The Buffalo State Bengals lost a close one to the Hartwick Hawks at Coyer Field on Saturday, with a final score of 29-27. Turnovers, missed extra points, and the lack of an offensive identity all played a role in the Bengals’ narrow loss.

Buffalo State’s defense played well, only allowing the Hawks to capitalize with points on one of the five total turnovers by the Bengals’ offense. But turnovers win football games, and the Hawks played clean ball, giving them the edge in this one.

Bengals starting quarterback, Amir Cameron, left late in the first quarter after a hard hit, resulting in a quarterback carousel throughout the remainder of the game. Freshman quarterback Ptah Severen and senior quarterback Noah Kimble were given opportunities in this game. Both had moments of success, but a fair amount of troubles as well.

First Quarter:
Hartwick brought an energy to begin the game that the Bengals could not match. Hot off scoring 56 points in their last game, the Hawks made their presence known at Coyer Field. During the Hawks’ first drive, Bengals defensive lineman Nicholas Moore ignited a spark in his team’s soul. Moore had a textbook scoop-and-score in the bag, or so he thought, until seconds later, the sound of a referee’s whistle and the words “incomplete pass” negated the play.

Buffalo State was crushed, and it showed as the Hawks drove down the field and capped off the first drive of the game with a 28-yard touchdown. Hawks quarterback Dennis Riordan and running back Nicholas Massaregli connected on a pass, giving the Hawks an early lead.

The Bengals put together a nice offensive drive to start the game, getting both the passing and running game going early. But after two failed deep ball attempts, Buffalo State committed to the run with both quarterback Amir Cameron and running back Chris Boadi leading the charge. Success did not last long as Cameron fumbled on a rushing attempt, putting the ball back into Hartwick’s hands.

The Bengals’ defense began to heat up, as they got the ball back to their offense after only six plays. But this next drive would unfortunately be Cameron’s last of the game. After a juke, he endured a hard hit and was done for the day. Ptah Severen took his place and threw a nice screen pass to running back Jeadi Higdon for a 23-yard gain. Severen then fumbled but quickly recovered his own blunder. Final score following the first quarter, 6-0 Hawks.

Second Quarter:
Freshman jitters may have been in the air to start the second as Ptah Severen had his second pass of the game intercepted. Hartwick was unable to make anything from the interception as Buffalo State’s defense forced a three-and-out, featuring a vicious swat from linebacker Isaiah DeCamp.

Deep in their own territory, the Hawks had no other choice but to punt. The ball was snapped, kicked, and blocked by the extended arm of Bengals fullback Caleb Kruzicki. The ball then bounced twice, right into the hands of linebacker Antuane Hawkins, who ran it into the endzone for six. Buffalo State was ecstatic, both the team and the fans. After a blocked extra point, the game sat tied 6-6. The Hawks responded with a lengthy drive resulting in a touchdown.

Quarterback Dennis Riordan recovered his own fumble on the goal line and charged into the endzone, giving Hartwick the lead. Severen led his offense back onto the field with a trick up his sleeve. In a well-executed reverse play, wide receiver Mikai Johnson went 33 yards to bring the Bengals into the red zone. Two plays later, running back Jeadi Higdon outran the Hawks’ defense for a 19-yard touchdown, keeping Buffalo State in the game.

Hartwick’s next drive stalled, and they were forced to punt, with nerves still high after what happened last time. The ball was snapped, after soaring over the head of the punter, the ball bounced out of the back of the endzone. Safety. The Bengals took the lead and got the ball back. Jeadi Higdon was the spearhead of the offense to close out the half. In the waning minutes of a wild quarter, neither team could make anything happen. Final score following the second quarter, 14-13 Bengals.

Third Quarter:
The Bengals received the kickoff to begin the second half, looking to extend their lead. Forced to pass on third and long, Ptah Severen threw his second interception of the game, leaving Buffalo State to resort to Noah Kimble at quarterback to close out the game.

The defense continued to provide opportunities for the offense to shine as the quarter progressed. The addition of Kimble to the lineup seemed to have revived the Bengals’ passing game, and plays began to be made. Increasing the output of passes ultimately resulted in disaster for the Bengals. Backed up into his own endzone, Kimble was forced to throw into traffic, resulting in a pick-six for the Hawks. With Hartwick only having a small lead, both teams knew this game was far from over. Final score following the third quarter, 20-14 Hawks.

Fourth Quarter:
Hartwick began the final quarter of the game confused. Coaches yelling, penalty flags flying, something was wrong. The Bengals used this mishap to their advantage. On their first offensive play of the fourth, wide receiver Keegan Whitfield motioned across the field into a fade route, blowing by Hartwick defenders. Kimble found the wide-open Whitfield on a 78-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 20.

There has been a common theme for the Bengals in this game, when things go up, they must come down. The extra point attempt following the touchdown was blocked by the Hawks and taken all the way back down the field for two points. Buffalo State’s defense did not let up and gave the offense a shot at the lead, but a second interception by Kimble forced them back onto the field.

The Hawks formulated a scoring drive late in the fourth, putting the pressure on the Bengals as it was now a two-score game. It was Buffalo State vs the clock, and the clock came out on top. Despite a scoring drive by the Bengals at the end of the game, a chance at the win came down to converting an onside kick and scoring all within two seconds. Hartwick recovered the kick and kneeled to run out the clock. Final score, 29-27 Hawks.

The Bengals now fall to 0-2 on the season as they head on to the road for their next two games in hopes of  turning things around.

Visit https://buffalostateathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/play-by-play for detailed statistics from the game.