ALFRED, NY - The Utica College football team got back on track with its first road win of the season on Saturday. A stifling defensive effort held the conference's leading rusher to under 100 yards on the ground, and Alfred to no points in the second half. Kicker
Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) delivered an incredible outing with four field goals that included a career-long 48 yards as the Pioneers earned a 19-10 Empire 8 Conference victory over host Alfred University on Saturday.
The win is Utica's fourth all-time win against the Saxons, and it marks the first time the Pioneers have won in the series at Yunevich Stadium. All three previous wins have come at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. The win snaps Utica out of a two game skid. It improved Utica to 4-4, and they are now 2-3 in the Empire 8 heading into next week's non-conference duel with Liberty League champion Union. Utica has beaten Alfred in consecutive meetings for the first time.
A defensively oriented contest was the order of the day, and the Pioneers held up their end of the bargain by holding Alfred to just 252 yards of offense, which is a new season-best for the Utica defense. The unit also conceded a season-low 10 points and did not allow a point to be scored in the entire second half. Additionally, they held Empire 8 leading rusher Aaron Griffin to just 83 yards, and the Saxons overall to just 144 net rushing yards.
The Saxons converted just two third downs the entire day, a rate which enabled Utica to dominate their hosts in time of possession. Utica held the ball for 41:20, while Alfred's primarily run-oriented attack held onto the ball for just 18:40.
Linebacker
Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) had nine tackles to lead the group, while
Jimmie Warren (Suffern, NY/Suffern) turned in a big day with two tackles for loss and six tackles.
Amari Abraham (Holbrook, NY/Sachem East) broke up two passes.
The Pioneers capped the victory on a 12-0 run, buoyed by the kicking efforts of
Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker). Medici was a perfect 4-for-4 in Saturday's game as he made a half-ending 34 yard field goal in the second quarter. He then added second half kicks from distances of 21 yards, 30 yards, and a career-long 48 yard field goal to close out the scoring in the second half. The 48 yard kick is the second longest in school history, and the longest since 2009. Medici has made more field goals of over 40 yards than anyone in the history of the program.
On offense, a stable rushing game effort and an efficient quarterback performance did the trick to help Utica to victory.
Brad Dougherty (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) rushed for 82 yards to stand as Utica's leading rusher, and
Jamarious Morgan (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) added 55 yards, including Utica's longest carry of the day of 14 yards.
Ryan VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenedehowa) made his third career start at quarterback, and it happened to be in the same place where he made his first college start in 2016 while playing for Cortland. While under center for the Pioneers on Saturday, VanGalen completed 15-of-19 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. His completion percentage of 78.9 percent is the third best ever by a Pioneer quarterback in a single game with a minimum of ten pass attempts, and is the second best ever by a quarterback to start the game behind Connor Butkiewicz's 86.1 percent completion rate against Frostburg in the 2013 homecoming game.
Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) had three catches for 38 yards, and
Keegan Wright (Cicero, NY/Cicero North Syracuse) had three grabs for 37 yards. Tight End
John James O'Connor (Auburn, NY/Weedsport) had 32 receiving yards and a touchdown.
A field goal from Alfred's Dustin McCaslin was the only scoring play of the first quarter as the defenses otherwise imposed their will. McCaslin's kick came from a distance of 25 yards with 3:21 left in the first quarter as the Saxons established the early lead.
The Pioneers and Saxons both made their lone trips to the end zone in the second quarter of action. With 13:02 left before halftime, Utica capped off a 10 play, 75 yard drive with a VanGalen touchdown toss to O'Connor from seven yards out. That established Utica into a 7-3 lead. Alfred jumped back in front by seizing the moment on a Pioneer turnover. Linebacker Nick Milgate intercepted a VanGalen pass at the 38 yard line and ran it all the way back to the one yard line. Griffin scored on the next play for Alfred's lone touchdown of the day and a 10-7 lead.
The Pioneers tied the score at ten on Medici's first field goal, a 34 yard boot as time expired on the second quarter.
From there, the Pioneer defense dug in its heels in a tight game. They caused the Saxons to give the football back before scoring on all five of their second half possessions while aiding a slim lead all the way to the finish. Utica forced two punts, two fumbles, and a turnover on downs. A lengthy scoring drive that ended in a Medici field goal also proved helpful. The Pioneers went on a 15 play, 67 yard drive that spanned over nine minutes between the third and fourth quarters. Medici took care of the rest of the scoring with his three second half field goals while the Saxons were kept in check, and the Pioneers walked away victorious by a 19-10 score.
The Pioneers return to the gridiron on Saturday, November 9th as they visit the newly crowned Liberty League Champions from Union College. Kickoff at Frank Bailey Field is set for 1 p.m.
