UTICA, NY - The Utica College football team looks to surge above the .500 mark in the Empire 8 Conference in the team's annual homecoming game. The Pioneers host Morrisville State on Saturday, October 19th at 1 p.m. at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.
See You At UC: In addition to Saturday's game, the weekend will also include the annual football alumni gathering to take place at Delmonico's Italian Steakhouse on Friday, October 18th at 8 p.m. Proceeds from that gathering will go to benefit awards honoring the memory of John Kaczmarski Jr. and Matt Dunn. All club and varsity football alumni and their guests are welcome to attend the alumni gathering. For more information on the 2019 Utica College Homecoming festivities, visit http://homecoming.utica.edu/.
Follow Along: Live video, audio, and stats will be available for Saturday's contest. Video and stats will be available on portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/, with Sports Information Assistant Ray Biggs '13 on the play-by-play call of the matchup, and UC student Adam Ziobrowski on color analysis. In addition to the online StretchInternet portal, the game can also be seen on the Empire 8 Conference apps available on Roku, Amazon Fire, and AppleTV. The game will also be carried on local radio on WPNR 90.7 FM with Sports Information graduate assistant Cooper Deck on play-by-play, with color commentary by UC Student Nicholas Ahles. The radio broadcast is also available on PioneerRadio.org.
Coach to Cure MD: For the 12th consecutive year, college football coaches nationwide will wear patches in support of Coach To Cure MD during games this season. The annual effort has raised nearly $2 million to battle Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Utica College football will support the effort as the Pioneers host Morrisville on Saturday. Fans can also help support the fight to end Duchenne by either going to CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word CURE to 501501 to make a $25 donation to help fund the fight to end Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Series History: This will be the sixth all-time meeting between the Pioneers and Mustangs, with the teams playing every year from 2014 to the present. The first meeting was a non-conference meeting in 2014 in the first ECAC Bowl game appearance for both squads. The first Utica team to record seven wins in a season went to Drake Field in that inaugural meeting, but were defeated by the Mustangs 52-41 on a wild November afternoon. The Pioneers were led by freshman running back J'Von Evans and his 175 yard rushing performance, while Morrisville quarterback Lemar Johnson threw for 118 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 210 yards and five more touchdowns. Since that day, the teams have met each year as conference opponents, with each team winning twice each in the Empire 8 series. Utica has beaten the Mustangs in a conference game in 2015 and 2016, and Morrisville has won in 2017 and 2018. In Utica's most recent win in 2016, current Pioneer Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) had six tackles as the Pioneers took the matchup 28-21. The 2017 game was decided on a last second Morrisville field goal.
Where The Pioneers Stand: Utica is 3-2 overall, and 1-1 in the Empire 8 Conference so far this season. The Pioneers won their most recent game against Fisher by a 34-28 score. That brought an end to a two-game skid against powerful programs as Utica suffered a close 35-33 loss against 2018 NCAA quarterfinal participant RPI, and took an Empire 8 defeat against Cortland. The Pioneers have wins over Buffalo State, St. John Fisher, and St. Lawrence this year. They sit fourth in the current Empire 8 standings.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers recorded the 75th win in program history on Saturday, October 12th as they won in the third annual New York State Tool Believe Bowl. The Pioneers darted out to a 34-14 lead at the outset of the fourth quarter, then held off a comeback attempt by visiting St. John Fisher. After the Cardinals scored twice through the air to get the game down to a one possession affair, the Pioneer defense came through with three straight quarterback sacks in the final minute as Utica prevailed by a 34-28 score at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. The defense recovered a program-record three fumbles, and had eight sacks to have that performance rank as the third best in the history of the program. Jamarious Morgan (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown for the Pioneers, and Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) had seven catches for 87 yards receiving and two touchdowns. John Nish (Canastota, NY/Oneida) had thirteen tackles to lead the defense, and Elijah Belle (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) had a program record-breaking interception return touchdown.
Defensive Player of the Week: Senior defensive back Elijah Belle (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) has been named the Empire 8 Conference defensive player of the week. The honor was announced on Monday. Belle wrote his way into the college's career record books with an interception return touchdown in the second half of the game. His 49 yard runback was his second of the season, and the third of his career. In the process, he became the only Pioneer in program history to run back two in a single season, and he broke Rob Alexander's career record of two interception return touchdowns in a career. Belle has done all of this in just his last six games played, with his first coming in last year's ECAC Bowl win. Belle also broke up three passes on Saturday. He has three interceptions this season to rank second in the conference and 25th nationally in total interceptions.
Last Time Against The Mustangs: In last year's meeting, the Utica College football team fell into a 21-3 hole midway through the first half and could not overcome the early deficit in a 41-24 loss at Morrisville State's Drake Field. Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) completed 30-of-54 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns on the day. All three of his TD passes came in the final 34:49 of the contest, with two to Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) and a third to Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly). Miller caught a game-high 11 passes for 127 yards and has been above ten catches in both games he has played at receiver against Morrisville in his career. Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) led the Utica defense with a career-high 20 tackle performance. Quarterback Brandon Gwinner threw for three touchdowns for Morrisville State. The Pioneers were outgained in yards of total offense by a 445 to 392 margin, and the rushing battle was key as the Pioneers were out-rushed 195 to 77 for the afternoon. Utica converted 7 of 17 third downs while holding the Mustangs to 4 of 13.
Defend Gaetano: Getting a home win on Saturday will provide a vitally important boost to Utica as they look ahead to a strong finish down the stretch. The Pioneers are currently 3-0 at home this season, but have dropped both of their road games. The Pioneers have finished at a .500 record or above in each of the last five seasons when playing at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium, and just secured that mark for a sixth straight year with the team's win over Fisher.
Homecoming Record: The Pioneers are 3-2 in their last five homecoming games. They have never played Morrisville in the annual event.
Totaling it Up: The Pioneers are fifth in the Empire 8 in scoring offense at 29.0 points per game, and sixth in scoring defense at 27.2 points allowed per game. They are fifth in total offense at 355.2 yards per game while sporting the fourth best figures in rushing and passing yardage. They are sixth in total defense at 396.2 yards allowed, ranking sixth against the run and seventh against the pass.
The Power of Peyton: Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) leads the Pioneers' receiving corps this season with 28 catches for 385 yards and five touchdowns. He needs just one more receiving touchdown to tie his career high of six set last season in his first full year at the position, where he logged 987 yards receiving. With his seven catches on Saturday, he surpassed James Proniewych and All-American tight end Matt Dunn for sixth on the college's career receptions list. He has 129 career catches, and needs just one more to tie Jamie Murphy for fifth on that list. His 1,561 receiving yards for his career is eighth all time in school history, and he can easily move up two spots into sixth place with nine yards receiving on Saturday. Sitting in front of him are Josh Mason at 1,563 yards, and Matt Dunn at 1,569 yards. He cracked the top ten earlier this season, and has since passed Greg Palmer, Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay), and Jamie Murphy on the career yardage list. His twelve career receiving scores tie him for sixth all-time, with one touchdown moving him into a tie for fifth, two touchdowns propelling him into fourth, or a three touchdown day moving him into a tie for third with Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay). This season, he is fourth in the conference in receiving yards per game, and tied for second in receiving touchdowns.
Hitting the Big One: Two Utica pass catchers rank in the top ten in the Empire 8 conference in yards per reception. Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) has averaged 19.5 yards per catch to rank fourth in the Empire 8, and tight end John James O'Connor (Auburn, NY/Weedsport) is ranked in tenth. O'Connor is the team's second leading receiver with 217 yards and three touchdowns, and Palmer is fourth with 195 yards.
Taking To The Air: Quarterback Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) is ready to make his sixth start of the season on Saturday. The sophomore took on a lighter load on Saturday with the rushing attack clicking behind Jamarious Morgan's (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) big day, and Wilcox turned in an efficient outing by completing 14 of 27 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those scores were to Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly). This season, Wilcox has thrown for 1123 yards and ten touchdowns, and is fourth in passing yards and third in passing touchdowns among Empire 8 quarterbacks. He surpassed the 3,000 passing yard mark for his career earlier this season and is now less than 1,000 passing yards away from catching Connor Butkiewicz for fourth on the college's career list.
Running Back Ramblings: Through five games, Jamarious Morgan (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) is Utica's leading rusher with 317 yards and three touchdowns. He has multiple 100 yard rushing games to his credit, including a career-high 123 yards against Buffalo State. He had the team's longest carry of the season with a 48 yard explosion against St. John Fisher last week.
Control of the Situation: The Pioneers lead the Empire 8 in sacks allowed as opponents have sacked Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) just three times this season.
Red Zone Offense: Utica is 17-of-20 in the red zone this season. Eleven of those scores have come by way of touchdown.
Clean and Tidy: The Pioneers sport the lowest penalty yard average in the conference this season at just 51 yards per game. That marks a sharp improvement from 2018, when the team was the most penalized in the Empire 8 conference.
A Homecoming Bonanza: The Pioneer offense turned in one of its best days in the history of the program in last year's homecoming game loss to Cortland. They had a school-record 688 yards of offense, with an impressive 227 rushing yards. Wilcox set a then-school record for passing yards in a game with 461 while also recording what was then the longest completion by a quarterback in school history. He re-set both marks before the season was out. Running back Malcolm Stowe (Coram, NY/Longwood) had what stands as the fifth best single game rushing performance in school history with 211 yards. Josh Connor (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West) had over 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns, while current Pioneer wideout Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) had one of his best days yet with 75 yards receiving.
Getting Our Kicks: Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) has not missed a field goal attempted this season as he has started at 7-for-7. The junior kicker has attempted six field goals from 20 to 40 yards and made all of them, and also has made one over 40 yards. He has a long of 43 yards this year. The Pioneers also have gotten a great amount of mileage from Medici as the team's punter. He leads the conference with a punting average of 39.9 yards, with a long of 53 yards. Twelve of his punts have been fair caught, opponents have been pinned inside the 20 yard line six times, and opponents still have not recorded a return yard in two attempts. He has punted over 50 yards twice.
Tight Gripped: The Pioneers have fumbled just three times and have yet to lose one this season. Meanwhile opponents have fumbled six times this year and have lost five of them to the Pioneers.
The Tackling Machine: John Nish (Canastota, NY/Oneida) leads the defense this season with 48 tackles from the rover linebacker position. 31 of his 48 tackles have been solo, and he upped his team lead this past weekend with thirteen tackles to lead the squad in the win over Fisher. He leads the Empire 8 conference in solo tackles. He also has two forced fumbles to rank in a tie for second in the Empire 8 conference.
Watch Your Back: The Pioneers have three different players to record multiple sacks on the quarterback in the 2019 campaign. John Nish (Canastota, NY/Oneida), Antonio Scala (Coram, NY/Longwood), and rookie John Stroughn (Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity) have all gotten to opposing quarterbacks twice this year. After a season-best eight quarterback sacks last weekend, the Pioneers rank fourth in the Empire 8 with fifteen in total. Robbie Schempp (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) is ninth all-time in career sacks at Utica with 9.5.
Instant Impact: Freshmen John Stroughn (Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity) and Elijah Brown-Young (Mashantucket, CT/St. Thomas More School) have made the most of their first seasons with the Pioneers on defense. Stroughn leads all Utica rookies with 23 tackles, and Brown-Young has 17 for the Pioneers.
About Morrisville: The Mustangs are 2-4 this season, and are 0-2 in the Empire 8 conference to stand at the bottom of the standings table. They have wins over Bridgewater State and Husson this season, and have lost back-to-back Empire 8 games in their last two contests. They lost 28-21 to Alfred University, and fell 42-28 at the hands of Empire 8 leader SUNY Cortland. They also have a common non-conference opponent with Utica in St. Lawrence. The Mustangs lost to the Saints 32-22. In Morrisville's loss to Cortland, wide receiver Jermaine Cooper had a career high 223 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He is the reigning Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week, and was also named to the D3Football.com National Team of the Week. He is second in the Empire 8 with 565 receiving yards and leads the conference with seven receiving touchdowns. He is in the top 30 in both categories nationally. Toure Hall Jr. has over 400 yards receiving as well for the Mustangs. Quarterback Billy Flatow has completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,634 yards and twelve touchdowns. Flatow did not start in last year's game against Utica, but threw for 111 yards and two scores in the meeting two years ago at Gaetano Stadium. The Mustangs sport the conference's top passing offense. A local flavor highlights the backfield as Utica Notre Dame graduate Kinsey Williams is the team's leading rusher with 438 yards and six rushing touchdowns. Whitesboro graduate Mike Cirasuolo has run for 151 yards and two touchdowns since transferring back to Central New York from Division II Ashland University. The defense is ranked fifth in the Empire 8 in scoring defense and total defense. Sophomore linebacker Ernesto Mitchell leads the Empire 8 in tackles with 63, and they have three others in the top ten in the conference in tackles this season. Jermaine Rankine is ninth in the conference in quarterback sacks.
The Shoe Is On The Other Foot: Pioneer fans may notice a few familiar faces roving the opposing sideline on Saturday. Head Coach Curt Fitzpatrick was Utica's offensive coordinator for five seasons from 2008 to 2012 before accepting the Morrisville job. Defensive backs assistant Walter Burks also worked on the staff of head coach Blaise Faggiano for multiple seasons. Kicker Desmond Akponoko kicked for Utica back in 2016.
Up Next: The Pioneers embark on the first leg of a three game road trip as they battle Brockport on Saturday, October 26th at Brockport's Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium.
