Utica (0-0) vs. Lewis & Clark (0-0) - First Source Football Home-Opener
Game Details	Saturday, Sept. 7| Utica, N.Y. | 12 p.m.   Charles A. Gaetano Stadium | Directions
Game Coverage	All Access: Audio (ESPN) | Audio (WPNR) I Live Video I Live Stats  Radio: WTLB 99.1 FM/1310 AM - ESPN Radio, WPNR 90.7 FM Tweet #FeartheMoose
Utica Links	News | Roster | Schedule
Lewis & Clark Links	News | Roster | Schedule

Utica, N.Y. (9/3/2013) – The Utica College football team is set to host the First Source Federal Credit Union home-opener at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium against visiting Lewis & Clark College on Saturday at 12 p.m.  The first 250 fans through the gates will receive a gift courtesy of First Source.

YOUTUBE SEASON PREVIEW:  UCpioneers.com sat down with four players and Head Coach Blaise Faggiano to talk about training camp and the expectations for the upcoming season ... Click the play button on the image above or Click here to view the 2013 football season preview on YouTube.

BROADCAST INFO: All Utica College games will be broadcast on the radio at WTLB 99.1 FM/1310 AM (ESPN Radio) by play-by-play man Dave Peroni and color analyst Fred Miller … Make sure to visit "Mean" Gene Conti who will broadcast live pre-game (10-11:30am) from the Blue & Orange Club tailgate lot on campus at UC … Links for live stats and video for Saturday's contest are available on the Pioneers schedule page at www.ucpioneers.com … Live streaming audio can also be accessed on WTLB's website, www.espnur.com … UC's student radio station WPNR 90.7 FM will broadcast every UC football home contest this season and live streaming audio of the contest can be accessed at www.utica.edu/wpnr ... Live video for Saturday's contest can be accessed at www.empire8.tv. 

GET THE APP: All UC football broadcasts can be heard on the new My Hometown Sports App. available in the Google Play store and on Apple ITunes ... It's a free App. so download today!

2013 HOME SCHEDULE: The Pioneers home schedule features six contests against Lewis & Clark College, Union College, nationally-ranked Salisbury University, a homecoming match-up against Ithaca College, Buffalo State University and the season finale where the Pioneers will honor their graduating class against Hartwick College … Utica is playing six home games for the first time in program-history. 

TOUGH AS IT GETS: Five of the Pioneers opponents are either ranked or receiving votes in the preseason D3football.com National Poll … UC will take on No. 7 Hobart (12-1 last year), #16 Salisbury (9-3 last year), #24 St. John Fisher (8-3 last year), Ithaca College (receiving votes) and Buffalo State (receiving votes).

CROSS COUNTRY TRIP: Lewis & Clark, also nicknamed the Pioneers, comes to Utica for the first time from Portland, Oregon … They will travel nearly 3,000 miles to take on Utica College, marking the farthest opponent in the history of the UC football program. 

CATCH ALL THE ACTION: Season tickets are now on sale for the 2013 Utica College football season … The price of a season pass is $12 which includes admission to all six home football games at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium … All seating is general admission … Call 315-792-3272 for more information.

BANNER YEAR IN 2012: The Pioneers (6-4 overall, 4-2 Empire 8) finished the 2012 season by tying the school-record for wins in a single-season (6) and set a new record for Empire 8 Conference victories (4) … UC had a legitimate shot at an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament as they played nationally-ranked Salisbury in Week 9 with a chance at the Empire 8 Conference title hanging in the balance … Headed into their week 9 contest, the Pioneers were receiving votes in both the AFCA and D3football.com national polls for the first time in program-history.

RECORD BREAKING SEASON: Last year's group played a role in helping UC break 20 different team-records this past season including: pass attempts (414), pass completions (274), passing yards (3,404), passing touchdowns (33), pass completion % (66.2), total offensive yards (4,650), touchdowns responsible for (79), total offense per game (465.0), total offense per play (6.30), all purpose yards (5,600), all purpose yards per game (560.0), pass reception yards (3,404), pass receptions (274), pass reception touchdowns (33), receptions per game (27.40), pass efficiency (156.2), average yards per pass (8.2), average yards per game (340.4), and sacks (28).

CLASS OF 2012: The Pioneers graduated 20 seniors from the 2012 squad … Some of the key graduates included quarterback Andrew Benkwitt (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) (Empire 8 Conference Offensive Player of the Year), wide receiver Jeremy Meier (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) (All-American from RFA), linebacker Genaro Scampone (Utica, NY/Proctor) (Empire 8 All-Conference), safety Luke Manolescu (New York Mills, NY/Notre Dame), tight end Matt Dun (All-Region, All-Conference), offensive lineman Tom Dyer (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) (All-Conference) and defensive end Michael Herberger (Amherst, NY/Williamsville North) (All-Conference).

YOUR 2013 CAPTAINS: At the end of training camp the Pioneers named their captains for the 2013 season … The four senior captains include linebacker Joe Giametta (Seaford, NY/MacArthur), follow linebacker Dana Christofferson (Richford, NY/Dryden), wide receiver Joe Gerbino and running back Jesse Baldassare (Mt. Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai).

MEET THE CAPTAINS:  Senior linebacker Joe Giametta (Seaford, NY/MacArthur) transferred to Utica from Division II Long Island University in 2012 … Giametta was shot out of a cannon at the beginning of last season, totaling 67 tackles in the first five games of the year … He was hampered with an injury for the second half of the year and only managed six tackles in the final five games … Despite the injury, he still finish third on the team with 73 total tackles.

Senior linebacker Dana Christofferson (Richford, NY/Dryden) was an All-Conference selection in 2012 after leading the team with 81 tackles, including 32 solo stops … He also added 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks … He also had two fumble recoveries … Christofferson currently ranks eighth all-time at UC with 98 career assisted tackles. 

Senior running back Jesse Baldassare (Mt. Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai) earned All-Conference Second team status after catching 39 balls for 332 yards last year …  He also was the Pioneers' leading rusher with 175 carries for 873 yards and seven touchdowns … Baldassare heads into his senior campaign with 1,081 career rushing yards, just the third back in school-history to break the 1,000 yard barrier for a career … He also has nine career rushing touchdowns, which ranks fifth all-time at UC … His 873 yards rushing last season ranks second on the school's single season list … An average of 97.0 yards rushing per game last year was a new school-record.   

Senior wide receiver Joe Gerbino has played in 18 career games and he has totaled 12 receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns … He also has 15 career tackles as a key member of the Pioneers special teams unit … His two touchdown catches came against Frostburg and Salisbury last season. 

TWO-HEADED MONSTER:  The Utica College running game will feature a two-back system with the return of senior Jake Larson (Bemus Point, NY/Maple Grove) this season …  Larson and Baldassare will roam the back field, offering up different styles to keep opponents off balance …  In 2011 Larson was the Pioneers leading rusher and an Empire 8 All-Conference selection … He originally transferred to UC from Mount Union, and finished the 2011 season tied for third in the Empire 8 with 11 rushing touchdowns … He ranked fifth in the conference with 85.1 yards rushing per game and he also caught 21 balls for 144 yards out of the backfield … He finished sixth overall in the conference and led the team with 66 total points … His 851 yards rushing yards ranked second on the College's single-season list and his 11 rushing touchdowns was just one shy of the program-record … Midway through the season he tallied four straight games with 100+ rushing yards. 

IN THE TRENCHES:  Junior Zach Hunnewell (Nashua, NH/Nashua North) and senior Matt Malunat (Minisink Valley, NY/Slate Hill) guide an offensive line that helped UC average 34.2 points per contest last year … They led Utica to 243 first downs, 4,650 total yards of offense, and a 50% third down conversion rate … They helped UC outscore its opponents 342-285 over the course of ten games … Hunnewell was an All-Conference selection last year and Malunat was an All-Conference pick in 2010. 

RECEIVING CORPS: The talented group of receivers will be led by senior Jamie Murphy (Canadaigua, NY/Marcus Whitman) and junior Anthony Acevdeo …  Murphy has 82 catches for 848 yards and eight touchdowns … Murphy ranked second on the team with a career-high 43 catches last season … For his career he is averaging 10.3 yards per catch … Anthony Acevedo (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) was a 2011 Empire 8 All-Conference First Team selection after an exceptional sophomore campaign … As a receiver and a return man he set a new school-record for all-purpose yards in a single season with 1,395 in ten games … He finished the year ranked second in the conference with an average of 85.4 yards receiving while averaging 6.2 receptions per game … He ranked fourth in the E8 and 48th nationally with an average of 139.50 all-purpose yards per game and also finished third overall with 510 kickoff return yards … Four of his seven touchdown catches came in the final three games of the year against post season bound St. John Fisher, Springfield and Alfred … He fell just 15 receiving yards short of breaking the school's single-season record for receiving yards in a season (854) and his 62 catches ranked second on the College's single-season list.

HOMEGROWN: Senior wide out Sean Jones (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) tallied 11 catches for 112 yards and one touchdown last season …  He was also the Pioneers top punt returner … Head Coach Blaise Faggiano believes this will be a break out year for Jones … Junior linebacker Jon Treen (Ilion, NY/Ilion) filled in for injured started Joe Giametta (Seaford, NY/MacArthur) last season and did a great job tallying 37 tackles … He tallied 21 of his tackles in a two game stretch late in the season against Alfred (11 tackles) and Salisbury (10 tackles) … Academically, Treen has one of the highest GPA's on the team …  Senior defensive lineman Josh Visalli (Deerfield, NY/Whitesboro) is considered a leader on the Pioneers defensive line … He totaled 27 tackles last year, three for a loss and one forced fumble … He played in all ten games for UC last season … Sophomore defensive end Nick Woodman (Utica, NY/Proctor) will be called upon to provide pressure on the edge … Woodman is a great pass rusher with ideal physical attributes (6-5, 240 lb.) … He registered two sacks, one pass break-up and one forced fumble as a freshman. 

ROAMING THE SECONDARY: Junior safety James Lenahan (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) was a ball hawk on the defensive side of the ball last season recording a team-high five interceptions to go along with four fumble recoveries … His five interceptions were just two shy of the school-record … He also recorded 39 tackles and two pass break-ups … Joining Lenahan in the secondary will be Rob Alexander (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Dobbs Ferry), who returns to the Pioneers lineup after two seasons away … Alexander is the only player in school-history to have returned two interceptions for a touchdown. 

KICKING IS KEY: Sophomore placekicker Thomas Woodburn (West Islip, NY/West Islip) earned Empire 8 All-Conference honorable mention status last year after scoring 52 points for the Pioneers … He was 8-for-11 on field goal attempts, to go along with a season-long 39 yarder … Woodburn also added 28 PATs … His 52 points last year ranks sixth all-time at UC and his 28 PAT's made ranks third all-time for a single season … Eight field goals in a single season is tied for second all-time. 

SIGNAL CALLING:  With the graduation of quarterback Andrew Benkwitt (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) a key position for the Pioneers to fill will be the QB position … At the top of the depth chart for week 1 is junior Connor Butkiewicz (Southington, CT/Southington) who played in four games last season and completed 19-of-28 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown …  Also on the depth chart is sophomore Teddy VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) who played on the junior varsity team as a freshman last year … Freshman Billy Pine led Hoosick Falls to a State Championship in his senior season last year after completing 95 passes for 1,752 yards to go along with 24 touchdown throws … He also rushed for 833 yards and 11 touchdowns. 

RECORDS TO KEEP AN EYE ON: Jake Larson (Bemus Point, NY/Maple Grove) needs just 149 yards rushing to join backfield-mate Jesse Baldassare (Mt. Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai) as one of just four running backs in school-history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a career … Baldassare needs 66 yards rushing (he currently has 1,081) to move into second place on the College's all-time rushing list … Larson needs seven touchdowns this year to become the College's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns … Larson currently has 11 touchdowns, while Baldassare has nine … Jamie Murphy (Canadaigua, NY/Marcus Whitman) needs 152 receiving yards to become the seventh player in school-history to catch for over 1,000 yards in a career … Murphy currently ranks eighth all-time at UC with 848 career receiving yards … Anthony Acevedo (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) needs 41 yards receiving to move into fifth place all-time on the College's pass receiving yards list, he currently has 1,529 … Murphy needs 18 catches to join Acevedo as one of just six players all-time to catch 100 or more career passes … Thomas Woodburn (West Islip, NY/West Islip) needs five extra points to move into fourth place on the College's all-time PAT kicks made list … Woodburn needs two field goals to move into third place on the College's all-time field goals made list … Junior James Lenahan (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) needs one interception o tie current UC assistant coach Lazarus Morgan for third place on the College's all-time interceptions list.