ITHACA, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 15/17 Ithaca College football team will host Buffalo State College at Bertino Field at Butterfield Stadium this Saturday, October 28 at 1 p.m. as part of Family and Alumni Weekend on South Hill. Ithaca is 6-1 on the season and 4-0 in the Liberty League, while Buffalo State is 2-5 overall and 0-3.

GAME COVERAGE

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STATISTICS

ITHACA | BUFFALO STATE | LIBERTY LEAGUE

ALL-TIME SERIES: Ithaca and Buffalo State will meet for the 20th time dating back to 1988. IC currently leads the series, 19-10, and has won each of the past four games by more than 30 points. The Bengals last win came back in 2015 by a 7-3 score.

FAMILY WEEKEND: The football program welcomes all its family members to South Hill for Saturday's game. Prior to the start of the contest, the underclass parents will be recognized in the West end zone. At halftime, the senior parents will be honored at midfield.

HALL OF FAME RECOGNITION: On Friday evening, Ithaca College will induct its 53rd Hall of Fame class in the Athletics and Events Center. This year's induction class is made up of seven individuals and two national championship teams. They will be honored at halftime of Saturday's football game.

CORTACA TICKETS: Ithaca College announced on October 17 ticket information for the 64th Cortaca Jug Game, which will be held at IC on November 11 at 12 p.m. IC community members – students, faculty and staff – will be able to pick up tickets October 30-November 1 at the outdoor ticket window at the Athletics and Events Center. There is a limit of one ticket issued per student ID, and students may bring one additional ID of a friend or classmate to procure a maximum of two tickets. Faculty and staff can receive a maximum of two tickets per ID and may bring up to two additional IDs of colleagues for a maximum of six tickets. An allotment of tickets has also been reserved for alumni and will be available for purchase through the Division of Philanthropy and Engagement. There will not be any tickets sold at the game.

LIBERTY LEAGUE TITLE IN SIGHTS: With a win on Saturday, Ithaca will clinch the Liberty League title for the second consecutive season and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.

WEEKLY AWARDS: The Liberty League announced its weekly performers of the week on October 23 and two IC players were selected. Jalen Leonard-Osbourne was tabbed the offensive performer of the week after he ran for 208 yards and two touchdowns against Rochester, while Derek Slywka was the defensive performer of the week as he recorded two interceptions and a blocked field goal. This is the second time this season in which both players have been honored as performers of the week.

D3football.com also named Slywka to its Team of the Week, as well as the offensive line of Anselmo Farrell, Joe Arico, Alexander Rice, JoJo Puckey, Colin Norton, Jimmy Mullevey and Connor Schmitt. The line paved the way for 317 yards rushing and three touchdowns against Rochester.

RECAP FROM ROCHESTER: Ithaca fell behind Rochester, 3-0, in the first half but tied the game up heading into the half on a 45-yard field goal by Derek Baldin. After no points were scored in the third quarter, the Bombers put up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull off the 24-10 victory.

Leonard-Osbourne scored on 20- and 34-yard runs, while Colin Schumm iced the game with a 3-yard run in the final minute. Slywka intercepted both of his passes in the fourth quarter and blocked the field goal attempt in the third quarter.

IC racked up 317 yards on the ground on 53 carries and picked up 26 first downs on the day.

Ben Stola led the defense with 10 total tackles.

STAT RANKINGS: IC is one of the best teams in the country at taking care of the football and not putting its offense behind the sticks. Ithaca ranks third in fumbles lost, sixth in sacks allowed, sixth in turnovers lost and 17th in interceptions thrown. The Bombers also rank 22nd in blocked kicks and red zone defense, while the team ranks 20th in scoring defense.

Slywka is eighth in blocked kicks, Stola ranks 14th nationally in tackles per game and Baldin is 19th in field goals made per contest.

MORE ABOUT THE BENGALS: Buffalo State enters the game with a 2-5 overall record and an 0-3 mark in the Liberty League. The Bengals average 26.4 points and allow 31.9 points per outing. Buffalo State's two wins so far this year are the most since the team won six games in 2017.

The offense runs through Ale Wilson, who has 721 yards rushing and six touchdowns on the season. Cody Phillips is a solid No. 2 option in the backfield with 323 yards and three scores on the year.

Noah Kimble has thrown for over 1000 yards this season and eight touchdowns as Tariq Nelson is his top target with 25 catches for 414 yards and two scores. Nicholas Bruce has racked up 387 yards receiving on 23 grabs and three touchdowns.

Kenneth Mosley paces the defense with 66 total tackles, while Evan Cervantes is close behind with 58 tackles and 8.0 for a loss. Basiaka Butcher has three interceptions on the season, to go along with 28 tackles.

UP NEXT: The Bombers travel to St. Lawrence University next Saturday, November 4 for their Liberty League finale at 1 p.m.