UTICA, NY - The Utica College football team has opened with a 1-0 record out of the gate for an eleventh straight year. The Pioneers made that a reality Saturday night as they notched three interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, and the defense pitched a first half shutout. That all combined to build a safe 30-0 halftime lead as Utica cruised to a 40-14 win over visiting St. Lawrence at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.

The win is Utica's sixth straight in the all-time series against the Saints, a series that Utica leads 6-2 in eight meetings of a matchup that dates back to 2003.

The Pioneers were led by the offensive efforts of their defense, which made three total interceptions. A year after setting a school record for interception return touchdowns in a season with five, the Pioneers got two fifths of the way there this evening with a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns in the first half. Marquis Simpson (Middle Island, NY/Longwood) made his mark in his first game at defensive back, as he jumped a ball perfectly that was headed for the right sideline, and scampered back for a 34 yard score. The other came later in the first half as Elijah Belle (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) returned a pick to paydirt for a second straight game dating back to the Scotty Whitelaw Bowl game last year. Belle had a two-interception night, adding a second pick to his line late in the second quarter to set the table for a half-ending field goal that had Utica up 30-0 at halftime in the non-conference win.

Another top defensive performer in the win was rover John Nish (Canastota, NY/Oneida). Nish filled in the role vacated by graduated senior Dehstin Smart (Paterson, NJ/Hackensack), and he proved to be just as sure a tackler as his predecessor. Nish had a team-best eleven tackles, and ten of those stops were credited as solo stops. He also added three tackles for loss and a sack. Linebacker Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) finished with seven total tackles.

The Pioneers held the Saints to 367 yards of total offense and 109 yards rushing while causing a total of five turnovers as a defensive unit. St. Lawrence was just 3-of-13 on third down.

Utica ran 60 plays for 399 yards. They rushed for 196 yards and passed for 203 while going a solid 6-of-14 on third downs. The Pioneers did not turn the ball over once, and were flagged just five times during the game.

Quarterback Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) overcame a relatively slow start to balance out a solid stat line for the matchup tonight. He finished 11-for-26 with 203 yards and two touchdowns, and did not throw an interception. Brad Dougherty (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) led a Utica running game that finished with 196 total yards. The senior finished with thirteen carries for 63 yards. Wide receiver Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) made three grabs for 83 yards, while Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) had two catches for 55 yards and the longest Utica catch of the day with his 49 yard touchdown that opened the scoring in the first quarter.

On special teams, Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) made two field goals and also did not allow a single punt return yard by the Saints. He punted five times for an average of 42.2 yards.

St. Lawrence was led by a pair of skill position players to eclipse the century mark in their most vital yardage categories. Running back Jamie Battaglia rushed for 107 yards, and Joseph Viscardo caught five passes for 115 yards. Quarterback Tyler Grochot was 24-of-48 with 258 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked twice. Safety Tyler Burns had seven tackles.

Both offenses opened up with three-and-out drives before the Pioneers set to work landing the first blow,. Just under five minutes into the matchup, St. Lawrence punter Jackson Reaper booted the ball out of bounds at midfield, and Utica was on the board before anyone could blink. After a two-yard run by Lamont McGriff (Yonkers, NY/Iona Prep), the Pioneers found the endzone on play action as Wilcox hit a streaking Palmer with a pass right in the wheel house for a 49 yard touchdown connection, and Utica led 6-0. Utica did not convert the point after.

The Pioneer defense held following a huge 34 yard pass play to Saint receiver Joseph Viscardo from quarterback Tyler Grochot. After the long pass, Utica forced the Saints into a turnover on downs at the Pioneer 30 yard line. A penalty stalled Utica's next drive, but that would not deter the Pioneers from getting on the board a second time anyway as Simpson ran back his interception on the first play of the ensuing Saint drive for a touchdown to make the game 13-0. That score held until the end of the first quarter.

The Utica lead would only expand in the second quarter. St. Lawrence mounted a threatening drive after a Utica punt to open the frame, with Grochot completing four consecutive passes and a later strike to receiver Andrew Murphy that parked the Saints at the Utica 31. The visitors advanced as far as the 27, only to have a pair of incomplete passes short circuit the drive on downs. With another Saint drive fizzling out, the Pioneers took it upon themselves to turn in a methodical drive that could be considered Utica's best ball control drive of the day. The Pioneers held the rock for 4:51 and went the 73 yard distance in eleven plays. John James O'Connor (Auburn, NY/Weedsport) led the Pioneers with 38 yards on two catches during the series, and Dougherty capped it off with a two yard touchdown run for a 20-0 lead.

Just moments later, the Pioneer defense again added to the scoring. On the second play of the next Saint series, Belle picked off a Grochot pass and ran it back 25 yards for the score to make the matchup 27-0. The Belle show continued when he swiped away another interception on the next drive, which ultimately led to a 24 yard field goal by Medici as time expired on the half.

Medici struck again from 34 yards to open the third quarter scoring. Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) scored the other second half points for Utica, and was simply brilliant in orchestrating the finish to a third quarter touchdown drive after St. Lawrence broke up the shutout on a touchdown pass to Tyler Liddy. An exceptional kickoff return of 39 yards by Jamel Smith (Spring Valley, NY/Avon Old Farms) brought Utica excellent field position, and the Wilcox to Miller connection that was so vibrant last year had its finest moments of the night from there. On the second play of the drive, Wilcox dropped back to pass and fired a heave down the right sideline, where Miller was working in a one-on-one matchup. Miller fought his way around the defensive back to snare the football for a 39 yard grab, and the Pioneers were in business once more. A few plays later, the two connected again from 10 yards out for the touchdown in Utica's final scoring play of the night.

St. Lawrence added a fourth quarter touchdown, but it was not enough to derail a mammoth Utica lead as the Pioneers rolled, 40-14.

The Pioneers return to action in search of a 2-0 start on Saturday as they host former Empire 8 opponent Buffalo State in a non-conference game. Kickoff at Gaetano Stadium is slated for noon.