The Utica College football team plays its sixth of six home games on Saturday, Oct. 23 as they meet No. 3 Brockport at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. The team will celebrate its annual senior day festivities before a 2 p.m. kickoff.
 
Where We Stand: The Pioneers are currently 4-3, and 2-2 in the Empire 8 Conference where they sit in a tie for fourth. Getting back above the .500 mark for Utica is pivotal, as it aids their cause in earning an invitation to either the New York State Bowl game, or an ECAC Bowl Game. Utica has grabbed hold of wins in two of their last three games over established programs at St. John Fisher and Alfred. Both of those victories have come at home. Utica is currently 3-2 on home turf.

Last Year: Brockport was forced to play from behind for the first time in their unbeaten 2017 regular season as Utica struck quickly on a two yard run by tailback Lindell Reed (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), but the 7-0 lead did not last as the Golden Eagles posted the next four touchdowns in a tightly played 28-14 game at Shriver Stadium. Brockport managed 477 yards of offense to Utica's 210 in the game. Vinny Aloi (Chester, NY/Chester Academy) threw for 103 yards for Utica after relieving Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) of his starting quarterback duties, and the Brockport offense was led by Justin Morrison's 127 yards and two touchdowns, including a long carry of 78 yards. 

Last Time Out: Utica grabbed a fast 13-0 lead, then overcame a 16-13 halftime deficit by holding Alfred to just six second half points as the host Pioneers topped the Saxons, 30-22. The win was just the third for Utica over Alfred in series history. The matchup was a back-and-forth affair that showcased the grit of both squads. Utica put the onus on the visitors early with a pair of passing touchdowns from freshman quarterback Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) to Josh Connor (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West) and Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) in the final 5:39 of the first quarter. The Saxons swung momentum back their own way by responding with a 50 yard touchdown pass from Ben Burk to Kevin Bragaglia to put the score at 13-7 after one. The passing score was a spark for the Saxons, who found the endzone twice in the second quarter to grab the 16-13 lead at the break. In the second half, the Pioneer defense turned up the heat while two unlikely heroes found paydirt to give Utica a permanent lead. On offense, former linebacker Isaiah Washington (Ozone Park, NY/Fort Hamilton) had his first career rushing touchdown to give the Pioneers a 20-16 lead. On defense, Dehstin Smart (Paterson, NJ/Hackensack) continued a run of tremendous recent play with a score of his own. After Alfred crept within a point on a Ben Sennett field goal in the fourth, Smart opened up a larger lead as he scooped up a fumble on the north sideline and ran it back 60 yards to help the Pioneers seal the deal. Both teams traded late field goals to arrive at the final score. Wilcox completed 17-of-34 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns to set the pace for the Pioneers on offense, and Washington produced 69 yards on 12 carries. Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) had six catches for a team best 83 yards as the Pioneers put up 313 total yards. The Utica defense held Alfred to just 102 rushing yards and a 4-for-18 clip on third downs. Smart paced the Pioneers with 10 tackles, and defensive lineman Keanu Heedram (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) added nine of his own. Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) and Elijah Belle (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) each picked off a pass for Utica.
 
Player of The Week: Dehstin Smart (Paterson, NJ/Hackensack) was named the Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Week after his performance against Alfred. The senior rover linebacker turned safety put up a team-best 10 tackles and added one pass breakup, but his most definitive contribution may have come in the fourth quarter. With a thin 20-19 lead on the board and the Saxons driving into Pioneer territory, Smart recovered a fumble and promptly took it 60 yards to the endzone for the scoop and score touchdown. The defensive score helped the Pioneers stave off a late Saxon rally. Smart ranks fifth on the team with 38 tackles this season. He has 4.0 TFLs, three pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery. 23 of his 38 stops have been solo.

Salient Points: Utica stands a strong third in the Empire 8 conference in scoring defense at 28.6 yards per game. They are also fourth in scoring offense at 28.4 points per game. Brockport leads the Empire 8 in both categories.

Counting The Chips: The Pioneers are currently averaging 406 yards of total offense to stand third in the Empire 8 conference. Defensively, the Pioneers are allowing 349 yards per game to stand fifth in the conference. When they have the ball, Utica's strength has been in the passing game where they average 268 yards per game and have scored 15 of their 25 team touchdowns. On defense, Utica excels against the ground game where they continue to hold opponents to an average of less than 100 yards per contest.

Throwing Darts: Freshman quarterback Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) continues to deliver the goods for the Pioneers on offense. The rookie signal caller is currently 135 of 265 for 1,636 yards and 15 touchdowns in six starts. His 272 pass yards per game stand 19th in the country.  Wilcox needs just 739 more yards to set a new school mark for passing yards in a season by a freshman quarterback. His 15 touchdown tosses are tied for fifth most in a season at Utica alongside a pair of 15 pass touchdown seasons for two year starter Teddy VanGalen.

Plays Great, Less Filling: Another six catches in Saturday's game has kept Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) firmly in the national limelight as one of the country's best possession targets out of the slot. The junior receiver currently has 60 grabs for 682 yards and four touchdowns. He is averaging a conference best 8.6 receptions per game and has ten more catches than anyone else in the conference. He is tied for 36th in the nation in total receiving yards and he is sixth in the country in receptions per game.

Running Back Readings: Malcolm Stowe (Coram, NY/Longwood) leads Utica with 600 net yards rushing and two touchdowns, but has been largely out of action the past two weeks. Stowe carried the ball five times against Morrisville, then did not get a carry last week against Alfred. In his place, the Pioneers are trying to use a committee approach as Isaiah Washington (Ozone Park, NY/Fort Hamilton), Brad Dougherty (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), Lamont Mcgriff, and Tim Hogan (Glen Cove, NY/Glen Cove) all got carries in his absence. Washington's 69 yards against Alfred led all Pioneer rushers and set a personal career high by over 50 yards for a game.

Checking Into Motel Six: Senior receiver Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) is sixth in the Empire 8 conference with six touchdown receptions. Vincent has caught a touchdown in four of the last five games and also has 346 yards receiving for the campaign.

Invisible Fence: Utica continued its relative stinginess in the red zone this season as Alfred was held to a field goal on all three of their trips inside the Utica 20 yard line on Saturday. Opponents are 13-of-22 against Utica in the red zone this year with just six touchdowns.

Down You Go: Antonio Scala (Coram, NY/Longwood) leads the Pioneers this season with 53 tackles, a total good enough to stand in the top 10 in the Empire 8 conference. Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) is close behind with 51, a total bolstered by the first 20 tackle performance in over 10 years by a Pioneer two games ago against Morrisville.

We'll Take That Thank You: Utica has a player leading the Empire 8 conference in both fumbles forced and fumbles recovered. Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) has forced two fumbles this year for the UC defense, and Xyier Woodard (Albany, NY/LaSalle) has recovered a fumble three different times. Woodard is tied for third nationally in fumble recoveries.

Air Traffic Control: Utica has three different players with two interceptions this season. Mark Taylor (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West), Matt Stone (Rochester, NY/Brighton), and Elijah Belle's (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) efforts have gone a long way towards Utica's season total of 11 picks.

Taking A Breather: Utica is the third best defense in the conference at third down percentage defense. The Pioneer defense is only remaining on the field after a third down 33.9 percent of the time. Brockport is limiting opponents to under twelve percent.

In The Red: After a one yard punt return performance for Alfred on Saturday, Utica remains one of the best punt coverage teams in the nation with -1 yards allowed on punt returns this season. They are one of three remaining teams nationally allowing less than zero return yards for the campaign, and they sit third at an average of -.14 yards against per game. The national pace is being set by Baldwin Wallace, who has allowed -4 yards total for the season. A single one yard return for Alfred matched the longest runback against the Utica punt team this entire season, and was the first attempted return by an opponent since Utica's tilt with RPI.

Can We Keep It?: Utica is one of four squads in the Empire 8 conference averaging over half the game in time of possession at 30:53 per contest.

About Brockport: The Golden Eagles are currently 6-0 and have not lost a regular season game since October 29th, 2016, which is good for an 18 game regular season win streak. They rode a 13-0 start all the way to the NCAA Division III Tournament semifinals last year, where they lost to the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. Brockport is known for its merciless defense that has not surrendered more than 12 points to any opponent, and is allowing negative net rushing yards for the campaign at -94. The Golden Eagles lead the Empire 8 in scoring offense at 50.7 points per game, and are allowing just 6.7. On defense, the Golden Eagles will employ a 3-4 base defense under coordinator Mike Fox and that unit is led by the Empire 8 leader in tackles for loss, Tim Terry, who has been credited for 14.5 of them this season. That ranks 14th in the nation. Alex West is the Empire 8 leader in sacks with 5.5. In the secondary, Jake O'Connell was a 2017 All-American, and has a bit of history at Gaetano Stadium as he returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown in a Brockport win at Utica two years ago. Lawrence Jenkins leads the team with 35 tackles. On offense, quarterback Joe Germinerio is already Brockport's all-time leader in passing yards as a junior and has thrown for 1,717 yards, 16 touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing over 70 percent of his passes. He has also rushed for four scores. Sandy Creek grad Joe Benedict has been their leader in the backfield with a team best 404 yards, 7.2 yards per carry and 7 rushing touchdowns since assuming the ball carrying chores from the injured Justin Morrison. Tyree Brown has six receiving touchdowns.

Up Next: The Pioneers will take to the road on Saturday, Nov. 3 to take on Buffalo State.