Bengals win I-90 Bowl, beat Brockport 51-30

The Bengals emerged from their home finale on Saturday victorious, defeating Brockport in the I-90 Bowl by a score of 51-30.

The Bengals' (4-5, 4-4) win gave the team an undefeated record at home for the first time since 1999, gave head coach Jerry Boyes his 99th career win.

"We've got a great senior class and I know the underclassmen wanted to make sure we went undefeated this year at home," Boyes said. "For them to be able to see how we have grown from where we were two years ago, it's so gratifying."

Boyes, who returned to the football team as head coach two years ago, noticed a big difference between the downtrodden team he took over in 2009 and this year's current edition.

"Last year, we won our last three games of the season," Boyes said. "Walking across campus, colleagues and professors would say to me, ‘Hey, it looks like your team has turned the corner.' My response at that time was, ‘Next year, we'll tell.' And now, absolutely, we do feel that we have turned the corner."

Freshman running back Rich Pete, who was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Offensive Rookie of the Week for the third time this season, racked up 86 yards from scrimmage on only seven touches and two touchdowns.

Sophomore wide receiver Mike Doherty, Buffalo State's Athlete of the Week, posted 10 catches for 158 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown that broke the game wide open for the Bengals and set off a barrage of points that Brockport couldn't overcome.

Doherty and Kacz, who completed 22 of 31 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, both said that the line was the catalyst for the offense's success.

"The offensive line played really well today and gave Casey time to throw," Doherty said. "A lot of my catches were from short passes, and I was able to shake off the defenders and get some extra yards."

"Our line played outstanding today," Kacz said. "I hardly took any hits at all. They gave me all day to throw and that's why our passing game was successful, because of the receivers getting open and I had all day to find the right one."

Boyes said the players took what they learned in practice and applied it on Saturday.

"It all comes down to blocking, being where you're supposed to be, and getting the ball to receivers and backs who can make things happen," Boyes said. "You can coach a kid in practice by telling him, ‘You have to block this guy.' But on game day, it's up to him to block him. And if he doesn't block him, the play breaks down, regardless of what you call. Our guys did a great job blocking today."

Buffalo State's final opponent of the season, Morrisville State, is similar to the Bengals. Should the Bengals win on Saturday, the team will finish with a .500 record for the first time since 2000.

"Morrisville is an up-and-coming team like we are," senior safety Kevin Healy said. "They're definitely not a team to sleep on. We need to practice hard this week so we can get the win and finish the year 5-5."

Tony Fiorello can be reached at fiorello.record@live.com.