UTICA, NY - The Utica University football team looks to keep its unbeaten start intact, and make some history along the way in front of a Homecoming weekend crowd on Saturday, October 1st. The Pioneers will host Hartwick College in the team's 2022 Empire 8 Opener at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Follow Along: Live video and stats will be available at portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/. The game will also be carried on WPNR 90.7 FM, Utica University Pioneer Radio, and at PioneerRadio.org.
Homecoming 2022: Campus will roar to life this weekend with alumni, parents, and friends as part of Utica's Homecoming Celebration, with many popular features set to return for 2022. More information on events and registration can be found at utica.edu/homecoming.
Getting Into The Game: Tickets are five dollars at the gate for adults, and two dollars for children and non-Utica students.
Coach to Cure MD: The "Coach to Cure MD" game is back for the 2022 season. Help the Pioneers, the American Football Coaches' Association, and Coach to Cure MD in their efforts to tackle Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Duchenne (Pronounced "Doo-Shin") is a fatal, progressive muscle disorder that affects 1 in 5,000 boys worldwide. CTCMD has raised over $2.1 Million dollars over the past decade and won't stop until they reach their goal of life-sustaining treatments for all who are battling Duchenne. You can help right now by texting CURE to 501501 to donate $25, or do so online at http://join.parentprojectmd.org/ctcdonate. Our coaching staff will join many others around the country by wearing Coach to Cure MD Armbands during Saturday's game.
Welcome Back: This year, we welcome back a familiar face, Jonathan Piacentino, as he aims to help the efforts of Coach to Cure MD alongside his family as an honorary captain at our Homecoming game. Jonathan was diagnosed with Duchenne MD in December of 1997, when he was four years old. Jonathan and his family will speak with the Pioneers ahead of Saturday's game, and will also be involved in the pre-game festivities. His family has also organized a benefit raffle with an opportunity to win a variety of items from the Utica Football Program and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. Proceeds will advance the mission of Coach to Cure MD.
Ceremonial Coin Toss: Our ceremonial coin toss will be performed by Mrs. New York International for 2023, Jessica Fabus Cheng. She will be at the game as part of her efforts to raise awareness for the cause of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research.
The Series: This will be the 21st all-time meeting between Utica and Hartwick. The two conference foes have met in every season except for the delayed and truncated 2021 season. The two squads have split that series down the middle at ten wins apiece. Highlighting the 20 meetings was the 2007 contest at Gaetano Stadium. That year, Hartwick topped Utica by a 72-70 score in four overtimes. The 142 combined points is tied for the most in Division III history alongside a 2014 matchup between Illinois College and Rose-Hulman.
Last Time Against Hartwick: In 2021, the Pioneers trailed 10-6 to host Hartwick at the outset of the fourth quarter, but
Maki Medici (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) kicked a 29 yard field goal,
James Salles (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon) scored on an 18 yard run with five minutes remaining, and
Devin Bryant (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) intercepted a last-ditch bid for the end zone as Utica rallied past the Hawks by a 16-10 score in an Empire 8 contest at Hartwick's Wright Stadium.
Jimmie Warren (Suffern, NY/Suffern) led a sharp situational defensive effort for Utica. He had eight tackles with 2.5 going for a loss, along with a sack, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup.
Doug Simmons (White Plains, NY/Archbishop Stepinac) recorded three sacks, and
Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) had an interception.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers erased a 24-7 halftime deficit with a 24-0 second half run to rally and defeat #25 Union College by a 31-24 score at Frank Bailey Field in Schenectady. The Pioneers held a 363-327 edge in total offense, fueled by a 274-103 advantage in passing yards. The Dutchmen were just 5-of-13 on third down, while Utica thrived at 8-of-14. The Pioneers also held the edge in time of possession. Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) had 92 yards receiving, a receiving touchdown that set up the tying extra point, and the go-ahead score on a 43 yard punt return touchdown. Quarterback Braeden Zenelovic (Ontario Center, NY/Wayne Central ) was sharp, completing 21 of 28 passes for 274 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Travis Decker (Oneida, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) was on the receiving end of one of those two scores, which went for 68 yards for his first collegiate receiving score. Offensive lineman Ryan Walker (Syracuse, NY/Westhill) scored his first college touchdown as well on an opportunistic fumble recovery in the endzone. Defensively, the Pioneers did not allow a point in the second half, which bought time for the team to rally in dramatic fashion. Defensive back Dan Amady (Suffern, NY/Suffern) had a sparkling day with eleven total tackles and a tackle for loss. Defensive linemen Jimmie Warren (Suffern, NY/Suffern) (Suffern, NY/Suffern) and John Stroughn (Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity) had eight tackles apiece, with two of Warren's going for a loss.
Out of the Gate: The Pioneers are 4-0 for the first time since the 2016 season, and for the fourth time overall in the history of the program. A win Saturday would represent the program's first 5-0 start, and guarantee a .500 regular season record or better. The team is receiving votes in the latest d3football.com Top 25, and the AFCA coaches' poll.
Players of the Week: The Empire 8 Conference handed out some extra hardware to the Pioneers on Monday as the team took home two out of the three Player of the Week awards available. Quarterback Braeden Zenelovic (Ontario Center, NY/Wayne Central ) was chosen as the E8's Offensive Player of the Week, and Wide Receiver Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) was the pick for E8 Special Teams Player of the Week. The duo received their awards for their performances against Union.
By The Numbers: The Pioneers are second in the E8 in scoring offense at 29.5 points per game, and second in total offense at 375.0 yards per game. Utica is one of only two squads in the conference averaging over 200 yards passing per game, at 259.8 yards per game for a second place ranking among their conference peers. They are seventh in rushing in the E8 at 115.3 yards per game. On defense, Utica is sixth in among a defensively stingy group of teams at 22.0 points per game allowed. Five of the E8's seven football members are allowing less than 20 points a game right now. They are sixth in total defense, with a seventh place ranking against the run and fourth place ranking against the pass.
Nate The Great: Graduate wide receiver Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) is off to a flying start to the season. Through four games, he is averaging 144 yards receiving per game to rank fourth nationally, and has 576 yards receiving in total to rank second in the nation and first in the Empire 8. Palmer is 26th nationally in All-Purpose yards per game at 157.25, and is the only player in the E8 to have returned a punt for a touchdown this season. For his career, he has 1,854 receiving yards, fourteen touchdowns, and averages 16.26 yards per reception. He needs just 146 receiving yards, just over his average for a game this season, to become the fifth player in program history to reach 2,000 yards for his career. He needs just four yards to pass former teammate Peyton Miller for fifth on the program's list. His next receiving touchdown would be his fifteenth and tie him for third on the all-time list alongside Miller and Imani Vincent.
On Deck: Wideout Travis Decker (Oneida, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) enjoyed his best varsity performance on Saturday in the win at Union. His 68 yard touchdown reception is the fifth-longest pass play in the conference this year along with being the team's longest in the 2022 campaign. He has nine catches for 152 yards this season.
Air Nare: Joey Nare (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) has been an important possession target for Zenelovic during the first four games of this season. He has sixteen catches so far for 154 yards. He has been most effective in shorter yardage situations for the team, as he averages under ten yards a reception with a long of 28 yards, but that kind of presence helps keep offensive drives moving forward.
Flight Number Seven: Braeden Zenelovic (Ontario Center, NY/Wayne Central ) has settled right in as the Pioneers' Signal-Caller. Through four games, he has thrown for 947 yards and seven touchdowns, and has completed 64 percent of his passes. He is 36th in the nation in passing yards. He averages 236.8 yards per game to rank second in the Empire 8 conference. He is the only quarterback in the conference to attempt over 100 passes this season, and has thrown just two interceptions on 104 attempts.
The Ground Game: Running back James Salles (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon) is hoping for another big day on Saturday after recording a huge game in his first varsity appearance against Hartwick last season. In his debut with the squad, Salles rushed for 86 yards on nineteen carries and ran for the winning touchdown. He went on to finish the season with 497 yards and three rushing touchdowns. This season, he has 169 net rushing yards and one touchdown. Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) has rushed for 155 net yards and is averaging 6.5 yards per carry in his first season at the position. Reserve quarterbacks Sam Florio (Port Jefferson, NY/Port Jefferson) and Brandon Belott have also added an element of mobility to the rushing attack from that position, rushing for 88 and 23 net yards, respectively.
Top Ten Tacklers: Three Pioneers rank amongst the top ten in the E8 in total tackles per game at this point in the season. Jimmie Warren (Suffern, NY/Suffern) ranks fifth with an average of 9.3 per game from his spot at defensive end. Linebacker Anthony Fasano (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) is sixth at an average of 7.8 per contest, and Dan Amady (Suffern, NY/Suffern) is tenth with an average of 6.7, a number which ballooned after his eleven total tackles against Union. That performance marks a career-high.
The Jimbo Show: Just as he did last year, defensive end Jimmie Warren (Suffern, NY/Suffern) continues to set the pace on that side of the ball for Utica. The 2021 first team All-Conference selection not only leads Utica with 37 total tackles, but also is a top ten performer in the conference in sacks and tackles for loss. He has a total of 5.5 tackles for loss this season to lead the team, and his average of 1.38 per game is sixth among conference players. He has been credited with three sacks, all of them solo, and his average of 0.75 sacks per game is seventh in the Empire 8 Conference. He has eleven total sacks for his career, and is almost halfway to his 2021 total of seven. Another half sack would tie him on the all-time list alongside Michael Herberger and d3football all-region honoree Keanu Heedram.
Jammin Jamel: Versatile defensive back Jamel Smith (Spring Valley, NY/Avon Old Farms) is off to a solid start to his season. He is one of just eleven players in the Empire 8 conference to average a pass defended or more per game through four weeks. Smith has four pass breakups to his credit. In his career, he has sixteen pass breakups and an interception, and is coming off a season-high two pass breakups against Union. He broke up three passes in last year's win over Hartwick.
About Hartwick: The Hawks are off to a solid start with a 2-1 record under longtime head coach Mark Carr. The team from "The City of the Hills" has played its first three games at home, most recently a 28-20 win over Nichols College. The team also has a 31-10 win over SUNY Maritime. Carlvin McDonald led Hartwick with 123 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The Hawks are third in the E8 with 23.0 points per game on offense, and they allow just 15.7, which ranks fourth in the conference. They sport the strongest run defense, statistically, in the E8 at an average of 49.3 yards allowed per game, and just two rushing touchdowns conceded. Quarterback Kyle Szokoli has 511 passing yards in three outings, with three touchdowns and seven interceptions. Nate Rath is averaging 55 yards receiving per game to stand seventh in the conference, while McDonald's 98.7 rushing yards per game are second in the E8. Jeremy Gerdvil is averaging 11 total tackles per game to rank second among his league peers. He has 33 in total and is one of the league's leading pass rushers with three sacks.
Up Next: Following the bye week, the Pioneers stay at home for the second of a three-game homestand against Brockport on October 15th. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
