PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – The University of Rochester football team closed out its non-conference slate with a perfect 4-0 record, defeating the visiting University of New England by a 42-21 score on Saturday afternoon at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
Rochester's 4-0 start is the first for the program since 2000. Up next, UR kicks off Liberty League play next Saturday at home against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at noon.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Yellowjackets scored a pair of touchdowns in each of the next three quarters to power to the victory. Graduate student Daniel Papantonis had two rushing touchdowns and 121 yards rushing, junior Jake Adelmann finished with 59 yards on six carries and scampered for a 41-yard score.
Through the air, first-year Crieghton Wise passed for two touchdowns in his first career start, both ending in the hands of junior Aidan Papantonis.
Defensively for the Yellowjackets, junior Jordy Tawa had an interception for the fourth straight game and ended with three tackles and an additional break-up, setting the new Rochester career record with the 43rd of his career.
Additionally, UR finished with three sacks on the day, one each by Daniel Santos and Muk Suleman, while J.T. Monahan and Joe DeBonis teamed up for the other. Simon Weeren led the team with six tackles.
After UNE (1-3) won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, Rochester took the opening drive of the game deep into Nor'Easter territory but settled for a field goal attempt. On that attempt, a bad snap sailed over holder Alex Wing's grasp and the Yellowjackets came away with zero points after a 15-play drive that chewed up nearly nine minutes of the first quarter.
The teams remained scoreless after the opening quarter, with Rochester getting on the board first with a D. Papantonis 3-yard rush on fourth down with 10 minutes left in the half. UR got the ball at the UNE 32-yard line after a short punt and immediately hit the red zone after Wise found Nick Wamp on a crossing route for a 21-yard gain. Four plays later, Papantonis broke through the right side for the 7-0 lead after Jordan Laudani connected on the PAT.
A Nor'Easter 3-and-out quickly gave the Rochester offense the ball back and UR rattled off another scoring drive, this one traversing 68 yards in nine plays, ending with a Wise-to-A. Papantonis TD strike over the middle, boosting the lead to 14-0.
In the second half, UNE got on the scoreboard after a four-play drive that was aided by a pair of long passes from quarterback Chris Lang. The first was a 44-yard connection to Jakob Rivers, and the second was a 22-yard scoring strike on a flea-flicker to Gavin Anderson, cutting the deficit in half.
The lead did not remain seven for very long, as Trey Johnson took the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to the endzone for his first career return touchdown and UR's first kickoff return TD since the 2016 season.
Not to be outdone, on the very next kickoff, UNE's Damien Jones wanted to join the party, running up the middle for a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown, making the score 21-14 Yellowjackets.
Rochester got the ball back but committed its lone turnover of the day, with Wise throwing an interception that was picked off by Spencer Sherck. A Nor'Easter penalty following the return proved big, as that set UNE back 15 yards, starting the drive at their own 44-yard line.
After a decent gain on first down, DeBonis and Monahan paired for their sack, setting the Nor'Easter's back nine yards, leading to a 3-and-out drive.
On UR's next drive, Adelmann carried twice, with the second being a 41-yard touchdown up the right sideline. Adelmann went untouched on the play, scoring his second touchdown of the season while also establishing a new career-high rushing yardage total.
Early in the fourth quarter, another Rochester special teams miscue set up the Nor'Easter's deep in Yellowjacket territory at the 9-yard line. UNE capitalized in two plays, with Jones plowing through the line for a 1-yard touchdown, cutting the lead back down to seven.
Rochester's next drive proved to be huge, with an 11-play, 61-yard drive erasing six minutes off the clock. The drive ended with another 4th-down conversion, with Wise hitting A. Papantonis in the flat for a 3-yard touchdown, once again regaining a two-possession lead.
Tawa's interception thwarted the next UNE possession, with the junior returning the ball 38 yards to the Nor'Easter one-yard line. One play later, D. Papantonis broke through for a touchdown run, the 24th rushing score of his career, continuing his ascent up the all-time record book at Rochester.
UR's defense stood tall the rest of the way, with Suleman's sack ending the game and sending the Meliora Weekend crowd home happy with the 21-point victory.
For the game, Rochester's rushing attack combined for 206 yards on the ground, compared to just 35 for the Nor'Easters. UR also led with 20 first downs, only surrendering 12 to UNE. The Nor'Easters did lead in yardage through the air, 194 to 86.