linebacker, also had a tackle for a loss.
- Coon had three catches for 103 yards, while Collichio caught seven passes for 56 yards.
- DJ Logory led the Fisher defense with 17 tackles and had the game-ending interception.
UP NEXT
Buffalo State will travel to Cortland next Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.