The Utica College Pioneers traveled to ’86 Stadium this afternoon in hopes to have their first 3-0 start in team history. The game ended in regulation with a 17-14 loss to RPI and I can only try to think of how close they came to making history. It’s saddening to see Utica lose such a close game after opening the season 2-0 with two extremely large blowout victories, showing that they have a team that is capable of not only scoring points, but also stopping their opponents from scoring.
The game shouldn’t have ended the way it did for Utica. With a 14-3 lead after the half, Utica could not hold off the Engineers long enough. RPI scored two more times and took the 3 point lead with more than five minutes left on the clock. Utica had two possessions following the lead change and could not convert either time with RPI senior defensive back, Joe Albano blocking two game-tying field goal attempts.
Nothing can be said about this loss than it shouldn’t have happened. For those young players in Utica that are feeling the hurt from this loss, let it go. This is much easier for someone not playing to say than for players like freshman quarterback Andrew Benkwitt, who was 16-27 for 247 and sophomore running back Zachary Jones to go out and do. Either way, that’s what those two young men need to do in order to lead their team back into a positive atmosphere for next weeks matchup against the Ithaca College Bombers.
Head Coach Blaise Faggiano is an Ithaca Alum as a student as well as a coach and I’m sure he would love nothing more than to stick it to his alma mater in the Pioneers first Empire 8 conference game of the season. Utica takes the field next Saturday at 1 PM at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium against the Bombers. The RPI game is going to hurt morale, but that’s what film is for. The Pioneers are going to learn from any mistakes made, solidify their special teams and start preparing for Ithaca on Monday. One thing I can guarantee, Utica will not have another field goal attempt blocked for the rest of the season.
Thanks to Prowdad for the photo of Utica Head Coach Blaise Faggiano.
I have this sickening feeling that I really don’t want them to do better than when I played.
jon you old son of a gun how are you !? i KNOW you dont really mean that ! fear the moose guys …fear the moose
Jon, the point the entire time was for them to do better than when you played. That’s what a program being built from the ground up is all about. Don’t think of it like they’re doing better than you, think that they’re doing better because of you, all of you.
Think of it this way Jon, if Utica skyrockets to success, winning multiple D3 and then D2 championships and then moves up to D1, you could tell your friends and family you played for that school.
Their success makes your time their richer.