Utica, NY (9/30/14)- The Utica College football team (4-0, 2-0 Empire 8) looks to open the season 5-0 for the first time in program-history on Saturday as the Pioneers travel to Ithaca College to take on the nationally ranked No. 15 Bombers at 1 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.

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. 

LAST TIME OUT: The Pioneers racked up a season high 472 yards of total offense on its way to a 42-28 victory over SUNY Brockport in Empire 8 Conference play last Saturday … The win helped the Pioneers advance to 4-0 overall for the second time in program history…Senior running back Jesse Baldsassare rushed for 147 yards on 24 carries for three touchdowns… Senior receiver Anthony Acevedo (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) made a season-high 12 catches for 199 yards…Senior quarterback Connor Butkiewicz (Southington, CT/Southington) got his first start of the season under center and did not disappoint, completing 15-of-28 passes for 247 yards and one touchdown throw… Wide receiver Alex DeRusso (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) and freshman running back J'Von Evans (Utica, NY/Proctor) each scored once for UC... The defense was led by sophomore linebacker Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross), who registered 14 tackles for the third straight game…Senior cornerback Rob Alexander (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Dobbs Ferry) snagged an interception on the Brockport nine yard line setting up Baldassare's third touchdown of the contest in the fourth quarter… Sophomore transfer quarterback Will Kassar (Lattingtown, NY/Glen Cove) punched in his team-high fifth touchdown run in the third quarter.

ALL-TIME AGAINST ITHACA:  The Pioneers are currently 1-12 in 13 previous meetings against Ithaca College ... UC broke a ten game losing streak against the Bombers in 2011 when the Pioneers topped Ithaca for the first time in program-history. 

THE ALMA MATER: Utica Head Coach Blaise Faggiano, an Ithaca graduate, won the Division III  National Championship with Ithaca in 1991 as a defensive lineman.

PUNTING PERFECTION: Senior punter Dakota Peel (Alden, NY/Alden) was named the Empire 8 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for the second straight week on Monday … He was also named to the D3football.com National Team of the Week on Wednesday … Peel set a new school-record for average yards per punt in a single game (50.8 yards per punt) against Brockport where he pinned the Golden Eagles inside their own 20 yard line twice in the fourth quarter…Peel currently leads the conference and ranks third in the nation with an average of 45.6 yards per punt this season… He has pinned opponents inside their own 20 yard line five times this season and he has three punts over 50 yards.

ACEVEDO BREAKING RECORDS: Anthony Acevedo (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford)'s 12 catches against Brockport helped him break the College's all-time record for receptions in a career, as he now has 197 catches over the course of four seasons … He holds the all-time record for pass reception yards with 2,828 for his career as well as average receptions per game with 6.57.

BALDASSARE COMING ON STRONG: Senior running back Jesse Baldassare (Mt. Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai) currently ranks third on the College's all-time rushing yards list with 1,348 for his career... He ranks fourth all-time with 13 rushing touchdowns… Baldassare leads the Utica rushing attack with 267 yards on the ground this season.

BIG RETURN YARDS: Freshman running back J'Von Evans (Utica, NY/Proctor) averages 30.78 yards on nine punt returns for a total of 277 yards … Evans leads the nation in punt return average... He has also made an impact on offense, rushing for 163 yards and four touchdowns on 36 attempts… Sophomore wide receiver Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) leads the Empire 8 Conference with 28.6 yards per kick return for a total of 257 yards … Beniquez had a 62-yard kick return against Brockport on Saturday … Beniquez, like Evans, is also a contributor on offense as he ranks second on the team in receptions (13) and receiving yards (198).

WOODBURN ETCHES HIS NAME IN HISTORY: UC kicker Thomas Woodburn (West Islip, NY/West Islip) made five extra points on Saturday and broke the College's all-time record for extra points in a career … He now has 62 in three seasons, breaking the previous record of 61 which was held by Casey McNulty '09.

SACKING SENSTATION: Junior defensive end Nick Woodman (Utica, NY/Proctor) recorded his fourth sack of the season in the Brockport game and he now has 8.5 for his career … Woodman currently ranks second in the Empire 8 conference in total sacks … Sitting five spots behind Woodman in the conference rankings is teammate Nicholas Bruzzese (Utica, NY/Proctor), who has two sacks … Together Woodman and Bruzzese help Utica lead the conference in total sacks.  

STRONG DEFENSE: Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross) leads the Empire 8 with 50 tackles (24 solo, 26 assisted) this season … Wilson also leads the team with four pass breakups … Senior safety James Lenahan (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) has three interceptions on the season … Lenahan does a little bit of everything for the defense… He ranks second all-time at UC with 13 interceptions, seventh all-time with four fumble recoveries and seventh all-time with 10 pass break ups … Utica is ranked 28th nationally in scoring defense (14 points allowed per game).

OTHER DEFENSIVE PLAY MAKERS: Junior safety Mike Sullivan (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) leads the Pioneers with two forced fumbles this season … The hard-hitting safety dealt a big blow to a Brockport receiver to break up a deep pass down the field Saturday… Sullivan is third on the team with 26 tackles (12 solo, 14 assisted) and has three tackles for loss, including a sack… Senior Brandon Burnham (Fulton, NY/Mexico) is second on the team with 32 tackles (22 solo, 10 assisted) including three tackles for loss… Junior linebacker Jonathan Cappotelli (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia) is fourth on the team with 25 (three solo, 22 assisted) tackles... Woodman leads all defensive linemen with 21 tackles (nine solo, 12 assisted).

THE PALMER EXPRESS: Junior receiver Gregory Palmer (Richland, NY/APW) only has one reception in each game so far this season, but each reception averages a gain of over 22 yards… Palmer has 90 receiving yards and a touchdown so far this season.

RECENT RECORDS: The Pioneers set a variety of new school-records in the win over Brockport on Saturday … Senior punter Dakota Peel (Alden, NY/Alden) set a new school-record for average yards per punt in a single game (50.8 yards per punt) ... As a team the Pioneers set a new school-record for pass break ups in a single game with seven ... Anthony Acevedeo's 12 catches tied the school-record for receptions in a single game and his 199 yards receiving ranks third all-time ... Jesse Baldassare (Mt. Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai)'s three TD's runs tied for second on the College's single game list.

FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS: Senior running back Jesse Baldassare (Mt. Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai) is one of four backs in program-history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a career… Baldassare is one of five players in program-history to record 2,000+ all-purpose yards and he is fourth on the all-time list heading into the weekend (2,454 yards)… Acevedo needs 347 all-purpose yards to surpass Cody Elliot '09 for the school's career-record; he currently has 3,422 career all-purpose yards… Junior kicker Thomas Woodburn (West Islip, NY/West Islip) recently became just the sixth player in program-history to score 100 or more points in a career … Woodburn has made 15 field goals in his career and needs two to break the College's all-time record… Sophomore Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) has totaled 872 return yards in two seasons and he needs 90 more return yards to surpass Adam Keller for second all-time … Senior safety James Lenahan (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) ranks second on the College's all-time list with 13 career interceptions and he needs four more this season to tie the school-record of 17 set by Jon Klosner '06 … It took J'Von Evans (Utica, NY/Proctor) just one game to become the program's career leader in punt return yards (226 yards against Misericordia); he currently has 277 after three games … Nick Woodman (Utica, NY/Proctor) currently ranks fifth all-time with 8.5 career sacks … Woodman needs 2.5 sacks to move into sole possession of fourth on the all-time list.

SCOUTING ITHACA: The Ithaca Bombers (3-0, 2-0 Empire 8) are fresh off an impressive victory over Empire 8 rival Alfred University, defeating the Saxons 17-6… Senior quarterback Tom Dempsey enjoyed an efficient game, completing 20-of-27 passes for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns… All of Ithaca's 17 points were unanswered in the second half, after trailing Alfred 6-0… The Bombers handed Alfred (3-1, 1-1 Empire 8) its first loss of the season and jumped up to No. 15 in the national polls… Ithaca has outscored its opponents 30-0 in the third quarter this season… Ithaca is tied with Utica for the Conference lead in team sacks (nine)… Ithaca leads the Empire 8 in scoring defense (9.7 points allowed per game) and kick return average (29.7 yards)… The Bombers are second in rush defense (115.3 yards allowed per game) and third in the Conference in punt return average (16.3 yards)… Ithaca's passing efficiency of 179.8 leads the Conference, due to a 74.0 completion percentage and an 8-2 touchdown to interception ratio… The Bombers are led on offense by Dempsey, who has completed 74.3 percent of his passes for 644 yards and a 7-2 TD-INT ratio… Tristian Brown leads the rushing attack with 242 yards and a touchdown… The Bombers defense is anchored by junior cornerback Ryan Michaels, who leads the team with 20 tackles (15 solo, five assisted)… Freshman starting linebacker Kenneth Bradley is the reigning Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week… Bradley has 19 tackles (16 solo, three assisted) and a pass defended this season.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Pioneers play Empire 8 opponents for the rest of the season… Utica will stay on the road next week to face Salisbury University in Maryland… Kickoff is set for noon on Saturday, October 11… The following week, Utica returns to Charles A. Gaetano Stadium for Homecoming Weekend to face and nationally-ranked No. 7 St. John Fisher College.