Buffalo State Football Tramples TCNJ, 34-12
BUFFALO, NY—Buffalo State (3-4/3-3) piled up 365 rushing yards and limited The College of New Jersey (4-2/3-2) to just 53 yards on the ground in a 34-12 victory in a wet and windy NJAC game this afternoon at Coyer Field.
The Bengals defense held TCNJ to just 47 total yards in the first half and kept the Lions off the scoreboard until 4:31 remaining in the game. Buffalo State gained a total of 481 yards for the game, compared to 269 total yards by TCNJ.
Rich Pete (Utica/TR Proctor) led Buffalo State's ground attack with 14 carries for 157 yard and a long score. Brooks Estarfaa (Cheektowaga/Maryvale) added 101 yards on eight carries and a touchdown, and Ismail Brooks (Auburn/Auburn) had 76 yards on nine runs and a score. Quarterback Casey Kacz (Amherst/Sweet Home) managed the game for the Bengals, completing 11 of 19 passes for 116 yards and added 37 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Pasquale Vacchio (Glen Head/North Shore) led the Bengals defense with 11 tackles.
TCNJ quarterback James Donoghue (Shomong, NJ/Seneca) finished 16 of 30 for 134 yards and an interception, before being relieved by William Friedrich (Berlin, NJ/E. Stroudsburg South), who was 8 of 12 for 82 yards and a touchdown. Greg Burns (Hamilton, NJ/Hamilton West) led the Lions' defense with 12 tackles and added a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. Nick Bricker (Middletown, NY/Middletown South) chipped in 11 stops.
Buffalo State jumped out front on just the second play from scrimmage when Brooks broke off a 58-yard run to the house. After five combined three-and-out possessions, the Bengals used the big play again to push the lead to 14-0 on an 83-yard sprint by Pete.
TCNJ picked up just its second first down of the game late in the second quarter, but the Bengals stopped a fourth-and-1 try on the second series of the drive, corralling Donoghue on a keeper attempt for a 4-yard loss. Buffalo State then mounted six-play, 58-yard drive, capped by a 21-yard run by Kacz to give the Bengals a 21-0 lead heading into the intermission.
TCNJ threatened for the first time late in the first quarter, but Josh Mims (Syracuse/Nottingham) picked off a Donoghue pass in the end zone on a third-and-10 play from the Bengals' 13. Kacz then capped an 80-yard drive, scoring on an 8-yard quarterback keeper on the first play of the final period to put the Bengals ahead 28-0.
The Lions broke the shutout on an 11-yard touchdown reception by Glenn Grainger (Island Heights, NJ/Holmdel) from Friedrich with 4:31 remaining. Buffalo State answered quickly with a 41-yard scamper by Estarfaa, before the Lions completed the scoring with a 5-yard run by Brad Young (Cresskill, NJ/Cresskill) with just over a minutes remaining.
Buffalo State will travel to Glassboro, N.J. next Saturday to take on Rowan at 1:30 p.m.
