MORRISVILLE, NY- The Utica College football team used one touchdown in each quarter to defeat host Morrisville State 28-21 in the Empire 8 Conference opener Saturday evening at Morrisville's Drake Field. 
 
The Pioneers, who are currently in the "receiving votes" category of the D3football.com national poll, improve to 3-0 (1-0 Empire 8) on the season and will look to use their momentum as they host SUNY Cortland in Empire 8 action next Saturday.  The game, which is part of Utica's homecoming festivities, will start at 1 p.m.  Morrisville, meanwhile, drops to 0-2 and will look to bounce back next week as it travels to Buffalo State.
 
This marks just the third time in program history that the Pioneers have started a season 3-0.  The last time UC was 3-0 to begin a season was in 2014 when the Pioneers went on to win a school-record seven games and earn the program's first ever bowl bid. 
 
Arguably the turning point in the game was a 99-yard kickoff return by senior Nicodemus Gambill (Rochester, NY/East High) to tie the score 21-21 just 14 seconds after the Mustangs scored the go-ahead tally on an 89-yard TD run. Gambill's 99-yard return is a new school record, surpassing Jerred Beniquez (Port Ewen, NY/Kingston)'s record of 90 yards that he accomplished in week one last season.
 
The Pioneers scored the winning touchdown with 6:43 remaining as Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) made a highlight reel grab in the corner of the end zone for a three yard completion. Vincent finished the day with five catches for 73 yards and one TD.
 
Freshman Lindell Reed (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) had 11 carries for 24 yards and two touchdowns.  He leads the team with four rushing touchdowns this season.  Senior Ryan Burnett (Mount Vernon, NY/Arch Bishop Stepinac) totaled a team-high 78 yards on 19 carries.  He now has 1,009 career rushing yards, becoming just the fifth player in program history to record over 1,000 yards rushing in a career.
 
Teddy VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) was 18-of-31 for 193 yards and one touchdown.  He ranks second in the E8 with 251.7 yards per game.  He is also third in the conference with a 61.8 completion percentage.
 
Senior Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross) recorded a team-high 10 tackles and he needs just three more to move into third place on the College's all-time list.  Anthony Bierria-Anderson (Freeport, NY/Freeport) and Dehstin Smart (Paterson, NJ/Hackensack) each had eight tackles on the day, while freshman Jack Derby (Fonda, NY/Fultonville Fonda) had seven tackles and half a sack.  Isaiah Washington (Ozone Park, NY/Fort Hamilton) and Nick Yelich (Lancaster, NY/Depew) each had five tackles and combined for 1.5 sacks.  Sophomore Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) had six tackles, including four solo, and recorded one interception return for 21 yards.
 
Morrisville was a force on the ground, racking up 294 yards rushing.  Darrell West totaled 256 yards on 28 attempts, including an 89-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
 
Wallace Stephens led the Mustangs with a game-high 12 tackles, while Anthony Deese had three tackles and one interception.