Buffalo, NY – The SUNY Brockport football team started off the 2023 campaign by defeating Buffalo State to retain the I-90 Bowl Game Trophy for a seventh straight year. Jala Coad made his return to the team with 83 rushing yards for two touchdowns on the way to a dominant, 42-6, victory. The Golden Eagles start the year 1-0, winning their third straight season opener.
It was Brockport-style football from start to finish as the defense dominated and the offense stuck with its talented backfield and strong line up front. Mike Talbert Jr. had a great day at the office with seven total tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and a pair of pass breakups defensively. Kyle Haettich also made seven stops, including a forced fumble and a fumble recovery late in the game.
The lone sack of the night came from Jayson Thomas and he even added a pass deflection. Louie Usera and Ben Robinson both were credited with two breakups in the passing game. Corner Raylens Boutin made six tackles and contributed on special teams with a punt return for a touchdown.
The defense allowed just 84 rushing yards and held Buffalo State's starting quarterback, Noah Kimble, to just a 41.4 completion percentage. Forcing three-and-outs consistently, Buffalo State was forced to punt eight times to give the Golden Eagle offense plenty of possessions.
Coad's 83 rushing yards with two touchdowns on 13 carries led a crew of four rushers that ran for 40 or more yards. Gino Fontanarosa rushed 16 times for one score and 54 yards. Freshman Cameron Mesh ran for 40 yards on eight carries in his debut. The Golden Eagles offense runs behind an experienced unit upfront that features four former All-Conference players in linemen Scott Ochsner, Nicholas Kalke, Jacob Lucier, and tight end James Altenburger.
Todd Simonds ran for 42 yards and a score on the ground, but also made some plays in the passing game. Throwing for 133 yards, Simonds connected with freshman receiver Nolan Slywka seven times for 65 yards. The lone touchdown through the air though came from freshman quarterback Jake Ritts, who found Tyler Ronk for a 21-yard score.
Buffalo State won the coin toss and elected to defer, so the Green and Gold chose to start on offense. Brockport received the opening kick-off and got right to work with a big return. Gino Fontanarosa got free for a 42 yard return to put the offense in great field position for its first drive.
Starting on the Buffalo State 47-yard line, Fontanarosa and freshman wideout Nolan Slywka led the march down the field. The 8 play, 47-yard scoring drive was finished off by quarterback Todd Simonds' 3-yard rushing touchdown. After Nate Wigent's extra point, the Golden Eagles took a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.
Freshman Zach McGowan made his debut on the kickoff, helping the coverage unit pin Buffalo State to its own 17-yard line to start its first drive. As expected from one of the top defensive units in the country from last season, Brockport forced a quick three-and-out. The Bengals had to punt after just 56 seconds of possession time.
The Golden Eagle offense would take over on its own 30-yard line. This time around the Buffalo State defense was up to the task. On third down Simonds' look to Fontanarosa fell incomplete, making it another three-and-out early in the I-90 Bowl Rivalry Game.
A holding penalty on first down by the Bengals created another favorable opportunity for Brockport's defense. The Green and Gold kept its opponent without a first down on a second consecutive drive to begin the 2023 season.
Starting on the 23-yard line, Simonds found Alex Card on a quick-hitter on first down. Slywka provided a nice block on the outside to spring Card loose for a 25-yard gain. Former All-Conference running back Jala Coad picked up where he left off from his great showing in 2021 after missing last season.
Coad moved the chains twice on the drive, pushing the offense deep into Bengal territory. Inside the redzone on fourth down, Simonds hit Rashad Law for a key conversion to keep the drive alive. A few plays later, Coad scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to help give Brockport a 14-0 going into the second quarter.
On the next Buffalo State possession, the offense was able to find some rhythm. Ale Wilson started the drive with a 13-yard rush, which was quickly followed by a 36-yard pass from Noah Kimble to Nicholas Bruce. The Bengals also converted on a fourth down play, but the Brockport defense held them to a field goal. At 10:57 left in the second quarter, the Green and Gold led 14-3.
The game would begin to slow down as both defenses made some stops. During this stretch, Brockport's Jayson Thomas would register the first sack of the year. A few consecutive three-and-outs set up preseason All-American punter Dan Giangrasso to demonstrate his value. The veteran booted a 60-yard punt that bounced down to the Buffalo State, 3-yard line.
Stuck nearly on their own goal line, the home team would be pushed to yet another three-and-out on offense. Louie Usera nearly picked off the third-down pass attempt to end the drive. After Giangrasso's great punt on the coverage side, it was fellow preseason All-American Raylens Boutin's turn to shine on the punt return. The 4-time preseason All-American took the Bengal punt to the house, making it a 21-3 Golden Eagle lead after Wigent's extra point.
Brockport's defense would once again hold Buffalo State's offense to just three snaps. The Golden Eagles would take over with solid field position, starting the drive on its own 36 with just around three minutes until halftime. Todd Simonds showed off his legs and his arm with a couple back-to-back first downs. First he took off on his own for 15 before hooking up with All-Conference tight end James Altenburger for 13 more yards.
The promising drive would eventually come to a halt after Buffalo State made a nice stop on fourth down. Inside the redzone, Simonds hit Tyler Ronk but Anderson Osei-Gyimah made the quick tackle to force a turnover on downs. Brockport would maintain its 21-3 advantage going into halftime.
On the defensive side, Mike Talbert Jr. led the way with seven total tackles, including six solo and one for a loss in the first half. Kyle Haettich stepped up for five tackles as well. Talbert joined Usera and Ben Robinson with pass breakups in the opening half.
Todd Simonds threw for 91 yards on 12-for-22 passing in the first half, hitting Nolan Slywka four times through the air. He spread the ball all over the field, completing a pass to seven different receivers. He also ran for 18 yards and a score. Jala Coad also found the endzone, totaling 39 rushing yards after 30 minutes.
A penalty just before halftime would have Brockport kicking off from midfield to start the second half. After the touchback, Buffalo State began to put together a nice drive offensively. Quarterback Noah Kimble connected on some throws downfield to go with some strong running from Ale Wilson to put the Bengals just outside the redzone. The Bengals would settle for a field goal from 40 yards out, pushing the score to 21-6.
The ensuing drive for the Golden Eagles saw three quick handoffs to Jala Coad. He took advantage of his chances, gaining 32 yards and back-to-back first downs. After a pass breakup on third down, they decided to go for it on fourth down once again. Simonds hooked up with Nolan Slywka for a big 13-yard catch. Shortly after the conversion, Coad punched it into the endzone from 10 yards out for his second rushing score of the day. With 7:06 on the clock in the third, Brockport now led 28-6.
Kimble came right out firing a 15-yard completion to Darion Jones on the first play of the ensuing drive. After a defensive pass interference penalty, the Bengals found themselves in Brockport territory. Looking for a big conversion on 4th-and-10, Kimble's pass was nearly picked off by Mike Talbert Jr. to give the ball back to the Golden Eagle offense.
Needing a big stop, the Buffalo State defense stepped up to force a three-and-out. Giangrasso's punt resulted in a touchback, giving the Bengals a chance to chip away at the deficit with 2:34 left in the third.
On first down, Dylan Mann applied some pressure on the quarterback to force an incompletion. This quickly resulted in another impressive possession for the Green and Gold defensive unit. Buffalo State was forced to punt after just 1:07. Having to punt twice due to offsetting penalties, Nick Sciandra's second kick was fumbled by Boutin on the return. Ben Robinson was there to dive on the ball for the heads up play.
With 1:27 left in the third quarter, Brockport began its next drive. Back-to-back handoffs to Gino Fontanarosa gave the offense a first down as the period came to an end. The Golden Eagles headed into the fourth quarter holding onto its 22-point lead.
The second-leading rushing offense in the Empire 8 last year began to go to work to kill some clock. Fontanarosa and Simonds marched the ball down the field, getting inside the redzone once again. A couple of Buffalo State penalties put Brockport on the goal line. The Bengals battled but would eventually give way for Fontanarosa's 2-yard score. His first score of the year capped off a 15-play, 79 yard drive that took 7:43 off the clock and increased the lead to 35-6.
Down by 29 with less than nine minutes to play in the season opener, Buffalo State's offense tried to get aggressive through the air. Kimble found Nicholas Bruce for an 18-yard pass. However, Kyle Haettich knocked the ball loose and fell on it for the first Brockport takeaway of the year.
This brought on the second offensive unit, as freshman Cameron Mesh saw his collegiate debut. Mesh hit the hole for a 10-yard gain before converting on third-and-2 for a first down. Soon after we saw the first throw of freshman quarterback Jake Ritts' career, as he connected with Tyler Ronk for a 21-yard touchdown pass. Wigent would make it 6-for-6 on the day on point after attempts, opening the score up to 42-6 with less than six minutes to play.
Stepping back on the field, the Brockport defense didn't show any signs of letting up. Buffalo State's drive ended in 55 seconds after three snaps for just six yards. Louie Usera and Zavier Garrell both deflected passes on the drive to force the seventh Bengal punt of the night.
Looking to run out the clock, Cameron Mesh was given the honor of putting the game away. He saw five straight rushes resulting in a pair of first downs for the Golden Eagles. The offense was able to just take a knee to tick down the final seconds of the season opener.
The final score of 42-6 would make it seven straight years that Brockport has defeated Buffalo State for the I-90 Bowl Rivalry Game Trophy. The team begins the 2023 season at 1-0 after a strong performance on the road. Now the Golden Eagles prepare for a tough test in their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 9 against No. 22 Susquehanna. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Bob Boozer Field.
Brockport Dominates for 7th Straight I-90 Bowl Victory in Season Opener
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20230831_bfp5.xml
2023
Brockport
42
Buffalo State
6
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brockport (1-0) | 14 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
| Buffalo State (0-1) | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
Aug 31, 2023