UTICA, NY - The Utica University football team sets its sights down Interstate 90 for a battle of unbeaten squads on Saturday. The Pioneers will head to Schenectady for a non-conference matchup with #25 Union. The contest kicks off at 1 p.m. at Union's Frank Bailey Field.
Follow Along: The game can be viewed at https://unionathletics.com/footballvideo, while live stats are available at http://www.unionathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/.
The Series: This will be the seventh all-time meeting between the Pioneers and Dutchmen. Utica leads the series with four wins to Union's two, however, it has been a streaky series between the two squads. Utica won the first four meetings from 2011-2014, while Union has won the last two contests played in 2019 and 2021. The Blue and Orange has identical home and away records against Union, with a 2-1 mark at both sites.
Deja Vu: For the second straight meeting, both teams will enter the contest with a 3-0 record. Utica has been tested but victorious against non-league opposition, with wins over Rochester (43-28), Kean (21-15), and Western New England (23-21). Union has also triumphed in three non-conference games, with victories against Allegheny (42-27), Worcester State (76-7), and most recently, former Liberty League rival Springfield (21-6).
The Last Time They Met: Union was victorious over Utica by a 30-9 score on September 25th, 2021 at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. The Pioneers kept it tight through three quarters, as they trailed the #11/12 Dutchmen by a 14-9 score entering the fourth. The visiting team broke away in the final stanza on a pair of touchdown passes by senior quarterback Will Bellamy and an insurance field goal. Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) kicked three field goals in the loss for Utica, who out-gained their nationally-ranked opponent in total offense by a 292-261 margin. The Utica defense was led by Kwasi Addo's (Menands, NY/Shaker) nine tackles, while Chris Washington (Suffern, NY/Suffern) and Devin Bryant (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) each logged an interception. Washington also posted a forced fumble in the loss.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers escaped Western New England's Golden Bear Stadium on Saturday with a slightly unorthodox 23-21 win. With the game decided by the closest of margins, the Pioneers prevailed largely on the strength of two pivotal defensive stops inside their own ten yard line, and a breakout performance in the kicking game. Senior kicker Corey Lichtman (Bellemore, NY/Mepham) featured heavily in the scoring, scoring a total of eleven points on three field goals and two extra points. He converted from distances of 42, 26, and 50 yards, with the 50 yarder tying a long-standing school record. He was named the Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week, and later became the ninth player in program history to secure a d3football.com Team of the Week honor. Quarterback Braeden Zenelovic (Ontario Center, NY/Wayne Central ) threw for one touchdown and ran for another, with his longest completion of the day setting up his rushing touchdown. Graduate wideout Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) had six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown, while Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) rushed for a season-high 87 yards. Jimmie Warren (Suffern, NY/Suffern) had a team-high 13 tackles to lead the defense, while Terrance Toussaint (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) broke up three passes and forced a fumble. Anthony Fasano (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) had ten tackles and picked up a quarterback sack, and Dan Amady (Suffern, NY/Suffern) had an interception.
By The Numbers: On offense, the Pioneers are second among E8 teams in scoring offense at 29.0 points per game, and third in total offense at 379 yards per game. That unit sports the conference's second-ranked passing offense to the tune of 255 yards per game. On defense, the Pioneers are sixth in total defense at 434.3 yards, and fifth in scoring defense with 21.3 points per game. The squad is fourth in the conference and 85th nationally in pass defense.
In The Red: The Pioneers currently lead the Empire 8 in Red Zone defense at 50 percent, a figure that also ranks 22nd in the nation. Opponents are just 4-of-8 at scoring points once they've reached the Utica 20 yard line, and the Pioneer defense has locked down the opposition to just two touchdowns in those eight opportunities.
Kicking It: After his brilliant performance on Saturday in Springfield, Massachusetts, Corey Lichtman (Bellemore, NY/Mepham) occupies a share of the national lead in field goal percentage. He is one of 20 kickers in Division III who have attempted and not missed a field goal yet this season.
Return Policy: The Pioneers lead the conference in kickoff return yards at an average of 23.92 yards per attempt. Jamel Smith (Spring Valley, NY/Avon Old Farms) and Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) are first and second in the E8 in kick return average, with Smith setting the pace at 27.71 yards on his seven runback attempts this year.
Fly The Friendly Skies: Quarterback Braeden Zenelovic (Ontario Center, NY/Wayne Central ) and wide receiver Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) have formed one of the best aerial tandems anywhere in the region this season. Utica's first-year signal caller has completed 60 percent of his passes for 673 yards and five touchdowns. He is 68th nationally in passing yards per game, and second in the conference in the same category. His five passing touchdowns also rank second in the E8. Palmer has opened the season with three 100-yard receiving games, including the season opener where he eclipsed the 200 yard mark. His six receiving touchdowns lead the conference and rank third in the nation. Palmer has accumulated 484 yards this season. He needs just two more receiving touchdowns to become the fourth player in program history to catch 15 touchdown passes in a career. With his performance against Western New England, he recently surpassed 2,000 all-purpose yards for his career. Six other Pioneers have also made a catch this season to contribute to the passing game. Joey Nare (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) has made ten catches for 103 yards, Travis Decker (Oneida, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) has made seven grabs for 78 yards, tight end Tyler Kolenda (Harwinton, CT/Lewis S. Mills) has secured five throws for 53 yards, Izzy Maldonado (Island Park, NY/Long Beach) has 32 receiving yards, and running backs James Salles (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon) and Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) have caught two passes apiece.
On The Ground: The Pioneers rank fifth in the conference in rushing offense at 124.0 yards per contest. Matt Brantley's (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) 148 net yards and two touchdowns in his first season at Running Back have been a huge help, while James Salles (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon) has 129 net yards and a touchdown. All-Purpose Back Sam Florio (Port Jefferson, NY/Port Jefferson) also has a rushing touchdown on the books.
Big Bad John: Senior defensive lineman John Stroughn (Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity) is on quite a comeback tour. After having his year cut short in 2021, he has returned to the fold to set the team's pace in tackles for loss with 4.0 in the team's first three matchups of the season. He has also been credited with 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries, and fourteen total tackles.
Getting To The Rock: The Pioneers have three defensive players past the 20 tackle mark through the first three games, and all three are members of the team's front seven. Defensive end Jimmie Warren (Suffern, NY/Suffern) has excelled since moving to an edge spot up front, and leads the team with 29 total tackles. With his performance against Western New England, Warren has surpassed 100 tackles for his collegiate career. He has a team-best two quarterback sacks as well as 3.5 tackles for loss. Anthony Fasano (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) has 26 total tackles to rank second on the team, while Anthony Novello (Mepham, NY/Mepham) has 21 total tackles, a pass breakup, and an interception so far this year.
Mr. Consistency: Joey Lipani (Rochester, NY/Hilton) is off to a consistent start to the season so far for Utica. He has five or more tackles in each contest this season en route to a career-high eighteen wrap-ups. He had an impressive four solo tackles at Western New England on Saturday.
Knock It Down: Veteran cornerback Terrance Toussaint (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) is on pace to yet again lead Utica in pass breakups. He is averaging a pass breakup per outing to start the year after swatting away three passes in Saturday's win. Last season, he led the team with 11 pass breakups. He needs to swat away just one more to become the sixth player in program history to reach fifteen in a career.
About Union: The nationally-ranked Dutchmen are 3-0 under seventh year head coach Jeff Behrman. The Dutchmen rank 33rd nationally in total offense, and 35th in total defense. All-American running back Ike Irabor is back to helm up the offense, and leads the team in rushing with 228 net yards and four touchdowns. First-year starting quarterback Donovan Pacatte has thrown for 556 yards and seven touchdowns. Linebacker Cole DaSilva is the team's leading tackler with 29.
SEE U AT U 2022: The Pioneers' next contest will be back in the confines of Charles A. Gaetano Stadium as they host Hartwick for their 2022 homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
