In the 1990s, a Jerry Boyes-coached football team rarely lost a game.
Throughout the decade, Buffalo State football was among the top Division III programs in the entire nation.
As head coach, Boyes instilled an in-your-face style of football after taking the helm in 1986. Four seasons later, the Bengals achieved their first winning record in program history.
The winning never ceased for the football program that decade.
From 1990 to 2000, the Bengals went 85-30 under Boyes. The 90’s produced three Erie County Athletic Conference Northwest Division titles and 10 consecutive postseason appearances —including seven NCAA Tournament berths for the program.
After the 2000 season, Boyes stepped down as the head coach of the Bengals to solely focus on his role as Buffalo State’s athletic director, a position he was hired for in 1999 while still serving as head coach of the football team.
After Boyes’departure, the football program suffered a fall from grace, accumulating a disappointing 17-64 record from 2001-2008.
In 2009, Boyes returned as head coach of the football team to resurrect the slumping program, simultaneously performing the duties as athletic director as well.
The three-time ECAC Coach of the Year now has two seasons under his belt in his second stint as head coach, and it seems as though Boyes is once again instilling his winning ways to the program.
This past season the Bengals went 4-6 after a slow start that ensured the team would miss the postseason for a tenth consecutive season. But the team finished strong, winning three straight games to end the season and could very well have produced a 6-4 record had it not been for a pair of unfortunate fourth quarter loses.
“Our goal is to get these guys to believe they are better than the other guys across from them on Saturdays,”said wide receivers coach Matt Hanhold, who has been part of Boyes’ coaching staff since 2008. “We set our goals high, and this year’s goal is to win the NJAC Championship. You always hear about how this team’s good or that team’s good, but we believe Buff State is the best.”
Offensively, the Bengals return seven starters, including junior quarterback Ryan Lehotsky, who threw for an impressive 2,100 yards, 23 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions while completing 57.2 percent of his passes in 2010.
While solid quarterback play is essential for Boyes’ no-trick offense, the key to the Bengals’ offensive success in 2011 lies within their four-headed rushing attack, headed by 2010 leading rusher, sophomore Greg Spears (590 YDS, 8 TD). He’ll team up with junior Gibran Johnson (354 YDS, 4TD) and fellow sophomores Manny Brooks and Casiem Maxwell, who combined for three additional touchdowns in 2010.
The loss of leading receivers Rob and Jarrett Smith to graduation will be a big obstacle to overcome for Lehotsky and the Bengals’ offense. The duo combined for 75 receptions, 1,435 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in 2010 and proved to gel perfectly with Lehotsky to form a lethal passing attack for the Bengals.
In 2011, receivers senior Matt Pagano and sophomore Mike Doherty as well as junior tight end Zachary Best will be looked upon to make up for the loss of the Bengals’ top receiving threats.
Possibly the Bengals’ biggest strength on offense will be their offensive line which remains relatively intact after gaining valuable experience from last season and should be able to provide key protection for Lehotsky and the Bengals’ running game throughout the season.
The return of team captain and senior fullback Ben Mauer will bode well for the Bengals in 2011, as he provides much of the short-yardage punch in the running game.
“The little things hurt us last year. We made a few mistakes that cost us games,”said junior offensive lineman Josh Jesonowski, who points to the way the team finished its season last year as reason to believe.
“We really came together as a team and won our last three games,”he said. “We have one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, our O-line is solid and our ‘D’ should be lights out. Look for us to put a lot of points up on the board. It’ll be exciting stuff.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bengals return nine starters, including the entire defensive line.
Team captain, senior defensive tackle Kimani George (45 tackles, five sacks), anchors the Bengals’ line, which had a sub-par 2010 and will look to improve upon the 196.5 yards per game they allowed to opposing running backs last season.
The strength of the Bengals’ defense is in the team’s secondary, which allowed just 194.3 passing yards per game and 16 touchdowns to opponents last season.
Led by senior captains, linebacker Brandon Hodgins, who led the Bengals in tackles last season with 78, and safety Kevin Healy, the Bengals’ secondary should see close to the same results in 2011. The return of starting junior linebackers Matthew Krumm (73 tackles) and Jordan Boser (70 tackles, three sacks), as well as interceptions leader, sophomore defensive back Josh Mims (3 INT), will allow for the Bengals defense to grow.
“Our defense needs to step up big this year and create more turnovers,“Hodgins said. “Last season we allowed too many points on the board. Our young guys had to learn the new system. This year, everyone will be on the same page. We’ll be making the playoffs.”
The Bengals’ 2011 schedule is highlighted by an opening day matchup in Cortland on Sept. 3 against a Red Dragons team that blew out the Bengals , 35-7 in 2010. Other notables on the Bengals’ slate are the Oct. 1 homecoming game against William Peterson University, an Oct. 22 visit to Rowan University, to whom the Bengals fell to 24-7 in 2010, and the I-90 Bowl at home on Coyer Field against bitter rival Brockport on Oct. 29.
There may be some who doubt the Bengals as they continue their climb back to the top of Division III football, but that doesn’t include Boyes or his team.
After the conclusion of every season, Boyes sets a “team theme”for the summer and upcoming season.
This year’s theme: “Expect to win.”
Hanhold and the rest of the team have certainly bought in to Boyes’ philosophy.
“We don’t expect to lose another game.”
Brandon Schlager can be reached by email at schlager.record@live.com.