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Pete's late score propels Bengals to victory in homecoming game
By A.J. Speier
On October 30, 2012
Entering homecoming and senior day, the Buffalo State football team knew it had to
snap its three-game losing streak at home and find a way to beat Hartwick.
Despite facing an 11-point deficit with less than 10 minutes to play, the Bengals stepped
up to the challenge on a wet and windy day, scoring two touchdowns.
Running back Rich Pete's 16-yard catch and run with 33 seconds left gave the Bengals
their first lead of the day, propelling them to a 27-24 victory.
"It was just time for me to get the screen," Pete said. "I turned around and my guys
were down the field wide open. That was real big."
In the first half, the Hawks jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the opening possession with a
25-yard touchdown run by running back Joseph Rosiecki to cap off a six-play, 61-yard
drive.
Buffalo State responded with a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan
Lehotsky to Sherman Nelson.
Hartwick retook the lead on the first play of the second quarter with a 1-yard
touchdown run by Rosiecki, capping off an eight-play, 100-yard drive.
Hartwick extended its lead to 21-7 later in the second quarter with a 27-yard touchdown
pass from quarterback Andre Bashford to wide receiver Chris Hoose.
Buffalo State cut the deficit to 21-13 with a 45-yard touchdown run by running back Rich
Pete. Kicker Nate Benoit missed the extra point.
"My first run sparked it for us and it let us know that we could easily get to the edge to
score a touchdown and that's what we did," Pete said. "My fullback said 'I'm going to
kick him out, make the cut and we should score. Just do your thing.'"
Hartwick capped off a nine-play, 53-yard drive with 1:16 left in the first half with a 37-
yard field goal by Alex Tesoriero to give Hartwick a 24-13 halftime lead.
Following a scoreless third quarter, the Bengals defense stepped up in the final quarter
to swing momentum on their side with a sack by defensive end Jahi Owens on third
down, forcing a punt.
"I was thinking we have to give our offense another opportunity, so when I pass rushed
I wasn't actually trying to get around the guy," Owens said. "I was trying to make sure
the quarterback wouldn't flush out and then Pasquale (Vacchio) came in and slowed him
down, so I got him."
Lehotsky caught fire on the Bengals' next drive and hit wide receiver John Beers with a
six-yard touchdown pass before a failed two-point conversion attempt. A 46-yard pass
to wide receiver Ryan Carney set up the touchdown, which cut the deficit to 24-19 with
9:04 remaining.
Bashford responded with a 66-yard pass to wide receiver Tanner Williams to get to
the Buffalo State 9. The Bengals' defense didn't allow a score, however, stopping four
rushing attempts. Linebackers Brandon Hodgins and Pasquale Vacchio stuffed Rosiecki
on fourth-and-goal at the 2.
"We kept on talking about how we had to stick together and we stuck together,"
Hodgins said. "We didn't make any adjustments. We just had to play ball. We obviously
didn't play how we were supposed to and then in the second half we shored it up."
Lehotsky rode the momentum and completed a 43-yard pass to Carney to get the
Bengals into opposing territory, but a fumbled snap at the Hartwick 29 halted the drive
and gave the Hawks the ball with 2:56 left.
It looked like the game was slipping away from the Bengals following a first down by
Hartwick, but safety Scott Koen recovered a Rosiecki fumble at the Buffalo State 48 with
1:14 left.
"I just came in and the guy couldn't hold on, so I just made the play," Koen said. "It was
a sense of relief because we were able to get our offense back on the field."
The Bengals started their game-winning drive with a 13-yard pass-and-catch from
Lehotsky to tight end Zachary Best and a 15-yard draw by Pete.
With time ticking away, Lehotsky hit Carney with an 8-yard pass to get out of bounds.
The next play, Lehotsky found Pete for the game-winner, followed by a two-point
conversion to make it 27-24.
"We ran the play where I do the fake trip, get up and run across the formation," Best
said. "I ran across the field and (Lehotsky) just found me.
"It worked out pretty good. We needed the two and we ran that play in the past. It just
seems to work for us."
The Hawks had a chance to come back, but with no timeouts, the clock ran out.
"In the second half, I thought the defense played a much better ball game," head coach
Jerry Boyes said. "I was very concerned because offensively we had a couple of short
fields in the second half right away and we didn't score.
"I was worried that it was going to come back to haunt us, but this is a crazy game and
you never know."
Lehotsky completed 18-of-33 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns. Pete had
112 total yards and two touchdowns, including 94 yards on the ground on nine carries.
Carney led the receivers with seven catches for 136 yards.
Buffalo State (5-4, 3-3) will look to finish the regular season on a high note at St. John
Fisher (6-2, 3-2) at 12 p.m. Saturday. The Bengals have a chance to finish above .500 for
the first time since 2000.
The Cardinals are coming off a 21-0 victory against Frostburg where they allowed just
239 yards of total offense.
"This is a chance for us to say that we definitely have turned the corner with the
program here," Boyes said. "I don't know how many years it's been since we've had a
winning season.
"Last year was a non-losing season at .500, so we have that in front of us and hopefully
we can play well for 60 minutes next week."
A.J. Speier can be reached by email at speier.record@live.com.
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