UTICA, N.Y. - Behind a stout defensive performance and an opportunistic offensive attack, the #11/12 Union College football team improved its record to 4-0 after a solid performance at Utica College, defeating the Pioneers 30-9 at Gaetano Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Once again, the Union defense looked dominant, keeping a powerful Utica offense out of the endzone. The Dutchmen forced Utica into three turnovers and also denied the Pioneers all five times on fourth-down attempts. Senior linebacker Colin Lama led the way for the Union defense with 10 tackles, four of which were solo tackles, while senior Cam Adams and sophomore Diavon Clements had seven tackles each to help contain the Utica attack. The Dutchmen front seven had another dominant performance in the trenches holding Utica's rushing attack to just 47 yards. Junior Thomas Cavallo was able to bring down Utica's quarterback, Sonny Badyna, for a sack, one of Union's eight tackles for loss on the day.
First year wide receiver Robbie Tolbert led the way for the Dutchmen with an impressive eight catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Andre Ross Jr. had another solid day as he caught four spirals for 62 yards and two touchdowns. First-year Jonathan Anderson stepped up to steady the rushing attack, finishing with 13 carries for 73 yards all in the second half. Senior quarterback William Bellamy made several big passes throughout the day, finishing 13-for-25 for 182 yards and four touchdowns.
Union College came out in the first quarter looking to continue an impressive season so far through the air, and they did just that. Bellamy connected with Ross Jr. for a 20-yard touchdown to put the Dutchmen up 7-0 on their first drive of the game. After another stop by the Union defense, Bellamy found Tolbert for a 44-yard touchdown, putting the Dutchmen up 14-0. Through the second and third quarters, however, Utica's defense held the Dutchmen scoreless.
Even though the Union offense struggled, their defense made sure that Union would never give up the lead, holding the Pioneers to just three field goals. The defense today seemed to adopt the "bend but don't break" mentality as the defensive backs kept everything in front of them and did not allow Utica's quarterback to connect on any deep shots down the field.
The fourth quarter looked like the first quarter, as Union broke the game open. After an impressive drive by Anderson, including big gains of 10 and 12 yards, Bellamy connected with Ross Jr. from 14 yards out for his second score of the day to make the score 20-9. On the second play of Utica's ensuing possession, senior Matt Cerminaro forced a fumble that senior Daniel Gioioso jumped on at the Utica 11 yard line. On the very next play, Bellamy found Tolbert in the end zone for an 11-yard score which made it 27-9.
In what seemed like its last attempt to get back into the game, Utica marched down the field midway through the fourth quarter until sophomore Nathan Sullivan came up with an interception and returned it 19 yards to the 46-yard line. After an exchange of defensive stops, sophomore Andrew Lau put one through the uprights for a field goal to make the score 30-9 with 2:46 to go in the game.
The Dutchmen look to continue their perfect season next week as they open conference play on the road at Buffalo State. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 p.m. at Coyer Field.
#12 Union Starts Fast, Finishes Strong to Remain Unbeaten
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20210925_zrle.xml
2021
Union
30
Utica
9
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union (4-0) | 14 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 30 |
| Utica (3-1) | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Sep 25, 2021