UTICA, NY – The Utica College football team was selected to participate in an ECAC Bowl game for just the second time in program-history during the #ECACD3FBFEST selection show on Monday.  The Pioneers will travel to historic Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania to take on Westminster College (PA) in the #ECACD3FBFEST James Lynah Bowl on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Follow the Game Live
Broadcast Info:  Saturday's game will be broadcast over the radio airwaves on ESPN Utica/Rome (1310 AM) by UC alum Ray Biggs … Live streaming audio can also be accessed on ESPNUR's website, www.espnur.com, or listeners can download the ESPN Utica/Rome APP available in the Google Play store and on Apple ITunes by searching "ESPNUR".

Live Video: Fans can watch all the action of #ECACD3FBFEST live ... Each game will air on www.ECACsports.com/watch with Seth Cantor and Emory Hunt in the broadcast booth powered by Pack Network.

Tickets: A limited number of discounted tickets are available to alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and friends for $10. (Admission at the gate is $20.) … To purchase tickets, visit utica.edu/tickets or ucpioneers.com … Purchased tickets will be available for pickup at the Utica College Will Call at Franklin Field on Saturday morning … A limited number of tickets, including bus transportation, are available for students on a first-come, first-served basis … Students should visit uticatickets.com or contact the Office of Student Activities for details … Following the postgame awards ceremony, Head Coach Blaise Faggiano will address all UC fans in attendance in an on-field gathering.

ECAC Notes
Historic Franklin Field: The University of Pennsylvania's historic football stadium has hosted the best in collegiate and professional competition for most of the century … Originally opened in 1895 (at a cost of $100,000) for the first running of the Penn Relays, the stadium was rebuilt in 1922 in its present form ... Franklin Field, deemed by the NCAA as the oldest stadium still operating for football games, has been the site of the nation's first scoreboard (1895), the nation's first two-tiered stadium (1922), the first football radio broadcast (WIP, 1922), the first football telecast (PhilCo, 1939) and Vince Lombardi's only NFL playoff loss (1960).

Empire 8 Dominated Field: 12 teams were selected to play in six bowl games by the #ECACD3FBFEST selection committee … Four teams from the Empire 8 Conference earned bowl bids including Utica College (7-3), St. John Fisher College (8-2), SUNY Cortland (5-5) and the College at Brockport (7-3)  … The remaining participants include Carnegie Mellon University (7-3), Frostburg State University (9-1), Kean University (6-4), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (5-5), Salisbury University (7-3), Maritime College (6-4), Washington and Jefferson College (8-2) and Westminster College (7-3) … For more information about the 2016 #ECACD3FBFEST please visit: www.ecacsports.com.

Team Notes
Overall Record: UC (7-3, 5-3 Empire 8) wrapped up regular season play last Saturday and secured its seventh victory for just the second time in program-history as the Pioneers topped host Hartwick College, 52-40 … Utica has now won seven games and earned an ECAC Bowl bid in two of its last three seasons … The Pioneers won five Empire 8 games for just the second time in program-history and finished in fourth place in the final regular season conference standings.

Bowl History: The last time Utica earned a bid into an ECAC Bowl game was back in 2014 as the Pioneers traveled to Morrisville State for the ECAC North Central Bowl Championship back on Nov. 22, 2014 … The Pioneers 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.

Last Week: The Pioneers outscored host Hartwick College 27-9 in the second half to rally for a 52-40 victory over the Hawks in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday at Wright Stadium ... The two teams accumulated 1,147 yards of offense on the day … Utica posted a season-high 563 yards of total offense and the Pioneers' 52 point effort is the most points scored in a single game since week one of the 2014 season.

Building a Winning Tradition: Utica, in its 16th season of NCAA Div. III varsity football, has now won at least five games in five of its last seven seasons … Head Coach Blaise Faggiano is 44-47 in just under nine full seasons at the helm … He is the program's all-time leader in career wins and he is also just the second coach in the 16 year history of the program. 

Offensive Notes
Signal Caller:  Senior quarterback Teddy VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) threw for a career-high 412 yards and three touchdowns as the Pioneers rallied from a 31-25 halftime deficit to earn the victory over Hartwick on Saturday ... He finished the regular season ranked 21st nationally and first in the Empire 8 with a 64.5% completion percentage … He is also ranked 33rd nationally and first in the Empire 8 with 21.80 completions per game … His 2,589 yards passing this season rank fourth on the College's single season list … VanGalen became just the second quarterback in program-history to eclipse 5,000 career passing yards last weekend against Hartwick … He now ranks second on the College's all-time list with 5,317 career passing yards … He also ranks second all-time at UC with 432 completions and 29 touchdown passes.

Primary Target:  Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston) finished the regular season ranked 12th nationally and first in the Empire 8 Conference with an average of 8.0 catches per game … He caught a career-high 14 balls for 200 yards and two touchdowns against Hartwick last weekend … He became just the second player in program-history to catch 200 career passes … He also set a new single season record with 80 catches this season … He is now the fourth player in program-history to register over 2,000 career receiving yards.

Burnett Eyeing Single Season Record: Last weekend, senior running back Ryan Burnett (Mount Vernon, NY/Arch Bishop Stepinac) moved into second place on the College's all-time list with 1,801 career rushing yards … He needs 46 yards to become the College's all-time leading rusher … He is just the second running back in program-history to rush for over 900 yards in a single season … He now has 920 yards rushing this season which ranks second on the College's single season list, just 26 yards shy of Mike Capra's single season record set back in 2005 … He finished the regular season ranked second in the Empire 8 Conference with an average of 92.0 yards rushing per game … Utica is unbeaten this season when Burnett carries the ball for over 100 yards. 

Scoring Machine:  Freshman Lindell Reed (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) rushed for three touchdowns last weekend against Hartwick and has tied the program-record for rushing touchdowns in a single season with 12 … He finished the regular season ranked fourth in the Empire 8 Conference in rushing touchdowns. 

Receiving Threats: Utica's Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) and Shawn Marchant (Kingston, NY/Kingston) have combined for 77 catches and 1,173 yards receiving this season … They each have four touchdown catches … Shawn Marchant (Kingston, NY/Kingston) leads the team with an average of 16.09 yards per catch … Vincent has seven or more catches in three of his last five starts. 

Defensive Notes
National Team of the Week: Senior defensive lineman Nicholas Bruzzese (Utica, NY/Proctor) was named to the D3football.com National Team of the Week, and he also earned Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Week, for the first time in his career on Monday … Bruzzese set a new school-record with 4.5 sacks in the Pioneers 52-40 win over Hartwick College on Saturday … He finished the regular season ranked first in the Empire 8 with eight sacks …  He leads all Utica defensive lineman with a career-high 36 tackles this season … He now ranks fourth on the College's all-time list with 14.0 career sacks … He has played in 31 career games and has 101 tackles to go along with 21.5 tackles for a loss of 104 yards … Bruzzese is the second Pioneer in as many weeks to earn National Team of the Week status, joining senior specialist Nicodemus Gambill (Rochester, NY/East High) who was honored following his 97 yard kickoff return for a touchdown in week nine against Alfred … Bruzzese is now the eighth player in program-history to earn the National Team of the Week distinction.

Defensive Leader: Senior linebacker Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross) finished the regular season ranked fifth in the Empire 8 Conference with an average of 9.5 tackles per game … He has registered 10+ tackles in six of ten games this season … He is ranked 68th nationally in total tackles … He is tied for second on the team with 3.5 sacks and has also added two interceptions … He ranks second all-time at Utica with 331 career tackles … He is just the second player in program-history with 300+ career tackles … In four seasons he has recorded 9.5 career sacks, 25.0 tackles for a loss, four interceptions and 10 pass breakups … He is also a two-time Empire 8 All-Conference selection (2015-1st Team, 2014-2nd Team).

Strong Secondary: Utica led the Empire 8 with 16 interceptions this season … Six players recorded at least two interceptions … Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) leads Utica with four interceptions, while Anthony Bierria-Anderson (Freeport, NY/Freeport) ranks second on the team with three … Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross), Matt Stone (Rochester, NY/Brighton), Chancellor Harris (West Henrietta, NY/Rush Henrietta) and Dehstin Smart (Paterson, NJ/Hackensack) have each posted two interceptions this year … Harris leads the team with eight pass breakups, while Matthew McCoy (Sherrill, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) ranks second on the team with six pass breakups.

Cleaning Up: Wilson leads the team with 95 tackles this year … Anthony Bierria-Anderson (Freeport, NY/Freeport) ranks second on the team with 58 tackles, while Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) ranks third with 43 tackles … Isaiah Washington (Ozone Park, NY/Fort Hamilton) has posted 41 tackles and Matt Stone (Rochester, NY/Brighton) has 37.   

Special Teams Notes
Return Specialist: Senior Nicodemus Gambill (Rochester, NY/East High) finished the regular season ranked fourth nationally and first in the Empire 8 with an average of 32.7 yards per kickoff return … His two kickoff returns for a touchdown this season are tied for third nationally … Gambill currently has 687 kick return yards this season and needs 11 more yards to set the College's single season record. 

Kicking Game: Freshman kicker Desmond Akpanoko (Roosevelt, NY/Roosevelt) ranks 59th nationally and third in the Empire 8 Conference with an average of .80 field goals per game this season … He is currently tied for third on the College's single season field goals made list (eight) … Akpanoko needs three more field goals to move into second in the single season record book.

Meet the Opponent
First Meeting: Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between Westminster and Utica … The two teams did not face a common opponent this season … Westminster (7-3) is making its second straight ECAC Bowl appearance as the Titans won 42-21 over St. John Fisher College in the same bowl last year, which marked Westminster's first postseason victory since 1996.

Scouting Westminster: Westminster (7-3), located in New Wilmington, PA, is a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) and has posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1996 (9-3) – 1997 (9-2) … They have won four of their last six games, including a 24-0 victory in their regular season finale last weekend against Geneva … The Titans are currently averaging 31.5 points per game and have outscored opponents 315-177 through ten games … Dominique McKinley is the leading rusher with 838 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground … Quarterback Paul Columbo has completed 121 passes for 1,515 yards and 14 touchdowns … Bryson Paulinellie leads the Titans with 411 yards receiving … Kicker Justin Dahl leads the team with 63 points scored (11 field goals, 30 extra points) … Mac Quinn is the Titans' leading tackler with 86 … CJ Armstrong leads the defense with 7.5 sacks … Gator Phillips and Todd Jeter each posted a team-high three interceptions … The Titans finished fifth in the final PAC standings with a 5-3 conference record.