There were some mistakes. Some meat left on the bone. But in the end, the River Hawks found a way to get the win.
The football team defeated Brockport 27-21 on Saturday afternoon at Doug Arthur Stadium in a non-conference matchup after a game-sealing fumble recovery from cornerback Ben Fleming.
Early on, it didn’t look like any late-game heroics would be needed. The River Hawks (2-0) led 20-7 at halftime thanks to a steady offense and dominant showing from the defense that held the Golden Eagles (1-1) to just 25 yards of total offense, one first down, and just 7:29 in time of possession in the opening 24 minutes. Brockport’s lone score of the first half came courtesy of an 81-yard punt return touchdown from Daniel Manneh.
“That was all (defensive coordinator Tim Kologrivov’s) game plan for the week,” Susquehanna defensive back Ben Mongare said. “He put us in great positions to slow down their best players, put pressure on them, and we were just able to execute.”
Two turnovers and one Brockport score later, it looked like the Golden Eagles had all the momentum. That was until Mongare put it to a halt, intercepting a pass deep in SU territory to give the River Hawks the ball and the momentum back. SU then went on a five play, 56-yard touchdown drive to make it a two-score game again at 27-14 going into the fourth quarter.
“There was nobody in my zone, so I just followed the quarterback,” Mongare said. “He overthrew his guy, and I was able to catch it and run it back.”
Despite that, the Golden Eagles continued to hang around. A seven play, 85-yard touchdown drive cut it to 27-21 with 5:50 remaining, and when the River Hawks punted it away on their next possession, Brockport had chance to steal the game with 1:36 to go.
The visitors drove all the way to the Susquehanna 48-yard line until Jesse Ruisch forced a fumble that was recovered by Fleming. Because the Golden Eagles only had one timeout left, this secured the win for 11th-ranked Susquehanna.
Quarterback Josh Ehrlich had a solid game for SU, going 22-29 for 228 passing yards and one touchdown while also leading the team in rushing with 63 yards. Kyle Howes eclipsed the 100-yard marker with 7 catches for 108 yards and two total touchdowns on the day while first-year tailback Rahshan La Mons continued to impress with 8 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.
As a unit, the defense held Brockport just 38 rushing yards one week after they had rushed for 242, and held them to 0-8 on third down.
The River Hawks now move on to their highly anticipated rematch against Cortland, the 2nd-ranked defending national champions. They will face off on Saturday at Doug Arthur Stadium; kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
“It’s going to be a hard week of practice ahead and staying technically sound. We know they want to throw the football, so it’s going to be on our DB room to stop it,” Mongare said.
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