Post Classifieds
ECAC denies Bengals a bowl bid, season officially ends
By A.J. Speier
On November 14, 2012
Following the Buffalo State football team's season-closing victory over St. John
Fisher on Nov. 3, the Bengals had an outside shot at an Eastern College Athletic
Conference (ECAC) bowl bid.
However, Buffalo State (6-4, 4-3 Empire 8) was denied the opportunity to continue
its season on Monday. The team's first winning season since 2000 wasn't enough to
earn a bid from the ECAC selection committee.
The committee chose Endicott (8-2, 6-1), St. John Fisher (7-3, 4-3), Castleton (7-3,
6-1), Springfield (7-3, 5-2), Norwich (7-2, 4-2) and Alfred (6-3, 5-2) to play in the
North Division's three Bowl games.
The Bengals ended their season with the seventh-hardest strength of schedule
in the nation. Their opponents finished with a combined 59-39 record and a .602
winning percentage, including a 21-8 record and a .734 winning percentage by non-
conference opponents..
"It's another step," head coach Jerry Boyes said. "In some regards I think that the
guys are probably disappointed. Personally, I looked at this team to get at least
seven wins because my unwritten goal this year was to make the playoffs and
whether that was a NCAA or an ECAC, it would've shown the real growth of where
we are."
The Bengals' season-opening 49-31 victory over Cortland brought along high
expectations for the rest of the season. They racked up a school-record 706
offensive yards. Quarterback Casey Kacz threw for a school-record 579 passing
yards and tied a school-record with five touchdown passes.
Two weeks later, in what was perhaps the program's biggest victory, the Bengals
defeated three-time reigning national champion UW-Whitewater 7-6, snapping the
Warhawks' 46-game winning streak in the process.
"The Wisconsin-Whitewater game stands out to me," Kacz said. "It's the most
exciting victory I've been a part of and it was the most exciting atmosphere I've
played in. It's one of those memories that you'll remember for years to come."
With the win, the Bengals earned some time in the Division III football national
spotlight. They answered that publicity by dropping three straight games, all at
home, to conference foes in the following weeks.
Backed by a stout defensive game, the Bengals bounced back the rest of the season
and won their last four games, allowing an average of just 13.5 points per game.
Buffalo State began its four-game winning streak with a 21-14 victory at Ithaca, in
which its allowed just 253 yards of total offense and forcing three turnovers. The
Bengals' defense followed up with another strong performance at Frostburg in a 22-
7 victory in which they allowed just 97 passing yards.
During Buffalo State's Homecoming Weekend and Senior Day, Hartwick led 24-13 in
the fourth quarter, but the Bengals scored two touchdowns in the final 10 minutes
to secure a 27-24 victory.
In its final game of the season, Buffalo State fell behind 9-0 at St. John Fisher early in
the second quarter, but the Bengals defense pitched a shutout in the second half en
route to a 17-9 victory.
"The game that stands out to me is probably beating St. John Fisher because they
beat us 55-7 my freshman year," senior linebacker Jordan Boser said. "It felt good to
beat them at their place.
"It was a little disappointing, but being 6-4 is still a lot to take home. We've come a
long way from being 2-8 my freshman year. It feels good."
Kacz finished the season 148 of 265 for 2,168 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10
interceptions. Rich Pete led the ground game with 703 yards on 129 carries. Ryan
Carney led receivers with 47 receptions for 786 yards and four touchdowns.
Linebacker Pasquale Vacchio had a team-high 118 tackles and two forced fumbles.
Cornerback Chris Hall recorded six interceptions to lead the Bengals. Defensive
linemen Dez Howard and Brian Greene tied for the team lead with three sacks.
Heading into next season, the Bengals will lose 11 senior starters. Vacchio,
Boser, Brandon Hodgins, Matt Wesolowski, Sean Littlejohn, Shiem Graham, John
Jesonowski, Brendan Barthel, Zachary Best, Ryan Lehotsky and John Beers will be
graduating.
"It's kind of disappointing because as far as the team went, we all had hopes to make
the playoffs," Carney said. "We went on a four-game winning streak at the end of the
season and we lost a couple of games that we shouldn't have.
"It's kind of disappointing, but it's still a great feeling. At the end of the day we didn't
accomplish the goal that we set out for."
Kacz noted that the team needs to build on its season-closing four-game winning
streak.
"We just have continue to do what we did these last four games, which was continue
to play good defense, not turnover the ball a lot and just keep the team chemistry
that we have," Kacz said.
A.J. Speier can be reached by email at speier.record@live.com.
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
Recent The Record News Articles
Runge's on-court progress parallels off-court success
Buffalo State men's basketball coach Fajri Ansari remembers his decision to recruit Seth Runge out of Springville-Griffith Institute ...
Bashore Baltimore bound after finding success in fashion field
Kelsey Bashore opened her email over spring break and glanced over one particular message several times to confirm what she was ...
Ladies win OT thriller to close season
After being eliminated from the playoffs last week, the Buffalo State lacrosse team knew Saturday's game at Potsdam would be its last ...
Discuss This Article
GET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
FOLLOW OUR NEWSPAPER
LATEST THE RECORD NEWS
- We've Moved to www.buffstaterecord.com!
- Obama divulges new higher education initiative during visit to UB
- Ailing Podolefsky steps down as president
- SUNY appoints Cohen interim president
- President Podolefsky announces leave to fight cancer
- Rappers put Pepsi in a bind
- Congrats to grads: take next step with gratitude
RECENT THE RECORD CLASSIFIEDS
OUTSIDE THE LINES
- A Story To Sing About
- The Gap in Gum Care: Why Caring For Your Teeth’s F...
- Top Tips for Signature Scents and Better-Smelling Laundry
- A Dog Trainer’s Top Tips to Support Pets Through Life S...
- Clear the Air of Indoor Pollutants This Spring
- Stroke & Dementia in Black Men: Tips for Staying Healthy...
- Hispanics and African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye...
- African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye Disease
- Infinity Kings: Final Book In A Favorite Fantasy Series
- What You Need To Know About Keratoconus and the iLink...
FROM AROUND THE WEB
- No Child is Forgotten By Marine Toys for Tots
- Sweeten Your Springtime Salads With Healthy Chilean Grapes
- Young Author Translates 4,000-Year-Old Text to Reveal...
- Keeping Cool and Energy-efficient Amid America’s “...
- Addressing Sarcopenia with a Healthy Diet
- Subway’s New Wraps Elevate Eating on the Go
- Family Teacher Conference Topics Beyond Academics
- Youth Take Down Tobacco
- BookTrib’s Bites: Four Reads to Kickoff Spring
- Curbing Colorectal Cancer in Minority Populations
COLLEGE PRESS RELEASES
- Shoff Promotions Comic Book & Sports Card Show
- Semiconductor Research Corp unveils 2024 Research Call, $13.8M Funding
- Charles River Associates Opens Second Scholarship Cycle, Expands to the UK
- BLUMHOUSE AND AMC THEATRES LAUNCH FIRST-EVER HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN FILM FESTIVAL
- THE GEN Z IMPERATIVE: LISTEN TO FEELINGS AND GIVE GEN Z A VOICE
