UTICA, NY - The Utica University football team is set to travel to Alfred, NY on Saturday to take on the Alfred University Saxons at noon. 
 
Follow Along: A live stream for the game along with live stats will be provided at   https://portal.stretchinternet.com/alfred 
 
Getting In: Pricing for Saturday's game will be $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens/members of the military/first responders/non-Alfred University students with I.D. card, and free for children 6 years of age or younger.  The Alfred University softball team and men's lacrosse team are also teaming up to organize a charity drive on Saturday, October 21 to collect stuffed animals as well as an assortment of toys to be donated to the Salvation Army of Hornell. Fans are encouraged to bring a stuffed animal and/or new toy to Saturday's game at Yunevich Stadium, aka The Pit. Fans who bring in one toy will get one free ticket into Saturday's game (children six years of age and below are free either way). At halftime, the public address announcer will make an announcement for everyone to get ready with their stuffed animals to toss into The Pit where they will be collected by members of the Alfred University men's lacrosse and softball teams.
 
Last Time Out: The Utica University football team got back on track collecting a 24-6 conference victory over SUNY Morrisville on Saturday afternoon.Under center, Brett Fuller (Port Jervis, NY/Port Jervis)  was 24-for-32 passing with 188 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown and a pair of interceptions. Sam Florio (Port Jefferson, NY/Port Jefferson) was great on the ground rushing 14 times for 69 yards and a touchdown. Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) rushed 12 times for 28 yards and was relentless in the receiving game, tallying a career-high 10 receptions for 44 yards. Travis Decker (Oneida, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill)  made his impact on today's game with three catches for 75 yards and one touchdown, with his longest reception being a 58-yard touchdown. The defense was lockdown today amassing a season-high eight sacks which featured five players recording at least 0.5 a sack. John Stroughn (Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity)  led the way with nine tackles including five tackles for loss with three sacks. Doug Simmons (White Plains, NY/Archbishop Stepinac) was also a mainstay in the backfield recording five total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Anthony Fasano (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) had nine total tackles with 1.5 sacks while Anthony Novello (Mepham, NY/Mepham) tallied six tackles and 0.5 a sack. Marco Baez (Bellmore, NY/Milford Academy) also was credited with 0.5 a sack. Aedan McDonald (Huntington, NY/Huntington)  made a stellar pick-six which he returned 14 yards to the house. It was a scoreless first quarter, yet each team had its chances to put points on the board. Utica was driving and just outside of the red zone when Morrisville jumped on a fumble by Sam Florio (Port Jefferson, NY/Port Jefferson) at the 12:04 mark to keep the game knotted at 0-0. Utica forced a Mustangs punt and was driving at midfield again yet a pass by Fuller hit Brantley in the hands and was intercepted by the defense to end the Pioneers' drive. Each team had two more drives in the first yet could not muster any points, leaving the game tied 0-0 after one quarter of play.The Pioneers made another stop and began driving again in the second quarter setting up a 40-yard field goal attempt for Corey Lichtman (Bellmore, NY/Mepham). The attempt was blocked by the Mustangs and returned for a touchdown to put them up 6-0 after a missed extra point. After a stalled drive for each team, McDonald returned an interception 14 yards to the house to give Utica a 7-6 edge halfway through the quarter after Lichtman's successful point after. The Pioneers took a 7-6 lead into halftime.The Utica defense made another stand to begin the second half and its offense drove down the field, yet Lichtman could not convert a 42-yard field goal at the 10:03 mark. Yet, the Pioneer defense held strong again and got its offense the ball back quickly. Fuller aired one out to Decker who took it 58 yards for a touchdown to increase the Utica lead to 14-6 with 6:16 left in the frame. Morrisville responded with a 10-yard drive yet missed a 36-yard field goal and the score remained 14-6 after three quarters of play.The fourth quarter featured two quick drives for each team before Utica put together a nine-play drive that was capped off by a 42-yard Lichtman field goal to push the lead to 17-6 Utica at the 5:22 mark. Utica's defense forced a turnover on downs and Florio punched in a rushing touchdown from 13 yards out to give the Pioneers a 24-6 edge after Lichtman's point after at the 2:39 mark. The Pioneer defense forced another quick drive and then it was victory formation to secure the 24-6 win.
 
Where We Stand: After last week's conference victory over Morrisville, the Pioneers' moved up to third in the Empire 8 standings through three league games. The last three weeks of the season feature three more conference matchups that will be crucial down the stretch. This weekend, Utica will chase its seventh victory of the season, a milestone that has only been achieved four times in the history of Utica football. This is now the teams third straight season of finishing above .500. Saturday's defensive resurgence gives strong hope for the Pioneers in the last three games of the season. 
 
Number Two Is Coming For You: Stroughn had a breakout performance in Utica's 24-6 win over SUNY Morrisville on Saturday. The graduate student compiled three sacks for -19 Mustang yards while totaling five tackles for a loss for -21 yards. In all, Stroughn had nine tackles on the afternoon and also added a QB hurry to his line. His three sacks were the most he's had in a game since he tallied four at St. John Fisher last season. Both his three sacks and his nine tackles were single game highs for him this season as well. For his efforts, Stroughn was awarded Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week. This was Stroughn's second time winning Defensive Player of the Week, after being honored once during the 2022 season as well. 
 
Lockdown Defense: The Pioneers' defense was blanketing against Morrisville as they didn't allow any points in the matchup. Morrisville's lone score came after a blocked kick. This was the first time since 2014 that the Utica defense did not allow a point. Anthony Fasano (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) made nine tackles in the matchup and contributed to 1,5 sacks. Aedan McDonald (Huntington, NY/Huntington) had himself a day with seven tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. Anthony Novello (Mepham, NY/Mepham) and Terrance Touissant had six tackles apiece. Doug Simmons (White Plains, NY/Archbishop Stepinac) made five tackles along with a career-high 2.5 sacks. Marco Baez (Bellmore, NY/Milford Academy) also contributed to a sack. Utica combined for eight sacks in the victory which is the highest mark by any Empire 8 team in a game this season. 2019 was the last time the Pioneers' defense recorded eight sacks in a matchup. 
 
The Swiss Army Knife: Quarterback Sam Florio (Port Jefferson, NY/Port Jefferson) is as versatile of an athlete as they come. Florio's usage as a runner this season has provided steady production for the Utica offense. This past week, he carried the ball 14 times for 69 yards, both of which were career highs. Florio scored his team high seventh rushing touchdown of the season which ranks him third in the Empire 8. 
 
About Alfred: Through six games played, Alfred has a modest 3-3 record, most recently falling to Cortland 59-21. In the matchup vs Cortland, sophomore quarterback, Derek Johnson drew the first start of his career. Johnson made the most of his opportunity, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for one as well. His strong efforts could earn him another start vs Utica this week. Alfred's offense is headlined by junior running back, Max Freeman IV. Freeman is currently third in the conference for rushing yards with 478 on the season. He has also scored three touchdowns. In this week's matchup vs Utica, Freeman will look to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in his career as he currently needs 72 yards to reach the milestone. The Saxons top targets this season are freshman Dion Anderson, and graduate student, Jacob Kelsey. Anderson has made an immediate impact as a freshman with 29 receptions for 290 yards and three touchdowns through six games. Kelsey has provided steady production as well with 17 catches for 185 yards. Alfred's defense is led by two of the top linebackers in the Empire 8. Joe Copp is second in the conference in tackles with 81 on the season to go along with three sacks and one forced fumble. TJ Marsh ranks fourth in the conference in tackles with 60. He also has one sack, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions.  
 
Up Next: The Pioneers will head out to Brockport to take on the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles on Saturday, October 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.