ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College football team put together a fine performance on Parents Weekend and Senior Day as the Bombers took down Buffalo State, 49-7, at Bertino Field at Butterfield Stadium on Saturday.
Michael Reed shined in his first start at quarterback as he was strong as a passer, and his biggest impact was on the backfield. Running back
Chris Scully and Reed each rushed for over 100 yards and scored two rush touchdowns apiece.
Ryan Reilly led the pass rush with a pair of sacks, and defensive back
Sam Tourangeau had nine tackles to lead the team.
The Bengals started the game with the ball, but went 3-and-out, giving Ithaca strong field position as Jason Gatti-Ezard's punt only reached the Buffalo State 38-yard line. This allowed Ithaca to quickly march down the field, leaning on Reed and Scully in the run game and scoring the game's first touchdown on a Scully rush up the middle at the 1-yard line.
Buffalo State got their pass game going in their second drive, but the drive ended in unexpected fashion. Quarterback Amir Cameron connected with receivers Otho Cox and Keegan Whitfield for first-down completions, pushing the Bengals into Ithaca territory. Buff State even converted on a 4th and 5 to extend their drive into the red zone. However, on a Cameron pass from the Bomber 17, cornerback
Cam Paquette crossed in front of the intended receiver to intercept the pass and take it to the house for a pick six.
With 4:35 to go in the quarter, the Bombers already led 14-0. The Bengals had another opportunity deep in Bomber territory in their final drive of the quarter, but it ended with Buffalo State kicker Matt Gomes missing a 40-yard field goal.
Ithaca continued to lean on their backfield in the second quarter. They began the quarter with a drive that led to Scully's second rush touchdown of the game.
After a Buffalo State 3 and out, Ithaca made their way right back to the goal line on a Reed dump off to Scully which he took down the sideline for 49 yards. Reed additionally connected with some new faces in the receiving game, such as
Luke Sudol and
Antwan Harvey. It was Harvey who scored his first career touchdown on a pass from Reed to make it 28-0.
There was no answer from the Bengals until defensive Xzaivion Betts intercepted Reed around midfield, giving the Bengals strong field position. A
Marcus Boyle interception of Cameron would have given the Bombers the ball back, but a roughing the passer penalty on
Aidan Parry wiped the pick off the board and kept the ball in Buffalo State hands. Cameron capitalized, finding Mikai Johnson for a 41-yard score to get Buffalo State on the board before halftime. However, Reed responded right back with a 32-yard touchdown run the very next drive to give Ithaca the four-score lead headed into the locker room, 35-7.
It was a slow start for both offenses in the second half, with the first drive for each side ending in a punt. An interception off Reed for Xzavion Betts gave the Bengals the ball but were unable to convert on a first down.
The next score did not come until the fourth quarter, when the Bombers' run game led the way on another strong drive. The drive started with an 11-yard first down run for Scully, which was dwarfed by his 52-yard run the very next play to put the Bombers within Buffalo State's 25. It was Reed who ran it in for his second rushing score of the day, with the extra point putting the Bombers up 35.
Buffalo State made their way right back down the field the following drive, but were unable to convert on a fourth down in the red zone. Bombers fifth-year
Tyrell Penalba was the centerpiece of the Bombers offense on their final drive, and scored the final touchdown of the game to secure the Ithaca victory. Penalba accounted for 80 yards on five carries during the drive.
The Bombers improve to 6-2 on the season and 5-1 in Liberty League play. They'll face a major test next week when they head to Troy to take on RPI in their final game before the 66th Cortaca Jug in two weeks.
