Post Classifieds
Bengals clinch 1st winning season since '00
By A.J. Speier
On November 7, 2012
Before this season, the last time the Buffalo State football team finished with a winning
record was in 2000.
That changed on Saturday.
The Bengals (6-4, 4-3 Empire 8) held the No. 25-ranked St. John Fisher to just 227 yards
of total offense to secure a 17-9 victory and the program's first winning season since a
7-4 finish 12 years ago. The Bengals forced four turnovers and finished the season on a
four-game winning streak.
"Our defense played what may have been their best game of the season, but they have
been playing up to their capabilities basically," head coach Jerry Boyes said. "They
kind of refused to lose today. I'm just so proud of them and their toughness that they
showed. The tenacity that our defense showed was really fun to watch."
Down 17-9 with less than four minutes remaining, St. John Fisher (6-3, 3-3) had a chance
to tie with a first down at the Buffalo State 13. The drive ended with an interception by
safety Mike Burton in the end zone.
"I just figured that they were going to go to one of their main receivers and I just had to
go up and make a play," Burton said. "All week we were talking about doing it for the
seniors and I came out here to win for the seniors."
After the interception, the Bengals took over at their 20 with 1:55 left. On third-and-
2 just 11 seconds later, running back Rich Pete broke free for a 43-yard gain and all
Buffalo State had to do was kneel down to win.
"They flew out and my guys just kicked them out and I cut it up," Pete said. "I saw green
and I just had to go.
"All the emotions went through my head, but at that point in time, it was just about
sealing the game. I should've scored, but I was thinking, 'Yes. We got the first down.
We're 6-4. We'll hopefully get a bowl game.'"
St. John Fisher got on the scoreboard first with an eight-play, 42-yard drive, capped off
by a four-yard touchdown run by running back Alex Stacy. Kicker Brendan Carey's extra
point attempt sailed wide left and the game remained 6-0.
Following an interception thrown by Bengals' quarterback Ryan Lehotsky - his second
of the game - Cardinals' kicker Ryan Sweet hit a 36-yard field goal to push the St. John
Fisher lead to nine.
The Bengals made a quarterback change from Lehotsky to Casey Kacz on the next
possession. Kacz orchestrated an 11-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a four-yard
touchdown pass to wide receiver Caesarae Lewis, cutting the deficit to 9-7.
"They had me going in motion and I did an out route and Casey put the ball where it
needed to be," said Lewis. "We know when Casey comes in, he's going to pick it back up
where we needed to be and he came in and got the job done."
Kacz didn't fault Lehotsky for the team's early woes.
"It's unfortunate that we struggled at first, but I don't think it was a lot of [Lehotsky's]
fault," Kacz said. "It sucks he threw those picks, but when I got in, I got some confidence
right away after completing the first couple of passes and getting that touchdown pass. I
think once I was confident, the guys became a little more confident."
Coming out of halftime, the Bengals' carried their momentum to another score to take a
14-9 lead. Kacz threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Beers, ending an
eight-play, 63-yard drive.
"Casey scrambled and broke a few tackles," Beers said. "I just found a hole, sat there,
caught it and made a play. I just had to get in the end zone. I'm a senior and it's my last
game. I have to make it important."
Buffalo State extended its lead to 17-9 early in the fourth quarter on a 34-yard field goal
by kicker Nate Benoit after Bengals' linebacker Jordan Boser forced a St. John Fisher
fumble. Linebacker Scott Koen came up with the recovery, his second of the game.
The Cardinals' best chance to score was on their final possession, but Burton's
interception ended the drive.
Pete was the Bengals' workhorse on offense, carrying the ball 31 times for 165 yards.
Lehotsky completed 2-of-5 passes for 20 yards with two interceptions before Kacz
replaced him to complete 9-of-18 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
Buffalo State's regular season is over, but they'll wait until after next week's games for
an announcement to find out if they get an ECAC Bowl Bid.
Salisbury clinched the NCAA Tournament bid by winning the Empire 8, but the Bengals,
fourth place in the conference, could end up tied for second.
Utica (6-3/4-2 Empire 8) will host St. John Fisher at 1 p.m. and Alfred (5-3/4-2 Empire 8)
will travel to Hartwick (3-6/0-6 Empire 8) for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Both games are slated for
Saturday.
If Hartwick and St. John Fisher win, Buffalo State would be tied with Utica, Alfred, St.
John Fisher and Ithaca for second place in the conference. The Bengals' tough non-
conference schedule should help their chances in a tiebreaker scenario. Their non-
conference opponents have a combined 18-8 record.
"My unwritten goal this year was to make the playoffs and whether that was a NCAA or
an ECAC, that would've shown the real growth of where we are," Boyes said.
"These guys know that we've turned the corner and they know we're a good football
team, but the outside public only looks at one factor and that's the win-loss record. If
we are able to add playoffs to it, that would be a real feather in our cap."
A.J. Speier can be reached by email at speier.record@live.com.
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