Football Falls in NJAC Opener at Buffalo
State
BUFFALO, N.J. (9/29/07) - The Buffalo State
College football team scored on three straight possessions in the
second quarter en-route to the 35-16 victory over visiting Kean
University on Homecoming weekend in New Jersey Athletic Conference
football action on Saturday afternoon.
The Bengals (2-2, 1-1 NJAC) rushed for over 200 yards as a team,
with Dan Lopez (Lancaster, N.Y.) leading the way
with 119 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries.
For the Cougars (2-2, 1-1 NJAC), senior quarterback AJ
Roque (Matawan, N.J.) threw for 292 yards and a touchdown,
but also had four interceptions on the afternoon. Senior
inside linebacker Clarence Goodman (Old Bridge,
N.J.) had a game-high 15 tackles for Kean.
Kean took an early 7-0 lead, converting a pair of fourth downs
on its opening drive, capped by a Jared Chunn (Tinton
Falls, N.J.) 1-yard run. Buffalo State took over for
the remainder of the opening half, converting three Cougar
turnovers into a 28-7 halftime advantage.
Kurt Martino (Sea Cliff, N.Y.) intercepted a
Roque pass to set up the Bengals' first score, a 5-yard run by
Lopez. Lopez found the end zone again from 8 yards, before
quarterback Dan Aquilio (Depew, N.Y.) hooked up
with Jarrett Smith (Beacon, N.Y.) from 45-yards,
and then hit wide receiver Greg Meyer (Lancaster,
N.Y.) with a 40-yard strike in the closing minute to
extend the advantage to 21 points at halftime.
The Cougars opened the second half with a 16-play, 49-yard drive
that resulted in a Jon Robinson (Brick, N.J.)
30-yard field goal to pull within 28-10.
In the fourth quarter, the Cougars threatened again early, but
Jermaine Rose (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) intercepted
another Roque pass and returned it 70 yards deep into Cougar
territory. Aquilio hit Meyer for a 10-yard touchdown on the
very next play for the Bengals final score of the game.
Junior wide receiver Durell Dukes (Elizabeth,
N.J.) reeled in an 8-yard scoring pass from Roque on the
next Kean possession, but the Cougars could not pull closer in
their first NJAC game of the year.
Dukes led the Cougar receivers with nine catches for 97 yards
and a score, while Chunn had 56 yards rushing on 17 carries.
Defensively, junior Markal Ginyard (Cape May,
N.J.) added 12 stops and a pass break-up, while senior
inside linebacker Devon McHarris (Camden, N.J.)
made eight tackles.
For the Bengals, Aquilio finished an efficient 13-of-18 for 229
yards and three touchdowns, while Meyer had a pair of touchdown
receptions amongst his five catches for 84 yards.
Rose anchored the Bengals' defense with 14 tackles and an
interception, while Scott Forster (E. Otto, N.Y.)
added 13 tackles and Peter Nguyen (Buffalo, N.Y.)
had nine stops in two interceptions.
The Cougars look to regain footing in the NJAC next weekend,
when they host SUNY Cortland on Saturday, October 6, at 1 p.m.
