UTICA, NY - Pioneer Football returns home to ABM Field on Saturday to greet Alfred University during this year's Utica University Homecoming matchup. Saturday's showdown will also serve as the Breast Cancer Awareness Game presented by Strategic Financial, Gilroy Kernan Gilroy, and Sullivan Contracting. The Homecoming game will begin at 1:00 PM on Saturday.
 
How to Watch: Follow along live with this Saturday's action by clicking the "Watch" tab on our homepage, football schedule page, or by following the link below.
You can stream this weekend's contest here: https://www.empire8network.com/utica/?B=1145650
 
Live Statistics: Get live statistics updates for every Football matchup by following the link below to our new live stats page, or by selecting the "live stats" tab under each matchup on our 2024 football schedule page.
Follow along with Live Statistics here: https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
 
Morrisville Recap: Utica traveled to Morrisville for a matchup against the Mustangs last Saturday. In a gritty and hard fought affair, the Pioneers lone turnover ended up being the deciding factor in a game which ended up being a battle of possession.
 
With both teams mounting sustained scoring possessions throughout the entire afternoon, a single play, 1-yard touchdown drive after a Utica punt put Morrisville over the visitors by a 28-26 tally.
 
Both teams exited Saturday's contest with a 3-3 record, with Morrisville gaining the edge in conference play at 2-1 and the Pioneers falling to 1-2 within the Empire 8.
 
Utica outgained Morrisville on the afternoon, racking up 395 yards of total offense compared to the 325 yards that the hosts put together. The Pioneers were pretty balanced in the matchup, gaining 157 yards on the ground and 238 yards through the air. Morrisville's offense was less balanced, but still very effective, as the Mustangs rushed 42 times, gaining 256 yards and getting 3 scores  on the ground.
 
The lone turnover in the matchup was a fumbled punt by the Pioneers midway through the second quarter. The costly error shifted momentum towards Morrisville and gave them the ball on the Pioneer 1-yard line. The Mustangs would punch it in on the next play to take a commanding first half lead.
 
The Pioneer defense played well in the second half, only allowing seven points over the final 30 minutes of the game.
 
Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Institute of Technology) hauled in seven passes for 99 yards and the two important touchdowns. He caught a 44-yard touchdown pass just before the half for the Pioneers' longest reception of the afternoon. The Pivotal catch also brought the Pioneers within one score of the Mustangs. Taylor's second touchdown reception occurred with zero seconds remaining in the matchup, as he somehow latched onto a last second 38-yard score to give the Pioneers a chance to force overtime on an untimed two-point conversion.
 
Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) led the ground game for Utica, with the veteran back picking up 63 yards to go along with a rushing touchdown. Brantley also caught a nine-yard touchdown for the Pioneers first score, ending with 72 total scrimmage yards and the two total touchdowns.
 
Darius Johnson (Webster, NY/Webster) and James Lanier (Syracuse, NY/Corcoran) led the defensive effort, each gaining 12 total tackles during the game.
 
Pioneer Prestige: Pioneer Quarterback Brett Fuller (Port Jervis, NY/Port Jervis) entered the Utica Football record books during last week's game, setting the school record for single-game completion percentage as he threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns in the game against Morrisville.
 
Fuller went 24 for 27 on the afternoon, with one of his three completions being the result of a spike to stop the clock during a two-minute drill in the first half. In addition, were it not for that first half spike, Fuller would have had a perfect first half, as the Junior QB went 10-11 in the first 30 minutes.
 
The Port Jervis native engineered many long drives throughout the day, keeping pace in the possession category due to his pinpoint passing and ability to move the chains through any means necessary.
 
Empire 8 Elite: Doug Simmons (White Plains, NY/Archbishop Stepinac) and John Stroughn (Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity) have led a Pioneer defensive line that currently ranks tied for first in the conference for total sacks with 16. Simmons and Stroughn have had amazing individual seasons in their own right, with the two standouts tied for the league lead in total sacks, each with 4 takedowns on the year. Stroughn is also three sacks away from the all-time record for career sacks as a member of the Pioneers, and has four games left to try and reach the illustrious mark.
 
Simmons, Stroughn, and James Lanier (Syracuse, NY/Corcoran) also all place inside the top 10 in tackles for loss within the Empire 8 rankings, with Stroughn fourth (6.5), Simmons sixth (6), and Lanier 10th (5).
 
In the secondary, Eli Douglas (Ausable Forks, NY/Ausable Valley) ranks second in the Empire 8 for pass breakups per game, with the Junior safety having 1.3 breakups per game. He's also tied for first in interceptions, with three total picks.
 
Defensive Captain Darius Johnson (Webster, NY/Webster) places third in the conference for tackles per game, notching 8.7 takedowns per game. Johnson has 52 total tackles and has been the best defensive stopper for Utica.
 
Matt Brantley (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) is third in the conference for total rushing yards, having gained 560 yards on the ground this season. The Pioneer Captain has rushed for an average of 93.3 yards per game, and has an average of six yards per attempt. Brantley is also sixth in the conference for all-purpose yards per game, with the Rochester native checking in at 99.5 total yards per contest.
 
 
Freddie Callo (Milton, NY/Marlboro Central) is currently second in the Empire 8 for net punting yards, sending the ball 42.2 yards for every boot and contributing to the Pioneers' possession style of play, trapping opponents deep within their own territory and allowing the Orange and Blue to control the tempo of the game.
 
Rewind Time: Utica traveled to Alfred University last season in a matchup where they logged over 200 more yards of offense than the hosting Saxons. The Pioneers also possessed the ball for nearly 20 more minutes than the Saxons, dominating the tempo of the game to come away with a 28-0 win. Here's a peek at last year's matchup:
 

	Alfred	Utica
1st Downs	7	22
Rushing Yards	76	134
Passing Yards	75	236
Total Offense	151	370
Punts	7	3
Time of Possession	20:42	39:18
3rd Down Conversions	1 of 3 (33%)	7 of 18 (39%)

2024 Alfred University Outlook: Alfred University is off to a 3-3 start this season, and has a 1-2 record in conference play. They started off 2024 with a close loss to a tough Hobart team, falling 10-7 in a low-scoring affair in Geneva. The Saxons then went on a 3-win streak over the next four weeks, topping Juniata, Catholic, and Hilbert, all of whom fell to Alfred by over 30 points each. Since their hot start, the Saxons have cooled off with a close 24-14 loss at Morrisville, and a 59-17 loss to #2 Cortland being their last two results. The Saxons will be looking to stop a minor slide when they visit ABM Field on Saturday.
 
Chris Kelly has been the main signal-caller for the Saxons this season, with the 6-1 Junior recording 82 completions for 1,078 yards and 11 touchdowns through six games for Alfred. Kelly has a 60.3% completion rate and has thrown 4 interceptions this season. Kelly has averaged under 200 yards this season save for the game against Juniata where he threw for a stellar 357 yards and 4 touchdowns.
 
Despite good numbers from Kelly, it's his main wideout that stands out as the foremost offensive threat for the Saxons. Dion Anderson leads all of the Empire 8 in most receiving categories, with his 39 receptions being seven more than the next closest player in the reception column. Anderson also leads the conference in receiving yards with 614, giving him an outstanding average of 102.3 per game. In the matchup against Juniata, Anderson had one of the best receiving performances in all of Division III this season, racking up 279 yards and 3 touchdowns in the non-conference victory. Anderson, only a Sophomore, is definitely someone to look out for from the visitors on both offense and kickoff returns.
 
On the ground, it's Max Freeman IV who gets it done for Alfred. Freeman, a Senior from Corning, NY, has rushed the ball 84 times for a total of 446 yards, coming in with a per-game average of 73.3. The lead back for the Saxons has 3 touchdowns on the season.
 
The Saxons don't allow many sacks, with teams averaging only one sack per-game. Saturday will feature a very interesting battle for supremacy at the line when Alfred is on offense, as the best sack-preventing offensive line will meet the best sack-producing defensive line. Alfred leads the Empire 8 with the lowest amount of sacks allowed at six total. Conversely, the Pioneer defensive line has secured 16 Quarterback takedowns this season, tied for tops in the conference.
 
Graduate Linebacker Joe Copp is the leading tackler for the Saxons, having 44 total takedowns this season. Copp also leads the team in sacks, with two of those to go along with six tackles for loss.
 
Statcast: Here's a breakdown of Alfred and Utica's 2024 statistics after 4 weeks of play.
 

OFFENSIVE	Morrisville	Utica
Points Per Game	32.3	32.3
First Downs Per Game	19.7	18
Rushing Yards Per Game	168	159.5
Yards Per Carry	4.8	5.1
Rushing Touchdowns	13	9
Fumbles Lost	5	3
Passing Yards Per Game	186.2	206
Yards Per Attempt	7.9	6.68
Passing Touchdowns	11	14
Interceptions Thrown	4	6
Sacks Allowed	6	9
Total Yards Per Game	354.2	365.5
Total Touchdowns	26	27
Time of Poss. Per Game	29:58	30:47
3rd Down Conversions	25-67 (37.31%)	34-80 (42.50%)
Points Allowed Per Game	22.7	23.5
1st Downs All. Per Game	19	19.5
Rushing Yards All. Per Game	207	139.2
Rushing Touchdowns All.	8	10
Passing Yards All. Per Game	139.2	197.8
Passing Touchdowns All.	10	9
Total Yards All. Per Game	346.2	337
Touchdowns All.	18	20
Interceptions Created	4	6
Fumbles Recovered	5	5
Sacks	7	16
Record	3-3	3-3

 
Week 4 Outlook: The Pioneers will welcome SUNY Brockport to ABM Field on Saturday, November 2nd for their Senior Day game. It will also be the Veterans Day Game and will begin at 12:00 PM.
 
Tune in this weekend when the Pioneers take on Alfred University!