ALFRED, N.Y. – Down 27-20 scant minutes into the third quarter, Rochester reeled off five touchdowns enroute to a 55-27 victory over Alfred State College on Saturday afternoon.
Junior quarterback Daniel Bronson ran for three scores and threw for two more as the Yellowjackets earned their first win of the season (1-1). Bronson ran 21 times for 145 yards and scored on runs of three yards, 17 yards, and one yard, all in the game-turning third quarter. He threw a 19-yard TD pass to Shawn Sillenman in the first quarter to put Rochester ahead, 12-7. He threw a screen pass to Shane Saucier in the second quarter and Saucier turned it into a 68-yard catch-and run which put Rochester back in front, 20-17.
Alfred State (0-3) was led by Hezekiah Williamson who rushed 22 times for 125 yards and scored one TD. Khris Greggs also rushed for a touchdown for the Pioneers. Quarterback Dashon Turner completed 12 of 23 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown. He was intercepted three times. Hunter Evingham connected on three of eight passes for 63 yards. He was intercepted once.
Rochester turned the ball over three times and Alfred State scored points off each giveaway. In the first period, Bronson was intercepted at the UR 40 by Steven Hubick. Williamson carried four times for 20 yards before Turner threw a deep pass to Josh Ashley who got just inside the end zone for a 30-yard TD with 10:04 left in the first.
Late in the second quarter, Rochester's Ricky Simcic intercepted Turner and returned it 16 yards. He fumbled and the Pioneers recovered on their own 32. Turner directed a nine-play drive covering 50 yards before Zach Goodwin kicked a 35-yard field goal with 52 seconds left in the period. It tied the score at 20-20.
Rochester fumbled away its first possession of the third quarter at its own 17 and three plays later, Greggs swept right for a TD. Goodwin's PAT gave ASC a 27-20 lead, just 90 seconds into the second half.
That's when Bronson began to dominate. He directed three straight TD drives. The first covered 79 yards in 13 plays. The Yellowjackets down to the ASC 27. Bronson ran for 16 yards, Saucier gained eight, and Bronson ran for the three-yard TD. Paul Tricarico kicked the PAT, tying the score with 9:57 left.
With the help of a pass interference penalty against Rochester, Alfred State drove to the Yellowjacket 28 where Goodwin's 45-yard field goal attempt drifted wide left. Rochester answered with a five-play, 71-yard drive in 61 seconds for a 34-27 lead. Bronson threw 20 yards to Daniel DiLoreto and 29 yards to Kyle Allegrini on back to back plays before sidestepping tacklers on a 17-yard TD run. That put UR ahead to stay, 34-27.
After a UR interception, Bronson led Rochester 27 yards in four plays, scoring on a one-yard run for a 41-27 lead. At the start of the fourth quarter, Rochester went 50 yards in nine plays with Nick Perpignan scoring from the four-yard line. Nate Monteith ran two yards for a TD late in the final quarter.
Alfred State gained 301 yards in the first half to Rochester's 253. In the second half, the Yellowjackets held the Pioneers to 93 yards on 27 plays. Rochester's offense cranked out 307 in the second half, 560 all together.
Bronson Totals Five TDs in Rochester's Victory
/seasons/2016/boxscores/20160917_h3ty.xml
2016
Rochester
55
Alfred State
27
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester (1-1) | 12 | 8 | 21 | 14 | 55 |
| Alfred State (0-3) | 10 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
Sep 17, 2016