ADA, OH – Ohio Northern University scored 15 unanswered fourth quarter points to rally from a 22-14 third quarter deficit on its way to a 29-22 victory over visiting Utica College Saturday afternoon.  UC led by 12 points, 19-7, midway through the third quarter before the Polar Bears outscored the Pioneers 22-3 in the final 21:37 of action. 

Utica junior quarterback Teddy VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) completed 20-of-36 passes for a career-high 300 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon.  Gregory Palmer (Richland, NY/APW) continued his stellar senior season for UC with seven catches for 157 yards and a 68 yard second quarter touchdown catch to tie the score at 7-7 at the 8:01 mark.

Utica senior kicker Thomas Woodburn (West Islip, NY/West Islip) connected on three field goals for the Pioneers (36, 34, 35 yards). His first field goal of the game gave UC a 10-7 lead as time expired in the second quarter. Woodburn now has five field goals in just two games for Utica.  He had ten total points on Saturday and is now tied for second on the College's all-time list with 162 career points. He also has a school-record 24 career field goals and 90 extra points made.

The Pioneers came out of the gates hot in the second half and capitalized on Derrick Sekuterski (Depew, NY/Depew)'s first career interception to take a 19-7 lead.  Sekuterski, who also broke up three passes on the day, intercepted the Will Freed pass and returned it 25 yards down to the ONU two-yard line.  VanGalen then connected with tight end Nick Yelich (Lancaster, NY/Depew) on the first play of the ensuing drive to give UC a 12 point advantage with 8:42 to go in the third quarter.  It was Yelich's first collegiate touchdown reception. 

Ohio Northern dominated the final 15 minutes of action, producing 221 yards of offense compared to the Pioneers 48.  The Polar Bears held the ball on offense for 12:07 of the final 15 minutes of action and forced UC into an 0-for-3 effort on third down conversions.

Utica's Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross) paced the Pioneer defense once again with a team-best 13 tackles while senior defensive end Nick Woodman (Utica, NY/Proctor) posted nine tackles, one sack and a key fourth quarter blocked field goal attempt with 2:45 remaining in regulation to keep the Pioneers chances of a comeback bid alive. However, the Pioneers final offensive drive came up short as VanGalen threw an interception with 2:07 left in regulation, and the Polar Bears were able to secure the first down they need to run out the clock on UC. 

Woodman now has 19.0 career sacks and secured sole possession of first place on the College's all-time sack list. In 16 career games, Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross) now has 143 total tackles.

ONU freshman quarterback Will Freed completed 27-of-36 passes for 439 yards and three touchdowns. Devon Price caught 10 balls for 141 yards and Reed Allen added six catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns for the home team. 

Utica's Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) made seven catches for 76 yards, while junior running back Ryan Burnett (Mount Vernon, NY/Arch Bishop Stepinac) carried the ball 21 times for 54 yards. 

The Pioneers record moved to 1-1 overall on the year while Ohio Northern improved to 1-0.

The Pioneers return home on Saturday for the highly anticipated rematch against Empire 8 Conference newcomer Morrisville State. The contest will be played under the lights at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium at 7 p.m. The last time these two teams met was the final game of the 2014 season as the Pioneers lost to the Mustangs in the program's first-ever ECAC North Central Bowl game appearence. 

All Utica College football games will be broadcast on the radio locally at WTLB 99.1 FM/1310 AM (ESPN Radio) by Dave Peroni and UC alum Ray Biggs. Live streaming audio can also be accessed on WTLB's website, www.espnur.com. Utica College home games are also broadcast over the air and online by Utica College's student radio station, WPNR 90.7 FM. Make sure to catch live video, audio and stats on Pioneers All-Access: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.