ALFRED, NY ‑‑ The Alfred University football team scored two second-half touchdowns to erase a 28-17 deficit and claim a 30-28 Empire 8 Conference victory over visiting Brockport Saturday afternoon at Yunevich Stadium.
Junior wide receiver Rodney Etienne caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Tyler Johnson with 2:10 left in regulation to cap a five-play 80-yard drive and give the Saxons their first lead since they led 14-7 early in the second quarter. The game-winning drive began with a 48-yard run by Johnson from the Brockport 20.
Brockport had a chance for a potential game-winning drive, but the AU defense held firm, sacking Golden eagle quarterback Joe Germinerio twice before senior strong safety Liam Hobbins intercepted Germinerio at the Alfred 45 with just under a minute remaining.
With the win, the 15th-ranked Saxons improve to 8-0, with a 6-0 mark in Empire 8 Conference play. Brockport falls to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in league play.
Facing a Brockport defense that came into the game allowing just 61.1 rushing yards per game (ninth in the nation), AU ran for 183 yards on 27 carries (6.8 yard per attempt). Junior tailback Maleke Fuentes had 88 yards and Johnson 76 for an AU offense that ranked 12th in the nation in rushing (269 yard per game) entering Saturday's contest.
The Saxons got on the board first Saturday. After Brockport fumbled a punt at the AU 45-yard line, the Saxons drove 55 yards in eight plays, with Johnson scoring on a one-yard run with 9:21 left in the first quarter. Brockport tied the game at 7-7 with 6:17 left in the opening frame, as tailback Dan Andrews scored on a 13-yard run.
Alfred went back up by a touchdown when Johnson connected with senior wide receiver Brendan Buisch on a 27-yard TD pass 4:49 into the second. Brockport scored two straight touchdowns – on a Andrews eight-yard run with 6:26 left in the second and a Germinerio 13-yard run with 40 seconds left in the half – and the Golden Eagles led 21-14. A 34-yard field goal by junior Trevor Monk with a second left before intermission pulled the Saxons to within four points, at 21-17.
Brockport went up by 11 on Andrews' third touchdown of the game, a 17-yard run with 6:37 left in the third. The touchdown came three plays after Brockport intercepted a Johnson pass at the Saxon 23-yard line.
AU answered right back, taking just two plays to go 86 yards. After Andrews' touchdown, Alfred found itself backed up to its own 4-yard line following a penalty. A 56-yard Fuentes run put Alfred at the Brockport 40, and after a penalty pushed the ball back to the Golden Eagle 45, Johnson connected with Buisch on a 45-yard TD bomb to draw the Saxons to within four points (38-24) with 5:20 left in the third period.
Each team punted twice on their first two possessions of the fourth. AU began its winning drive after taking over at its own 20-yard line with 4:51 left following a punt into the endzone. After Johnson's long run brought the ball to the Brockport 32, senior tailback Casey Bright ran for nine yards and Johnson for four to the Golden Eagle 19. Two plays later, Johnson hit Etienne over the middle for the winning touchdown.
Junior linebacker Shaquille Muscadin and freshman end Russell Kohler each had sacks in the two plays preceding Hobbins' game-sealing interception.
Johnson completed 14 of 23 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns. Buisch had eight catches for 137 yards and two TDs and Etienne caught three passes for 41 yards.
Andrews had 129 yards rushing and three TDs, while Germinerio finished with 29 yards on the ground. Germinerio completed 19 of 26 yards for 167 yards, with wideout Joseph Ortiz catching a team-high eight passes for 65 yards.
Junior linebacker A.J. LiCata had a game-high 16 tackles (10 solo) for the Saxons, while freshman linebacker Isaiah Moak added 13 (half-sack, 1.5 for loss) and a forced fumble. Muscadin had six solo tackles; senior tackle Andy Miller had three tackles (one for loss) and a forced fumble; and junior linebacker Michael Joiner recovered a pair of fumbles.
Adonis Carrasco had eight tackles, including 3.5 for loss and a sack, to pace the Brockport defense. James Rupp and Matt Szymanski each had six tackles and Jake O'Connell had four stops and an interception.
AU is in action next on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 1 p.m. at Empire 8 foe Utica.