Brockport in Search of Third Straight Empire 8 Title Saturday at Home Against Alfred

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BROCKPORT, NY -- The nationally-ranked No. 25 College at Brockport football team looks to lock up its third straight Empire 8 Conference title on Saturday when the Golden Eagles host Alfred University for senior day at Bob Boozer Field. The contest is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. Prior to the start of Saturday's game, the Golden Eagles will honor their graduating senior class and families.

Game Notes (.PDF)

DATE – TIME: Nov. 9, 2019 – 12 p.m.
LOCATION: Bob Boozer Field at Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium
LINKS: Video  |  Stats  |  Audio (Radio 89.1 FM)

Ticket Information: Tickets for Saturday's contest are $5 for the general public and $3 for senior citizens/high school students/children. Brockport students, faculty and staff are free with ID. Tickets are available online through Brockport ticket sales, and at the gate. $5 tickets can be purchased online HERE. There is no will call at the event. Please have either your e-ticket printed out or available to scan on your cell phone.
 
Follow The Action: All five of Brockport's home games will be broadcast live by Roc Sports Network (RSN). ROCSportsNetwork.com is Rochester's only local network showcasing Rochester and Western New York sports through podcasts, television shows and game broadcasts both online and on television. Saturday's game will be streamed live on gobrockport.com/watch.  Live audio for all games will be provided by 89.1 The Point, Brockport's student radio station. Live stats for all home contests will be available at gobrockport.com.

Three-Peat in Our Sights: Brockport needs one win in its final two games of the regular season to win its third straight Empire 8 Conference title and an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championships. In the 18 year history of the Empire 8, the only other team to win three straight conference titles is Ithaca College, who won four in a row from 2002-2005. If Brockport wins the Empire 8 title, the selection and notification of championship qualifying teams takes place on Sunday, November 17th.  The first round of the NCAA Championships will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23rd.  Location and time of the NCAA First Round games are to be determined.

Comeback Kids: Brockport rallied from a 23-0 first half deficit, outscoring host and nationally-ranked No. 18 Cortland 32-3 down the stretch, as the Golden Eagles came away with a thrilling 32-26 overtime victory in a key Empire 8 Conference matchup last Saturday. Senior quarterback Jason Hellwig kept the ball for himself and scored from 11 yards out on Brockport's first possession in overtime to help lift the Golden Eagles to their seventh straight victory.  The Brockport offense was put in position to win following a key overtime interception by Andrew Covais on Cortland's lone possession of OT.

We're Going Streaking: Brockport (7-1, 4-0 Empire 8) has now rattled off seven straight victories following its week one loss on the road at Hobart. Over the course of the seven victories, the Golden Eagles have posted three shut outs and allowed just 68 total points.  Brockport has outscored its opponents 252-68 over the course of the last seven games and the Golden Eagles are averaging 36 points per game during the win streak. 

Undefeated Effort: Brockport now stands alone as the only undefeated team in the Empire 8 Conference with a 4-0 record following last weekend's OT win at Cortland. Brockport was now won 20 straight Empire 8 Conference contests dating back to Oct. 29, 2016. Over the course of the last four seasons the Golden Eagles are 24-2 in conference games, including an unblemished 7-0 record in each of the previous two seasons.

Protect the Nest: Brockport has won 17 consecutive regular season home games and they have not lost in front of the home crowd at Boozer field during a regular season game since Sept. 24, 2016.  Including post season play, Brockport has won 20 of its last 21 home games. The Golden Eagles are 4-0 at home this season, outscoring their opponents by a score of 107-20. Brockport is allowing an average of just 4.0 points per game at home this year.

Battle of the Top Two Ground Games: Saturday's matchup between Brockport and Alfred will be a heavyweight bout between the top two offensive and defensive rushing teams in the league.  Alfred leads the E8 with an average of 257.5 rushing yards per game. Brockport ranks second in the conference with an average of 234.3 rushing yards per game.  Brockport (23.1 yards allowed per game) and Alfred (72.5 yards allowed per game) also rank first and second in rushing defense.

Best in the Nation: Brockport's rushing defense leads all levels of college football, allowing an average of just 23.1 yards rushing per game. The Golden Eagle defense has held its opponents to negative rushing yards in three of its last four games.  Over the course of the last four games, Brockport has posted -26 yards rushing allowed.
 
Defense Wins Championships: Brockport leads all of Division III football in third down conversion % defense (.170). Opponents have been held to a 19-for-112 success rate on third downs this season.  The Golden Eagles rank 12th nationally allowing an average of 12.6 points per game and they rank fifth in the country in total defense allowing just 206.4 yards per game.

Series History: Brockport is 10-31-3 all-time against the Saxons with the series beginning in 1949. Brockport has won two straight against the Saxons, outscoring them 87-25 in the two game stretch.  The Golden Eagles topped Alfred 52-0 on the road last season. 

Chasing Records: Senior All-American candidate Alex West leads the Empire 8 with 7.5 sacks this season. His average of .94 sacks per game ranks 25th nationally.  West now has 24 career sacks and needs just two more to tie the program's career record of 26 set back in 2002 by Mike Condello. West currently has 173 career tackles and needs 27 more to reach 200 for his career. The program's career record for tackles is 399, originally set by Steve Cook back in 1991. West also ranks tenth nationally with an average of 1.9 tackles for a loss per game.

The Ball is Precious: Brockport currently ranks 8th nationally and first in the Empire 8 in time of possession. The Golden Eagles are averaging a 34:50 TOP per contest. Last weekend, Brockport held the ball for 37:44 compared to Cortland's 22:16 TOP.

Making it Hard on Opposing QB's: Brockport ranks ninth in the nation in passing efficiency defense this year. Opposing QB's are averaging an efficiency rating of 92.22 against the Golden Eagles this season.

In the Backfield: Brockport's pressure defense has disrupted plays in the backfield all season long.  The Golden Eagles currently rank eighth nationally with an average of 9.5 tackles for a loss per game.
 
National Recognition for Coad: Sophomore running back Jala Coad was named to the D3football.com National Team of the Week and he also earned Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week following his impressive performance in Brockport's come from behind overtime win at nationally-ranked Cortland on Saturday. Coad is the third Brockport player to be recognized with national team of the week honors this season. Coad carried the ball 39 times for a career-high 210 yards and he added two rushing scores as Brockport topped Cortland in OT. Both of his rushing scores came in the fourth quarter to help the Golden Eagles rally from a 23-0 first half deficit. He also eclipsed 1,000 yards for his career Saturday and now has 1,149 career rushing yards.  He leads the league and ranks 12th nationally with 12 rushing touchdowns this season. His 78 total points scored ranks first in the conference and 24th nationally.
 
National Polls: Brockport is ranked No. 25 nationally in the most recent American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Poll. The Golden Eagles received 90 votes to re-enter the AFCA top 25 poll for the first time since the preseason. Brockport is receiving votes for the ninth straight week in the latest d3football.com national poll (77 votes in week nine). The Golden Eagles received 49 more votes than last week and slid up three spots in the receiving votes category. They are just one spot away from cracking the top 25. The Golden Eagles rose to as high as No. 3 in the national polls headed into the second round of the NCAA Division III Championships last season. Brockport has been a fixture in the top 25 each week dating back to week 1 of 2017. The top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly.
 
Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week: Junior linebacker Andrew Covais was named the Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Week following his impressive performance at Cortland Saturday. Covais recorded seven tackles and a key interception in overtime to help the Golden Eagles top the Red Dragons. He added one tackle for a loss of four yards as well. Covais currently ranks second on the team with 34 tackles and he also has two interceptions this season.  He has 4.0 tackles for a loss of 15 yards and he also has one sack and a forced fumble.

Our Leader: Brockport seventh year Head Coach Jason Mangone has been named the AFCA Region I Coach of the Year in each of the last two seasons and he recently picked up his 56th career victory as the Golden Eagles defeated Cortland on the road last weekend. Mangone has an impressive 56-20 overall record over the course of six-plus seasons at the helm. Mangone and his staff have earned two straight Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors after compiling a 24-2 overall record in that span.  In 2017 he was named the AFCA National Coach of the Year after guiding the Golden Eagles to the semifinals of the NCAA Div. III Championships.

Regional Rankings: Brockport is ranked No. 7 in the first public release of the NCAA Division III East Regional rankings. The NCAA championship committee will use the regional rankings to select at-large teams and pairings for the NCAA Division III Football Championships. Salisbury (7-0, .509 SOS) sits atop the East Region, followed by Wesley (6-1, .577 SOS), Delaware Valley (8-1, .536 SOS, clinched bid), Union (8-0, .487 SOS, clinched bid, Western New England (7-0, .532 SOS), Ithaca (7-1, .520 SOS), Brockport (7-1, .539 SOS), Cortland (7-1, .504 SOS), WPI (7-1, .457 SOS) and Wilkes (7-1, .437 SOS).

Rookie of the Year Candidate: Freshman defensive back Raylens Boutin ranks seventh in all of Division III football and first in the E8 with an average of 2.0 passes defended per game.  He has 14 total pass breakups and four interceptions, two of which were returned for a touchdown. He also ranks third on the team with 31 tackles this season.

2000 Yard Club: Senior receivers Joseph Ortiz and DaQuan Hubbard both joined the 2,000 yard receiving club this season. Ortiz now has 2,247 career receiving yards, while Hubbard now has 2,180.
 
All-Time Receptions Leader: Senior wide receiver Joseph Ortiz caught two more balls against Cortland Saturday and extended his lead in the College's all-time receptions record book with 228. He has a team-best 23 catches this season for 272 total yards.

Talented Freshman QB: Freshman quarterback Freddy June is approaching 1,000 yards passing for the season.  He has completed 60-of-107 attempts for 948 yards and six touchdowns. He has a 145.26 passer rating. He also ranks third on the team with 61 carries for 336 yards and five rushing touchdowns. June also ranks 13th nationally in passing yards per completion (15.80).

Open Downfield: Senior wide receiver DaQuan Hubbard leads the league and ranks 10th nationally with an average of 23.94 yards per reception.  He has 18 catches this season and averages 61.57 yards receiving per game. He also has one touchdown.

Another BIG Target: Wide out Imhotep Cromer leads the team with 456 yards receiving this season. He has 24 catches and three touchdowns. He is averaging 19.00 yards per catch.

INT's for Days: The Golden Eagles rank second in the conference with 15 interceptions this year. Raylens Boutin and Kenny Hernandez are tied for second in the E8 with four interceptions each. Alaan Montgomery and Andrew Covais are tied for tenth in the league with two picks each.

Meet Alfred: Alfred is 5-3 overall and in third place in the Empire 8 standings at 2-2. The Saxons come off a 19-10 home loss to Utica last week. Alfred sits third in the Empire 8 standings with a 2-2 record. Statistically, AU averages 26.9 points per contest, holding teams to 16.5 points per game, good for second in the conference. Defensively, the team leads the Empire 8 in sacks (23) and passing yards allowed (168.9 per game) and are second in rushing yards allowed (72.5 yards allowed per game) and total yardage allowed (241.4 yards allowed per game). Offensively, the Saxons lead the league in rushing (257.5 yards per game). They are second in third down conversion percentage (48.4 percent) and time of possession (32:30 minutes per game). Casey Boston leads the offense with 826 yards, completing 53.7 percent (72-of-134) of his passes. He has six touchdowns through the air, adding 211 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Aaron Griffin leads the league and is ninth nationally in rushing with 1,068 yards on 167 touches (6.3 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns. Defensively, Nick Milgate is 17th nationally with 90 tackles, adding three forced fumbles, four sacks, and an interception.

Next Week: Brockport hits the road to take on Morrisville State next Saturday, November 16th for the final regular season contest of the year for both teams. Game time is set for 12 p.m.