BROCKPORT GAME NOTES

ITHACA, N.Y. – After starting the season 1-2, the Ithaca College football team has won its previous two contests, both of which were Empire 8 Conference contests. Ithaca will bring its two-game winning streak and a 3-2 record to Bob Boozer Field at Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium as it takes on The College at Brockport this Saturday at 1 p.m. Brockport is also 3-2 on the year.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats | Video | Radio

All-Time Series:

Ithaca owns an overall record of 23-9-2 against Brockport dating back to 1950. The Bombers won the first-ever meeting, 18-14, and Brockport followed with a 19-0 shutout in 1951. Both ties in the all-time series took place in 1952 and 1954, as both outcomes were 0-0.
 
Ithaca and Brockport battled each other every year from 1950-63. The Bombers won nine of those matchups, including six straight from 1958-63.

After a 16-year hiatus, the two schools renewed their rivalry in 1979. Ithaca won the '79 battle, and in 1980, the Bombers notched the highest point total in the 34 meetings, 63-14. Brockport took the 1981 contest, and the teams would go on another extended break, this time for 10 seasons. In 1991, the Bombers blanked Brockport, 52-0, for the largest margin of victory in the rivalry.

Since 1996, Ithaca is 11-5 against Brockport.

50-Point Outburst Last Week:

Ithaca racked up 50 points for the first time in eight years against Hartwick last week. The Bombers and Hawks were tied, 13-13, at the half, but Ithaca unleashed 30 straight points over a 14:51 span that covered the third and fourth quarters to put the game out of reach.

Brown, Evan Skea and JR Zazzara each scored two touchdowns in the victory, while Wolfgang Shafer threw three touchdowns.

Ithaca totaled 434 yards of offense against Hartwick last Saturday – 222 through the air and 212 on the ground.
 
Brown Running Wild:

Over the past two games, Brown has rushed for 256 yards and four touchdowns on 41 carries. Last week, he ran for 131 yards against Hartwick, and the previous week, he rushed for 125 yards versus Utica.

During the first three contests of the season, Brown carried the ball 29 times for 86 yards and no scores.

Minogue Does it All, Again:

Sophomore Pat Minogue stepped up in a big way against Hartwick. Minogue notched eight tackles, including three-and-a-half for a loss, a forced fumble and a sack that resulted in a safety. That safety was set up by a 45-yard punt from Minogue that pinned Hartwick back to its own 4-yard line.

Shafer Finding His Groove:

Similar to Brown, Shafer had a slow start to the season, but has since turned things around over the previous two wins for Ithaca.

Against Hartwick and Utica, the senior captain completed nearly 70-percent of his passes (30-for-43) for 473 yards and four touchdowns. In those two games, Shafer eclipsed his season totals from the previous three outings.

Scouting the Golden Eagles:

Brockport brings an identical record (3-2, 2-1) as the Bombers into Saturday's showdown. The Golden Eagles are averaging 39 points per game, while allowing 29.2 per contest.

Brockport has one of the most balanced offenses the Ithaca has seen this season, as the Golden Eagles average 212.6 yards rushing and 219.2 yards passing through five games.

The Golden Eagles' ground attack is led by one of the top running backs in all of Division III. Dan Andrews ranks ninth in the country in rushing yards per game at 141.8 and is 10th in total rushing yards at 709. Andrews is also second in the nation in scoring at 15.6 points per game, as he has found the end zone 13 times this year.

Defensively, Brockport allows 408 yards per game, with 323 of those yards through the air.

Statistics:

Ithaca | Brockport | Empire 8

Empire 8 Schedule:

Ithaca at Brockport – 1 p.m.
Cortland at No. 23 Alfred – 1 p.m.
Buffalo State at Alfred State – 1 p.m.
No. 13 St. John Fisher at Utica – 1 p.m.
Hartwick at Morrisville – 1 p.m.

Up Next:

The Bombers come back home next Saturday, Oct. 22, for a 1 p.m. kickoff against Morrisville Stat. Ithaca fell to the Mustangs, 24-12, last year in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.