Utica, NY – The 4-1 Utica College football team looks to bounce back after its first loss of the season as the Pioneers host SUNY Brockport on First Source Federal Credit Union Day Saturday at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. This will be Utica's fourth Empire 8 Conference game of the season as they look to advance to 3-1 in conference play for the second straight year.  The contest is scheduled to kickoff at 4 p.m.

First Source Federal Credit Union Day: Make sure to arrive early because the first 100 fans through the gates will receive a FREE rally towel courtesy of First Source. 

High School Student Day: This week Utica College will show its appreciation for high school students in the area … All high school students will be granted free admission to the football game by wearing their school colors proudly.

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 ... Utica College will provide live video and stats for the contest via: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/ … Utica College home games are also broadcast over the air and online by Utica College's student radio station, WPNR 90.7 FM.

The Win/Loss Column:  Utica currently holds a record of 4-1 overall, marking the third time in program-history that the Pioneers have started the season with a 4-1 record (2016, 2014, 2010) … The Pioneers won their first four games of the season for the third time in program-history (2016, 2014, 2010) … The Pioneers will now look to advance their record to 5-1 for just the second time in program-history … The last time UC started the season 5-1 was back in 2010. 

Week Five Review: The Pioneers came up short in last week's contest at Ithaca College… The Bombers scored a late touchdown in the fourth quarter and the final score was 23-14 … Utica drew closer to tying the game early in the fourth quarter as it narrowed the lead to just two points before Ithaca scored again to seal the victory. … Senior quarterback Teddy VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) threw for 301 yards and a touchdown as teammate Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) finished with ten receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown.
 
In the National Spotlight: With an average of 26.7 yards per punt return, Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) is ranked second in the nation and first in the Empire 8… Beniquez also ranks 29^th nationally and third in the conference with his 7.4 receptions per game... Kicker Desmond Akpanoko (Roosevelt, NY/Roosevelt) leads the conference in field goals per game with 1.4 and is ranked 16^th nationally… Quarterback Teddy VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) is now ranked 22^nd in the nation with his 1,296 passing yards this season, which is also second in the conference… With his six rushing touchdowns this season, freshman Lindell Reed (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) is fifth in the conference and ranked 29^th in the nation… Nicodemus Gambil leads the conference and is 17^th in the nation with a total of 399 kick return yards this season.

GEICO Play of the Year: Matt Stone (Rochester, NY/Brighton)'s 83 yard interception returned for a touchdown that sparked the Pioneers come from behind win over Ohio Northern in week two has been nominated for the GEICO Best of College Football Play of the Year … Fans can vote daily for Matt Stone (Rochester, NY/Brighton)'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.
 
 Offensive Notes
 
Big Freshman: Freshman Lindell Reed (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) continues to lead the team in rushing touchdowns with six on the season... He has netted 128 rushing yards on 42 carries with a yards per carry average of 3.0... He has now scored a touchdown in four straight games for the Pioneers.
 
VanGalen Under Center: After throwing for 301 yards and a touchdown last week, senior quarterback Teddy VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) is second in the Empire 8 in total passing yards with 1,296 and remains third in the conference in passing yards per game with an average of 259.2.
 
Beniquez Rolling: Wide receiver Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) continues to lead the Empire 8 in receptions this season with 37 after catching ten passes in last week's game against Ithaca… He is 109 yards away from breaking Utica College's all-time record for career all-purpose yards.
 
Ground Game: Senior Ryan Burnett (Mount Vernon, NY/Arch Bishop Stepinac) leads the way for the ground attack with his 301 net rushing yards and one touchdown… He has the most carries on the team with 70 and averages a team-high of 60.2 rushing yards per game.
 
Receiving Corps: Although the wide receivers are led by Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston)'s 37 receptions for 380 yards and one touchdown, others have also had a strong showing thus far… Junior Shawn Marchant (Kingston, NY/Kingston) leads the team with three receiving touchdowns to go with his 289 yards on 20 receptions… Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) also has played well as he has recorded two touchdown catches, 267 yards receiving and hauled in 17 receptions.
 
Offensive Milestones: After last week's performance Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) ranks fifth all time with 1,635 career receiving yards and is 160 yards away from becoming fourth all-time… Also with his total of 3,972 all-purpose yards, he is now just 109 yards away from becoming the College's all-time leader for career all-purpose yards... Senior quarterback Teddy VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa)'s performance last week allowed him to become the fourth quarterback in program history to complete 300 passes and throw for 4,000 yards in a career… VanGalen needs 351 yards through the air to move up to third all-time in career passing yards... Two rushing touchdowns will move Ryan Burnett (Mount Vernon, NY/Arch Bishop Stepinac) up to fifth all time in career rushing touchdowns.
 
Defensive Notes
 
More Takeaways to Come: The Pioneers now have six interceptions on the season as Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross) recorded his first interception of the year against Ithaca College… Wilson also recovered his first fumble of the season in last week's game.
 
Rushing the Passer: The Utica College defense recorded two more sacks in its last game... Nicholas Bruzzese (Utica, NY/Proctor) recorded his second solo sack of the season, while Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross) and Daloni Caldwell (Easton, PA/Easton) shared an assisted sack... The team now has 10 total sacks on the year and will continue to apply pressure on the opposing team's quarterback.

Defensive Milestones: Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross) recorded 13 tackles in last week's game, which now puts him nine tackles away from reaching second on the school's all-time list for career tackles... Nicholas Bruzzese (Utica, NY/Proctor) is now sixth all-time in career sacks with eight and needs three more to move up to fifth all-time... Junior defensive back Matthew McCoy (Sherrill, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) needs one more interception to take sole position of fourth all-time for career interceptions.
 
Special Teams
 
Atop the Conference: Kicker Desmond Akpanoko (Roosevelt, NY/Roosevelt) leads the Empire 8 in field goals per game with 1.4… As a freshman he also ranks 16^th in the country with his field goal per game mark... He holds a field goal percentage of 70%, which is good for third best in the conference.

Special Teams Milestone: Nicodemus Gambill (Rochester, NY/East High) is only 83 yards away from becoming sixth all-time for career kick return yards in program-history.
 
All-Time Against Brockport: The Pioneers are 2-2 all time against the Golden Eagles of SUNY Brockport … Since Brockport has joined the Empire 8 two years ago, Utica is 2-0 against their fairly new conference opponent... The last game these two teams played resulted in a 22-19 victory for the Pioneers in overtime... The defense recorded two interceptions as the team tied the game up with a last second field goal in the fourth quarter from the foot of All-American kicker Thomas Woodburn (West Islip, NY/West Islip)... The Pioneers went on to kick a game-winning field goal in overtime to steal the win on the road.
 
A Look at Brockport: Coming off of a 42-38 loss to St. John Fisher, SUNY Brockport currently holds a 2-2 overall record and is 1-1 in conference play... The team averages 40.0 points per game, as its strong offense is led by senior running back Dan Andrews... Andrews has accumulated 478 net rushing yards on 106 carries with eight touchdowns on the ground, as well as 12 receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns through the air... Starting quarterback Brian McKean has thrown only one interception compared to his seven touchdowns this year... Rashad Baker, a sophomore defensive back, leads the defense with 17 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups.
 
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 #LetsGoUC … You can also "Like" the Pioneers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UCpioneers ... Fans can also follow the Pioneers on Instagram or Snapchat by searching UCPioneers.
 
Get The App: 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.