BUFFALO, NY ‑‑ The visiting Alfred University football team scored 23 unanswered points in the second and third quarters and held a potent Buff State offense to 288 yards, nearly half its average output, in a 29-21 victory Saturday afternoon.
With the win, AU improved to 3-0, winning its Empire 8 Conference opener. The host Bengals, also playing their E8 season debut, fell to 2-1.
Alfred opened the scoring with a long opening drive, going 75 yards in 15 plays. The drive, which consumed 9:20, ended with a 13-yard TD pass from sophomore quarterback Tyler Johnson (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) to sophomore wide receiver Brendan Buisch (Hornell, NY/Hornell) with 5:40 left in the opening frame. The PAT failed and AU led 6-0.
Buff State answered with a touchdown on its ensuing drive and the Bengals held a 7-6 lead after one period. The Saxons then scored 23 unanswered points, beginning with a 13-yard interception return for a TD by sophomore defensive end Zack Bacon (Hornell, NY/Hornell) with 5:42 left in the second that gave AU a 13-7 advantage. A 38-yard field goal by freshman Trevor Monk (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) with 27 seconds left in the half gave the Saxons a 16-7 lead at intermission.
AU outscored Buff State 13-0 in the third to take a commanding 29-7 lead heading into the final frame. Johnson scored on a 41-yard run with 8:20 left in the third, and with 55 seconds left in the period, hit Buisch with an 11-yard touchdown pass. Buff State scored two touchdowns in the fourth, the second coming with just under eight minutes remaining, to close out the scoring. The Bengals had two more possessions, but turned the ball over on downs both times: the first at the AU 46-yard line with 5:08 left, and the second at their own 34 with 1:32 remaining.
Johnson had another big day for AU, rushing for 111 yards and a TD on 25 carries. He has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark in each game this year. He also completed 17 of 27 passes for 163 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions (his first of the year).
Buisch had four catches for 43 yards and a pair of scores, giving him six TD catches on the year. In each of Alfred's three games this year, Johnson has tossed two TD passes to Buisch. Freshman tailback Willie McFadden (Amityville, NY/Copiague) had 36 yards on 14 carries and senior tight end Isiah Young (Groton, NY/Groton) caught seven passes for 65 yards.
Buff State came into the game averaging 568 yards of offense (264 rushing; 304 passing) but AU held the Bengals to just 288 (150 rushing; 138 passing). Buff State quarterback Kyle Hoppy had thrown for over 600 yards combined in two previous games, but against AU, he completed just eight of 27 passes for 138 yards, a TD and two interceptions.
Buff State wideout Mike Doherty, who had over 300 receiving yards and four TDs coming in, had four catches for 64 yards and no scores against AU. Wideout Ryan Carney caught two passes for 30 yards and a score, and tailback Rich Peete rushed for 116 yards on 22 carries.
Senior linebacker Justin Liberta (Hamburg, NY/Frontier) led the Saxons' defensive effort with seven tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception. Senior linebacker Davis Turner (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) had six tackles (three for loss) and Bacon added four tackles (one for loss) and an interception.
Linebacker Shaq Frederick had 12 tackles for Buff State, while linebacker Marquis Artis (sack) and safety Mitch Thomas (interception) had 11 and 10 tackles, respectively.
AU is in action next on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1 p.m., when the Saxons host Empire 8 rival Ithaca College.