Football | 9/3/2022 10:44:00 PM
UTICA, NY - In a game that felt like an old fashioned prizefight at times, the Utica University football team stood up off the canvas and took control. Down 21-7 on three long rushing scores in the first half, the Pioneers countered with a run of 22 unanswered points between the second and third quarters to take the lead, and pulled away with two more touchdowns in the final 16:53 of play as they topped visiting University of Rochester by a 43-28 score in the 5th Annual New York State Tool Believe Bowl at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.
Utica prevails to 1-0 with the non-conference win, while Rochester drops to 0-1. The game was the first meeting between the two sides in the 22 years of varsity football at Utica.
The win was Utica's fourteenth consecutive season-opening win, and the program improved to 4-1 in the Believe Bowl's existence, with four consecutive wins on their ledger. The Believe Bowl is a benefit game played on behalf of the Believe 271 Foundation, the Thea Bowman House, and the American Cancer Society.
Graduate wide receiver Nate Palmer had the most explosive game of his collegiate career to lead the way for Utica. He had eight catches for 222 yards and four touchdowns. His 222 yards were a career-high, and ranks as the second-most receiving yards by one player in a single game in program history. It was just the fourth 200 yard receiving game in the history of the program, and his four endzone trips tied the program record for touchdowns caught in a game. Palmer also threw a two point conversion pass. Joey Nare played a great possession receiving game with six catches for 42 yards, and local product Travis Decker contributed 34 yards.
Two different quarterbacks threw touchdowns to Palmer. Braeden Zenelovic completed 18 of 27 passes on the night for 239 yards and three touchdowns, all to Palmer. It was his first collegiate win as a starter. Brendan Belott completed both of his passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Sophomore James Salles was Utica's leading rusher, racking up 65 net yards on fourteen carries. Matt Brantley had two rushing scores out of the Utica backfield.
On defense, Anthony McDonald had a team-best ten tackles, while James Prastio had nine with a forced fumble. Dan Amady, Anthony Novello, and Jimmie Warren each broke up a pass. John Stroughn and Warren each had a quarterback sack during the contest.
Rochester held the edge in total offense, 533-496. That was fueled by a 422-165 rushing yardage advantage, with running back Daniel Papantonis going off for a school record 309 yards on 18 carries, while scoring four touchdowns. Utica had a seismic 331-111 advantage in yards through the air.
The Pioneers played turnover-free football over the course of the night, while manufacturing a fumble recovery and three turnovers on downs by the Yellowjackets.
On special teams, Matt Brantley and James Salles combined for 130 return yards.
Rochester had designs for a strong start, and it showed from the very beginning. On the opening play from scrimmage, Jackets running back Daniel Papantonis took the handoff on a perimeter run play and bolted down the near side of the gridiron for a 92 yard score. The kick was good, and the Jackets led 7-0 just 29 seconds into the contest.
The Pioneers used a second chance generated by their defense to offer up a reply on offense. After the Pioneers were forced to punt on their first offensive series, the ball returned to their hands on a timely turnover on the first play of the drive. After Rochester running back Will Varney sprinted into the second level along the left hashmark, linebacker James Prastio ran him down and stripped the ball. The fumble was recovered at the Rochester 49 yard line by Jamel Smith, and Utica was back in business.
Two plays later, Nate Palmer took a pass from Braeden Zenelovic, and showed off some serious horsepower on a sprint down the left hand side for a 41 yard score. Corey Lichtman delivered the goods on the PAT to tie the score at 7 with 9:24 remaining in the quarter. The touchdown toss was Zenelovic's first as a Pioneer.
The big plays kept coming to put Rochester back on top. On the opening play of their next series, Papantonis erupted for another huge run, this time for 88 yards, to get the Yellowjackets a second touchdown on just their fifth offensive play. The kick was on target for a 14-7 lead with 9:05 to go in the opening frame.
With 6:15 to go in the first quarter, Papantonis struck again for the visiting team. This time, the visiting feature back scored from a distance of 44 yards to cap a three play drive and give Rochester a 21-7 lead that remained until the end of the quarter.
The scoring pace slowed down to open the second quarter, but when the goal line re-opened for business, the Pioneers were waiting at the door with 6:45 before the break. Led by Zenelovic under center, Utica carved up the visiting defense on a five play, 52 yard drive in just 1:35. The drive was punctuated by Zenelovic finding Palmer over the middle from 19 yards out for their second touchdown connection of the contest. The point after took a wayward turn on a bobbled snap, but Nate Palmer was able to collect the ball and toss it to Logan Kraft for the improvised two point conversion that trimmed the deficit to 21-15.
With the defense settled into the flow of the game, and the big play offense of the Jackets contained, the Pioneers continued their rally into the final minute of the first half to hop into the drivers' seat. The offense engineered a 10-play, 67 yard drive that took 2:05, capped off by an electrifying 14 yard touchdown run by Matt Brantley. Brantley had a one-on-one matchup as he swung out to the right edge, bounced off the would-be tackler, and took it the distance on his first career touchdown run. The kick was good, and Utica took a 22-21 lead at halftime.
Fueled by their big plays, Rochester held the halftime edge in total yards, 327-236, and 311-76 in rushing offense. The Pioneers, however, were significantly more balanced. While holding a 160-16 edge in passing yards, the Pioneers also had a solid 76 rushing yards at halftime as they rallied to their one point advantage.
The Utica offense kept the good times rolling to start the third quarter, with a methodical and workmanlike scoring drive to set the tone. A 70 yard drive was finished off by a highlight reel play from a familiar scoring connection that brought the Gaetano Stadium crowd to its feet.
On the seventh play of the drive, Zenelovic showed tremendous poise to land his third passing score of the game. With the ball spotted at the 39 yard line of the Jackets, Zenelovic dropped back to pass and had a rapidly collapsing pocket. He got hammered by the defender, but hung in to deliver a tremendously accurate ball to Palmer at the goal line for a basket catch and a Pioneer touchdown. The kick was good, and the Pioneers grabbed hold of a 29-21 lead. The offense wiped 3:04 off the board on the drive.
Papantonis returned to the scoreboard for his fourth rushing score before the quarter was out to tighten Rochester's deficit back to a single point. He concluded a clock-eating drive of 7:33 with a 17 yard score, and the kick was on target to make the score 29-28 with 4:18 remaining in the third.
A quarterback swap at midfield on Utica's next drive brought another touchdown, with Palmer along for the ride. The Pioneers got just inside Rochester territory on a personal foul flag, and quarterback Brendan Belott found Palmer for his second career touchdown pass on the Utica varsity squad from a distance of 48 yards. The Pioneers needed just three plays to find the endzone on the series. Utica led 36-28 through the end of the third quarter. Belott has touchdown passes in consecutive games after throwing one in Utica's ECAC bowl appearance last season.
Rochester made a bid to claw back early in the fourth, but had to settle for a 44 yard field goal attempt that landed well short.
The Pioneers made the visiting team pay for that miss, as they embarked on a 9 play, 77 yard drive finished by Brantley's second rushing score with 5:48 to go. That touchdown put Utica up 43-28 and the home side maintained that lead until the final whistle.
An early season homestand continues next week as Utica hosts Kean University on Saturday, September 10th. That game is slated for a Noon kickoff.