Utica, NY - The Utica College football team will take to the road for the first time since the season opener as it ventures to Morrisville for an Empire 8 matchup on Saturday. Opening kickoff on the turf at Morrisville's Drake Field is scheduled for noon.

Where We Stand: Utica is currently 3-2, and 1-1 in the Empire 8 Conference following Saturday's win. They currently sit in a tie for fourth place with 1-1 Buffalo State. Alfred (2-0) and No. 4 Brockport (3-0) are currently unbeaten in conference play, while Cortland sits third at 2-1 in the Empire 8. Hartwick, Morrisville, and St. John Fisher are all still hunting for their first Empire 8 wins of the season.

Believe Bowl Win In The Cards: The Pioneers spotted an early 7-0 lead to St. John Fisher's opening drive on a passing touchdown from Josh Michels to Cam Cleveland, but it was all Utica from that point forward as they scored 33 unanswered points to defeat the Cardinals for a second time in program history, 33-7. The Utica defense was impeccable following the early score, as they otherwise silenced the Cardinals. Utica held Fisher to a season low 224 yards of total offense, a rushing total of minus-twelve yards, and a 4-of-17 clip on third downs. Utica's defense notched a season-best four interceptions, which ranks as the second best clip in program history, and two of those interceptions belonged to junior defensive back Mark Taylor (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) including one he returned for a touchdown. Utica put up 298 yards of offense paced by Malcolm Stowe's (Coram, NY/Longwood) 120 yards and a rushing touchdown, and Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) completed 12 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. The win came as part of the second annual New York State Tool Believe Bowl, which supports the Believe 271 Foundation and the Thea Bowman House.

The Big Five-Oh: Saturday's win over Fisher marks the 50th win in the head coaching career of Blaise Faggiano at Utica. Faggiano has been with the Pioneers since 2008, and got the chance on Saturday to earn the milestone win while competing against one of his mentors, St. John Fisher head coach Paul Vosburgh. Faggiano was previously the defensive coordinator for the Cardinals prior to assuming the helm at Utica.

Another Week, Another Record: Utica continued to be especially firm while defending against the run on Saturday, as the Cardinals were held to negative yards on the ground. The minus-twelve yard performance marks the fewest rushing yards allowed for a single game in the history of the Utica College football program. Utica now ranks second in the Empire 8 conference in run defense at 65.4 yards allowed per game, and the Pioneers have surrendered just two rushing touchdowns.

Player of the Week: Junior defensive back Mark Taylor (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) is currently the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week. Taylor earned the honors following Utica's win over Fisher on Saturday. He spearheaded the defensive charge with a pair of interceptions to go along with a season-high nine tackles. He expanded on a narrow two point lead for the Pioneers when he picked off a pass and promptly returned it 74 yards for his first collegiate interception return touchdown. He added another interception in the fourth quarter as he secured a pass that was initially tipped by safety Ben Vargas (Holbrook, NY/Sachem East).

Pick Party: Utica's four interceptions on Saturday sit in a tie for second for a single game in the history of the program. The Pioneers have picked off nine passes, a total which sits fourth in the Empire 8 conference.

The X Factor: Defensive end Xyier Woodard (Albany, NY/LaSalle) recorded his third fumble recovery of the season on Saturday. That places him into a tie for the national lead, as nine others across Division III also have recovered three fumbles this season.

The Real McCoy: Senior defensive back Matt McCoy had his best game yet against Fisher since moving to the safety position to start the 2018 season. The former VVS Red Devil posted two pass breakups and also reeled in an interception to aid the smothering Pioneer defensive effort against Fisher. The interception was McCoy's first since he led the Pioneers with five picks during the 2015 season.

A Day At The Derby: Defensive end Jack Derby (Fonda, NY/Fultonville Fonda) has turned in a strong performance in two games since missing the start of the season. The veteran starter has turned in seven tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack since returning to supplement an already deep defensive line rotation.

Schempp Stories: Defensive end Robbie Schempp (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) also got himself in on the act of disrupting the Fisher backfield on Saturday. The junior edge rusher tied a season best with four tackles, netted 2.5 tackles for loss, and also forced the fumble that was later recovered by Xyier Woodard (Albany, NY/LaSalle).

Please Have A Seat: Utica's linebacking corps has been shouldering much of the load defensively this season, as the team's top three tacklers all come from that layer of the defense. Antonio Scala (Coram, NY/Longwood) leads the way with 39 stops in what continues to be his breakout season, Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) has added 29 tackles in his first full season as a starter, and rover linebacker Dehstin Smart (Paterson, NJ/Hackensack) has been taking on all comers with a team-best 19 solo tackles on 26 total stops.

Measuring Up On The Yardstick: Utica has outgained their opponent in total offense in every game they've played this season. The Pioneers stand third in the Empire 8 in total offense at 428.7 yards per game, and third in total defense at 329.8 yards per game against. Utica's offense is also fourth in the Empire 8 at 29.0 points per game while the defense allows 20.4 points per game, which is the third best total in the conference.

We Like To Move It, Move It: The Pioneers are second in the Empire 8 conference in first down average at 24 times moving the sticks per game. They have not recorded less than 20 first downs in any game this season.

He Throws Pellets: Quarterback Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) continues to find ways to impress through four career starts. The freshman eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for passing yards with his 152 passing yards and a touchdown on just 29 attempts in the win over Fisher. He is the first Utica freshman to throw for over 1,000 yards in a season since Andrew Benkwitt in 2009, and could be in position to break Benkwitt's freshman passing mark of 2,375 yards by season's end with five games left. For the year, Wilcox has thrown for 1,085 yards and ten touchdowns.

Malcolm Causes Chaos: Senior running back Malcolm Stowe (Coram, NY/Longwood) has been saving his best performance for last, as his 580 rushing yards at the midway point of the season is already a career single season best. He has rushed for 100 yards or more in each of the last three games, and has also scored a touchdown in each of the last two weeks. His 116 rushing yards per game is second in the Empire 8 conference.


If You've Got The Time, He's Got The Ball: Junior wide receiver Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) came up big to help put the game away on Saturday. The stalwart at slot receiver posted three catches for 59 yards to spark Utica on a 10-play, 99 yard drive for their first touchdown in the second quarter of Saturday's game. He later added a second half receiving touchdown showing tremendous balance inside the right sideline to make the catch over the defender on a 14 yard strike from Wilcox. He finished the day with seven catches for 98 yards and the second half score. For the season, he has 43 catches for 472 yards and four touchdowns. His 8.6 receptions per game stand eighth nationally and lead the Empire 8, and his 94.4 yards per game rank third in the Empire 8 conference.

It's Knight Time: Rome Free Academy graduate Brad Dougherty (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) recorded his first career rushing touchdown out of the Pioneer backfield on Saturday as he scored from eight yards out late in the fourth quarter of the win against Fisher.


We'll Call You When It's Ready: The Pioneers have done a tremendous job of controlling time of possession in the last two games. Utica won the time of possession battle in the loss to Cortland by over fourteen minutes, and over ten minutes in the win over Fisher. For the year, Utica has been out-possessing opponents by 5:13 per game and they rank third in the Empire 8 in time of possession.

Scouting Morrisville: The Mustangs are currently 2-3, and 0-2 in the Empire 8 conference. The Empire 8 losses have come in their past two contests with Morrisville losing to Cortland 51-14, and Alfred by a 27-22 score. On Saturday, Cortland scored the first 37 points of the game to send the Mustangs to their third loss of the season. Sophomore quarterback Johnny Vigliotti threw for 152 yards in relief of starter Brandon Gwinner in the loss. The Mustangs are fifth in the Empire 8 in scoring offense at 25.6 points per game. They are strongest in the ground game offensively with 157.2 rushing yards per game to stand fourth in the Empire 8. Nick Edmond's average of 73 rushing yards per game is good for fourth in the Empire 8 conference. The Mustang defense allows 35.8 points per game, and safety Mike Bodnar is their best playmaker on that side of the ball with 45 tackles.

Last Year Against The Mustangs: A missed two point conversion that could have tied the game, and a missed 35 yard field goal attempt that would have won the game as time expired came back to haunt Utica as they fell 37-35 to Morrisville at Charles A. Gaetano stadium in their 2017 meeting. Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) had a breakout game for Utica in the loss with 11 catches for 93 yards, and Vinny Aloi (Chester, NY/Chester Academy) threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns. Keanu Heedram (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) led the Utica defense with 12 tackles and safety Anthony Bierria Anderson returned an interception for 80 yards and a touchdown in his final quarter of college football. Morrisvile received a 197 yard effort on the ground by Nick Edmond in their second ever win over Utica.

The Series: Utica and Morrisville have met each year since 2014. The series began in a Morrisville win in the 2014 ECAC North Central Bowl game, and transitioned into an Empire 8 showdown the following year. The game is sure to be a tight one with the all-time series tied at two games apiece, and the last two meetings have been decided by a total of nine points.

Hey, We Know That Guy: Morrisville State is coached by former Utica College offensive coordinator Curt Fitzpatrick, who is now in his sixth season on the Mustang sideline. He was at the controls of the Pioneer offense for five years, the best coming in 2012 when Utica averaged 34.2 points per game and 465 yards per game.

Come on Down: Saturday marks one of your best opportunities to see Utica on the road this season, as the Pioneers will be approximately a 40 minute drive away from campus for Saturday's game.

Who's Next: After this week's road trip, Utica continues its recent Gaetano Stadium residency with two more games to wrap up its home schedule. Home field advantage may be definitive, as Utica welcomes arguably its two toughest conference opponents to Gaetano Stadium in consecutive weeks. The Pioneers will meet Alfred on Oct. 20, and hold senior day against No. 4 Brockport on Oct. 27.