Football | 11/23/2022 10:56:00 AM
UTICA, NY - The Utica University football team is set to travel to Alliance, OH at noon on Saturday to take on the No. 2 University of Mount Union Purple Raiders in the second round of the NCAA Division III Football Tournament.
Follow Along: Fans unable to attend on Saturday can watch live through
https://boxcast.tv/view/2022-ncaa-second-round-2-mount-union-vs-utica-ahdmjtett0ema74ljvbl, keep up with live stats at
https://athletics.mountunion.edu/sidearmstats/football/summary and/or listen via
https://www.q92radiosports.com/.
Making the trip?: Fans attending on Saturday are strongly encouraged to preorder tickets through
https://athletics.mountunion.edu/sports/2021/7/23/tickets.aspx. Tickets for adults are $10 and $4 for students.
Please note, if you plan to purchase tickets at the gate/booth, Mount Union has gone cashless, only cards will be accepted for purchasing. Tailgating will also be permitted in select parking locations. For Mount Union's tailgating policy, please visit
https://athletics.mountunion.edu/sports/2021/6/18/information-tailgating.aspx.
Get your SWAG: Preorder t-shirt sales for the second round of the 2022 NCAA Division III Football Tournament are live. Visit
http://event1teamstore.com and find your sport in the drop-down menu at the top of the page and then select your division. Items available for purchase will then appear in the next screen. Complete the order form by selecting the quantities and sizes needed. Credit card information is mandatory to process the order immediately.
The deadline for submitting orders is 11 p.m., Friday, November 25th. Orders submitted after this time will not be accepted.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers traveled to Selinsgrove, PA on November 19 and left with a 17-10 first round win over the Susquehanna University River Hawks. Susquehanna won the opening coin toss and elected to defer until the second half. The Pioneers came away empty on their first drive of the game while the River Hawks did the same following a Utica punt. On the Pioneers' second drive, Sam Florio lost a fumble near midfield to give the ball back to the River Hawks. Susquehanna took the ball down to the Utica 23 yard line and converted on a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead. Utica responded on its next possession. The offense settled in for an 11 play, 66 yard drive that was fueled by a no-huddle approach and a Braeden Zenelovic-led passing attack. The Pioneers settled for a game-tying field goal to bring the game to a 3-3 score with 13:29 left until halftime. Susquehanna's next drive resulted in a missed 30-yard field goal while the Pioneers punted on their next drive to hand the River Hawks the ball back with under seven minutes until the break. On the ninth play of the drive, Jamel Smith came through for his first interception of the afternoon, this one coming in the end zone, to give Utica the ball back at its own 20 with 3:30 left in the first half. The Pioneers gained 20 yards on the ensuing drive but came away empty. The River Hawks took over again with 1:01 left before the break at their own 42. With three seconds left, Susquehanna went for a 4th & 10 from the Utica 23 but once again, Smith intercepted the pass attempt to close out the half with the teams tied at 3-3. Susquehanna returned the second half kickoff 81 yards to the Utica 16 yard line. However, the Pioneers defense answered to the challenge. After the first three plays went for a total of one yard, the River Hawks opted to go for it rather than a field goal. On 4th & 9, Jimmie Warren made a huge tackle on a fake field goal to give the Pioneers the ball back deep in its own territory. Utica picked up a first down on the ensuing drive before being backed up, much thanks to an 11-yard sack, as Florio was called upon to punt the ball away and did so for 53 yards down to the Susquehanna 33. Seven plays into the drive, the River Hawks found themselves at the Utica 39 yard line for a 3rd & 10 opportunity which would be an incomplete pass. On the punt attempt, Eli Douglas broke through the line to block the kick and followed it with a big return to the Susquehanna 10. After James Salles rushed for five yards on the team's first play, Zenelovic found Nate Palmer in the end zone for the duo's 20th touchdown connection of the season. Following a Corey Lichtman point after, the Pioneers were in control 10-3. On the River Hawks' next possession, Anthony McDonald had his turn giving the Pioneers the ball back. The linebacker made an interception on the second play of the Susquehanna drive as Utica took over at the River Hawks' 35. However, Zenelovic turned the ball over on Utica's second play of their fresh drive as Susquehanna took over at midfield following the return. Douglas came through for another big play and a turning point in the game. On 3rd & 9 from the Utica 30, Douglas picked off River Hawks quarterback Michael Ruisch and returned the turnover for eight yards to the team's own 38. The Pioneers milked the final 2:39 of the third quarter off the clock over eight plays to enter the fourth quarter with the ball on the Susquehanna 13 on 3rd & 5. On the opening play of the fourth, Zenelovic connected with an open Izzy Maldonado in the end zone for six more points while Lichtman's point after attempt was good, giving Utica a 17-3 lead with 14:47 to play. The River Hawks responded with a 12 play, 66 yard touchdown drive to come back to within seven points at 17-10 with around 9:20 to play. Utica ate up 4:23 of game time over eight plays and 36 yards but failed to make it a two-score game as Susquehanna regained possession at its own 17 with 4:58 to go in the game. The Pioneer defense forced a quick three-and-out and took over at their own 43 with 4:18 to play. The team took the ball down to the River Hawks' 41 before being forced to punt the ball away. Florio delivered a beautiful punt down to the six yard line with 1:35 to play while Susquehanna had a pair of timeouts to work with. Susquehanna eventually drove the ball down to the Utica 40 yard line which set up a 1st & 10 with a tick under 50 seconds remaining. Looking to pick up chunk yardage, Ruisch lofted the ball 35 yards downfield but was met by Smith for his third interception of the game and the eventual game-sealing turnover to allow the Pioneers to move on to the second round. On offense, Zenelovic went 26-for-47 on pass attempts for 263 yards and two touchdowns. Salles manned the rushing attack for 31 yards on 10 carries. Travis Decker led all Utica receivers with six catches for 97 yards while Joey Nare, Doug Elsesser, Maldonado and Palmer each had two or more catches for over 25 yards. The defense was led by Smith with a trio of interceptions while he also made three tackles. Warren McDonald and Anthony Novello shared a team high nine combined tackles while Warren also had a sack and a forced fumble.
Nate the Great: As if numerous single-season program records and top-ranked national statistics were not enough for Nate Palmer, the standout wide receiver checked off another box; he became the first player in program history to be named a Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist. Palmer is one of 15 semifinalists that were selected by the J-Club Board of Directors. The Gagliardi Trophy, given annually since 1993, recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service. The award is named after the late John Gagliardi, Saint John's legendary Hall of Fame head football coach who retired in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history. Gagliardi passed away in October 2018 at the age of 91. The 40-member Gagliardi Trophy national selection committee reviews the credentials, ranks the candidates 1-15 and casts their votes. Fan balloting, which is available on
D3football.com, accounts for the 41st ballot, and is being conducted on
D3football.com for the 12th consecutive season.
Fans will be permitted to cast one ballot per device, until 1 p.m. ET on Dec. 3. The Gagliardi Trophy finalists will be announced during a live show on Wednesday, Dec. 7, on
D3football.com. Hosts Pat Coleman and Frank Rossi will profile the finalists during the program. The 2022 Gagliardi Trophy winner will be revealed on
D3football.com during the week of the NCAA Division III football national championship on Friday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. CT. In the lead up to the announcement of the 2022 Gagliardi Trophy winner,
D3football.com and the J-Club Twitter account (@JClubSJU) will provide updates on specific dates and times of the announcement. Follow
https://www.surveymonkey.com/
r/DV8CBK8 to vote.
Around the Bracket: Round one of the 2022 NCAA Division III Football Tournament featured a little bit of everything. In the top left of the bracket, three of the four home teams advanced with the lone upset coming in Aurora's 33-28 win over Wisconsin-Whitewater. Saint John's (MN) will host Wartburg in one second round contest while Aurora will travel to Alma for the other second round matchup. In the top right, North Central (IL) and Carnegie Mellon both cruised to first round wins and will meet in the second round. Ithaca also handled UMass Dartmouth at home on Saturday and will take on Springfield, who upset Endicott 17-14, on Saturday. In the bottom right, Trinity (TX) survived Hardin-Simmons 14-7 in the first round and will meet Mary Hardin-Baylor, who is coming off a 54-0 first round win over Huntingdon, in the second round. The other second round contest in that half of the bracket will feature Bethel (MN) and Linfield after Bethel upset Wheaton (IL) 34-32 in the first round while Linfield shook off early struggles to pull away from Pomona-Pitzer 51-24. Lastly, the bottom left portion of the bracket saw three of four home teams win as well. Mount Union dominated Salisbury 51-0 to advance to the second round to host Utica, who was the lone upset in that half of the bracket. Randolph-Macon put together a stellar second half defensive performance to fend off SUNY Cortland 35-28 and will battle Delaware Valley, who breezed past Gallaudet 59-0, in the second round.
Firsts on Firsts: One NCAA playoff game, one win. The Pioneers seized the moment last Saturday as the win over Susquehanna was the first-ever tournament win in program history. The win also gave Utica its 10th on the season, the first time in program history the team has reached double-digit wins. Saturday's game brings with it another first in the program's 20-plus year history; a second round NCAA game.
Another and Another: Braeden Zenelovic and Nate Palmer added to their historic season as batterymates as well as individually during Saturday's win. The duo connected for their 18th touchdown of 2022 in the third quarter on Saturday which brought Zenelovic up to 30 on the season. His touchdown mark ranks 12th in the country as well as second all-time in a single season in program history (Andrew Benkwitt - 31 in 2012). Palmer's 18th touchdown reception added to his single season program record and was 20th touchdown overall, tied for the sixth most in DIII. Palmer not only extended his single season program touchdown record, he also did so with receiving yards as he now has 1,248 on the year, the third most in DIII. Zenelovic also reached 2,906 passing yards on the season, the ninth most in the nation, and sits 238 yards away from setting a new single season program record.
No Fly Zone: Jamel Smith entered Saturday's first round game known for his special teams wizardry, and rightfully so. After all, the senior was recently named an All-Empire 8 returner for his work on Utica's return team all year. However, it was his work in the secondary that proved to be the difference maker in the Pioneers' first round win over Susquehanna. Smith accounted for three of the team's five interceptions on the game including one in the end zone with Susquehanna threatening to score and another one at the Utica three yard line that sealed the game. Smith also totaled three tackles in the winning effort. Along with Smith, freshman Eli Douglas shined under the brightest lights with an interception of his own and a crucial blocked punt/recover with a return down to the Susquehanna 10; ultimately setting Utica up for its first touchdown of the game.
The Line and the Backers: The story of the 2022 Utica defense can't be told by mentioning just one player, rather the unit has proven to be a band of brothers. Empire 8 Co-Defense Player of the Year and first team selection Jimmie Warren has led the bunch with his top-20 DIII ranking 10 sacks and his team highs of 15.5 tackles for loss and 87 total tackles. His counterpart, John Stroughn, is second on the team with both 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss on the year and is tied with Warren and Doug Simmons for the team lead with four hurries. The second level is manned by the trio of Anthony's in Anthony McDonald, Anthony Novello and Anthony Fasano. Each of them are in the top-five on the team in tackles and after McDonald's interception at Susquehanna, each of them have one interception on the season. In all, Warren, Stroughn, McDonald, Novello and Fasano have accounted for 37.8 percent of the team's tackles on the season.
On Deck: Travis Decker has quietly burst onto the scene over the last five games. Over his first six games of the season, the senior had 10 catches for 167 yards and one touchdown. Decker took his game to a new level starting against SUNY Cortland on October 22. Including that game and the four thereafter, Decker has recorded 30 receptions for 392 yards and three touchdowns. The Oneida, NY native has had at least four catches and 50-plus yards in each of his last five outings as well.
About Mount Union: For lack of a better term, the No.2 University of Mount Union Purple Raiders have been Division III football royalty for quite some time. The program has won 13 national championships (1993, 1996-98, 2000-02, 2005-06, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2017) and has appeared in 21 Division III national championship games overall, all of which coming over the last 28 seasons (excluding 2020). This season has been no different as the Raiders are 11-0 and have dominated the DIII ranks on both sides of the ball. The team is third in the country averaging 48.3 points per game while ranking fourth in DIII holding teams to 7.18 points per game. Much of the defensive success comes from Mount Union holding teams to converting just 23.7 percent of 3rd down plays, the fourth lowest percentage in the nation, while also ranking within the top-15 in the country with a 1.18 turnover margin and 11th with 3.45 sacks per game. On offense, the Raiders feature their own Zenelovic-Palmer connection in quarterback Braxton Plunk and wide receiver Wayne Ruby Jr. The senior Plunk is second in Division III in both passing yards (3,440) and passing touchdowns (41) while ranking third with a 73.6 completion percentage. Ruby is the only other receiver in the nation with more touchdowns than Palmer as he has reeled in 24 this season. The senior wideout also leads DIII with 1,348 receiving yards over 10 games and 73 receptions. However, the Raiders' offense does not solely run through Plunk and Ruby as the team features a 1,000-yard rusher in Deandre Parker. Parker has racked up 1,009 yards on 180 carries while finding the end zone 15 times this season.
Up Next: The winner of Utica and No. 2 Mount Union will take on the winner of No. 14 Delaware Valley University and No. 16 Randolph-Macon College in the NCAA Division III Football Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday, December 3. Time and location are TBD.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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