BUFFALO, NY – The Utica College football team scored 24 straight points in the first half and recovered three key Buffalo State fumbles as the Pioneers snapped a three game skid with a 31-21 Empire 8 Conference road victory on Saturday. Utica junior defensive end Nick Woodman (Utica, NY/Proctor) had a banner day, tying the school-record with 3.0 sacks, and he also added seven tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Utica senior quarterback Connor Butkiewicz (Southington, CT/Southington) finished 16-of-26 for 250 yards with two touchdowns as the Pioneers improved to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the Empire 8. Buffalo State managed just 269 yards of total offense on the afternoon as the Bengals (5-2, 3-2) snapped a three game win streak, which included huge wins over Ithaca College and Salisbury University.
"We were able to make plays in all facets of the game today – offense, defense and special teams – and that's what you have to do to win in the Empire 8," said Head Coach Blaise Faggiano. "We had some tremendous individual efforts, but collectively this was the type of team win that we really needed. Buffalo State has a great program and this was an excellent road victory to get us back on the right track headed down the stretch."
Utica senior receiver Anthony Acevedo (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) helped drive the Pioneers' offense with four catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, while freshman J'Von Evans added a game-high 85 yards and one score on 22 carries. Acevedo became just the second player in school-history to catch 20 career touchdown passes and he needs 20 more all-purpose yards to break the school record; he currently has 3,749 in just under four seasons.
Woodman, who now ranks third all-time at UC with 13.0 career sacks, recovered a fourth quarter fumble that led to the Pioneers' game-sealing touchdown pass -- from Butkiewitz to Gregory Palmer (Richland, NY/APW) -- to give the Pioneers a 17 point lead with 8:36 to go. Woodman also added two sacks and a forced fumble on the Bengals' final possession of the game to deny any hopes of the home team making a comeback. He now has 8.5 sacks this season which leads the conference and is tied for first all-time on the school's single-season list.
Utica fell into an early 7-0 hole after Buffalo State's Kyle Hoppy found Mike Doherty on a 40-yard hook up to cap a six-play, 80 yard scoring drive to open the contest.
Utica responded with a 27 yard field goal from junior kicker Thomas Woodburn (West Islip, NY/West Islip) to cut into the Buffalo State lead, and the tables truly turned when the Pioneers got the ball back on a roughing-the-kicker penalty with just over one minute to go in the first quarter. Senior running back Jesse Baldassare (Mt. Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai) made the Bengals pay, taking the following play 40 yards for a score, to give the Pioneers a 10-7 that they would not relinquish. Woodburn secured sole possession of the school-record for career field goals made (17), while Baldassare finished the day with 57 yards on just eight carries. Baldassare needs just three more carries to break the program's career carries record held by 2014 graduate Jake Larson (Bemus Point, NY/Maple Grove).
The Pioneers took the momentum swing and did not let up, scoring the only 14 points of the second quarter to take a 24-7 lead into the locker room at the half. Acevedo and Butkiewitz connected on a 35-yard touchdown pass with 7:24 to go before the half, and the Pioneers also took advantage of good field position after Buffalo State missed a 52 yard field goal with 1:09 left in the first half of play. UC took possession and marched 65 yards on the next eight plays, capped by a J'Von Evans 21 yard touchdown run with three second to go in the half, to take the 17 point lead into the locker room.
Buff. State threatened when Proctor High School graduate Rich Pete punched in a five yard run with 1:29 to go in the third quarter to make the score 24-14. Pete finished the day with a season-low 70 yards on 16 carries.
However, the Pioneer defense stood strong and the UC offense rewarded the hard work with a score at the 8:36 mark of the fourth quarter, a 19 yard touchdown pass from Butkiewicz to Palmer, to essentially seal the victory.
Joe Castellitto (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) led the Pioneer defense with a career-high eight tackles, while Juwan Wilson (South Ozone Park, NY/Holy Cross) added six tackles and one sack. Local product Nick Bruzzese added a fumble recovery and a pass break for the Pioneers, while senior captain Jon Treen (Ilion, NY/Ilion) came away with five tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The UC defense finished with five sacks on the afternoon.
Utica punter Dakota Peel (Alden, NY/Alden) punted the ball five times for 156 yards, including two inside the Bengals 20 yard line, as he became the second player in school-history to eclipse 5,000+ yards punting for his career. Peel's average of 41.39 yards per punt this season currently sits as the highest single-season average in program-history.
As a team the Pioneer racked up 416 yards of total offense (166 rushing, 250 passing) and they managed the time of possession battle, securing the ball on offense for 38:30 out of 60 total minutes.
Utica returns to action after a bye week when the Pioneers host Alfred University on senior day at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium on Saturday, November 8 at 1 p.m.
Utica Football Earns Huge Win on the Road at Buffalo State
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141025_tglk.xml
2014
Utica
31
Buffalo State
21
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utica (5-3) | 10 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
| Buffalo State (5-2) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Oct 25, 2014