Football | 10/15/2014 8:11:00 PM

UTICA, N.Y. - The Utica College football team returns home on Saturday for the Coach to Cure MD Homecoming Football game as the Pioneers take on the nationally-ranked No. 16/19 St. John Fisher in Empire 8 Conference action. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on the turf at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium and it is a part of the College's Homecoming festivities.

COACH TO CURE MD GAME:  For the seventh year in a row colleges across the nation have joined together to support the Coach to Cure MD program …The rapidly growing effort has raised more than one million dollars to fight Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy… At Saturday's game the Utica College coaching staff will be rolling up their sleeves to show off their "Coach to Cure MD" armbands…College football fans will be asked to donate to research projects supported by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. focused entirely on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy…Fans can donate to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research by either going online to www.CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word CURE to 90999 (a $5 donation will automatically be added to your next phone bill and standard text message rates apply).

HONORARY CAPTAIN: This year Jonathan Piacentino will serve as the Pioneers honorary captain for the homecoming game… Jonathan was diagnosed with Duchenne MD in December of 1997, when he was four years old … Jonathan and his family will speak with the Pioneers after Friday night's practice and they will also be involved in the game time festivities … Jonathan will join the captains and officials for the pregame coin toss and he will also spend time on the sidelines throughout the game. 

SAY HI TO THE CAMERA'S: Today's game will be televised live on Time Warner Cable Sports in Albany (Channel 50 or 323), Buffalo (Channel 323), Rochester (Channel 52), Syracuse/Utica (Channel 19/323), and New York City … On the call for Time Warner will be Kevin Brown (Play-by-Play), Dale Drypolcher (Color Analyst) and Eric Gallanty (Sidelines) … The contest will also be replayed in all markets on Sunday (7 p.m.) and Wednesday (6 p.m.).

BROADCAST INFO:  All Utica College football games will be broadcast on the radio locally at WTLB 99.1 FM/1310 AM (ESPN Radio) by play-by-play man Dave Peroni, color analyst Fred Miller and sideline reporter Ray Biggs … Live streaming audio can also be accessed on WTLB's website, www.espnur.com... Utica College home games are also broadcasted by WPNR 90.7 FM, the College's own student radio station, over the air and online.

PIONEERS ALL-ACCESS: If you can't make it out to Utica to watch the game in person, Pioneers All-Access is the place to be on game day, providing live video, audio (WPNR 90.7 FM) and stats for all UC home games on the turf …. Pioneers All-Access is a completely FREE service provided for those members of the Pioneer nation that might not be able to make it out to the game … Recent stories and social media are fully integrated into the Pioneers All-Access site for the most comprehensive viewing experience …  Make sure to check out Pioneers All-Access at www.ucpioneers.com/watch.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: All UC football radio broadcasts on WTLB 99.1 FM can be heard on the My Hometown Sports Application available in the Google Play store and on Apple ITunes... After you download the application make sure to select the ESPN Radio coverage … It's a free application so download today!

SOCIAL MEDIA: If you can't make it out to the game make sure to follow live updates on the Pioneers official Twitter feed: @UCPioneers… If you are at the game on Twitter, or talking about the game on Twitter, make sure to use #UCMoose… You can also "Like" the Pioneers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UCpioneers ... Fans can also follow the Pioneers on Instagram: UCPioneers.

OH, SO CLOSE: Utica College jumped out to a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter at St. John Fisher College last season, but the Cardinals rallied back with four consecutive touchdowns in a span of 10:39 to take home the victory, 28-27…The one point loss is the closet margin of defeat in the 13-year history of the rivalry.

ALL-TIME VS. ST. JOHN FISHER: Saturday marks the 14^th year in a row these two teams have met… Utica has played St. John Fisher every year since the program's inception back in 2001… The Pioneers are in search of their first-ever win against the Cardinals.

LAST TIME OUT: Utica College senior quarterback Connor Butkiewicz (Southington, CT/Southington) completed 26-of-39 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn't enough for the Pioneers to secure the win over Salisbury…The Pioneers led 19-14 half way through the third quarter after Acevedo caught a 62-yard touchdown pass…Salisbury answered right away, scoring three unanswered touchdowns to take home the win, 36-19.

NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK PICK: Senior wide receiver Anthony Acevedo (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) was named to the D3football.com National Team of the Week on Tuesday …  The honor marks the second time in his career that he has been named to the National Team of the Week … He also joins kicker Thomas Woodburn (West Islip, NY/West Islip) and punter Dakota Peel (Alden, NY/Alden) as the only three players in program-history to earn the distinction … Acevedo, who was also named the Empire 8 Conference Offensive Player of the Week and the College's Male Athlete of the Week, caught eight passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns as the Pioneers lost to Salisbury last Saturday … Acevedo, the reigning Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year and the College's all-time leading receiver, eclipsed 3,000 receiving yards for his career as he now has 3,006 in just under four seasons … He also became the first player in school-history to catch over 200 career passes, as he now has 205 … His 178 yards receiving is the 4th most receiving yards in a single game in program-history … Acevedo currently ranks second in the Empire 8 and 29th nationally with an average of 104.4 yards receiving per contest … In five games played he has caught 28 balls for 522 yards (18.6 yards per catch).

PROTECTING THE BLINDSIDE: The Pioneers offensive line ranks 12^th nationally in average sacks allowed … UC allows just 0.67 sacks per game this season.

UC ON TOP: Utica leads its opponents in scoring (169-119), first downs (105-95), passing yardage (1,259-853) and total offense (2,146-1,875).

EVANS LEADING THE NATION: Freshman running back/return man J'Von Evans leads the nation in punt return average (22.5 yards per return) … On the ground Evans has rushed for 264 yards on 60 carries, averaging 44 yards per contest.

PEEL'S PUNTING: Dakota Peel (Alden, NY/Alden) is ranked fourth nationally and second in the Empire 8 with an average of 42.8 yards per punt…Peel also leads the conference and sits sixth nationally in net punting (37.17).

HOLDING THEIR GROUND: The Pioneer defense ranks 26^th nationally and first in the Empire 8 Conference in 3^rd down conversions allowed (0.282).

INSIDE THE 20: Utica's red zone offense leads the Empire 8 and ranks 38^th nationally, scoring on 13-of-15 chances inside the 20 yard line.  

STOPPING THE DRIVE: The Pioneers defense is led by sophomore linebacker Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross) and junior defensive end Nick Woodman (Utica, NY/Proctor)… Wilson holds the number three seat in the Empire 8 conference with 66 tackles (27 solo, 39 assisted), averaging 11 tackles per game… Woodman sits in second in the Empire 8 with 5.5 total sacks (four solo, three assisted) averaging just below one sack per game … Woodman has also recovered two fumbles on the season.

QUICK HITTERS FROM SALISBURY: Anthony Acevedo (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford)'s 178 yards receiving last weekend is the 4th most receiving yards in a single game in program-history … Acevedo also moved into a second place tie on the College's all-time scoring list as he now has 132 career points, tying 2013 graduate Jake Larson (Bemus Point, NY/Maple Grove) … Butkiewitz's 367 yards passing last weekend is the second-most yards he has thrown for in a single game in his career.

BENIQUEZ IS HARD TO STOP: Sophomore wide receiver and return man Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) moved into eighth place all-time at UC with 1,669 career all-purpose yards … Beniquez also became just the second player in program-history to register 1,000+ career kick return yards as he now has 1,030 return yards in less than two full seasons at UC.

WOODMAN OFF THE EDGE: Nick Woodman (Utica, NY/Proctor) now has ten career sacks and needs one more sack to move into sole possession of fourth place on the College's all-time list.

WOODBURN CONNECTS: Junior kicker Thomas Woodburn (West Islip, NY/West Islip) is the College's all-time leader with 65 career extra points made … He is also tied for first all-time with 16 career field goals made. 

LENAHAN LURKS: Senior safety James Lenahan (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) leads UC with three interceptions this season … He also has three pass break ups and is tied for sixth all-time at UC with 11 career pass break ups.

HOLD IT TIGHT: UC junior safety Mike Sullivan (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has a knack for getting his hands on the ball … He leads the team with two forced fumbles this season … He also ranks fourth on the team with 42 tackles and he has 3.5 tackles for a loss.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING: Senior running back Jesse Baldassare (Mt. Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai) needs 117 yards rushing to move into second place on the College's all-time rushing list – he currently has 1,463 in his career … Baldassare needs 23 carries to become the College's all-time leader in career rushing attempts – he currently has 316 … Baldassare needs two rushing touchdowns to take sole possession of third on the College's all-time list – he currently has 14 career rushing touchdowns … Butkiewicz needs 64 completions to move into sole possession of second place all-time – he currently has 327 … Acevedo needs one touchdown catch to become just the second player in school-history to catch 20 or more touchdowns in a career … Acevedo needs 171 all-purpose yards to become the College's all-time leader – he currently has 3,599 all-purpose yards … Beniquez needs 167 kick return yards to become the College's all-time leader – he currently has 1,030 … Senior safety James Lenahan (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) ranks second all-time at UC with 13 career interceptions and he needs four more to tie the school-record.

MEET ST. JOHN FISHER: St. John Fisher holds a 4-1 overall record and the Cardinals are coming off a convincing 42-13 win over Hartwick … The Cardinals' lone loss of the season came in overtime against Salisbury two weeks ago, 37-34 … Fisher is ranked No. 16 in the latest D3football.com National Poll and No. 19 in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Poll … Fisher has advanced to the postseason each of the last 12 seasons, marching all the way to the NCAA Division III Football Quarterfinals last season before falling to the University of Mary Hardin Baylor … The Cardinals have advanced to the NCAA tournament five times in the last 10 years … Senior quarterback Tyler Fenti has not thrown an interception this season, going 83-for-129 for 1,177 yards and 14 touchdowns … Dating back to last season in Fisher's NCAA quarterfinal loss to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Fenti has gone 156 attempts without throwing an interception … Senior All-American Sean Preish is third in the Empire 8 in sacks with 4.5 after racking up two sacks against Hartwick last week … The Rochester native now has 13.5 sacks, solidifying a tie for 10th place in program history … Preish also has 213 career tackles and needs 15 more to move into 10th place all-time on the Fisher list. (Notes courtesy of SJFC Athletic Communications)