MORRISVILLE, NY – The Utica College football team rallied from a 31-14 halftime deficit and trailed by just four points, with 3:42 to go, but host Morrisville's 568 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns proved to be too much as the Mustangs came away with a 52-41 victory in the ECAC North Central Bowl Saturday. 

The Pioneers finished the day with 262 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, and they were led by freshman running back J'Von Evans, who totaled a career-high 175 yards rushing and punched in three touchdowns. 

Utica, making its first-ever appearance in post season play, wrapped up its most successful season in program-history with a 7-4 overall record. The Pioneers also finished their season with a school-record five victories in the Empire 8, good enough for third place.

The Pioneers trailed 45-28, after a Morrisville score at the 1:58 mark of the third quarter, before making a late charge.  Evans' scored his third TD of the day to cap a six-play, 63-yard scoring drive, just eight seconds into the fourth quarter of play, to make the score 45-35 in favor of the Mustangs.

Utica's Anthony Acevedo (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) then caught a seven yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Connor Butkiewicz (Southington, CT/Southington) with 3:42 remaining in the contest to make the score 45-41 with 3:42 left in regulation.  UC's extra point opportunity was blocked to make it a four point contest. Acevedo finished his storied career at UC with seven catches for 75 yards and a score, and he will graduate as the program's all-time leader with 231 catches for 3,360 yards.  Butkiewitz wrapped up his collegiate career with a 12-for-19 day for 110 yards and a touchdown. Butkiewitz became just the second quarterback in school-history to throw for 400+ completions in a career as he finished with 403. He also surpassed Nick Martin '06 for second on the College's all-time list for total yards of offense. 

Unfortunately for the Pioneers, the comeback bid was spoiled as Morrisville senior quarterback Lemar Johnson scored his fifth touchdown of the contest, from 22 yards out, with 31 seconds left in regulation to cap the scoring on the afternoon. Johnson finished the day with 26 carries for 210 yards and five touchdowns. He also added nine completions for 118 yards and a touchdown throw. 

Utica senior running back Jesse Baldassare (Mt. Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai) finished with 14 carries for 72 yards and one first quarter touchdown, while Butkiewitz punched in a TD of his own with his legs at the beginning of the third quarter.

Utica's James Lenahan (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) registered two big interceptions and finished his career with 16, just one shy of the College's all-time record. Utica sophomore Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross) finished with 15 tackles to move into fifth place on the College's single-season list after posting 115 in 11 games this year. Free safety Mike Sullivan (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) capped his junior season with a 12 tackle performance.