Alfred, Buffalo State, Ithaca and SJFC Win
Alfred 31, Salisbury 21 (
Box Score)
The Alfred University football team forced three turnovers and held Salisbury to 185 yards rushing – nearly 100 under its average coming in – as the Saxons beat the visiting Sea Gulls, 31-21, Saturday afternoon at Yunevich Stadium.
With the win, AU got revenge on the Sea Gulls, who whipped the Saxons 69-0 the last time these two teams met in Alfred, in 2011, and moved 4-1 in the Empire 8 (6-2 overall), a half- game behind league frontrunner Ithaca.
Alfred scored first, driving the length of the field after a Salisbury punt pinned the Saxons at their own 1-yard line 4:41 into the first quarter. Sophomore cornerback
Calvin Bain scored on a two-yard run to cap the nine-play, 99-yard drive that took 5:11 off the clock.
Alfred took a 21-14 lead into halftime, courtesy of a pair of trick plays that resulted in touchdowns. After Salisbury scored to tie the game at 7-7 after one quarter, the Saxons moved back ahead on their first drive of the second period. After Salisbury scored with 1:54 left in the first, Alfred took over at their own 39-yard line and used 12 plays to drive to the Sea Gull 6-yard line. On third-and-goal, AU senior wide receiver
Jonathan Ruffin took a handoff on an end-around and lofted a pass to a wide open senior tight end
Alec Ladonis for the touchdown.
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Ithaca 23, Frostburg 0 (
Box Score)
The Ithaca College football team suffocated visiting Frostburg State and allowed just 86 total offensive yards in a 23-0 shutout victory over the visiting Bobcats on Saturday afternoon at Butterfield Stadium. It was Ithaca's first shutout victory of an opponent since the 2012 season opener at Moravian, and the first time that the Bombers have held their opponent under 100 yards of total offense since Sept. 1, 2007 at Lycoming (90 yards). The victory moved Ithaca to the top of the Empire 8 standings with a 5-1 conference record. Ithaca is 7-1 overall. Frostburg State fell to 1-7 overall and 0-5 in the Empire 8.
Ithaca's defense had one interception, five sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and limited Frostburg State to 51 rushing yards and 35 yards passing. Frostburg State entered the game averaging 26.4 points per game and 415 yards per game. Ithaca outgained Frostburg 357-86.
Bomber linebackers and captains
Jake Santora and
Will Carter led the way for the defense. Santora had 16 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss with one sack and one pass break-up. Carter made 15 tackles and had two sacks among his three tackles for loss. They were career-best games in tackles for both linebackers.
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St. John Fisher 28, Utica 27 (
Box Score)
The St. John Fisher College football program scored three touchdowns in the final 5:11 of the first half and posted the biggest come-back win in Fisher history, as the Cardinals rallied from a 20-point deficit and beat visiting Utica College 28-27 at Fisher's Growney Stadium.
The previous record for greatest comeback-win came in the 2011 regular-season opener, when Fisher trailed 20-3 at Hartwick College, before scoring 49 straight points and winning 55-28.
With the win, Fisher improves to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the Empire 8, while the Pioneers fall to 3-5, 1-4. The Cardinals are 13-0 all-time vs. Utica.
After losing five turnovers in last week's 25-22 loss at Ithaca College, turnovers again plagued the Cardinals early on.
Utica took a 7-0 lead with 9:05 left in the first quarter on a 15-yard pass from Casey Butkiewicz to Gregory Palmer. The Pioneers then took advantage off a fumble on a punt return. Starting at the Fisher 43, Utica capitalized on the great field position as Butkiewicz found Anthony Acevedo for a 21-yard touchdown. A missed extra point made it 13-0 Pioneers.
On the Cardinals next possession, the first play of the second quarter,
Tyler Fenti was intercepted by James Lenahan who returned it 23 yards to the Fisher 44-yard line. Utica cashed in on a Jake Larson two-yard touchdown run to take a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Fisher broke the silence facing the 20-0 deficit, using a 16-play, 68-yard drive capped off by a 19-yard touchdown pass to
Nathan Nigolian from Fenti. Fisher converted two fourth down's on the drive to cut the Pioneer lead to 20-7 with 5:11 remaining in the second quarter.
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Buffalo State 59, Hartwick 34 (
Box Score)
Rich Pete had 132 yards on 16 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead Buffalo State (5-4/3-3) to its third-consecutive victory, soundly defeating host Hartwick (4-4/1-4) 59-41 in an Empire 8 game today at Wright Stadium.
Buffalo State quarterback
Casey Kacz finished 20 of 25 for 347 yards and three touchdowns with an interception in just over three quarters of play. Kacz added 19 rushing yards and set the school record for career rushing yards by a quarterback with 781, breaking Dan Sansanese's mark of 762 set in 1983.
Mike Doherty led the Bengals' receiving corps with 158 yards on four catches with a pair of touchdowns.
Sherman Nelson had five catches for 123 yards and a score.
Jeff McDuffie tied a school record with three interceptions to lead the Bengals' defensive efforts.
John Garcia was 24 of 39 for 324 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Frankie Molina had eight catches for 149 yards and two scores, and Tanner Williams had 12 receptions for 146 yards.
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