Union (NY) 20, Rochester 7
SCHENECTADY, NY -- Sophomore running back T.J. Franzese rushed for a career high 174 yards and two touchdowns and the Union College defense held the University of Rochester to 217 total yards in a 20-7 win over the Yellowjackets at Frank Bailey Field Saturday. With the win and Hobart's victory at RPI, the Dutchmen head to Hobart next week with both teams standing 4-0 in the Liberty League. Union is 4-3 overall after a fourth straight win. Rochester fell to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in league play.
Franzese had touchdown runs of six and seven yards and also had an 83 yard run in the fourth quarter. It was his second 100 yard game fo the season. Quarterback Connor Eck was 10 for 21 for 124 yards and had his first interception in 141 attempts and 23 quarters of play. He rushed for 85 yards as the Dutchmen recorded 313 yards rushing and 437 total yards, just three yards shy of the season high vs. Springfield. Kyle Reynolds caught five passes for 73 yards while the defense was led by Noah Joseph's 14 tackles and an interception. Casey Muse had 10 with two sacks and Connor Beerworth recorded nine tackles.
This was the fourth straight game that Union held an opponent under 300 total yards, and the sixth this season with 300 or less.
Rochester quarterback Dean Kennedy was 25 for 45 for 181 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted four times. Thomas Hayes had eight catches for 76 yards and Zach Cicero joined Joseph with 14 tackles. Tony Ortega and Thomas Marone posted 11 tackles each for the Yellowjackets.
The game which began at 1:30 p.m. was delayed for one hour, two minutes with 8:18 remaining in the first quarter due to lighting in the area. The game resumed with Union on the Rochester 32 on a second and seven. Six plays after the delay, Franzese rushed in from six yards out and Union led 7-0 with 5:49 left in the quarter. The score capped an 11 play, 63 yard drive that took 4:46. He rushed for 32 yards on the drive.
On the ensuing drive, Kevin Calello intercepted a Rochester pass at the Union 38 to stop a threat, and it was 7-0 Dutchmen after the first quarter.
Union started at its own 48 to begin the second quarter and converted a three play, 52 yard drive in 54 seconds. Eck had a 14 yard pass and 26 yard run during the drive that culminated with a seven yard score from Franzese with 14:12 left in the second quarter. But the point after attempt was blocked and it was 13-0 Union.\
The Dutchmen made it 20-0 later in the period. Union had a 10 play, 84 yard drive in 4:49, and Darnell Thomas scored on a 14 yard run with 7:58 left remaining in the third period. Thomas had five carries for 42 yards in this scoring drive.
Union had the ball with 4:02 left and drove 29 yards on 10 plays and consumed 3:31, but a 39 yard field goal attempt missed with 31 seconds remaining in the half, and the score remained 20-0 at the intermission. Union had 200 rushing yards at halftime and had held the Yellowjackets to eight yards on the ground.
But Rochester held the Dutchmen to five rushing yards in the third quarter while recording six, but passing for 93 yards in the period. The Yellowjackets got their only points on a four yard pass from Kennedy to Ken Apostolakos with 9:00 left in the third quarter. It completed a five play, 25 yard drive in 2:58 that began after a recovered fumble at the Union 25. Rochester had a pass intercepted by Joseph with 5:52 remaining but held Union off the board, and the Dutchmen posted another interception with 1:46 left in the period at their own 33.
With 3:34 left in the fourth period, Tyhler Viterise blocked a Union punt and Farid Adenuga recovered at the Union 16. But the Dutchmen held and after an incomplete pass on fourth down, took over on their own 15. Two plays later Franzese ran 83 yards but Kobie Hamm forced a fumble that was recoverd by Shola Fakorode in the Rochester endzone with 54 seconds left. But the drive, that featured six plays and two host penalties, ended when the final horn sounded as Calello intercepted a pass in the endzone.
While Union is at Hobart next week, Rochester is idle and will return home November 3 to host WPI.
