University of Rochester Athletics

PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – Junior running back Cole Raux piled up a career-high 234 rushing yards and scored two second half touchdowns to lead the University of Rochester football team to a 29-18 victory over Buffalo State University on Saturday at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
 
Quarterback Shawn Bellenger added a rushing touchdown and tossed a 24-yard touchdown to Greg Morrison, also both coming in the second half as the Yellowjackets rallied from a 12-2 deficit at halftime.
 
The win pushes URochester to 3-2 on the season and 2-0 in Liberty League conference play, while Buffalo State drops to 0-5 on the year, and 0-2 in the conference.
 
Buffalo State started quick, scoring on a 75-yard touchdown from Amir Cameron to J.P. Plaisime on the first play from scrimmage. The play action pass was a crossing route to Plaisime who trekked up the sideline untouched to paydirt.
 
After a penalty on the extra point, the follow-up PAT was missed wide left, putting the Bengals up 6-0 after less than a minute of game action.
 
Rochester went 3-and-out on its first two offensive drives of the game, allowing Buffalo State to double its lead with an 8-play, 89-yard scoring possession later on in the first quarter. Midway through the drive, a big sack from Claudio Pinto and Rhys Lewis backed the Bengals up, but a facemask penalty on the next play allowed a first down deep into 'Jacket territory.
 

A few plays later, Cameron found Jake Heldwein open on a short out route who then did the rest of the work, leaping over the pylon for the score. Another PAT mishap, this time with a low snap, forced Cameron to try a 2-point pass to the corner of the endzone. The pass fell incomplete and the score read 12-0 in favor of Buffalo State.
 
The Yellowjackets had a 10-play drive on their next possession, but a deep ball over the middle by Bellenger was picked off inside the 10-yard line by Xavier Wallace-Messam for the first of three UR turnovers on the day.
 
Another bad snap on the next Buffalo State play from scrimmage sailed over Cameron's head and into the endzone. The Bengal quarterback fell on it and allowed the Yellowjackets to get on the board with the safety.
 
Rochester reached inside the Buffalo State 25-yard line on its next drive after the safety, but again Bellenger forced a pass into coverage, with Maleek Walston picking off a pass in the endzone, thwarting a potential Yellowjacket scoring chance.
 
A long Buffalo State drive ensued, with the Bengals chewing up over eight minutes of the game clock with a 16-play possession, but that ended without any points as A.J. Bicksler and Nathan Lehigh sacked Cameron for a big loss on 4th-and-goal from the Rochester 10-yard line.
 
After three plays, UR turned it back over to the Bengals with a Kyle Brainard punt. The Yellowjacket defense bent but didn't break on the next drive as well, holding off the Bengals on another goal-to-go situation. The Buffalo State drive featured a scoring pass from Cameron to J.C. Dixon, but a flag was thrown on Cameron for an illegal forward pass, keeping the Bengals off the scoreboard.
 
URochester started to turn things around early in the second half, with Andrew Schwarz returning the opening kickoff 54 yards to set up the Yellowjackets at the Bengal 28-yard line.
 
Three plays later, Raux rushed 12 yards over the right end for his first touchdown of the game. Will Ham connected on the PAT kick to make it a 12-9 game.
 
On UR's next possession, the Yellowjackets were able to take the lead on Bellenger's TD pass to Morrison. The play was a free one, as a flag was throw for defensive offsides, with Morrison making a highlight reel grab at the goal line before diving over into the endzone for the 24-yard score, the first of his career.
 
Rochester's lead didn't last long though, as two and a half minutes later, the Bengals retook the advantage following a Cameron touchdown pass to A.J. Brooks from 21 yards.
 
The extra point woes continued for Buffalo State though, with Aidan Fisher's attempt getting blocked by Jack Diggins, making the score 18-16.
 
Raux had a big 30-yard scamper to highlight the next UR possession, one that was capped by a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Bellenger, helping to regain the Yellowjacket advantage on the scoreboard.
 
On the point after, a bad snap this time by Rochester forced the 'Jackets to abandon the kick attempt, with the rush attempt failing. The score now sat at 22-18 in favor of the home Yellowjackets.
 
UR's defense forced a Buffalo State 3-and-out drive, giving the Yellowjackets the ball back with just seconds left in the third quarter.
 
The fourth quarter started with Rochester deep in Buffalo State territory following a big punt return by Adam Marvin. Two plays into the final period, Raux found the endzone again, barreling in from 16 yards out to provide UR a key insurance tally.
 
Buffalo State's next possession saw the Bengals go for a fourth down try from their own 20-yard line, with Cameron scrambling over the left end for a big first down. Later in the drive, Dixon had a big 37-yard rush up the middle to reach Rochester territory. The Bengals eventually reached the 26-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs as Cameron was tackled for a loss by Bicksler on 4th-and-5.
 
Raux rushed three straight times for UR, tallying 63 yards, on the next possession, but in an effort to give the starting running back a breather, Drew Strollo subbed in and promptly coughed up the football, erasing another potential scoring drive while keeping the Bengals alive in the contest.
 
Buffalo State had two more offensive drives, but neither ended in points, with Gavin Guidette picking off Coy Patterson near midfield, sealing the victory.
 
Overall in the contest, the Bengals piled up 501 yards of offense, with Cameron tossing for 306 yards and 3 scores, completing 21 of 34 passes. Both Plaisime and Otho Cox finished with over 100 yards receiving, while Dixon added 134 yards rushing.
 
URochester's Bellenger finished 12-for-23 passing for 116 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. T.J. Shifflet was the leading receiver with five receptions for 47 yards.
 
Defensively, the Yellowjackets tied the single-game program record with seven quarterback sacks. Pinto finished with 2.5 sacks, while Lewis added two, among his team-high 13 total tackles. Diggins and Bicksler also recorded sacks, while Nathan Lehigh chipped in half a sack from his linebacker spot.
 
Five total players finished with 10 or more tackles, including Diggins (11), Pinto (10), Bicksler (10) and Guidette (10).
 
Brainard had a nice day punting the ball, recording four kicks for 175 yards, equaling a 43.8-yard average. His efforts included two that ended inside the 20.
 
Up next, two of the four unbeaten teams in the Liberty League meet, with UR traveling to Ithaca College next Saturday at 1 p.m.