ITHACA, N.Y. - The nationally ranked No. 10 Ithaca College football program will battle Buffalo State College, the newest member of the Liberty League, on Saturday at Butterfield Stadium at 1 p.m. as part of IC's Alumni and Hall of Fame Weekend on South Hill. The Bombers are 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Liberty League, while Buffalo State is 0-4 and will be playing its league opener.

GAME COVERAGE

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STATISTICS

ITHACA | BUFFALO STATE | LIBERTY LEAGUE

ALL-TIME RESULTS: Ithaca and Buffalo State will face off for the ninth time since 2003, with Ithaca holding a 6-3 advantage. The most recent matchup between the two schools came in 2016, as Ithaca defended Butterfield Stadium with a 7-0 shutout win. The victory would be the last home win under legendary coach Mike Welch.

Ithaca and Buffalo State have squared off 26 times since 1988 and IC owns the all-time series, 16-10.

LAST TIME OUT: The Bombers traveled to Canton, N.Y. last Saturday and defeated St. Lawrence by a score of 59-20 in both teams' Liberty League opener. Will Gladney recorded his third hat trick of the season, hauling in eight receptions for 135 yards and three touchdowns. With his stellar performance, Gladney became the first player in program history to record 200 receptions.

The Bombers went down 6-0 to start the game after a St. Lawrence opening touchdown drive. However, senior Nick Garone blocked the following PAT. Ithaca would then score 45 unanswered points in the half, the last of which coming from a sophomore Michael Roumes pick-six, going into halftime up 45-6.  It was the first interception returned for a touchdown the Bombers have had since 2015.

Ithaca's defense was aggressive all day, forcing four turnovers with three players getting their first career interceptions. Roumes, sophomore David Nieto and sophomore Kevin Schoch all secured their first career interceptions, while Garone had his third interception of the season.

Senior Joe Germinerio continued his impressive season, completing 19-of-27 pass attempts for 306 yards and four touchdowns. Germinerio would surpass the 1,000-yard mark for passing yards on the season with his effort on Saturday. He also scored a rushing touchdown in the first half.

CORTACA 2019 TO SET ATTENDANCE RECORD: The New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation (NYC/NFF), host of the 2019 Cortaca Jug game being played between Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland, has announced that ticket sales have set a new all-time record for a Division III football game.

With just over six weeks to go, sales have exceeded 39,000 tickets for the game, which will be played on Saturday, November 16, at 1:00 p.m. at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. The previous record of 37,355 was set in 2017 for a game held at Target Field in Minneapolis.

50th HALL OF FAME: On Friday evening, the IC Department of Athletics inducted one team and eight individuals as part of the 50th Hall of Fame ceremony.

MILESTONE UPDATE: With the win on Saturday, Ithaca head coach Dan Swanstrom now has 20 victories at IC in just his third season.

Gladney is now two touchdown receptions away from matching the school's single-season record, while senior John Hadac is just 1.5 sacks away from moving into the top 10 on the career list.

LIBERTY LEAGUE HONORS: Nicholas Bahamonde earned rookie of the week for the third straight week and Gladney, Roumes and sophomore AJ Clifford all were named to the honor roll.

TOP TEN: Following the win over St. Lawrence, Ithaca is now ranked No. 10 in the national rankings by D3football.com and the AFCA. It's the highest IC has been ranked in both polls since 2006.

NCAA STATISTICAL RANKINGS: Through four games this year, Ithaca ranks among the nation's best in multiple team and individual categories.

The Bombers are fourth in third down conversion (57.9%), seventh in interceptions (nine), eighth in scoring (47.5) and 11th in passing offense (327.5).

Individually, Gladney is seventh in scoring average (13.5), total points scored (54) and touchdowns (nine). He is also sixth in receiving touchdowns.

Germinerio ranks eighth in points responsible for per game (26), ninth in total offense (337.3), 10th in points responsible for (106) and 11th in passing yards per game (309.5).

Hadac is eighth in sacks per game (1.38), while Kyle Smith is third in punt returns touchdowns and fifth in blocked kicks (two).

SCOUTING BUFFALO STATE: The Bengals are 0-4 on the season with losses to mutual opponents, St. John Fisher and Cortland. Buffalo is led offensively by quarterback Zal Ciezki – who has thrown for 795 yards and five touchdowns on the season.

Receiver Jordan Evert is the Bengals' go-to option, averaging around 93 receiving yards per game. He has caught four of Ciezki's five passing touchdowns this season. Evert also has seen action returning punts for the Bengals with two returns for 23 yards.

Defensively, the Bengals are allowing 40.8 points per game. They are led in tackles by Gino Bonagura, who has 48 tackles on the season. Bonagura also has three tackles for loss on the season as well as three interceptions.

UP NEXT: The Bombers remain home to take on the Hobart Statesmen for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, October 19. Ithaca has won three of the last four meetings against Hobart.