The Utica College football team returns following the bye week to open Empire 8 play as they welcome the Cortland Red Dragons to Charles A. Gaetano Stadium for the 2018 Adirondack Bank Homecoming Game. Opening kickoff of the conference showdown is set for 1:30 p.m.

Adirondack Bank Homecoming Game: Saturday's contest is sponsored by Adirondack Bank. For more information about ADK Bank please visit: www.adirondackbank.com.
 
Coach to Cure MD: For the 11th consecutive year, college football coaches nationwide will wear patches in support of Coach To Cure MD during games on Saturday. The annual effort has raised nearly $2 million to battle Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne). Utica College football will support the effort as the Pioneers host Cortland State on Saturday. Once again, the Pioneers will host honorary captain Jonathan Piacentino. Jonathan was diagnosed with Duchenne MD in December of 1997, when he was four years old. Jonathan and his family will speak with the Pioneers after Friday's practice and they will also be involved in the game time festivities. Jonathan will join the captains and officials for the pregame coin toss and he will also spend time on the sidelines throughout the game. DONATE HERE. Fans can also help support the fight to end Duchenne by either going to CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word CURE to 50555 to make a $10 donation to help fund the fight to end Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Donate for Veterans: Please join Express Employment Professionals at our game on Saturday as they collect donations to help feed veterans in our area! All donations stay in our community and will benefit local organizations such as Feed Our Vets, The CNY Veterans Outreach Center, and Sitrin Healthcare's Veterans' Rehabilitation programs. Any fan that brings a non-perishable food item will get in to the game for free. Give for them ... They gave for us!

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 sports information assistant Ray Biggs '13 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: Saturday's game will be the seventh all-time meeting between Utica and Cortland, and the Red Dragons have taken five of six meetings all time. Utica's lone win in the series came on homecoming weekend two years ago as the Pioneers downed Cortland 24-13. Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) paced UC with ten tackles and an interception while the Pioneers racked up a school-record five picks for the day.

Last Year Against Cortland: The Red Dragons narrowly inched by Utica in a Week Ten matchup at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex, 24-23. In a game where Cortland was heavily outgained by Utica by a 302-162 margin, the Red Dragons scored the most crucial play on special teams as Dakym Davis recovered a blocked punt and returned it for a touchdown that put Cortland up in the game for good. Cortland was held to just 41 rushing yards and a 3-of-12 clip on third down. The Pioneers were led offensively by quarterback Vinny Aloi (Chester, NY/Chester Academy), who completed 27-of-48 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns.

Getting Comfortable: Saturday's game marks the third game in a row the Pioneers will play at the friendly confines of Charles A. Gaetano Stadium, and is the third of a four game homestand that culminates with next week's New York State Tool Believe Bowl game against St. John Fisher College. A four game homestand has been a rarity in the history of Utica College football, as the schedule has not lined up in that fashion since the 2010 season. The Pioneers are currently 1-1 at home in 2018, and 13-8 at home in the last five seasons. Utica has not had a losing season at home since 2013.

Week Three Recap: The Pioneers took No. 21 RPI to the wire in triple overtime, but a Sanjay Krishnan field goal in that frame allowed the Engineers to survive with a 23-20 road win. The Pioneers had a chance to walk away a 20-17 winner in the closing seconds of regulation time, but a 32 yard field goal attempt was blocked at the line of scrimmage. Both teams matched a field goal each in the second overtime before Krishnan's game-winner and a subsequent RPI defensive stand sealed the deal. Utica outgained the Engineers in total offense 367-346. The Pioneers offense was highlighted by a career best showing for senior running back Malcolm Stowe (Coram, NY/Longwood), who finished with 158 yards rushing, and also had a career long 53 yard carry in the first half to eclipse 1,000 yards for his career. Xyier Woodard (Albany, NY/LaSalle) highlighted the Pioneer defensive effort with a fumble recovery for a pivotal touchdown that gave Utica the lead in the fourth quarter.

We're Making Gains: The Pioneers have outgained their opponent in all three matchups this season. Utica rolled up more yards than St. Lawrence in week one, 384-266. They gained more ground than Catholic in week two by a 402-319 count in a resounding win, and then edged RPI by a 367-346 yardage advantage in Week 3's loss.

Get Off Our Lawn: The Pioneer defense has been stellar at keeping opponents off the board so far this season, as they rank second in the Empire 8 conference and 54th in the nation at 16.7 points allowed per matchup. Utica also holds the second fewest touchdowns allowed in the Empire 8 with six. The Pioneers find themselves in exceptional company in both categories, as the only other team allowing less than 20 points per game in the Empire 8 at the moment is No. 4 Brockport. Utica will meet the Golden Eagles in a potential marquee matchup on Oct. 27 for Senior Day.

Answer the Bell: After holding nationally-ranked RPI to just 23 points, the Pioneer defense will have to be just as strong this Saturday, as Cortland comes in to Gaetano Stadium averaging an Empire 8 best 47 points per game on offense, and has broken the 50 point mark twice as a unit.

You're Grounded: Utica currently stands as one of four teams in the Empire 8 conference allowing less than 100 rushing yards per matchup. Even more impressively, Utica has only allowed one rushing touchdown in the first three weeks.

Seeing Red: The Utica defense has been exceptional at turning up the heat inside their own twenty yard line, as opponents have been able to score just six times in twelve trips to the red zone, and only three of those scoring plays have been touchdowns.

Watch Your Back: Utica ranks second in the Empire 8 conference when it comes to getting after the quarterback, as they have seven sacks in their first three games. Sophomore linebacker Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) has had the most fun getting into the pocket as he sets the team pace with two sacks.

Linebacker Presence: A sign of a strong defense is when the linebackers stand as the leading tacklers for the unit. The Pioneers have a pair of linebackers as their leading tacklers this season, as Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) has 12 solo tackles and 24 total to lead the UC defense, and fellow linebacker Antonio Scala (Coram, NY/Longwood) has been a jack-of-all-trades with 23 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and four pass breakups. Both rank inside the top ten in the Empire 8 conference for total tackles. Safeties Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) and Dylan Sekuterski (Depew, NY/Depew) are also having strong seasons making stops as they have 19 and 15 tackles each, respectively.

You'll Get Nothing and Like It: Utica currently stands fourth in the Empire 8 conference with a total of five interceptions. Cornerback Matt Stone (Rochester, NY/Brighton) currently leads all Pioneers with two picks for the year, while Ben Vargas (Holbrook, NY/Sachem East), Antonio Scala (Coram, NY/Longwood), and Elijah Belle (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) have each posted one pick. Utica is tied for 40th in all of Division III in interceptions.

Keep Your Eyes Peeled: Speaking of interceptions, fans should continually keep their eyes peeled for something spectacular if the ball changes hands through the air this weekend. In two of the last three seasons, an interception from Utica's homecoming contest has been featured as part of the ESPN SportsCenter Top 10.

Turning Defense into Offense: While limiting opposing points, the Pioneers defense has also found a way to put points on the board themselves. Utica has recorded a defensive touchdown in each of the last two games. Ben Vargas (Holbrook, NY/Sachem East) had an interception return for a touchdown in Utica's win over Catholic, and Xyier Woodard (Albany, NY/LaSalle) fell on a fumble in the end zone in the loss to RPI. In all this season, Utica has manufactured 21 points off opposing turnovers.

Offense Opines: The Pioneers have had little to no trouble moving the football this season as their 384.3 total offensive yards per game sit fourth in the Empire 8 conference. However, they could take another significant step forward by turning that yardage into more points as they sit sixth in the conference for scoring offense with just 24.7 points scored per game.

Keep it Moving: Utica is second in the Empire 8 conference in first downs per game with an average of 22.7 times moving the chains.

Quarterback Queries: Utica has employed the services of three different signal callers this season, and four different players have attempted a pass in an offense that averages 237.7 yards per game through the air. Freshman Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) is projected to make his third consecutive start this week as he has thrown for 472 yards and five touchdowns in his first two appearances under center for his hometown Pioneers. He stands fifth in the Empire 8 conference in individual passing yards per game. Junior Vinny Aloi (Chester, NY/Chester Academy) was Utica's week one starter and could be due to see time in certain game situations, as he has completed 29-of-56 passes this year for 241 yards. Former Cortland quarterback Ryan VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenedehowa) has also seen time on the field for Utica this year. Coincidentally, VanGalen got his first collegiate game action in this matchup two seasons ago as he checked into the fourth quarter of Utica's 2016 homecoming game for the Red Dragons. 


Stowe Away: Senior running back Malcolm Stowe (Coram, NY/Longwood) chairs the Pioneer rushing attack this season with a team-best 260 yards, and is now the sixth back in program history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards for his career. He sits fourth in the Empire 8 at 83 rushing yards per game. His career-long 53 yard carry vs. RPI is the third longest by an Empire 8 conference running back this season, and his 158 rushing yards in that game is also the third best single game performance in the conference in 2018.

Live The High Life: Junior wide receiver Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) continues to stand as the top target for the Pioneer passing game, and has developed into one of the top possession receivers nationally in his first full season ever playing the slot receiver position in his football career. Miller stands fourth in the nation in receptions per game at 10.7 catches per contest. In all, Miller has caught 32 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns, and has led the Pioneers in receiving yards in all three games this season while averaging 109 yards per game. His best performance came against Catholic when he had 141 receiving yards and three touchdowns on thirteen catches, which was one reception off of Jerred Beniquez's school record of 14, and the three scores from the Catholic game ties him for second most in a game in UC history.

Century Club: Behind Miller, two other Pioneer receivers have cracked 100 yards for the season. Freshman Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) has been impressive with seven catches for 109 yards and a touchdown in the last two games, and senior Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) is starting to return to form after a season off, as he holds 101 yards and caught his first touchdown of the season against RPI.

Get Your Kicks: In his first three games handling the punting chores, sophomore Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) is headlining the Empire 8 in punting average with 39.3 yards per punt. He is 44th in the nation in punting average.

Scouting Cortland: The Red Dragons are 2-1 this season, and were receiving votes in the D3Football.com Top 25 prior to their first loss of the season last week. Cortland dropped a close 38-33 decision to open Empire 8 play in a loss to Alfred University in Week 3. The Cortland offense outgained the Saxons 476-395, but were hobbled by seven turnovers in the defeat. Quarterback Brett Segala threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns along with three interceptions. Wide receivers Jake Smith and Nick Anderson had strong days downfield with Smith posting 138 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Anderson catching two touchdowns. Zach Tripodi rushed for 82 yards. On defense, Isaac Hicks III had 11 tackles for the Red Dragons and Mark DeLuise picked off a pass. For the season, Segala leads the Empire 8 with ten touchdown passes, Smith is the fifth leading receiver in the conference with 287 yards, and Cole Burgess leads the conference in kick return average at 38.7 yards. Linebacker Kyle Richard heads up the defense with 27 total tackles, and Herkimer grad Dan Appley has been a force at defensive end with 3.0 tackles for loss.