Football | 11/16/2025 12:12:00 AM
UTICA, NY - The Utica University football team capped off its regular season in stunning fashion on Saturday afternoon, battling a travel delay, torrential downpour, and an early 14-0 deficit as they earned a superb victory from SUNY Brockport, defeating the Golden Eagles by a 28-20 final on the hosts' Senior Day.
The team improved to 8-2 with the win, moving to 6-1 in conference and securing a second place finish in the Empire 8.
Saturday Spotlight: Tyler Szalkowski and Bryce Palmer were unreal in the matchup, as they made it look like there was no rain in sight despite the downpour coming in buckets during the second half. In the latter 30 minutes, Szalkowski tossed for over 250 yards as he led a massive comeback, erasing a big deficit to help notch one of the program's craziest victories.
Szalkowski broke or threatened a ton of single-season records in the action, wrapping up the 10 game schedule with a program record for single season passing yards (3,281), tying the single season passing touchdown record (31), and nearly topping the single season completions record (249 - record is 254).
The majority of Szalkowski's yards were caught by Bryce Palmer, who had an all-time outing as he hauled in nine passes for 137 yards and a hat trick of touchdowns. Palmer's game helped the Pioneer claw back in, as he put together a career day in the win. Thanks to the connection between Palmer and Szalkowski, the Pioneer passing game was unfazed despite heavy rain and a solid start by the Golden Eagle secondary.
In the end, the Pioneers power in the passing game helped them erase the deficit without wasting too much time, and allowed them to notch a big victory to cap off regular season #25.
Scoring Summary:
2nd Quarter
14:55 | 7-0 BRO | Zymier Jackson - 3 yard rush (Zach McGowan XP) - 12 plays, 80 yards (7:17)
6:11 | 14-0 BRO | Isaiah Simmons - 5 yard rush (Zach McGowan XP) - 7 plays, 95 yards (4:19)
0:07 | 14-7 BRO | Bryce Palmer - 10 yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski (Nice Duarte XP) - 15 plays, 75 yards (6:04)
3rd Quarter
7:36 | 20-7 BRO | Zymier Jackson - 30 yard rush - 6 plays, 68 yards (4:11)
3:29 | 20-13 BRO | Bryce Palmer - 15 yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski - 11 plays, 75 yards (4:07)
4th Quarter
10:04 | 20-19 BRO | Bryce Palmer - 15 yard pass from Tyler Szalkowski - 7 plays, 68 yards (3:59)
0:42 | 22-20 UTC | Nico Duarte - 21 yard field goal - 8 plays, 55 yards (1:56)
0:01 | 28-20 | Eli Douglas - 78 yard interception return
Offensive Highlights: The Pioneers, despite being held to under 100 yards in the first half of play, managed to outgain Brockport significantly in the second half to win the yards battle by a 371-330 margin.
The orange and blue launched an all-out aerial attack, with Szalkowski and Palmer having the lion's share of the yards as the team produced 16 first downs on passing plays alone, matching Brockport's total first down tally at 16.
The Pioneers were a crucial two-for-three on fourth downs, converting at a couple key junctures in the matchup to help stay in the matchup.
Logan Frederick played a massive role in the aerial success, catching 10 passes for 88 yards. He plowed through numerous defenders on the final few drives, continuing to cement his status as one of Division III's biggest threats after the catch.
Antonio Cianfarani completed the three-headed monster on the wings, catching six passes for 54 yards in the game.
Szalkowski led the team in rushing, using his legs to evade numerous defenders as he picked up some important conversions. Matthew Pallouras did the same, picking up those pair of key fourth downs via the raven set.
The orange and blue offense picked up 21 points in the second half to complete the comeback.
Defensive Highlights: The Pioneers allowed just 100 passing yards to the Brockport offense and veteran quarterback Ben Gocella, shutting down the airways to get an edge in the game. They held the hosts to just three of nine on third down. In the second half, the visitors held Brockport to just six points, which the Golden Eagles scored with over 25 minutes remaining in the game, as the Pioneers pitched a shutout over that 25 minute period.
The main man behind the orange and blue's no fly zone was Eli Douglas, who had a massive day, logging a team-high eight tackles (four solo), three pass breakups, and a gigantic 78-yard pick six to put the game to bed. Douglas' day paced the Pioneers, as he shut down Gocella at every opportunity.
Mason Payton aided Douglas in the secondary, getting four tackles (three solo), a pass breakup, and a forced fumble.
Isaiah Thomas had another high-volume day, logging seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
The Specialists: The Pioneer punt block was back on their game today, blocking two kicks and providing many momentum changing moments in the game. Nico Duarte also nailed the go-ahead field goal with less than a minute remaining, putting the pressure on Brockport, which produced the Pioneers' game-winning interception return.
Who's Next?: The Pioneers will now await their fate as they hope for the NPI to fall in their direction. Tomorrow's selection show will have the team's second ever NCAA Tournament appearance on the line. The selection show begins at 5:00 PM tomorrow night.