BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The Ithaca College football team improved to 2-0 on the season as the Bombers took down No. 20 Brockport, 23-8, on September 11 at Bob Boozer Field behind a masterful defensive effort. The IC defensive unit forced six turnovers on the day and scored one touchdown as the Bombers defeated Brockport for the first time since 2014.
The six takeaways in Saturday's game are the most for an IC defensive unit since 2012, when the Bombers forced Hartwick to turn the ball over seven times on six interceptions and a fumble. In today's contest, the Bombers picked off three passes, including a 35-yard pick-six by Miles Haynes, and recovered three fumbles.
It was a slow start for both teams on Saturday, as the Bombers went three-and-out on their opening possession and Brockport was forced to punt after seven plays. The ensuing punt, however, pinned the Bombers deep in their own territory at the 8-yard line, and three plays later, A.J. Wingfield was sacked in the end zone to give Brockport a 2-0 lead on the safety with 8:51 remaining in the first quarter.
Brockport was once again forced to punt from the IC 31-yard line and the ball was downed at the 5-yard line. Wingfield would give IC some breathing room after completing a 15-yard pass to Michael Anderson, and two plays later, found Andrew Vito for a 71-yard touchdown to put the Bombers on top, 7-2, with 2:59 to go.
IC rode that momentum into the next Brockport drive as the Golden Eagles had to punt again, but this time, Derek Slywka blocked the punt to give IC the ball at the Brockport 40-yard line with 1:10 left in the opening stanza.
The Bombers would move into the red zone as time expires in the quarter, and after two plays into the second quarter, Nicholas Bahamonde booted his first of three made field goals on the day to extend IC's lead to 10-2 on the 35-yard kick.
Brockport responded with a 14-play, 64-yard drive but came up empty on a 38-yard missed field goal with 6:52 remaining in the half. IC was unable to move the ball much on the next drive and Brockport recorded its own blocked punt at the 4:01 mark. The Golden Eagles capitalized on the short field and scored a touchdown with 1:14 on the clock but could not convert the two-point conversion to make the score 10-8 heading into halftime.
In the second half, it was all Bombers defense.
Brockport received the kick, but on third down, Haynes stepped in front of the Jack Cheshire pass and took it back 35 yards to give the Bombers a 17-8 advantage just over a minute into the third quarter.
On the next Golden Eagles' drive, Antonio Valle notched a strip sack and Isaac Hadac fell on the loose ball at the 40-yard line just 50 seconds later.
The IC offense converted that takeaway into three more points on a 42-yard field goal from Bahamonde with 8:27 remaining in the third quarter to make the score 20-8.
IC and Brockport traded punts for the rest of the third quarter.
In the opening minute of the fourth period, Jason Haber forced and recovered a fumble at the IC 45-yard line. On the first snap after the sudden change, Wingfield connected with Anderson for 49 yards to put IC inside the 10-yard line. The Bombers could not find the end zone, but Bahamonde made a 29-yard field goal to account for the eventual final score of 23-8.
Over the final 11:47 of the game, Ithaca forced three more turnovers – two interceptions by Slywka and a forced fumble by Hadac on fourth down.
The Bombers were outgained in the contest, 315-242, and Brockport held a 19-to-7 edge in first down. IC held Brockport to 5-of-17 on third downs and racked up three sacks for a loss of 22 yards.
Wingfield went 20-for-33 for 223 yards on the day, while Vito hauled in six receptions for 87 yards and Anderson notched 70 yards on three catches. Jalen Hines also had five receptions for 31 yards.
Defensively, Akap Takor paced the defense with eight total tackles, while Michael Roumes had seven tackles. Valle, Hayes and Matt DeSimpliciis all notched sacks on the day.
The Bombers head to Alfred University next Saturday, September 18 for a 1 p.m. non-conference showdown at Yunevich Stadium.
Defense Reigns Supreme as Ithaca Tops No. 20 Brockport, 23-8
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20210911_aya1.xml
2021
Ithaca
23
Brockport
8
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 20 Ithaca (2-0) | 7 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| Brockport (1-1) | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Sep 11, 2021