Buffalo State rolls over Jackets
Katie Roupe/ Observer-Reporter Waynesburg's Jake Forsythe tries to hold on to the ball while Buffalo State's Sekret Kukaj tackles him forcing a fumble in the first half of the game.
Katie Roupe/ Observer-Reporter Waynesburg's David Bobby congratulates Bernie Thompson on Thompson's touchdown in the second quarter of the game against Buffalo State University on Saturday, November 22.
Waynesburg’s J.T. Thompson celebrates after the Jackets recovered a Buffalo State fumble on the first play from scrimmages Saturday.
WAYNESBURG – Perhaps the Buffalo State football team is on to something. Maybe practice in November is overrated.
The Bengals, who had their practice routine destroyed last week by the record-setting snowstorm that hit Buffalo, played with amazing precision and efficiency Saturday afternoon and steamrolled Waynesburg 59-36 in the ECAC Southwest Bowl at John F. Wiley Stadium.
Buffalo State (8-3) rolled up 29 first downs and 551 yards, and the Bengals scored on seven of their last nine possessions.
Not bad for a team that practiced in a gymnasium all week and didn’t have its entire roster on campus until Thursday.
Buffalo State is located in the section of the city that was spared some of the massive snowfall totals, but the week was a logistical nightmare for head coach Jerry Boyes, his staff and players. Just getting to Waynesburg was problematic. What should have been a 4 1/2-hour trip Friday turned into an 11½-hour adventure.
“We had eight inches of snow at Buffalo State, but go three miles down the road and they had eight feet,” Boyes said. “We couldn’t practice outside all week. We have some players who live in the snowbelt and they couldn’t get back to campus until Thursday. We had one coach who didn’t make it back until Friday. It’s an unbelievably different world there.”
Yet for much of the season-ending bowl game for teams that did not make the NCAA Division III playoffs, Buffalo State played with out-of-this-world effectiveness. The Bengals forged a 21-7 lead, scored 10 points in the final 2:09 of the first half for a 31-14 lead and finished strong with 21 fourth-quarter points. Buffalo State kicker Marc Montana even booted a 52-yard field goal to close the first half.
“It’s an amazing story,” Boyes said. “We planned to practice here Friday but we didn’t get to Waynesburg until it was too late to do anything but eat and go to bed. I was worried about this game.”
Quarterback Kyle Hoppy and wide receiver Mike Doherty eased those concerns. Hoppy, a 23-year-old sophomore who spent four seasons as an outfielder in the Baltimore Orioles system, completed 24 of 34 passes for 335 yards and five touchdowns. Doherty, the game’s Most Valuable Player, caught 15 passes for 201 yards and two scores. Ryan Carney also caught two TD passes, each in the first quarter.
“We didn’t play much like ourselves in the first half,” said Waynesburg coach Rick Shepas, whose team was coming off one of its biggest wins in years, a 31-28 overtime victory over PAC champion Washington & Jefferson in the regular-season finale.
Shepas, however said there was no letdown by his team.
“I don’t think in any way there was a letdown. We handled the week the way it needed to be. We had a good week of practice and came in with the right attitude,” he said. “Buffalo State is a good football team and a tough matchup for us, but we don’t make excuses.”
The first two minutes set the tone for a high-scoring game. On the first play from scrimmage, Buffalo State’s Rich Pete fumbled and defensive end Josh Tolliver recovered for Waynesburg (8-3) at the Bengals’ 15-yard line. On the next play, Carter Hill passed to wide receiver Tim Cooper for a touchdown and 7-0 lead.
Hill, who faced a strong pass rush for much of the game, completed 19 of 35 passes for 282 yards and five touchdowns. The transfer from Tiffin finished his stellar three-year career second in Waynesburg history with 72 touchdowns passes and 6,976 passing yards.
“I’m proud of what our seniors were able to accomplish,” Shepas said.
Buffalo State answered a little more than a minute later with a 51-yard pass from Hoppy to Carney. The duo hooked up on an 18-yard scoring play to give Buffalo State the lead for good at 14-7.
It became 21-7 early in the second quarter after Doherty’s first touchdown catch. The score was set up when Waynesburg’s Kevin Barnes was penalized for leaping over a blocker while trying to block a Buffalo State punt. The penalty kept the drive alive.
“We did some uncharacteristic things,” Shepas said. “We don’t get off the field on that fourth-and-14 because of a leaping penalty. That led to a touchdown and changed some things. We had some fight left in us, though.”
Hill threw two touchdown passes to Willie Leavell in the fourth quarter as Waynesburg pulled to within 52-36, but Buffalo State sealed the win with Hoppy’s fifth TD, a four-yarder to Doherty with 2:17 remaining.
Waynesburg running back Jake Forsythe was held to 14 yards on 48 carries. He ended the year with 1,159 yards. … Tolliver had 1½ sacks. … Bernie Thompson and Andrew English each caught a touchdown pass for the Yellow Jackets.