Brockport Football: Final Four Preview
BELTON, TX. – The College at Brockport football team is one of four teams remaining in the NCAA Championship Playoffs, and will play this week for a chance to participate in the 2017 Stagg Bowl.
DATE – TIME: December 9th, 2017 – 3:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Crusader Stadium – Belton, Texas
LINKS: ESPN 3 |
Statistics |
Game Notes
Pre-sale tickets for opposing fans will go on sale Thursday afternoon. Brockport fans are encouraged to call the UMHB ticket booth (254-295-4455) and reserve tickets in the opposing fan section of the stadium. Cost of tickets is $10 for reserved seats, $8 for general admission, and $4 for students.The ticket office will open on game day at 12:30 p.m.
This is the first time in program history that the Golden Eagles have advanced to the semifinals, as their best finish before this season ended with a loss in the Elite 8 in 2002. It took some late game heroics last Saturday, as the team used a last second 33-yard field goal from Brett Renzi to come away with the 31-28 victory.
Joe Germinerio became the single season passing leader in the game, as his 312 passing yards put him at 3,289 yards for the season, eclipsing the previous mark set by Joe Scibilia in 2012. DaQuan Hubbard smashed the single season receiving yards record in the first quarter of that game, while Joseph Ortiz caught 11 passes to surpass Jake Spalik's 73 reception record set in 2012.
The Brockport record for wins in a season before this year was 10, so the 13 wins this year smashed that mark. The 2017 Golden Eagles have re-written the record book in nearly every category, breaking the rushing yardage, passing yardage, total offense, and scoring records.
Coach
Jason Mangone was named a finalist for the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coach of the Year, and was also named the East Region Coach of the year by D3Football.com. 10 Golden Eagles in total were placed on the D3Football.com All-East Region list, including Germinerio who was named Offensive Player of the Year.
Mary Hardin-Baylor are the defending national champions, and have won 28 straight games dating back to last season. This will be Brockport's first ever game against the Cru, and will also be their first time playing a Texas-based team. UMHB has played an Empire 8 school just once before, in 2013 when they defeated St. John Fisher College in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
After another seven sacks on Saturday, the Golden Eagles remain atop the nation in team sacks, averaging 4.54 per-game. They also rank second in both rushing defense and first downs offense, and third in interceptions and 3rd down defense. Germinerio sits in the top five nationally in both passing yards and completion percentage, while Hubbard ranks seventh in yards-per-reception.
Should Brockport come out on top this Saturday, they'd advance to the Stagg Bowl, which is the Division III National Title game. The game would be played on Friday, December 15th at 6 p.m. in Salem, Virginia.