Football | 11/18/2023 4:17:00 PM
GENEVA, NY - The Utica University football team captured the second ECAC bowl victory in program history on Saturday with a 10-6 win over the Hobart College Statesmen in the ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl.
The victory marks Utica's third postseason win in program history following wins in the 2018 ECAC Scotty Whitelaw Bowl over Ithaca College and over Susquehanna University in the 2022 NCAA Tournament First Round.
Anthony Novello led Utica with eight tackles while Aedan McDonald, Anthony Fasano, John Stroughn, James Lanier and Nick Billand each had five-plus. Stroughn and Lanier each had one sack and one tackle for a loss as well while Fasano cleaned up with a pair of TFL's, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
The secondary was commanded by Terrance Toussaint and Eli Douglas who each came away with one interception and one PBU.
On offense, Brett Fuller completed 17 of 24 passing attempts for 135 yards. The offensive line did their part in keeping a clean pocket for the sophomore as he was sacked just one time. Tyshawn Taylor hurled in two catches for 45 yards while Peyton Ausfeld caught four for 28 yards.
On the ground, Matt Brantley rushed for 92 yards on 23 touches while Sam Florio had 50 yards on 10 carries. He also ran in the lone touchdown of the contest.
While the first half turned into a defensive battle, both teams put together long, methodical drives to open the contest. Hobart received the opening kickoff and went 77 yards on 17 plays to eat nearly eight minutes of clock. Despite this, the Statesmen stalled out at the Utica 6 yard line and settled for three points.
The Pioneers responded with a beautiful drive of their own, going 47 yards on 14 plays which took seven minutes to put together. Much like Hobart, Utica settled for a field goal attempt as Corey Lichtman's kick sailed through the uprights from 43 yards out to even the score 3-3 with the game already in the early portions of the 2nd quarter.
The ensuing Hobart drive started in great field position from the Utica 48. A few plays later from the Pioneers' 26, Anthony Fasano and James Lanier combined to force a fumble and fumble recovery to get Utica the ball back and deny the Statesmen of regaining the lead.
Utica was able to drive down to inside the Hobart 30 in 6:30 thanks to steady running by Matt Brantley and precision passing by Brett Fuller. Eventually the team was forced into another field goal attempt however, Lichtman's 47 yard attempt was no good to keep the game even.
With under three minutes to play in the half, the Pioneers defense came through with another turnover as Eli Douglas picked off Johnny Colombi at the Utica 13. The Pioneers would be forced to punt, however, giving Hobart the ball back with right around 1:30 left in the quarter.
Starting at the Utica 45, the Statesman drove down to the Pioneer 22 with eight seconds left. Tobias Wefering lined up for a 40 yard field goal attempt and converted to give Hobart a 6-3 lead at halftime.
The 3rd quarter provided more of the same stalemate play as the 2nd quarter. That was, until the Pioneers drove 55 yards to the Hobart 1 yard line as time expired in the frame.
On the first play of the 4th, Sam Florio powered his way through the left side of his offensive line to reach the end zone for six points and Utica's first lead of the afternoon. Lichtman's PAT was good to make it a 10-6 Pioneer advantage with 14:57 to go in the game.
Utica came through with yet another turnover to put a stop to a threatening Hobart on the ensuing drive. Starting inside of their own five, the Statesmen pushed the ball down to the Utica 33. Dropping back under pressure, Colombi's pass was tipped, and Terrance Toussaint came down with it to give the Pioneers the ball back inside their own territory.
The Pioneers took over with 12:28 left in the contest and used as much clock as possible. Another steady combination of Brantley rushes and quick throws by Fuller brought the team inside of the Hobart five with roughly 5:30 to go. However, the Hobart defense stiffened up to force a 4th and goal from the two. With Florio back to run, he was stopped short for a turnover on downs, setting Hobart up from its own one yard line with 3:30 to play.
A pass breakup by Toussaint and clutch sack by John Stroughn ultimately forced Hobart to punt with 2:30 to go, setting the Pioneers up at midfield while the Statesmen had a pair of timeouts.
The story of the final drive would be the power run by Brantley and Florio. On 4th and inches, Florio pounded the ball up the middle to move the chains and pick up the 1st down - sealing the second bowl win in program history.
Utica's nine wins on the season are the second-most in a single season in program history behind only the 10 wins set by the Pioneers last season amidst their NCAA Tournament run.
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.
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube –
Facebook –
Twitter –
Instagram