GAME INFORMATION
Hilbert College Hawks (0-3, 0-1) vs Buffalo State Bengals (0-3, 0-0)
Saturday, September 27th | 12 PM | St. Francis School | Hamburg, NY
 
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LAST GAME

The Hawks fell to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the Liberty League a week ago after a 65-3 loss to Ithaca College.

On offense, Christian Hamilton Jr. led the ground game with 39 yards on six carries, while Xzavier Patrick added 24 yards on five attempts. Brody Hopkins finished 1-for-2 through the air, connecting with Nicholas West for a 13-yard gain.

Defensively, Da'von Cockrell posted a game-high 12 tackles, including one for a 19-yard loss, while also forcing two fumbles and recovering one. Amari Wilbon added seven tackles, and Neven Dermady and Sherrad Patterson II each recorded sacks. Damon Hollister added a fumble recovery in the second quarter.

Noah Workman handled punting duties throughout the afternoon, averaging 28.4 yards across 10 punts, including two inside the 20-yard line. He also converted Hilbert's lone scoring play with his first career field goal, a 28-yard kick as time expired in the first half.
 
STATS

Mike Hanlon and Christian Hamilton Jr lead a run-heavy Hilbert offense as the team gets 80% of its total offense on the ground. Hanlon, an Empire 8 Second-Team All-Conference honoree a year ago, leads the way with 173 total rushing yards, which is good for 57.7 a game. Hamilton Jr leads the Hawks in yards per carry with 6.9 and trails just Hanlon with 97 rushing yards so far in his rookie campaign.

Brody Hopkins and Xzavier Patrick have each found the end zone once on the ground, while Hopkins has also tacked on 112 yards through the air.

Defensively, Da'von Cockrell  has been a playmaker all year for Hilbert. The junior safety leads the team with 28 tackles and two forced fumbles, while also producing the squad's lone defensive score, an 86-yard pick six against Alfed State.

Kaden Beckerink, Scotty Winchell, Clifford Zeigler, and Damon Hollister have each totaled double-digit tackles so far for the Hawks.

Jareese Gaines and Amari Wilbon handle the return duties for the Hawks, and the duo combines for 14.8 yards per attempt.

Noah Workman and Angelo Schwarzott have split the kicking responsibilities with Workman connecting on his lone field goal attempt a week ago, while Schwarzott has tacked on a pair of extra points.


COACHING STAFF

Ted Egger returns for his third year leading the football program at Hilbert after stops at Hocking College, Pearl River Community College, Concordia University, Adams State University, Lock Haven University, Ferris State University, and Northwood University.

Egger is joined by John Noel, Aron Aydelott, Henry Baxter, Justin Mott, and William Goldsworthy on the sidelines.
 
THE OPPONENT

Buffalo State heads into this week's matchup 0-3 after falling 56-20 to Alfred State on the road last week. The Bengals fell down 21-0 in the first quarter and were unable to catch up to a high-powered Pioneers' offense.

On offense Buffalo State is led by the trio of Noah Kimble, Keegan Whitfield, and Jeadi Higdon. Kimble and Whitfield form a dangerous tandem through the air, while Higdon handles the bulk of the work on the ground for a unit that averages 15.7 points and 266.7 yards a game.

In three games, Kimble has completed 34 of 49 attempts for 380 yards and a pair of scores, both of which went to Whitfield who leads the Bengals with 13 grabs for 257 yards. Higdon paces the team with three touchdowns, all on the ground, to go with 141 yards on 40 carries.

On the other side of the ball, Isaiah DeCamp and Sincere Green are the unit's leading tacklers with 20 and 18, respectively. Jaiden Coriano forced the team's lone fumble, and the Bengals are yet to record an interception or a sack.

The Bengals are led by head coach, Lazarus Morgan who is in his fourth season at the helm of the Buffalo State football program in 2024=5 after being appointed as the sixth football coach in Buffalo State history in January 2022. 

In his first season as head coach, Morgan guided six student-athletes to Liberty League All-Conference selections, as well as seven All-Academic team winners. In 2023, the team saw nine All-Conference picks and six All-Academic winners.