ITHACA, N.Y. – For the first time since 1999, the Ithaca College football team posted back-to-back shutout victories at Butterfield Stadium with a 7-0 triumph over Buffalo State College on Saturday, in what was head coach Mike Welch's final home contest of his hall of fame career. Saturday also marked Senior Day, as the parents of 22 seniors were honored at halftime, and the underclass parents were recognized before the game as part of Family Weekend.
In 1999, Ithaca blanked St. John Fisher, 44-0, and Brockport, 10-0, on the Butterfield natural surface. It is also the first time since 2004 that the Bombers have posted two shutouts in one season.
The Bombers, now 5-4 on the season, complete a perfect home schedule, and will look to finish the season with a 6-4 mark next Saturday as they travel to Cortland for the 58th Cortaca Jug Game.
Ithaca and Buffalo State traded punts over the first three possessions of the contest that burned nearly eight minutes off the clock.
On Buffalo State's second punt, junior Jordan Schemm returned the punt 51 yards down to the Bengals' 12-yard line to set Ithaca up with a golden opportunity to notch the first points of the game. Three plays later, senior Wolfgang Shafer found freshman Will Gladney in the middle of the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown to give the Bombers a 7-0 lead with 5:34 left in the first quarter, which ended up being the only score of the game.
After the touchdown, the Bengals used up the final 5:26 of the quarter and drove the ball down to Ithaca's 36-yard line. Facing a 4th-and-1 on the opening play of the second quarter, Buffalo State was stuffed shy of the marker by Schemm and sophomore Pat Minogue for a turnover on downs.
Ithaca took over at its own 38-yard line and marched down to the Bengals' 17 on first down completions to sophomore Anthony Capozzi (12 yards) and senior Brain Balsamo (13 yards), and an 8-yard run by junior Evan Skea. A 6-yard completion to senior Myles LaFrance set up at 4th-and-1, but the Bombers were whistled for a false start. The Bombers failed to convert and turned the ball over at the Buffalo State 22 with 10:59 left in the half.
The Bombers drove deep into Buffalo State territory once again with 4:52 left in the half, but gave the ball back to the Bengals on another turnover on downs. Ithaca found its way down there on a crucial 18-yard catch by junior Jack Yule on 3rd-and-11. Another first down was recorded by junior Jared Bauer on an 11-yard reception, but the drive halted shortly after that.
The Bengals reached midfield on the ensuing drive, but punted the ball away which pinned Ithaca back to its 6-yard line on a pooch punt. The Bombers would run out the rest of the clock to head into halftime.
Ithaca looked as though it figured out a way to get things going to start the second half, as a 29-yard completion from Shafer to Gladney on the first play from scrimmage sparked the offense. The Bombers got down to the Bengals' 29, but a sack and offensive penalty fizzled out the potential scoring drive.
Buffalo State drove 67 yards on its next possession, but turned the ball over at the Ithaca 34, as Shemm forced and recovered a fumble with 5:42 to go in the quarter.
Trying to use the momentum of the sudden change, Shafer connected with junior Brad Helmkamp for a 26-yard gain to reach midfield. Two plays later, the Bombers were flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and were forced to punt with just over three minutes remaining.
Ithaca's defense, as it did all afternoon, stood tall and got the ball back over to the offense with 1:40 left on a punt. Back-to-back completion to Yule for 18 and 22 yards brought the Bombers into the red zone and the clock ran out in the quarter.
A sack to start the fourth pushed the Bombers back to the 19, but Gladney hauled in a 19-yard catch on the next play to set Ithaca up with a 1st-and-goal at the 4-yard line. Three straight running plays were stopped, and the Ithaca had to attempt a 20-yard field goal, which was blocked with 11:29 left in regulation.
Buffalo State was never able to get close to the Bombers' end zone for the remainder of the game, and Ithaca put the contest away on a 6-yard completion to Yule on a 4th-and-3 with under two minutes left on the clock.
Ithaca's defense held the Bengals to 195 yards of offense (102 passing, 93 rushing) and nine first downs, while the Bombers racked up 282 yards and 18 first downs. Buffalo State entered the game averaging 414.3 yards of offense (237.8 passing and 169.8 rushing).
Schemm paced the defense with 10 tackles, two pass breakups, along with the forced fumble and fumble recovery. Junior Dan Loizos had nine stops, while sophomore Jimmy Sullivan notched six tackles with a sack. Senior Andrew Homkey tallied one-and-a-half sacks and four tackles.
Shafer threw for 203 yards on 15-of-21 passing, while Yule recorded 64 yards on four catches. Gladney had 56 yards on three grabs, and junior Tristan Brown ran for 71 yards on 21 carries.
The Bombers finish out the season next Saturday at Cortland for a 12 p.m. kickoff in the 58th Cortaca Jug Game. Those who cannot make the trip can watch the game on Time Warner Cable channel 325.
Ithaca Completes Perfect Home Season With 7-0 Shutout of Buffalo State
/seasons/2016/boxscores/20161105_lopn.xml
2016
Buffalo State
0
Ithaca
7
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo State (5-4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ithaca (5-4) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Nov 05, 2016