UTICA, NY - Coming off the most decorated season in program history, the Utica University football team will open up its 2023 slate on the road at noon on Saturday against the University of Rochester Yellowjackets. 
 
How to Watch: Rochester will provide live video through https://uofrathletics.com/watch/?Archive=956&type=Live and live stats through https://uofrathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/summary. 
 
A Historic Run: The Pioneers enter 2023 looking to build off of what was the most accomplished season in program history in 2022. Utica's 10 overall wins and five Empire 8 victories were each the most in a single-season in program history. To top those milestones, the Pioneers earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament, this first qualification in program history. Utica's win at Susquehanna University in the first round marked the first NCAA Tournament win in program history before ultimately falling in round two to the eventual national runner-up, Mount Union. Statistically, the team set single-season records with 82 touchdowns, 6,097 all-purpose yards and 375 total points scored, among others. The Blue and Orange wrapped up the year at #20 in the D3football.com poll, and 22nd in the AFCA Top 25. 
 
At the Helm: Blaise Faggiano enters his 16th season as the leader of the Pioneers. Over his 15 previous seasons, Faggiano has led Utica to 76 wins which include the 2018 ECAC Scotty Whitelaw Bowl victory and a 2022 NCAA Tournament First Round win. He has coached 84 All-Conference honorees, 14 DIII Classic All-Stars, 14 All- Region honorees, six Empire 8 Players of the Year, two Empire 8 Rookies of the Year, and five All-Americans.
 
In The Ballot Box: Utica is the top team in the "receiving votes" column of the D3football.com 2023 preseason poll with 49 total votes. They are one of only two E8 squads receiving votes in the poll. 
 
Key Leadership Changes: Utica will have a new offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator on its staff this season. After spending several years working with the offensive line, Jerrod Clowes enters his first season as the team's offensive coordinator. Clowes has been with the program in his second stint on the staff since 2017. He previously spent two years in an Athletic Assistant role with the program. He was a four-year member of the Pioneers from 2009-2012 and started on the defensive line. Clowes steps in for Joe Gerbino, who moved on to become the offensive coordinator at Division I Bethune-Cookman. Brandon Lemon is new to the staff as the team's special teams and recruiting coordinator. Lemon has spent the past several years working on Division I staffs at Charleston Southern, Lehigh, and Notre Dame. He played his college football at Utica's former Empire 8 peer, Salisbury. Lemon's brother, Alec, was an all-Big East receiver at Syracuse and still stands prominently in the school's record book. Of note, the Pioneers' coaching staff, and members of the team, feature a plethora of Section V representatives including Faggiano, Clowes, Braeden Zenelovic, Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) and Joey Lipani, who is the son of Hilton High School Head Coach, Rich Lipani. 
 
Against The 'Jackets: This will be the second all-time meeting between the two programs. Last year, the Pioneers walked away with a 43-28 win at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. Despite a career day by Rochester running back Daniel Papantonis and an early 21-7 deficit, the Pioneers rallied back with 22 unanswered points to take a 29-21 lead and pull away to a season-opening win. 
 
A Look Ahead at Non-Conference Play: In addition to Rochester, the Pioneers will also match up with Moravian (9/9), Lycoming (9/16), and Curry (9/23) in non-conference play this season. The Moravian game is the home opener and the Mastrovito Hyundai Believe Bowl game as well. The first-ever meeting between Utica and Lycoming will be a road contest for the Pioneers. Utica plays its second home game on 9/23 as it wraps up the non-league slate against Curry. Of the four non-conference opponents, three are making their first appearance on Utica's schedule. Rochester is the lone outlier, with last year's game serving as the first meeting. 
 
The E8 Slate: Conference play starts on September 30th as the Pioneers host Hartwick in the E8 opener for both sides. That game will be part of Utica University's homecoming festivities. On October 7th, the Pioneers do battle with two-time defending E8 Champion Cortland on the road. During the home stretch, the Pioneers will host Morrisville (10/14) and St. John Fisher (11/11), with the latter contest serving as Senior Day. In between those home dates are road contests against Alfred (10/21), and Brockport (10/28). 
 
Leaders of the Pack: The Pioneers will be led by three captains this season. Graduate defensive lineman John Stroughn (Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity), senior running back Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge), and graduate linebacker Anthony Novello (Mepham, NY/Mepham) will be the team's primary leaders. Stroughn was recently chosen as a nominee for the AFCA/Allstate Good Works Team earlier this summer, and all three captains have established a quality example for their teammates and the campus community through their volunteerism and dedication to the program. Stroughn and Novello were also chosen as all-conference selections for their play on the field last season. Their efforts will be supported by all classes in the program through a ten-member leadership council. 
 
A Statistical Summary: The Pioneers were second in the conference last season in total offense at 386.8 yards per game and scoring offense at 31.2 points per game. An average of 281.1 yards per game led the E8, and an efficient red zone offense that scored 85 percent of the time to rank 28th nationally didn't hurt either. Utica was sixth in the conference in rushing offense. The unit converted 41.4 percent of third down opportunities to rank third in the E8. On defense, the Pioneers were the fourteenth-best red zone defense in the country, allowing opponents to convert on just 23 of 39 chances. They allowed just 22.6 points per game last year to rank fourth in the conference, and the team was sixth in the conference in total defense. They ranked seventh against the run, and third against the pass. 
 
Under Center: Change is inevitable in college football, and that will certainly be the case at the quarterback position this fall for the Pioneers. 2022 starting signal-caller Braeden Zenelovic has stepped aside to join the coaching staff after racking up a program record 3,207 passing yards and tying the program's single season record with 31 touchdown passes. He also set a new single-season record for passer efficiency. Nine quarterbacks have been competing since the start of camp to earn the starting job this season. Senior Sam Florio (Port Jefferson, NY/Port Jefferson) is the elder statesman of the quarterback room and rushed for three scores while integrating into the offense in select packages throughout the 2022 season. Joey Fortunato (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) and Nick Amandola (East Northport, NY/Commack) are the two returning junior quarterbacks. Among the underclassmen, sophomore Brett Fuller (Port Jervis, NY/Port Jervis) has impressed in camp and is most likely to get the ball Saturday.

Down The Field: To be sure, replicating the output of All-American receiver Nate Palmer (Verona, NY/Vernon Verona Sherrill) will be a sizable task. Luckily, the Pioneers have a lot of veteran help at wide receiver to help shoulder the load. Graduate students Travis Decker (Oneida, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) and Joey Nare (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) are the Pioneers' top returning targets for 2023. Decker made 46 catches for 651 yards and four touchdowns in 2022, figures that would have led the team in 2021. Nare's role in the offense has consistently grown, and his hard work paid off with 47 catches, 558 yards, and four touchdowns. Doug Elsesser (Massapequa, NY/Plainedge) can shine in a supporting role after racking up just over 100 yards last year. Sophomore Antonio Cianfarani (Scotia, NY/Scotia Glenville) has made a lot of noise out of preseason camp and sits at the top of the depth chart in one of the receiver spots entering week one. At slot receiver, senior Peyton Ausfeld (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) moves home to the Empire State after starting his career playing both sides of the football at Division II Assumption. At tight end, seasoned veterans Tyler Kolenda (Harwinton, CT/Lewis S. Mills) and Logan Kraft (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) will continue in their roles. Kolenda caught a pair of touchdowns in 2022, including the final touchdown of the 2022 season.

In the Trenches: Utica will put three offensive line starters from the end of 2022 on the line of scrimmage to begin 2023. Junior Cameron Lizardi (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon) remains at the top of the depth chart exiting training camp at center. At guard, senior John Aliberti (Bellmore, NY/Mepham) returns to start. Aliberti is the lone returning 2022 All-Conference pick on Utica's offensive line this season, as he earned a third team nod. Ben Helfeld (Syracuse, NY/Westhill) started a sizable portion of games in 2022 at guard, and moves to one of the two available starting tackle positions vacated by All-Conference honorees Ryan Walker (Syracuse, NY/Westhill) and Mike Kreuter (Hauppauge, NY/Hauppauge). Nate Button and Russell Porter (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) will be the leading candidates to fill the other exterior vacancy, and Sammy-Adier Quinones (Schenectady, NY/Holy Trinity) will see plenty of time in the rotation as well. Look for 2022 opening night starter Luke McMahon (Buffalo, NY/Bishop Timon - St. Jude) to factor in heavily at guard behind Helfeld, Upperclassmen Dan Pearo and Thomas Moss (Lancaster, NY/St. Mary's) will be the main options at the other guard spot out of the gate. The unit allowed just 1.45 sacks per game last year, a figure that was second-best in the Empire 8.

Specialists: Corey Lichtman (Bellmore, NY/Mepham) returns to kick for the Pioneers this season. In 2022, he knocked eight of eleven field goal attempts through the uprights, including a 50 yard field goal that tied the program record last season. At punter, the Pioneers will have more stability this season with Freddie Callo (Milton, NY/Marlboro Central) joining the team. Callo participated in Baseball this past spring at Utica. He was previously at Hudson Valley Community College, where his exploits on the gridiron earned him NJCAA All-American honors. Nick Maritato (Clarkstown, NY/Clarkstown North) and Peyton Ausfeld (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) will return kicks, while Mike Mecca and Joey Nare (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) will be the punt returners. 
 
On The Defensive Line: Fans can expect to see a lot of familiar names line up on the defensive front this season. Defensive tackle John Stroughn (Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity) has been impacting games for years, and was second on last year's team with 6.5 sacks as part of his all-conference campaign. He will be joined on the interior by Elijah Stowe (Coram, NY/Longwood), who will see a greatly expanded role as a graduate student. Senior defensive end Evan Gohringer (Utica, NY/Proctor) has been an impactful player in the past, and will be counted on to excel with the departure of All-Region defensive end Jimmie Warren (Suffern, NY/Suffern), who was also the E8's Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 after posting a team-best 98 total tackles, 11 sacks, and 17.5 tackles for loss.  Daryl Savage (Elmira, NY/Elmira) has also finished out his eligibility, and senior Doug Simmons (White Plains, NY/Archbishop Stepinac) will be tasked with the opening day start at the other edge position. Simmons has six career sacks, including three in a single game against Hartwick in the Fall of 2021. A pair of transfers will rotate in and provide some explosiveness at defensive end. Mason Mascari (Rochester, NY/Webster Schroeder) joins the team from Division II Lake Erie College, and Marco Baez (Bellmore, NY/Milford Academy) has joined the roster from Division II Clarion. As a fun fact, current Utica University president Todd Pfannestiel spent two decades on Clarion's faculty and was once that institution's acting president. 
 
In the Linebacking Corps: Third team All-Conference linebacker Anthony Novello (Mepham, NY/Mepham) spearheads a trio of seniors at the heart of the defense entering 2023. Novello had 69 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 31 solo stops, and an interception. He finished the season third on the team in total tackles. Anthony Fasano (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) had 58 total tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and an interception. Aedan McDonald (Huntington, NY/Huntington) had three tackles in limited action last year, and now moves into a starting outside linebacker role. Senior Cam Provenzano (Levittown, NY/Island Trees), senior Darius Johnson (Webster, NY/Webster), and junior Norman Booth (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady) will also get prominent opportunities to play at linebacker this year. 
 
In the Defensive Backfield: Any conversation about Utica's defensive backfield tends to start with Terrance Toussaint (West Orange, NJ/West Orange). The graduate corner recorded 41 tackles, two interceptions, and broke up a conference leading eight passes en route to second team All-Conference honors last year. Denzere Woolcock (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady) moves across the line of scrimmage from receiver to defensive back to slot in at corner in place of the graduated Jamel Smith (Spring Valley, NY/Avon Old Farms), who had a team-best four picks last year. Nick Billand (Towaco, NJ/Montville) previously made that move, which paid off with 27 total tackles as a senior and the opportunity to start at safety as a graduate student as Dan Amady (Suffern, NY/Suffern) finished his career and became a running backs coach on the Utica staff. Eli Douglas (Ausable Forks, NY/Ausable Valley) also moves up a spot on the depth chart to start at the other safety spot in place of Joey Lipani, who works with Utica's tight ends this year. Douglas was fantastic last season with twelve total tackles and a pair of interceptions. 
 
About Rochester: The Yellow Jackets completed the 2022 season with a 3-7 overall record while posting a 1-5 record in Liberty League action. 2022 starting quarterback Ryan Rose returns as a junior this season for a unit that put up 15 points per game on nearly 305 yards per contest. Last year, Rose threw seven touchdowns to 12 interceptions while tossing 97 yards per game on 47.24 percent. Also returning is star running back Daniel Papantonis, who rushed for 309 yards and four scores on 18 attempts last season against the Pioneers. Overall in 2022, Papantonis ranked 13th nationally averaging 6.52 yards per touch and ninth in Division III with 1,272 rushing yards. On the other side of the ball, the Rochester defense gave up nearly 28 points per game last season on 357.8 yards. The team's top-three sack leaders from 2022, T.J. Monahan (4.5), Bradley Beckwith (2.0), and Andy Kristian (2.0), are back for the Yellow Jackets in 2023. Also returning to the defensive unit are Judah Thomas, Simon Weeren, Jack Yensel and Jordy Tawa who, between the four, accounted for each of the team's nine interceptions last season. Weeren was also the second-leading tackler on the team last year while Rochester's top tackler, Caden Cole, will not return in 2023. 

Up Next: The Pioneers will open up at home at 1 p.m. on September 9 against Moravian University for what will be the annual Believe Bowl.