Brockport, NY --- After falling at home to Ithaca last week, the Brockport Golden Eagles bounced back with a vengeance Saturday as they defeated the University of Rochester Yellowjackets by a score of 16-7. Following a rough showing last week, quarterback Jack Cheshire showed much greater poise as he led his team down the field early in the game, resulting in a 26 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Alex Benson. Kicker Nate Wigent would miss the ensuing extra point, resulting in a 6-0 Brockport lead. Cheshire would finish the game going 17 for 29 for 146 passing yards, a touchdown, and no turnovers.
Rochester's offense continued to sputter, giving Brockport a chance to extend the lead. However, running back Keith Jackson coughed up a fumble, resulting in a 50 yard return by Rochester defensive lineman Nick Petruzziello for a touchdown. Both teams bogged down offensively, resulting in Rochester going into halftime with a 7-6 lead. Poor discipline plagued both teams in the first half and throughout the rest of the the game, with the two teams combining for 245 total penalty yards.
Rochester quarterback Sean Casey and his offense could not get anything going against the Golden Eagles. Casey would finish the game passing 8 for 27 for 66 yards and 3 interceptions. The first two were claimed by Raylens Boutin and Ben Diamani. However, through the whole third quarter and the start of the fourth, Cheshire and the Brockport offense could not get anything going. Finally, running back Jala Coad would string together several solid runs, leading to Nate Wigent connecting on a field goal from 26 out to give Brockport a 9-7 lead. The Golden Eagles defense would immediately force the third interception from Sean Casey on the following drive, as Kenny Hernandez claimed his second pick in as many weeks. On the very next play, Jala Coad would break away for a 25 yard touchdown run, which would end up sealing the victory. Coad would finish a spectacular day with 214 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries.
Brockport won this game thanks to their defense, which kept the Yellowjackets offense out of the end zone for the entire game. They allowed only 134 yards of total offense (66 passing, 68 rushing), forced three interceptions, and kept Rochester on the back foot all day long. Josh Greenwood and Lawrence Jenkins were all over Rochester's offensive line, and Hakeem Yaya would finish the game with a fourth down sack of Sean Casey. The Golden Eagles head into their bye week on a high note with the victory. They return to action on Saturday, October 2 as they visit St. John Fischer College.