ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University football team wrapped up their fall season with a competitive 16-7 loss to SUNY Brockport on Saturday afternoon from Yunevich Stadium.
Prior to the game, the program took time to recognize their senior class and their accomplishments both on and off the field. As part of their halftime presentation, Alfred University honored the 2022 Hall of Fame class in what was a truly special weekend.
Alfred University was led by the efforts of
Joe Copp (Minoa, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa), who finished with a game-high 20 tackles, 17 of which were solo. The total tackles for Copp is the sixth-highest mark for a defensive player in a single game in program history. Copp previously finished with 22 tackles against Cortland on October 29, which was the fourth-highest mark.
"This was definitely a frustrating season and things never really came together the way that we had planned they would," Head Coach
Bob Rankl said. "It was an honor getting the opportunity to coach the seniors over the last four years. They have had a tremendous impact on the culture of this football program. They are going to move on to do great things in life and they will forever be Alfred University Saxons. As for the returning players, we all know that we as players and coaches have a lot of work to do moving forward. The standards and expectations of this football team are in place and after a week off, we will be ready to start preparing for the 2023 season."
Brockport set the tone early in the first quarter, as their first drive last nine plays and was capped off by a three-yard touchdown rush to put AU in an early deficit. Later in the second quarter, the Saxons capitalized on a third down opportunity when
Christopher Cox (Rochester, NY/Pittsford-Sutherland) picked up a fumble to give the Saxons possession of the ball at the Golden Eagles' 43-yard line. The offense put together a seven-play drive that resulted in a rushing touchdown for
Max Freeman IV (Painted Post, NY/Corning-Painted Post) from the goal line
to equalize the score before halftime.
Brockport's first drive in the second half put them in field goal range, but the attempt went to the right side of the goal post to give AU possession. The Golden Eagles eventually got the ball back and found the back of the end zone following a 12-play drive for the 14-7 advantage. The defense for Brockport later forced a safety to extend their lead. The Saxons continued to play hard-nosed defense, but couldn't get back on the scoreboard before the end of the fourth quarter.
