The Utica College football team looks to regain control of a winning record this weekend as it hosts Alfred University in an Empire 8 matchup. The Saxons visit Charles A. Gaetano Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 20, with opening kickoff slated for 2 p.m.

Broadcast Information: Saturday's game will be broadcast over the radio airwaves by WPNR 90.7 FM. Utica College senior James Den Bleyker will be on the play-by-play, with UC student Ryan Van Laere on color commentary this weekend. Fans can also follow the contest via Pioneers All-Access live video and stats: http://bit.ly/2wtxUV5. Fans interested in viewing the game on their televisions are also offered a streamlined experience for their television connected devices through the Empire 8 digital apps. The apps are available for popular devices including Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire. See your respective app store for availability.
 
The Series: This will be the eighteenth all-time meeting between Utica and Alfred. The Saxons have won fifteen of the previous seventeen meetings between the two. Both of Utica's wins have been at home in the series in 2012, and in 2014.

Last Year's Meeting: Alfred narrowly got by Utica before going on to finish second in the Empire 8 conference. The final score of the week three meeting was 24-17. Utica rallied out of a 17-3 hole in the third quarter to give itself a chance to win and trailed by just seven points with two minutes left, but the rally fell just short. Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns under center for Utica, who went a perfect 3-for-3 inside the red zone. Receiver Jayden Gavidia put up the second best receiving performance in Alfred history with a 13 catch, 207 yard performance to headline the Saxon win. Gavidia has been a limited factor this year for Alfred with just over 100 receiving yards in five games.

Last Time Out: The Pioneers were unable to overcome a slow start as a second half aerial flurry fell short at Morrisville by a 41-24 score in Empire 8 play. Morrisville got off to a roaring start in the matchup snaring an early 14-0 lead while holding Utica to just seven total yards of offense in the opening quarter en route to the win. The Mustangs grabbed a 21-3 lead as the half progressed before the Pioneer offense got going through the air. Freshman quarterback Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) threw for three touchdowns, two to senior Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay), in the final 35 minutes of play in an effort to get Utica back in the mix, but the Mustangs had an answer each time as they topped the Pioneers for a second straight year. Utica was outgained in total yards for the first time all season, 445-392, and were held to a season low 77 rushing yards while the Mustangs rolled up 195 yards on the ground. Wilcox threw for his second highest yardage total of the year at 315 yards.  Receiver Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) finished with 11 catches for 127 yards, and Vincent added 97 yards to his pair of receiving touchdowns. Freshman Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) caught his second career touchdown. On defense, Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) had a career day with 20 tackles for a defense that held Morrisville to 4-of-13 on third downs.

Where They Sit: Utica enters the matchup at 3-3 overall, and 1-2 in the Empire 8 conference where they currently sit in a four way tie for fourth place. The Saxons are 3-1 in the Empire 8 conference and 4-2 overall, where they stand in a tie for second with Cortland. Brockport is unbeaten at 6-0, and holds a 3-0 mark in the conference. For Utica, Saturday presents an opportunity to gain leverage on their fourth place peers, while also gaining ground on a top three team within the conference.

Step In The Right Direction: A win on Saturday, or at any point during the remainder of the season, would assure that Utica increases its win total over last season. Utica finished the 2017 campaign at 3-7.
 
Unforgiving Return Policy: Utica has not allowed opponents to break even on punt return yards at any point this season, as they have allowed negative two punt return yards for the entire year so far. That total is fifth in all of Division III football, and the longest return against Utica's punting unit this year is one yard in Week 1. They have not allowed an opponent to attempt a punt return since a loss to RPI in week 3. Utica will need that effort to stand up this week, as Alfred's Kevin Bragaglia is 5th in the nation at 20.9 yards per punt return.
 
Keeping Count: When going by the points each team has scored and allowed this season, Saturday could stand to be an even matchup between the Pioneers and Saxons. Utica stands fourth in the Empire 8 conference in scoring offense at 28.2 points per game, while the Saxons sit in third at 28.8 points per game. On defense, Utica turns the tables on that ranking with a third place standing in scoring defense at 23.8 points against per game, and Alfred sits fourth at 25.2 points allowed per game. 

Yardage, And Yadda Yadda Yadda: Utica is third in the Empire 8 conference in total offense at 421.8 yards per game, and second in total defense at 349.0 yards per game. The latter mark is especially notable given that the only team Utica trails is No. 4 Brockport, who has been allowing just 169 yards per game. On the ground, Utica is fourth in the Empire 8 in rushing offense at 148.3 yards per game, and the run defense has been collectively stingy at just 87.0 yards against per game to stand second. Through the air, Utica ranks fourth in the Empire 8 at 273.5 passing yards per game, and is eighth in pass defense at 262.0 yards against per game.

Get The Ball Downfield: As freshman quarterback Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) continues to grow in his opening campaign, the first year signal caller has been climbing up the national leaderboards while writing his name into the UC record books. Wilcox's average of 280.0 yards per game stands 20th in the nation in Division III, and second among eligible Empire 8 Conference quarterbacks. For the season, he has completed 118 of his first 231 attempts for 1400 yards and 13 touchdowns. He already holds school single game marks for passes attempted (61), passing yards (461), and longest completion by a quarterback (78 yards vs. Cortland). His 1400 yards passing through six games is already the ninth highest total for a season in his five appearances, and he needs just 976 more passing yards to set a new UC single season mark for passing yards by a freshman quarterback. 82 more completions would tie the mark for completions by a freshman.

Mr. Touchdown: Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) ranks first on the UC roster this season in touchdowns scored, as he has been to the endzone five times on passes from Wilcox. He has amassed that entire total in three of the last four games, and his five scores would have ranked first among receivers on last year's squad. One more touchdown reception would move Vincent into a tie for sixth on the college's single season list, and another would slide him into a tie for second. For the year, Vincent has 301 receiving yards. His touchdown total places him in a tie for fifth among Empire 8 receivers this season.

Opportunity Knocks: Sophomore running back Lamont McGriff (Yonkers, NY/Iona Prep) has made good on his opportunities to carry the football in the three games he has appeared in this season. His 38 yards rushing on Saturday led all Pioneer running backs with leading rusher Malcolm Stowe (Coram, NY/Longwood) limited to just five carries. For the season, McGriff has averaged 4.2 yards per carry and added his first career touchdown in a win over Catholic.


Miller's A Good Call: Junior wideout Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) continues to provide an uncoverable presence downfield to fuel the Pioneer passing game, as he caught ten balls or more for a fourth time in his last seven games, and had his second 100 yard receiving game of the year on Saturday. Miller had 11 catches for 127 yards on Saturday with a,long of 27 yards. For the season, he has 54 catches for 599 yards and four touchdowns and is averaging 99.8 yards per game through the air. Miller is fourth in the nation in receptions per game at 9.8 per contest, and is 40th in the nation in total receiving yards. His 54 catches are currently eighth most in a single season in UC history with four games left to go. One more catch would progress him into a tie for sixth on the list, and he needs the attainable sum of 33 more catches to tie Jerred Beniquez for Utica's single season mark, which he would exceed if his average continues for the next four games.
 
Hello There: Receivers Keegan Wright (Cicero, NY/Cicero North Syracuse) and Brandon Woods (Malone, NY/Franklin Academy) both collected their first career reception in a varsity game on Saturday.

Keep It Moving: Utica is second in the Empire 8 conference in first downs converted per game at 23.8 per matchup. Of the 140 first downs Utica has locked up this season, 80 of those conversions have happened through the air. Utica has gained another 47 on the ground, and 16 by penalty.
 
Settling In: Utica's offensive line has made great strides in protecting the quarterback since the start of the season. After allowing ten sacks in the first two weeks, the Pioneer front has allowed just three sacks in its last four games.

Your Loss, Our Gain: Defensive end Robbie Schempp (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) and linebacker Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) currently lead the Pioneers with 4.0 tackles for loss each. They stand tied for 21st in the Empire 8 in that category. 

Drop And Give Me 20: Sophomore linebacker Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) produced a simply sublime performance against Morrisville with a team-high 20 tackles. The performance was a landmark one in the history of the program, as Addo becomes just the third player in school history to have a 20 tackle game. His total stands tied for third all time alongside Jim Tedesco, who had 20 in a game against Husson in September of 2004. Addo's total is also the most by a Utica player since Anthony Venturino's school record 23 tackles against Springfield in October of 2004.
 
Nobody Move: Addo currently sets the team pace for the season with 49 tackles, and fellow linebacker Antonio Scala (Coram, NY/Longwood) is close behind with 45. Safety Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) is in a tie for third with 31 tackles alongside lineman Keanu Heedram (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta). Mark Taylor (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) is the team leader in solo stops with 20.
 
Ready or Not, Here We Come: Utica has been relentless this season at placing pressure on opposing quarterbacks, as the Pioneers stand second in the Empire 8 in sacks. Utica has gotten to the quarterback twelve times for a loss of 83 yards. The pressure has been coming from all sides, as nine players have picked up least one sack credited to their name this season. Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) and Shane Walpole (Mechanicville, NY/Shenendehowa) set the team pace with two each.

I Award You No Points: Opponents are not operating well against Utica's defense in the red zone. Utica has been at its best with their backs to the wall, as opponents are just 10-of-19 overall getting points inside the Utica 20 yard line, and only six of those scores have been touchdowns. Helping the cause has been Utica's stinginess in allowing rushing scores, as they have allowed just four rushing touchdowns in their first six games.

We're Very Picky: Utica has intercepted nine passes this season. Mark Taylor (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) and Matt Stone (Rochester, NY/Brighton) hold the team lead with two interceptions apiece this year, and Taylor and Ben Vargas (Holbrook, NY/Sachem East) have each returned an interception for a touchdown. Utica is just one of four Empire 8 teams with a pick six this season, and have two of the nine overall in the conference this year. They stand fourth in the conference in total interceptions.

Veni Vedi Medici: Kicker Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) converted a season long 31 yard field goal against Morrisville on Saturday. For the season he is currently 3-of-6 on field goal attempts.

About The Saxons: Alfred University enters this week's matchup with a 4-2 record, and stand in a tie for second with a 3-1 record in the Empire 8 Conference under head coach Bob Rankl. They are coming off their first Empire 8 loss of the season as they were walloped by No. 4 Brockport by a 52-0 score, their first shutout loss since 2011. The Saxons feature the Empire 8's leading rusher in Nasir Smith, who has posted 111 yards per game on average, a conference best nine rushing touchdowns, and 5.6 yards per carry. He has been held under 100 rushing yards just twice in six weeks. Ben Burk is the team's new starting quarterback and has tossed seven touchdowns to go with 875 passing yards. Receiver Robert Smith has made 18 catches for 304 yards and four touchdown grabs.  On defense, the Saxons hold a strong linebacking corps with the Empire 8's leading tackler, Cole Reed at the forefront. Reed averages a conference best 13.0 tackles per game, and is also leading the conference in solo stops per game. Linebacker Nick Milgate is the third leading tackler in the Empire 8 with 10.5 tackles per game. The Saxons defense leads the Empire 8 with 13 interceptions, a total that is tied for second in the nation, and they also lead the conference in turnover margin. Among common opponents with Utica, the Saxons have beaten both Cortland (38-33), and Morrisville (27-22) this year.

Who's Next: Utica wraps up the home portion of its schedule next week on Saturday, Oct. 27 as they host nationally ranked Brockport on Senior Day. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.