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UTICA, NY - The Utica University football team bounced back in emphatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, rolling past SUNY Morrisville 33-7 at Drake Field to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in Empire 8 play heading into the bye week. The Pioneers controlled the contest on both sides of the ball, finishing with 494 yards of total offense while holding the Mustangs to just 172 yards in a dominant road performance.
The orange and blue set the tone early, forcing a turnover on Morrisville's opening possession before putting together a scoring drive to take the lead late in the first quarter. Utica added two more touchdowns in the second quarter to carry a 20-7 advantage into halftime, then shut out the Mustangs over the final two quarters to secure the victory.
The Pioneers opened the scoring with 2:05 remaining in the first quarter when
Lorenzo Velez (East Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) hauled in a nine-yard touchdown pass from
Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) to cap an eight-play, 38-yard drive. The Pioneers added to their lead early in the second quarter as Szalkowski connected with
Logan Frederick (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) for a 19-yard touchdown, completing a five-play, 77-yard drive in just 2:17. Morrisville answered with a touchdown drive of its own to cut the deficit to six, but Utica responded just before halftime.
Matthew Pallouras (Rochelle Park, NJ/Hackensack) punched in a three-yard rushing touchdown with seven seconds remaining in the half, capping a 10-play, 65-yard drive and sending the Pioneers into the break up 20-7.
After a scoreless third quarter, Utica's offense found the end zone twice in the opening four minutes of the fourth.
Tyler Hall (Holbrook, NY/Sachem North) broke through for a six-yard rushing touchdown with 13:29 remaining, and Szalkowski followed with a one-yard touchdown run just over two minutes later to extend the advantage to 33-7. The Pioneer defense made sure the lead would hold, keeping Morrisville off the scoreboard throughout the second half and limiting the Mustangs to just 59 rushing yards on 28 attempts.
Utica's balanced offensive attack produced 24 first downs and 494 total yards, including 349 through the air and 145 on the ground. The Pioneers also converted eight of 15 third-down opportunities and controlled possession for 33:51 despite a rushing-first gameplan by the Mustangs. Defensively, the orange and blue recorded three sacks, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions while allowing only 3.4 yards per play.
Saturday Spotlight: The Pioneer run defense led the way in Saturday's bounce-back win, consistently disrupting Morrisville's ground game and limiting the Mustangs to just 59 rushing yards. The effort was powered by
Jordyn Davis (Hempstead, NY/Uniondale),
Isaiah Thomas (Kingston, NY/Kingston),
Nick DeForrest,
Andrew Lake (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) and
Luke Sheldon (Lake George, NY/Lake George), who combined to make plays across the defensive front and linebacker unit.
Davis had a monster afternoon, as the interior defensive lineman led the group with nine total tackles, including a sack and a quarterback hurry. Thomas paced the defense with 10 tackles, continuing his high-volume defensive play while adding a half-tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry as he helped keep the Mustangs from establishing a consistent rhythm on the ground.
DeForrest added six tackles despite getting the brunt of the Mustangs' blocking efforts, even seeing his jersey be torn to shreds right before halftime. The senior end made a major impact in the trenches, recording a sack for an eight-yard loss and a tackle for loss. Lake contributed five tackles, including a half-tackle for loss, while Sheldon finished with four tackles and a pass breakup. Together, the group helped anchor a defensive performance that held Morrisville to just 2.1 yards per rushing attempt and three third-down conversions on 11 opportunities.
Offensive Highlights: The Pioneers finished with 494 total yards, including 349 passing yards and 145 rushing yards, while scoring five touchdowns. Szalkowski completed 22 of 37 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns, adding a rushing score of his own on a Pioneer Push from the one-yard line. The senior quarterback spread the ball around effectively and was able to hit the deep ball with precision, with three receivers recording at least 70 yards as he averaged 15.9 yards per completion.
Tight end Frederick led Utica with seven receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown, including the 19-yard scoring strike in the second quarter, while also having a second touchdown get called back.
Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Syracuse Institute of Technology) delivered a strong performance with five catches for 110 yards, leading all Pioneer receivers in yardage.
Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) added five receptions for 71 yards, while
Tony Dorozynski (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) hauled in three passes for 38 yards. Velez finished with two receptions for 21 yards and the game's opening touchdown.
On the ground, Hall paced the Pioneers with 78 yards on 12 carries, averaging 6.5 yards per attempt while adding a fourth-quarter touchdown.
Eze Frazier (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) carried the ball 10 times for 25 yards, while
Micah Davis (Fredonia, NY/Fredonia) chipped in 21 yards on three attempts. Pallouras added 12 rushing yards on five carries, including his late-second-quarter touchdown, and Szalkowski's one-yard scoring run capped the afternoon's scoring.
Defensive Highlights: Utica's defense limited Morrisville to 172 total yards and seven points, forcing two interceptions and recording three sacks. The Mustangs managed just 113 passing yards and averaged 3.4 yards per play against a Pioneer unit that consistently won the battle up front.
Joseph Gentile (Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor) had an extremely impactful outing, as the safety finished with six hard-hitting tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception.
Nathan Hernandez (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) also came away with an interception, grabbing his Empire 8-leading fifth pick of the year, which is just two away from tying the all-time single-season record set by Jon Klosner in 2002. Davis and DeForrest combined for two sacks, while the defense totaled seven tackles for loss. Thomas led the team with 10 tackles, followed by Davis with nine, as the Pioneers maintained pressure throughout the afternoon.
The Specialists: Utica's punting unit recorded three punts for 121 yards, averaging 40.3 yards per punt, and the special teams helped the Pioneers maintain control of field position during the road win. Notably, Szalkowski pulled off a spectacular punt to pin Morrisville at its own three-yard line, sending the ball 45 yards in the air to help flip field.
Up Next: The Pioneers head into their bye week at 5-1 overall and 2-1 in Empire 8 play. Following the weekend off, the team will be back home to face off against Alfred University. That game kicks off at 12:00 PM from Gaetano Stadium in the team's annual Breast Cancer Awareness game sponsored by Gilroy, Kernan, and Gilroy and Sullivan Contracting.
Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter
2:05 | 6-0 UTC | Lorenzo Velez (East Setauket, NY/Ward Melville) – 9-yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) (kick blocked) – 8 plays, 38 yards (4:04)
2nd Quarter
7:52 | 13-0 UTC | Logan Frederick (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) – 19-yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 5 plays, 77 yards (2:17)
1:36 | 13-7 UTC | Isaac Sylvain – 4-yard rush (Christ Augustin kick) – 11 plays, 75 yards (6:16)
0:07 | 20-7 UTC | Matthew Pallouras (Rochelle Park, NJ/Hackensack) – 3-yard rush (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 10 plays, 65 yards (1:29)
3rd Quarter
No scoring.
4th Quarter
13:29 | 26-7 UTC | Tyler Hall (Holbrook, NY/Sachem North) – 6-yard rush (two-point conversion failed) – 7 plays, 54 yards (3:22)
11:04 | 33-7 UTC | Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) – 1-yard rush (Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) kick) – 4 plays, 54 yards (2:08)
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