UC Earns Lopsided Victory; Stowe Becomes All-Time Leading Rusher
Oneonta, NY -- The Utica College football team jumped out to a 55-0 lead in the first half and never looked back on its way to the most lopsided victory in program-history Saturday as the Pioneers topped host Hartwick College 75-14 in the Empire 8 Conference regular season finale for both teams. Senior running back Malcolm Stowe (Coram, NY/Longwood) led the way with 228 rushing yards and four touchdowns on just 12 carries. Stowe's huge day helped him become the College's all-time leading rusher and he is now the first back in school-history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season (1,011). He also became the program's all-time leader in career rushing yards (1,899). His 228 rushing yards on Saturday rank third on the College's all-time list and his four rushing TD's are tied for second. He also set a new school standard with an average of 19.0 rushing yards per attempt Saturday. His 12 career rushing touchdowns now rank seventh all-time. The Pioneers have won six or more games in three of the last five seasons as they improved to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the E8. Utica will now await a potential ECAC Bowl bid. Bids will be released Monday and the Pioneers are hoping to make their third bowl game in program-history. Utica's 75 point effort marked the third time in program-history the Pioneers have scored 70+ points in a single game. UC posted 78 points in a win over Becker in 2010 and 70 points in a loss to Hartwick back in 2007. Utica rolled up 288 team rushing yards (5thall-time, single game) and five scores on the ground. Freshman quarterback Logan Wilcox (Utica, NY/Proctor) completed nine passes for 151 yards and two TDs in the air. Both of the touchdown throws were to Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay), who finished the day with three catches for 46 yards and two scores. His 11 TD catches this season rank second on the College's single season list and he is just the second receiver in program-history to catch 10+ TD passes in a single season. Wilcox's 21 TD passes this season rank second on the College's all-time single season list. The UC defense came to play as the Pioneers held Hartwick to -19 yards rushing on 27 carries. The defense also set a new single game record with 10.0 sacks. Michael Curcurito (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa) led the way with 4.0 sacks, which ranks second on the College's single game list. Keanu Heedram (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) added 2.0 sacks and one forced fumble, while Shane Walpole (Mechanicville, NY/Shenendehowa), Kwasi Addo (Menands, NY/Shaker) and Kevin Chisari (Oakland, NJ/Indian Hills) each added one sack. Heedram's team-high 6.5 sacks this year are tied for seventh all-time at UC. Antonio Scala (Coram, NY/Longwood) led the Pioneers with six tackles and he has finished the regular season with a team-best 84 tackles. Peyton Miller (Chemung, NY/Waverly) chipped in with a team-best four catches for 55 yards. His team-best 71 catches and 892 receiving yards this season rank fourth on the College's single season list. Tim Hogan (Glen Cove, NY/Glen Cove) returned the opening kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown to set the tone for the contest. The Pioneers went on to score three more first quarter touchdowns to take an early 28-0 lead against the Hawks. The second quarter was much of the same as Stowe added his third and fourth touchdowns of the contest. Andrew Genier(Whitehall, NY/Whitehall) picked off a pass and returned it for a TD, while Isaiah Washington (Ozone Park, NY/Fort Hamilton) capped the first half scoring with a one yard run to give UC a commanding 55-0 lead at the half. Imani Vincent (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay), Nick Falzone (Brooklyn, NY/Midwood) and J.J. O'Connor each recorded a second half touchdown to close out the scoring for the Pioneers. Ryan VanGalen (Clifton Park, NY/Shenedehowa) came on in relief of Wilcox at QB in the third quarter and tossed two touchdowns. He finished the day completing 5-of-8 passes for 53 yards. Hartwick caps its season with a 2-8 overall record and they also went 0-7 in E8 play. UC's 1,387 team rushing yards this season rank fifth on the College's all-time single season list. They have scored 316 points in ten games (fifth all-time). UC's defense has 33 sacks (second all-time) and 15 INT's (second all-time).