UTICA, NY - The Utica College football team returns from the bye week on Saturday, October 16th as it heads to Empire 8 rival The College at Brockport. Opening kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. from Brockport's Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium.
Follow Along: Live video and stats will be available from SUNY Brockport Athletic Communications. Fans can watch at https://gobrockport.com/watch/?Live=248&type=Live, with live stats available at https://gobrockport.com/sidearmstats/football/summary.
The Series: This will be the seventh all-time meeting between Utica and Brockport. The Golden Eagles lead the series 4-2, and have won the last four meetings after Utica controlled the early portion of the series with wins in 2014 and 2015. In the most recent meeting, Brockport won 41-14 at Shriver Stadium on October 26th, 2019. Quarterbacks Ryan VanGalen and Logan Wilcox threw one touchdown pass apiece in that game, while Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) led the defense with fourteen tackles.
Last Time Out: Utica topped Hartwick in its Empire 8 opener by a 16-10 score at Hartwick's Wright Stadium on October 2nd. The Pioneers trailed 10-6 to their hosts at the outset of the fourth quarter, but Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) kicked a 29 yard field goal, James Salles (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon) (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon) scored on an 18 yard run with five minutes remaining, and Devin Bryant (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) intercepted a last-ditch bid for the end zone as Utica rallied past the Hawks. Medici converted three field goals, including a season-long 45 yard kick, to put the Pioneers in position to win. For a third straight meeting, the Utica defense held Hartwick to a negative rushing total, this time to the tune of -5 yards. The Pioneers sacked Hawks quarterback Kyle Szokoli five times.
Where We Sit: Utica has a 4-1 record through the front half of a ten game regular season, and is 1-0 in conference following their win over Brockport. The Pioneers are tied for second in the conference, and are one of three teams that has not yet lost a league game. A win Saturday ensures a .500 or better record this season, while a winning season rests two wins away.
The Aerial Attack: Utica leads the Empire 8 conference in passing offense at present with an average of 258.2 yards. Junior quarterback Sonny Badyna (Brooklyn, NY/St. Peter's) has thrown for 1,265 yards and nine touchdowns. He leads the conference in passing yards, and is second in passing touchdowns, and is second in completion percentage in a year where aerial offense has seemingly been at a premium throughout the conference. He has the E8's longest completion of the season with a 67 yard pass to Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) that helped UC secure a win over Western New England. Senior wide receiver Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) leads the conference with 463 receiving yards, and has made 23 catches with two going for touchdowns. Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge), Elijah Parker (New London, CT/New London), and Joey Nare (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) have also emerged as reliable targets. Brantley and Parker both sit at 241 yards receiving with three touchdowns apiece, and Nare has made 14 grabs for a total gain of 221 yards. Travis Decker (Oneida, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) has made two catches for 19 yards, and both grabs were pivotal in Saturday's win over Hartwick.
On the Ground: Utica is fifth in the conference in rushing offense at an average of 100.8 yards per game. The committee approach has continued for the Pioneers, with Jamarious Morgan (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) getting a team-leading 165 net yards on 50 carries. Tim Hogan (Glen Cove, NY/Glen Cove) has rushed for 109 net yards. James Salles (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon) shined in his first appearance carrying the ball for the UC varsity, with nineteen carries for 86 net yards and a touchdown. Badyna has rushed for a team-high four touchdowns.
Controlling the Line: Utica has protected its own quarterback while collapsing the opposing pocket with reckless abandon this season. The Pioneers are first in the conference in sacks with 18 for a loss of 103 yards, and have also allowed the fewest sacks in the conference with just four conceded. In a single game, the UC defense has recorded as many as six sacks this season in their win over Kean.
On the Move: Graduate student linebacker Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) continues to rise through the ranks among the program's great defensive players. His six tackles in the last win moved him up to 234 career tackles to surpass Jason Colunio and move into the top five in school history in that category. He is 27 tackles away from tying Eric Kahl for fourth all-time, and 56 away from Pioneer Hall of Famer Marcus Maroney in third. This season, Addo has a team-leading 36 tackles, and also has two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. He is ninth in the conference in total tackles.
D is for Deep Defense: Utica is fourth in the conference in total defense at 301.2 yards allowed per game, and is also fourth in scoring defense at a mark of just 15.6 points allowed per contest. Besides Addo, four other players have 20 tackes or more this season for the Pioneers. Devin Bryant (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) has 30 tackles and three interceptions to his name this season. He ranks third in the conference in picks this year, and is just one off a tie for the lead. Anthony McDonald (Huntington, NY/Huntington) has recorded 22 stops from his post at linebacker. Jimmie Warren (Suffern, NY/Suffern) has 22 total tackles to his name, and made several key stops in the win over Hartwick. He has a team-leading five tackles for loss, and is fourth in the E8 with three sacks. Defensive lineman John Stroughn (Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity) has 20 tackles, with four going for a loss. Behind Bryant's three interceptions, a host of other defensive backs have stepped up in pass coverage. Chris Washington (Suffern, NY/Suffern) has two interceptions. Jamel Smith (Spring Valley, NY/Avon Old Farms) and Terrance Toussaint (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) have seven and five pass breakups, respectively, and Dan Amady (Suffern, NY/Suffern) has five of his own to accompany an interception.
How it Splits Up: Utica is third in the conference against the run at 75.6 yards allowed per game, and have allowed just one rushing score this season. Against the pass, they rank seventh at 225.6 yards allowed.
Simmons Shows Up: Sophomore defensive lineman Douglas Simmons showed up in a huge way in the win over Hartwick. He recorded four tackles, including an impressive three sacks in a single game, to help propel the Pioneers to the win.
Getting it On The Rails: After a challenging first few games, Graduate Student kicker Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) has gotten his campaign heading back in the right direction. This season, the 2019 E8 Special Teams Player of the Year and All-American is 7-of-9 on field goal attempts with a long of 45 yards. The 45 yarder against Hartwick is the conference's longest field goal this season. He is a perfect 6-for-6 over the last two contests, and scored eighteen consecutive points for the Pioneers on those kicks. He is also third in the conference in punting average at 37.6 yards per boot.
About Brockport: Brockport is 3-2 overall, and 1-1 in the Empire 8 under head coach Jason Mangone. The three-time defending champions have non-conference wins over Framingham State and the University of Rochester, and a conference win over St. John Fisher in the annual Courage Bowl game. In their last contest, they squandered a 10-0 first half lead to 31 unanswered points in a 31-10 loss to Cortland. The featured aspect of the Golden Eagles remains their defense, as in previous years. They are allowing the fewest yards per game of any defense in the conference at 188.4 per game, and are tough to run the ball against with 38.6 yards allowed per game. A player with a familiar last name leads that unit in the form of linebacker Ben Damiani. Damiani has a team-high 31 tackles. He is the brother of former UC tight end Alex Damiani. Alaan Montgomery has a conference-leading four picks for a unit setting the conference pace with 12 interceptions. On offense, Jala Coad has returned at running back, and already has 637 net yards and seven touchdowns on his ledger this year. Quarterback Jack Cheshire has thrown for just 839 yards for an offense that scores just 13.8 points per game.
Up Next: Utica heads to nationally-ranked SUNY Cortland on Saturday, October 23rd for another conference matchup.
