UTICA, NY - The Utica College football team embarks on the start of a three game road trip this weekend as they head westward for an Empire 8 conference game against Brockport. The Pioneers will meet the defending Empire 8 Conference Champion Golden Eagles on Saturday, October 26th at Noon at Brockport's Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium.

Follow Along: Live video and stats will be made available courtesy of the SUNY Brockport Athletic Communications office. Live stats can be found at https://gobrockport.com/sidearmstats/football, and live video is available at https://gobrockport.com/showcase?Live=24.

A Challenging Slate: Of the Pioneers' 10 opponents this season, three of them are ranked or receiving votes in the latest D3Football.com Top 25. Brockport is currently receiving 32 votes to sit just out of the Top 25, while Cortland and Union are both ranked this week.

The Series: This will be just the eighth all-time meeting between Utica and Brockport. The series began in 2002 with a 35-0 Brockport win, and the Golden Eagles doubled up in 2003 with a 49-0 win. The teams would not meet again for a long period, and during that time, the Utica program began to evolve closer to what it is today. When the series picked back up in 2014, the Pioneers got 147 yards and three rushing touchdowns from Jesse Baldassare, and nearly 200 receiving yards from Anthony Acevedo in a 42-28 win. Utica won a second straight in 2015 for their only win at Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium. The Pioneers won 22-19 in overtime. Kicker Thomas Woodburn had the game of his life, going 5-for-5 on field goal attempts that included the game-tying field goal as time expired, the game-winning field goal in overtime, and a career long 44 yard field goal in the third quarter. Brockport has won the last three games, most recently by a 22-6 score in Utica last season. The last three meetings have all been decided by three scores or less.

Last Time Out: Utica played in a double overtime classic last weekend for its 2019 homecoming game against Morrisville. A walk off double overtime touchdown by Morrisville's Kinsey Williams was the deciding score as the Mustangs prevailed with a 54-51 win over the Pioneers at Gaetano Stadium. Kicker Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) forced the game into overtime with a 34 yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. In overtime, a touchdown pass from Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) to Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) set the pace to put the Pioneers ahead. The Mustangs would get a rushing score from Williams on their first possession of overtime as well to force a second overtime. The Morrisville defense held Utica to another Medici field goal in the second overtime before the Mustangs went on to score the winning touchdown from Williams. The matchup featured numerous lead changes. One of the biggest momentum swings came in the second quarter, when the Pioneers were trailing by their biggest deficit of the game, 20-10. Jamarious Morgan (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) darted to the end zone on Utica's longest carry of the last two years for a 62 yard touchdown run to help turn the tide back in the Pioneers' favor. The run by Morgan was the seventh longest rush from scrimmage in school history. Brad Dougherty (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) capped off the half with a rushing touchdown of his own as the Pioneers led 24-20 at halftime. Morrisville quarterback Billy Flatow completed three touchdown passes in the second half, while the Pioneers dialed up a 75 yard deep ball to Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill), and a 12 yard rush to paydirt by Jamarious Morgan (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) to ultimately set the table for Medici's tying score. The Palmer touchdown is Utica's longest play from scrimmage this season. The offense had a mammoth day with 555 total yards, good for the seventh most productive offensive performance in a single game in school history. Jamarious Morgan (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) led the Pioneers with a career-best 162 yards rushing to go with his two touchdowns. Quarterback Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns, and the offense had three receivers over 70 yards between Keegan Wright (Cicero, NY/Cicero North Syracuse), Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill), and Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly). For the defensive unit, Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) sported the highest tackle total of any Pioneer in a game this season as he racked up a total of fifteen stops on the day. That is also a career-high for Beaubrun. Antonio Scala (Coram, NY/Longwood) had ten tackles on the afternoon along with a sack and two tackles for loss. Rookie Elijah Brown-Young (Mashantucket, CT/St. Thomas More School) impressed with nine tackles and a pass breakup. Flatow threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns for the Mustangs.

Last Time Against Brockport: Brockport won 22-6 at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium as the Pioneers celebrated their 2018 Senior Day on a rainy, windy day in Utica. No. 3 Brockport opened the scoring with a 38 yard safety on a wayward snap as Utica looked to punt in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles led 9-0 in the second quarter on a touchdown pass from Joe Germinerio to Joseph Ortiz, before the Pioneers came back with their lone touchdown of the day to tighten the game before halftime. Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) hoisted up a 30 yard pass to Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay) in the front of the end zone to pull the Pioneers within a 9-6 score at the break. The Golden Eagles scored two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter to put the game away as they waltzed away with a 22-6 win. Vincent had six catches for 121 yards, while Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) had three catches for 20 yards. Keanu Heedram (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) had 14 tackles to lead the defense, along with 2.5 sacks. Antonio Scala (Coram, NY/Longwood) had ten tackles for Utica, and Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) tacked on an interception for the afternoon.

Road Trip: This will be the first of a three game road span for the Pioneers. The Pioneers will meet Alfred University on Saturday, November 2nd, before heading to Union College for a rare late season non-conference game against the Dutchmen on Saturday, November 9th. Utica wraps up its regular season at home on Saturday, November 16th as it takes on Hartwick for Senior Day.

Where We Stand: The Pioneers are 3-3, and 1-2 in the Empire 8 conference, where they currently are tied for fourth with St. John Fisher and Morrisville State. Cortland is 3-0 in the Empire 8 to lead the pack, with Brockport close behind with a game in hand at 2-0. Alfred is third at 1-1, and Hartwick is at the tail end of the standings at 0-2.

On the Empire 8 Docket: In addition to Utica's matchup with Brockport, Hartwick will square off with Alfred, and Cortland will meet up with St. John Fisher on Saturday. Morrisville has the bye week.

Elite Company: The Pioneers had the third most offensive yards in a game by any Empire 8 program this season with their 555 yard day against Morrisville. Utica and Brockport have the top three single game offensive performances in the conference this year with the Golden Eagles holding the top two spots. 

Totaling It Up: After the Pioneers' explosive offensive performance on Saturday, the team rose from fifth to third in scoring offense in the Empire 8 conference at 32.7 points per game. They are averaging 388 yards of total offense per game to rank fifth. They stand fourth in rushing offense this season, and third in passing offense. The Pioneer defense is sixth in scoring defense among Empire 8 Conference Units with an average of 31.7 yards allowed per game. They are also sixth in total defense while ranking fifth against the run and sixth against the pass.

A Wide Disparity: The Pioneers have distinguished themselves as the least penalized team in the Empire 8 Conference this season at just 50.5 yards per game. Meanwhile, Brockport is the most penalized team in the conference at 120.5 yards per game. 

Morgan the Menace: Jamarious Morgan (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) has put together an impressive start to his career in blue and orange. The Pioneers' leading rusher has already been over the 100 yard mark in three different games this season, including his career high 162 yard day against Morrisville State. His 62 yard touchdown run in Saturday's game was the longest carry by a Pioneer back since Nicodemus Gambill took the ball 73 yards in an October 21st 2017 win over Buffalo State. He has rushed for 479 net yards and five touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He needs just 178 more yards to crack the top ten for a single season rushing performance. He needs just two more rushing touchdowns to rank in a tie for ninth for a single season in that category. He is third in the Empire 8 conference at 79.8 rushing yards per game, and his yards per carry average also ranks third among conference performers.

Consistency Is Key: With Morgan's performance on Saturday, the Pioneers have had a back have three 100 rushing yard performances in a season for a second consecutive year. Malcolm Stowe (Coram, NY/Longwood) eclipsed the century mark five times last season on his way to the best rushing season in the history of the program.

Big Bad Brad: Senior Brad Dougherty (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) stands as Utica's second leading rusher this season. The native of the Copper City has rushed for 259 yards and three touchdowns in his third year at Utica after transferring from Springfield College. He has a long carry of 24 yards this season and is averaging 43.17 yards to rank 10th in the Empire 8 Conference.

Nothing to Goffe At: Freshman Anthony Goffe (Plainfield, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) played a significant load of snaps on Saturday against Morrisville in a fullback-like role. He had two catches for eleven yards while also providing blocking support out of the backfield.

Welcome To The Show: After seeing a rapid rise in playing time throughout the first half of the season, Junior wide receiver Kevin Warmack (Utica,NY/Utica Notre Dame) had his best day yet on Saturday as he set the tone for the matchup with his first collegiate receiving touchdown, a score of 41 yards. He had two catches for 53 yards in the game. He is averaging 19 yards per catch this season.

Chucking It Around: Through his first sixteen games played, Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) has thrown for 4,166 yards and 36 touchdowns. He has already thrown for the second most passing touchdowns in school history, as he surpassed Connor Butkiewicz, Nick Martin, and Teddy VanGalen this season and now trails only Pioneer Hall of Famer Andrew Benkwitt on the list for career touchdown passes. He needs just 208 yards to pass Connor Butkiewicz for fourth on the career yardage list, and can move into third with just 232 more yards to propel himself ahead of Nick Martin. He is also fifth in career passes attempted. Wilcox has 1,441 yards and thirteen touchdowns in six starts this season. He is third in the Empire 8 in passing yards per game, and in touchdown passes. He is the 2018 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. 

Peyton Power: After his seven catch, 74 yard, one touchdown performance on Saturday, Senior Wide Receiver Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) continues to climb the school record books. He surpassed Jamie Murphy for fifth in career catches, and from eighth to sixth in career yards as he moved past Joshua Mason and All-American Tight End Matt Dunn on that career list. He has 1,635 receiving yards in his career and is less than 200 away from cracking the top five in school history. He leads the Pioneers this season with 35 catches for 459 yards and six touchdowns. His six touchdowns match his career single-season high set a season ago. He is fourth in the conference in receiving yards per game and is second in the Empire 8 in receiving touchdowns.

Maki Is Money: Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) is now 10-for-10 on field goal attempts so far this season. He leads the Empire 8 conference in field goals made, and is one of just three kickers to not miss an attempt this season. He has the longest field goal made in the conference this season at 43 yards. His fifteen points in the Morrisville game stand as the most points scored by any kicker in the Empire 8 conference this season. 

Kwasi Is Coming: Junior linebacker Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) leads the Pioneers this year with 53 total tackles. He has two tackles for loss and has also tacked on an interception and a quarterback sack. He is fourth in the Empire 8 conference at 8.8 tackles per game this season. 

Nish Lowers The Boom: Rover John Nish (Canastota, NY/Oneida) continues to have an impressive campaign as he sits just one tackle off the team lead with 52 total stops. Of that figure, 33 of them have been solo stops to rank among the top five in the Empire 8 conference. He has 4.50 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Awesome Antonio: Antonio Scala (Coram, NY/Longwood) sits fourth on the squad this season with 34 tackles, but has been exceptionally good at creating negative plays for the defense this year. He has a team-best 7.5 tackles for loss to go with a team leading three sacks.

Beaubrun-ning The Show: Senior defensive back Anthony Beaubrun (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) has been in top form as of late in his ability to get to the football quickly. He ranks third on the team with 51 tackles, including a 15 tackle performance on Saturday afternoon against Morrisville.
Newcomer Contributions: On the defensive line, John Stroughn (Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity) continues to be one of the brightest newcomers on the field for the Pioneers with 30 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks this season. Elijah Brown-Young (Mashantucket, CT/St. Thomas More School) is one of two first year starters in the defensive backfield over thirty tackles this season as Brown-Young has 26, and Robert Diaz-Judson (Rochester, NY/Irondequoit) has 25.

Oliver Named to Good Works Team, Fan Vote Now Underway: Graduate student linebacker Ryan Oliver (Vernon Center, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) was awarded one of the highest honors in all of college football earlier this season. Oliver is just one of 22 players nationally this season to receive the award, which recognizes college football players who are actively involved with a charitable organization or service group while also maintaining a strong academic standing.  Oliver earned the award for his work with the Haiti Rehabilitation Project. He will receive an all-expenses paid trip to New Orleans to participate in a special service project and attend the Allstate Sugar Bowl, where he will be recognized at halftime. Oliver and the Pioneers need your help to take this special honor one step further. From now until November 22nd, log on to http://promo.espn.com/espn/contests/allstate/2019/ and vote for Ryan to be named a team captain. Fans can vote once per day. Oliver is in tremendous company for this year's Good Works Team, as the roster includes Georgia star quarterback Jake Fromm, and the honorary head coach of the team is defending national champion head coach Dabo Swinney of Clemson.

About Brockport: The Golden Eagles are 5-1 this season and have won their last five games since a season-opening loss to Hobart. They have won their last sixteen home games, and have outscored opponents at home 107-6 this year. They have not conceded a point in their two Empire 8 conference games, but have yet to play against some of the more potent offenses in the league this season. All five touchdowns came via the running game in the team's most recent win, a 38-0 win over Hartwick. The Hawks were held under 100 yards of total offense in that game. They are allowing just 10.2 points and 184 yards per game this season. The offense averages 239 rushing yards per game. They have three rushers over 300 yards as Jala Coad leads the way with 354 yards, Justin Morrison is second with 339 yards, and quarterback Freddy June has rushed for 317 yards. Coad has rushed for eight touchdowns to rank second in the Empire 8 Conference. Linebacker Alex West leads the team with 32 tackles and has 5.5 sacks to rank second in the conference. Raylens Boutin leads the conference with thirteen passes defended. Brockport has won the last two Empire 8 titles and 18 straight conference games.

Up Next: The Pioneers will meet Alfred at Alfred University's Yunevich Stadium on Saturday, November 2nd.