UTICA, NY – The Utica College football team looks to rebound back at home on Saturday when the Pioneers host Adirondack Bank and Local Law Enforcement Day against nationally-ranked No. 13 St. John Fisher College in Empire 8 Conference action at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.  The contest is scheduled to kickoff at 1 p.m.

Promotional Events
Adirondack Bank Day: Make sure to arrive early because the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a free seat cushion courtesy of Adirondack Bank … Adirondack Bank is a locally owned and operated full service community bank that serves Upstate New York from the historic Mohawk Valley to the Canadian Border … ADK Bank is dedicated to providing customers with outstanding service, convenient locations, and competitive products.

Law Enforcement Day: This week Utica College will show its appreciation for local law enforcement personnel in the area … All law enforcement personnel enter the game free by showing their badge.

Team Information
Get Back on the Horse: After starting the season 4-0 for just the third time in program-history the Pioneers have lost two consecutive Empire 8 contests and hold a record of 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the E8 … In its first four games, the Pioneers knocked off two nationally-ranked opponents in Ohio Northern and Cortland, but a loss at Ithaca in week five and a loss at home against Brockport on Saturday has the Pioneers in need of a victory against an undefeated St. John Fisher (6-0, 4-0 Empire 8) squad.

In The National Spotlight: The Pioneer offense currently ranks 22^nd nationally and leads the Empire 8 Conference with 132 total first downs this season … Senior speedster Nicodemus Gambill (Rochester, NY/East High) ranks 11^th nationally and first in the Empire 8 with 464 combined kick return yards … Senior quarterback Teddy VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) ranks 17^th nationally and second in the Empire 8 with 1,611 yards passing this season … Senior wide receiver Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) ranks 19^th nationally and second in the Empire 8 with an average of 7.8 catches per contest.

Geico Play of the Year: Dehstin Smart (Paterson, NJ/Hackensack)'s improbable interception at homecoming to help the Pioneers down SUNY Cortland has been nominated for the GEICO Best of College Football Play of the Year … Fans can vote daily for Smart's interception at: https://playoftheyear.speakcreative.com/?mobile=true  … The top weekly vote-getters earn a spot in the Finals, so make sure to spread the word by 'sharing' your vote with your friends … The 2016 GEICO Play of the Year will be announced during GEICO presents Best Of College Football on CBS November 25 at 1:30 ET.

Week 6 Review: The Utica College football team trailed by just seven points with a first and goal opportunity in the fourth quarter, until Brockport's Jake O'Connell picked off a Teddy VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) pass in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown, to give the Golden Eagles a 28-14 lead that they would not relinquish in Empire 8 Conference action Saturday … Brockport handed Utica its second consecutive loss as the Golden Eagles earned the 35-28 conference victory.

Familiar Foe for Faggiano: Utica Head Coach Blaise Faggiano spent nine season as the defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at St. John Fisher prior to accepting the head coaching position at Utica … He helped guide the Cardinals to the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Tournament in each of his final two seasons … Faggiano spent all nine seasons at Fisher under the guidance of current SJFC Head Coach Paul Vosburgh.

Offensive Notes
Burnett Continues the Climb: Senior running back Ryan Burnett (Mount Vernon, NY/Arch Bishop Stepinac) currently ranks eighth in the Empire 8 with 357 yards rushing this season … His 1,238 career rushing yards rank fourth on the College's all-time list … Last week he moved into second place on the College's all-time list with 341 career rushing attempts and he also moved into sole possession of fifth all-time with 11 career rushing touchdowns. 

All-Purpose Leader: Senior receiver and return man Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) finished last Saturday with 131 all-purpose yards and became the College's all-time leader in career all-purpose yards …  Beniquez capped Saturday's contest with a team-high ten receptions for the second straight week … He leads the conference with 47 catches and ranks sixth with 458 receiving yards … Beniquez now needs 82 receiving yards to move into fourth on the College's all-time list .. He also needs ten catches to move into third on the College's career receptions list. 

VanGalen Delivers: UC quarterback Teddy VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) now ranks eighth on the College's single season list with 138 completions for 1,611 yards passing through six games this season … His eight passing touchdowns also ranks tenth on the program's single season list … He now needs just 60 yards passing to jump two spots and move into second place on the College's career passing yards list … He currently has 4,339 career passing yards … He needs three passing touchdowns to move into sole possession of third on the College's all-time touchdown passes list.

TD Machine: Freshman Lindell Reed (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) leads the team and ranks ninth on the College's single season list with six rushing touchdowns this season … He needs two more rushing TD's to move into seventh on the College's single season list … He now has 44 carries for 130 yards this season. 

Career Day for Vincent: Receiver Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) caught a career-high nine balls for 101 yards and a touchdown on Saturday against Brockport … He currently ranks second on the team with 26 catches for 368 yards and three touchdowns. 

Defensive Notes
Wilson Guides the Defense: Senior linebacker Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross) led the Pioneers and tied his season-best with 13 total tackles on Saturday … He has now posted double digit tackles in four straight weeks … Wilson now ranks second on the College's all-time list with 295 career tackles …He currently ranks fourth in the Empire 8 and leads the team with 58 total tackles. 

Big Day for Washington: Isaiah Washington (Ozone Park, NY/Fort Hamilton) tallied a career-high 12 total tackles on Saturday against Brockport … He also made an assisted sack and forced one fumble … Headed into the contest on Saturday he had just nine tackles in four previous games.

Breakout Year: Anthony Bierria-Anderson (Freeport, NY/Freeport) is having a banner year for the Pioneers and currently ranks second on the team with 43 tackles … He also has one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and three pass breakups for the Pioneer defense.

Pick Central: Utica currently ranks second in the Empire 8 Conference with eight interceptions this season … Dehstin Smart (Paterson, NJ/Hackensack) and Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) each lead the team with two a piece … Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross), Anthony Bierria-Anderson (Freeport, NY/Freeport), Matt Stone (Rochester, NY/Brighton) and Nick Yelich (Lancaster, NY/Depew) each have one interception for Utica.

Special Teams Notes
Kicking like a Veteran: Freshman kicker Desmond Akpanoko (Roosevelt, NY/Roosevelt) needs three more field goals to become just the third kicker in program-history to make 10 or more field goals in a single season … His 19 extra points made ranks tenth on the College's single season list … His seven field goals this season lead the Empire 8 Conference.

Beware of Gambill: Senior kick return specialist Nicodemus Gambill (Rochester, NY/East High) leads the Empire 8 with 464 return yards this season … His 464 yards ranks eighth on the College's all-time single season list. 

Opponent Information
Last Year Against Fisher: The Utica College football team lost to host St. John Fisher College 32-27 in Empire 8 Conference action at Growney Stadium on Oct. 17, 2015 …  UC's Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) punched in a two yard touchdown run with just 32 seconds to go in regulation to make it a five point ball game, but the Cardinals recovered the ensuing onside kick to hang on for the 32-27 victory … Beniquez finished the day with 189 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns … The ground game may have told the story on the day as Fisher outrushed the Pioneers' 202-57 ...  Utica also lost two crucial fumbles, including one on the first play from scrimmage after a 53 yard completion.

All-Time Against SJFC: Saturday marks the 16th 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.

Meet the Cardinals: The undefeated St. John Fisher College football team ranks No. 13 in the latest D3football.com and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Polls … The Cardinals are currently 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the Empire 8 … James Chambers leads the rushing attack with 61 carries for 385 yards and two touchdowns … Matt Nanton has completed 113 passes for 1,124 yards and 13 touchdowns through the air … Receiver Mike Collichio is a popular target as he has hauled in 37 catches for 510 yards and six touchdowns this season … DJ Logory leads the Empire 8 with 80 tackles this season.

Follow the Game Live
Broadcast Info:  All Utica College football games will be broadcast over the radio airwaves on ESPN Utica/Rome (1310 AM) by Dave Peroni, in his 40th year of broadcasting, and UC alum Ray Biggs … Live streaming audio can also be accessed on ESPNUR's website, www.espnur.com or download the ESPN Utica/Rome APP available in the Google Play store and on Apple ITunes by searching "ESPNUR" ... Utica College home games are also broadcast over the air and online by Utica College's student radio station, WPNR 90.7 FM.

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 … Social media and live stats 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.

Pioneer Pride Points: Utica Athletics has a fan rewards program to promote fan engagement for all 26 of UC's intercollegiate sports… Powered by SuperFanU, the "Pioneer Pride Points" Fan Rewards app uses GPS tracking to recognize where fans are located at specified home games… Points are earned by attending and "Checking In" to UC athletics games, participating in a variety of contests and interacting with social media platforms through the app… The app is available on all IPhone and Android devices by searching 'Pioneer Pride Points' in the Apple App Store or GooglePlay Market and is free to all Utica College students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and fans.

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.