COLLEGE FOOTBALL BROADCAST PREVIEW: SUNY Brockport welcomes SUNY Cortland in high-stakes Empire 8 matchup
By: Nicholas Abeln / Sports Writer
BROCKPORT, NY - SUNY Brockport's 28-3 victory over the Alfred Saxons on Saturday, Oct. 31, has raised the stakes for its next matchup immensely. The Golden Eagles welcome an undefeated SUNY Cortland Red Dragons team on Saturday, November 7th, with both teams perfect in Empire 8 play so far, as Brockport is 5-0 and Cortland is 6-0.
“If we win this game against Cortland, and you'd go be one, two, and three, we would have 0 losses; they would each have one," head coach Jason Mangone said regarding the increased stakes heading into Saturday. We go to Utica, the last game (of the season), if they were to beat us and we'd beat Cortland, all three of us have one loss, and then it goes to opponent's strength of schedule (to determine seeding),” Mangone said. “To see who gets the tiebreaker, something that is an NCAA calculation, and at that point, we've just got to kind of see how it falls.”
If the Golden Eagles pull off the home win, they would be a step closer to the Empire 8 title, as they then have to beat the No. 3 Utica Pioneers to be crowned the champion. The Red Dragons only have to beat Brockport to claim their eighth E8 title, as they have already defeated the Pioneers and finish the season undefeated in conference play. Utica still has a chance for the championship as well, on the condition that Cortland loses to Brockport and the Pioneers defeat the Golden Eagles in their ensuing matchup on November 14th.
Brockport has been on a roll this season thanks to the contributions of sophomore quarterback Zymier Jackson, who took over at quarterback after the Golden Eagles lost to Hobart 27-14 on Sept. 12. The Green and Gold currently hold a five-game winning streak and outscore opponents on average 27 points per game this season.
“I think he's great," Mangone said on his signal caller. " He's a guy that exudes confidence. So I think, first and foremost, when you're a player on a team looking at a leader on your roster, you would hope that that person is confident in what they're doing, hardworking, and just overall a good guy. Jackson has posted 1242 passing yards with 250 yards rushing along with 18 touchdowns (14 passing, 4 rushing) this season. The dual-threat from East High has also contributed to special teams this season, posting one punt for 34 yards for the Golden Eagles. “I think the thing that Zymier brings to the table is athleticism," Magone commented on Jackson's athleticism. "If a play is not kind of working the way it's supposed to, he can kind of take off and use his feet and get positive yards.”
The Red Dragons enter Bob Boozer Field red-hot as they seek to extend an eight-game win streak. Cortland is an undefeated 8-0 on the season, sitting 6-0 in conference. Red Dragons are the third-ranked Division III football team in the nation, according to NCAA.com.
Brockport's victory against Alfred accounted for the 103rd career win for Head Coach Jason Mangone, tying him with his predecessor, Rocco Salomone, for first all time. Heading into the crucial Week 9 matchup, Mangone has the chance to pass Salomone for most wins in Brockport football history.
“First and foremost, he was my head coach here, so it means a lot," Mangone said on the chance to make history. "I was here for all but two years of him being a head coach. So we were together for, I think, 15 to 17 years. So, I learned a lot from him, and a lot of the things we do today are still what he had established when he was the head coach. I would prefer that we keep winning, but stop counting.”
The historic rivalry between the two E8 heavyweights continues on this year, with both teams being top of the conference in major statistical categories, with Cortland edging Brockport in scoring offense and defense (44.4 PPG to 38.8 PPG, 10.3 to 11.6 average points allowed), and rushing offense (241.4 to 218.3 average rushing yards per game). The Golden Eagles best the Red Dragons in two categories: passing offense (211.9 to 184.9 yards per game) and defense (125.8 to 146.6 average passing yards allowed per game). Brockport is 7-12 against Cortland all time, losing their last 5 bouts against the current number one seed.
“We've essentially been in five or six playoff games already in the sense that if we lose any of the previous games since game two, we would not have had a chance to talk about our goals and aspirations,” Mangone said. “So it's just another team on our schedule that has a different colored helmet than ours, and we're gonna go out and prepare the same way.”
Brockport and Cortland will face off at Bob Boozer Field on Saturday, November 7th, with kickoff set for 12 pm. Pre-game coverage begins at 11:30 live on 89.1 The Point and 891thepoint.com.
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