UTICA, N.Y. –The Utica College football team lost to visiting Alfred University 24-3 Saturday afternoon in Empire 8 Conference action at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.
The Saxons got on the board first when Chris Reynolds banged home a 30-yard field goal attempt. Alfred got the ball right back after Utica running back Alex Conlon (Suffolk CCC/East Northport) coughed up the football and Nick Gatto jumped on it. The Pioneers defense held strong and forced Reynolds to try a 25-yard field goal attempt. The kick sailed wide right and Utica took over on its own 20-yard line.
UC's offense struggled all day posting just 101 yards compared to Alfred's 465 yards. Alfred tallied 221 yards rushing on 41 carries. Morgan O'Brien guided the Saxons rushing attack with 96 yards, while fellow back Elmer Newsome gained 83 yards as well.
Alfred found the end zone for the first time with two seconds left in the first quarter. Quarterback Paul Keeley, who was named the E8 Offensive Player of the Week last week, connected with Dan Wiacek to give the Saxons a 10-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter showed promise for the Pioneers as defensive back Jon Klosner (Ilion/Ilion) forced a fumble after punter
Ben Atwood (VVS/Verona) boomed a 43-yard punt. Three consecutive incomplete passes by senior quarterback Nick Martin (RFA/Rome) and a failed fake punt attempt by free safety Marcus Maroney (Lockport/Utica) concluded in a lost opportunity for the Pioneers.
Freshman place kicker Evan White (Peru/Plattsburgh) tallied the Pioneers only score of the day with 3:48 left on the first half clock. White knocked down a 37-yard field goal and Utica found itself down just one score.
After the Pioneers defense forced two consecutive punts by Saxon punter Josh Rammacher, Utica took over possession on the Alfred 46-yard line. UC marched down the field behind three straight Martin completions. Anthony Marzano (Mechanicville/Mechanicville) was stopped for no gain on first and second down at the Alfred 14-yard line and the Pioneers were forced to take a shot at the end zone on third down. Rammacher, who also plays defensive back, picked off a Martin pass intended for tight end Marc Neff (Dolgeville/Little Falls) and the Saxons took over possession.
Tavio DeShield (Roxborough/Philadelphia, PA) blocked the Saxons next punt attempt, but the ball hit a Utica defender past the line of scrimmage and Alfred recovered the loose ball and received a new set of downs. On third down-and-six Keeley hit speedy receiver Saucobie Riley for a 67-yard touchdown pass to give Alfred a 17-3 lead with just over a minute left on the third quarter clock. Alfred put the game out of reach when Keeley hit Jared Manzer in stride for a 54-yard touchdown and the Saxons led 24-7. Keeley closed out the evening with 244 yards passing on 18 completions, three of which resulted in touchdowns.
Maroney led all defenders with 12.5 tackles. He tallied two pass breakups and forced one fumble. Lazurus Morgan (Christopher Columbus/ Bronx) and Cory Jure (Sheepshead Bay/Brooklyn) each tallied 5.5 tackles, while Adam Keller (RFA/Rome) and Brad Secore (General Brown/ Dexter) combined for 6.5 stops.
Cody Elliot (John F. Kennedy/Sloan) caught a career-high seven passes, while James Proniewych (Pat-Med/Medford) closed out the day with 35 yards on three receptions. Martin threw 13 completions for 95 yards.
Utica (2-4, 0-2 Empire 8) will return to action next Saturday at 1:00 pm against host Ithaca College (5-1, 2-1 Empire 8) in Empire 8 Conference action. The game will be broadcasted live on the Sports Stars Radio Network (1230, 1350, 1480, 1550 AM) and streaming live on the web at http://www.starsradionetwork.com/pages/ucfootball.html
Alfred (5-1, 3-1 Empire 8) takes on host Husson College next Saturday at 12 p.m.
(New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) #
