UTICA, NY – The Utica College football team led 21-0 at halftime and held Mount Ida to just eight second half points as the Pioneers went on to defeat the Mustangs 40-8 Saturday afternoon in non-conference action on the turf at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.

The Pioneers have now won two consecutive games for the first time since the final two games of the 2005 season and with the win UC improved to 2-3 overall after dropping its first three games of the season. The Mustangs have now lost two straight contests and fall to 2-3 overall after starting the year 2-1. UC has now won four consecutive meetings against Mount Ida dating back to Oct. 8, 2005 when the Pioneers downed the Mustangs 42-12. UC holds a 5-3 all-time series advantage over Ida in eight meetings.

After each team exchanged punts to open the contest Mount Ida freshman quarterback Tony Tokarz (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) tried to complete a five yard out on third and seven, but sophomore linebacker Kevin Hennion (Dumont, NJ/Dumont) jumped the route and intercepted his first career pass which he returned for 22 yards down to the Mount Ida eight yard line. On the next play UC got on the board first when sophomore tailback Brian Jones (Waterbury, CT/Wilby) changed direction in the backfield and made two Mustangs miss as he scampered in for the eight yard touchdown run at the 8:20 mark of the first quarter. Jones' second touchdown of the season was capped by a Casey McNulty (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) extra point and the Pioneer's took a 7-0 lead for the first time all season.

The Pioneers forced the Mustangs to punt on the ensuing drive and the offense got right back to business when freshman quarterback Michael Clark (Fulton, NY/Fulton) engineered a three play 81 yard touchdown drive to give UC a 14-0 lead with 4:42 left in the first quarter. Clark, who had only thrown three collegiate passes entering the contest, connected with classmate Nicholas Fisher (East Rochester, NY/East Rochester) for a 52 yard completion before throwing a 26 yard touchdown strike to junior receiver Cody Elliot (Sloan, NY/John F. Kennedy). The touchdown marked the first of two on the day for Elliot, who now leads UC with 27 catches for 356 yards this year.

The Pioneers forced another punt on the following possession and again responded with a touchdown. The Pioneers third touchdown drive was the most impressive of the day, spanning six minutes and 96 yards. The drive could have been halted by the Mustangs after three plays but the Mount Ida defense jumped offside when the Pioneers were in punting formation to extend the drive. Mid way through the drive sophomore linebacker Terrell Cunningham (Rochester, NY/Marshall) executed a fake punt to perfection when he rushed the ball 29 yards on fourth down and five to extend the drive one more time. Junior quarterback Keith Barone (Point Pleasant, NJ/Manchester Township) lobbed up a perfect five yard fade ball in the corner of the end zone to freshman receiver Joshua Mason (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady). Mason's first collegiate touchdown capped the drive and gave UC a commanding 21-0 lead with 10:44 left to go in the half.

Neither team scored for the remainder of the first half and UC took a 21-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Utica sealed the victory on the first drive of the second half, highlighted by a 43 yard touchdown pass from Barone to Elliot to put the Pioneers up 28-0 with 11:46 left in the third quarter. Barone, who accounted for a career-high three touchdowns on the day (two passing, one rushing), completed 11-of-20 passes total.

The Utica defense forced another punt on the ensuing drive and the Pioneers continued to light up the score board when McNulty knocked down a career-long 35 yard field goal to give UC a 31-0 lead with 6:13 left in the third. McNulty now has three field goals over 30 yards this season.

The Mustangs got on the board for their only score of the day on the next drive to cut the lead to 31-8. Tokarz rushed for 41 yards on the touchdown drive and completed a 20 yard pass to Kyle Watkins (New Haven, CT/James Hillhouse) as well. Tokarz capped the six play 66 yard scoring drive with a two yard touchdown run, marking his second touchdown scamper of the season.

UC's special teams then got on the board when Travis Ladd (Mexico, NY/Mexico Academy) blocked his first career punt and the ball rolled through the back of the end zone for a safety to give UC a 33-8 lead with 11:32 left on the clock.

Mount Ida failed to recover the on side kick on the next play and the Pioneers took advantage of good field position for their final score of the contest. Barone's 22 rushing yards highlighted the drive and he pounded home a one yard rush to cap the scoring on the day.

The Pioneers offense exploded for a season-high 380 yards of total offense (125-rushing, 255-passing) and the defense held the Mustangs to a season-low 214 yards (153 –rushing, 61-passing). UC's secondary held Ida freshman quarterback Tony Tokarz to just three completions all day.

The Pioneer defense was led once again by junior linebacker Eric Kahl (Lockwood, NY/Spencer-Van-Etten), who totaled a game-high 14 tackles on the day. Kahl leads UC with 60 tackles on the year and the former Empire 8 All-Conference selection has posted double-digit tackles in four out of five games this season. Junior defensive back Peter Vano (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) made nine stops, while Tracy Branch (Bay Shore, NY/Brentwood), Vinson Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Roxborough), Christopher Walrath (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) and Adam Keller (Lee Center, NY/Rome Free Academy) each totaled one sack for the Pioneers.

Senior defensive end Nick Ferrante (Patchogue/Patchogue Medford) and freshman linebacker Theo McCummings (Natick/Natick, MA) each totaled a team-high seven tackles for the Mustangs defense. Freshman defensive back Shareff Champlin (Lisbon, CT/Briarwood College) double his interception total on the season with two picks and he also added three tackles.

Brian Jones (Waterbury, CT/Wilby) led the Pioneers with 48 yards rushing on ten carries, while Elliot caught a game-high six balls for a total of 127 yards receiving. Elliot also caught two touchdown passes in the Pioneers 29-27 win over Mount Ida last season. Fisher caught a career-high three balls for 53 yards, while Mason totaled two catches for 24 yards.

Senior all-conference punter Ben Atwood (Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) continues to etch his name in the College's record books after booming four punts for a total of 192 yards. His 48 yard average on the day is a new school record, eclipsing his old record of 46.8 set in the Pioneers' loss to Alfred University on Oct. 15, 2005.

Johrone Bunch (Meriden, CT/FT Maloney) led the way on the ground for the Mustangs with 67 yards rushing on 21 carries, while Tokarz accounted for 48 yards rushing on 13 carries. Watkins caught all three passes completed by the Mustangs for 61 total yards receiving.

The Pioneers return to action on Saturday when they host Alfred University for an Empire 8 Conference clash on the turf at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium at 1:30 p.m. A live broadcast of the game can be heard locally on WIBX 950 AM and streaming live on the internet at www.wibx950.com. Video will also be streaming live on the web at www.empire8.tv and live stats will be available at www.ucpioneers.com.

Moreover, Utica will be going for their third straight win, a feat that the Pioneers have yet to accomplish in their short franchise history. They have won two games in a row on five different occassions but have still not scored a threegame win streak. A victory at home versus Alfred on Saturday will obtain that goal.