Post Classifieds
Bengals lose first I-90 Bowl since '09
By A.J. Speier
On September 12, 2012
The last time the Buffalo State Football team faced Brockport on the road, they snapped a 10-game
losing streak to the Golden Eagles, but this time it was the Bengals turn to see their winning streak come
to an end.
Brockport ended a two-game losing streak to Buffalo State in a 38-24 victory led by quarterback Joe
Scibilia, who completed 21-of-33 passes for a career-high 374 yards and three touchdowns and an
interception.
It looked like it was going to be a great day for the Bengals following a 67-yard kick return on the
opening kickoff by junior wide receiver Caesarae Lewis, but the drive ended with a 22-yard field goal by
sophomore Nate Benoit to give them a 3-0 lead.
"I just knew I had to come out and make a play early in order to have some momentum on the opening
drive," said Lewis, who was named the Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week. "It was something
we went over the whole week in practice. Coach Lewis said it would be there and it happened. I felt as if
we should've scored a touchdown, but hey, it was three points."
Buffalo State's defense hurt itself in the first quarter with penalties and Brockport responded with a pair
of touchdowns. Tyrone Nichols scored first for Brockport, scoring on a one-yard run to take a 7-3 lead.
Then, after sophomore running back Rich Pete was stopped on a fourth-and-one, the Golden Eagles
scored again with a 67-yard pass from Scibilia to Jordan Hogan to take a 14-3 lead.
The Bengals answered back with a quick five-play, 77-yard drive, capped off with a 35-yard touchdown
pass from junior quarterback Casey Kacz to Lewis to close the gap to four. After forcing Brockport into
a three-and-out, Buffalo State was once again stopped on fourth down and the Golden Eagles took
advantage with a 33-yard field goal by E.J. Genzano to take a 17-10 lead.
Both teams traded punts on their following possession before the Bengals drove deep into Brockport
territory, only to have the drive halted by an interception thrown by Kacz. Brockport had a chance to
capitalize on the turnover, but junior defensive back Chris Hall intercepted Scibilia at the one-yard line
to keep the Golden Eagles' lead at seven at halftime.
"Coach told me over and over that they were about to run the play action pass down low for us to bite
on it, but I just stayed on it," said Hall. "We watched film and we saw that was what they run near the
end zone. I read it well."
Buffalo State forced a Brockport punt on their first possession of the second half, but Kacz had his pass
intercepted and returned for a score by Colby Morabito to give the Golden Eagles a 24-10 lead.
The Bengals responded with a 10-play 75-yard drive capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by Pete,
but Brockport answered right back with a nine-play 75-yard drive of their own, scoring a touchdown on
a 32-yard pass from Scibilia to Andrew Mrozek as the Golden Eagles led 31-17 heading into the fourth
quarter.
"For the team at the time, it was big," said Pete. "It was supposed to be our spark to turn things around,
but things didn't go the way we wished."
Buffalo State's next two possessions would result in punts and Brockport's offense struck again, this
time with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Scibilia to Mrozek, giving the Golden Eagles a 38-17 lead with
10:52 left to play.
After exchanging punts yet again, Buffalo State caught a break on their next punt as Brockport fumbled
on the return and Hall recovered it. Kacz would capitalize on the turnover with a one-yard quarterback
keeper to make the game 38-24, but the Golden Eagles ran out the remaining 3:41 left on clock to
secure the victory and the I-90 Bowl trophy.
Kacz followed up his record-breaking performance against Cortland, completing 26-of-47 passes for 295
yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Pete had 14 carries for 26 yards and Lewis finished the game
with seven receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown, part of 260 all-purpose yards.
"We just struggled today, plain and simple," Lewis said. "On the ground and in the air, we didn't do a
good job of executing the plays that we went over throughout the week."
Defensively, senior linebacker Pasquale Vacchio led the team with 12 tackles, three for a loss, while
senior defensive back Matt Wesolowski had eight stops. Hall had an interception, fumble recovery and
pass breakup to go with his three tackles.
"We knew it was coming at us," Hall said. "We just bit on a lot of double moves. We just have to get
better and work this week to look at the receiver's hips and not look towards the quarterback and try to
anticipate everything to get interceptions. We just have to keep our eyes on the receiver."
The Bengals next game will be on the road against the No. 1 team in the nation and three-time
defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater on Saturday at 1 p.m. CST.
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