The Utica College football team (5-1, 0-1 Empire 8) closed out a four game home stand last Saturday with a convincing 31-13 win over visiting St. Lawrence University, giving the Pioneers a 3-1 record at the friendly confines of Charles A. Gaetano Stadium this season. UC, which needs one victory to tie the program-record for wins in a single season, will now hit the road for the opener of a three game road trip in search of it's first Empire 8 Conference victory Saturday when they visit Springfield College (4-1, 0-1 Empire 8). The game is set to start at 1:30 p.m. at Stagg Field in Springfield, MA.
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This Season:
The Pioneers are 11th in the nation in scoring offense averaging 43.0 points per game and they lead the E8 in passing offense with 318.33 yards per game. Sophomore quarterback
Andrew Benkwitt (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) heads into Saturday's contest ranked 14th in the nation in pass efficiency (164.11) and second in the conference averaging 295.3 yards passing per game. Junior wide receiver
Joshua Mason (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady) is coming off his best performance this season after recording six receptions for 124 yards and his 76.83 total receiving yards per game is good for fourth in Empire 8. Sophomore running back
Jake Scott (Rochester, NY/Irondequoit) is the top scoring back in the Empire 8 with 60 points this season and he averages 84.50 rushing yards per game, which is third in conference.
On the defensive side, senior defensive end
Tracy Branch (Bay Shore, NY/Brentwood) (14.5 sacks) needs one more sack to break the school-record and senior linebacker
Travis Ladd (Mexico, NY/Mexico Academy) ranks 20th in the nation averaging 10.83 tackles per game
The Series:
Utica is 2-4 all-time against Springfield College. The last time the Pioneers traveled to Stagg Field they handed the Pride a loss, 16-12, marking Head Coach
Blaise Faggiano's first collegiate victory. UC also beat Springfield 34-33 back in 2005 when the Pioneers set the school-record for wins in a single season (six).
Scouting The Opponent:
Springfield comes into the contest with the second best ground attack in the nation averaging 439.80 yards rushing per game and the Pride also leads the conference in seven other team statistical categories. Springfield, which features the triple option, currently ranks second in the New England Division III College Football Poll. Springfield is averaging 43.6 points per game this season, eighth nationally, while giving up 9.8 points per game. Both of those figures are first in the conference. In total offense, SC is ranked fifth nationally with 507.6 yards per game.
