Offense has been key for Bengals' success

The Buffalo State offense is improving and it has shown in recent weeks.

The Bengals (3-5, 3-4 NJAC) believe they can win out the rest of their season. Quarterbacks' coach Greg Forest said it all starts with the progression of mobile quarterback Casey Kacz in the spread offense.

"He's still in the developmental stage as a quarterback, but I believe he's pretty well rounded," Forest said. "The added dimension with Casey is when the pocket breaks down, he can make a defender miss and either get out on the perimeter and make the play extended by looking down the field to throw the ball or he can just scramble and take off running the ball."

Kacz has rushed for 281 yards on 40 attempts and has completed 57 of his 103 passes for 645 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions since replacing Ryan Lehotsky as the starter.

Kacz has come a long way since winning a state championship in his senior year of high school at Sweet Home. He started his college career at Chowan University and transferred to Edinboro University before finding his home at Buffalo State College.

"I like the coaches and the (players) best here," Kacz said. "I like the offense we run here the best. I get a lot of control. I get a lot of authority to change plays, to call my own plays and it's a more spread-open offense to throw the ball."

Surrounding Kacz in the spread offense is a group of wide receivers led by the physical Mike Doherty and Joe Ferraro, and speedster Caesarae Lewis. Wide receivers coach Matt Hanhold believes this is the most talented unit he has had in years in terms of speed.

"The six, seven guys that I play, they all know the system, and they all play the game fast, and they all can make plays," Hanhold said. "Caesarae with his speed is a little bit above and beyond some of those guys in the speed factor, but each one of those guys is doing their one-eleventh for our offense."

Doherty currently leads the team with 26 receptions for 329 receiving yards and one touchdown. Ferraro is second on the team with 19 receptions for 301 receiving yards and one score. Lewis is third on the team with 18 receptions for 241 receiving yards, but has a team-high three touchdowns.

Lewis is originally from Alabama and played at Erie Community College last year. Since he came to Buffalo State, the speedster has begun to earn a role far greater than coach Hanhold could have imagined.

Lewis wasn't originally on the roster at the beginning of camp, but he found a way to make the team and has shown his progression and seen more playing time in recent games. He had a three-touchdown performance against Kean University, which included an 83-yard kick return.

"He's kind of that x-factor that can go out and be isolated in certain situations," Hanhold said. "If he can touch the ball 10 to 12 times a game on the offensive side of the ball, we'll have some success. Whether it's go long and let him go up and make a play, or a reverse or on kick returns, he's an exciting young man. The more touches, the better off we are."

Running backs coach Christian Ozolins said running backs Ismail "Manny" Brooks and Richard Pete have plenty of speed as well. Brooks has been banged up a little bit though, so Pete has been rotating in more to take pressure off.

Ozolins said the combination is the best thing for the team right now.

"It seems to be the right combination at this time," he said. "Either one of them is fine with our pass routes and blocking."

Currently, Brooks leads the team with 79 carries and six touchdowns, but Pete leads the team in rushing with 540 yards on 76 carries. Pete has shown his explosiveness lately with an 83-yard touchdown run against the College of New Jersey and said he complements Brooks.

"I feel that the running backs as a core, we bring a lot to the table," Pete said. "We bring versatile styles and we bring a lot of speed. We bring a lot of confidence, but I feel that I bring leadership, I bring confidence and I bring yards. I'm looking for a touchdown every play basically."

The Bengals offense will look to continue their success against Brockport in the annual I-90 Bowl this Saturday.

"It's the I-90 Bowl," Doherty said. "It's the biggest game of the year for us."

A.J. Speier can be reached at bscrecord@gmail.com.