CANTON, N.Y. – Daniel Lawther threw four touchdown passes to lead St. Lawrence University to a 34-10 victory over the University of Rochester at Leckonby Stadium on the SLU campus Saturday afternoon.
The victory is the first of the year for the Saints in the Liberty League. SLU is 4-4 overall, 1-3 in the league. Rochester is 2-6 overall, 1-4 in the league. Next week, the Yellowjackets visit Hartwick College for a non-conference battle. St. Lawrence hosts RPI in a Liberty League game.
Lawther completed 16 of 22 throws for 246 yards and the four TDs. He was intercepted once (by Braydon Bush). He threw a pair of 16-yard TDs to TJ Cornacchia in the first half – one in the first, one in the second - to help St. Lawrence build a 21-3 lead at halftime. Mason Giunta ran for a five-yard score in the second quarter. Lawther hit Andrew Murphy with a 29-yard scoring pass early in the third period, then threw a 21-yarder to Cole Salyards late in the third.
Rochester scored on a 35-yard field goal by Shane Bombace on the game's opening drive. Will Varney ran for a one-yard TD in the fourth quarter to close the scoring. It was his seventh rushing touchdown of the season.
The Saints rushed for 154 net yards and gained another 241 through the air. Five men caught passes. Cornacchia had six catches for 111 yards and two TDs. Murphy caught four for 58 yards and Salyards had two for 35. Giunta led the ground game with 24 carries for 70 net yards.
Rochester's Ryan Rose passed for 186 yards on 155-for-25 accuracy in his second start. Peyton Monaco and Noah Shinaman caught three passes each. Eight men had receptions. Rose was sacked twice and intercepted once (by Victor Gamberoni).
Daniel Papantonis rushed 15 times for 86 yards. Will Varney ran for 25 yards on seven carries.
Lawther directed scoring marches on the first three times the Saints had the ball. Rochester took the opening kickoff and marched 66 yards in 13 plays that led to a 35-yard field goal by Bombace. Papantonis rushed four times for 35 yards in the drive.
SLU answered with an eight-play, 67-yard drive which ended with the first 16-yard TD pass to Cornacchia with just under five minutes left in the first period. The key play in the second scoring drive was a 50-yard catch-and-run pass to Cornacchia on a 3rd-and-7 situation at the Saint 34. The second 16-yarder followed. SLU went 86 yards in 14 plays the next time, converting two third down chances.
The interceptions (one each way) followed each other. On 1st and 10 at the R21, Rose was picked off by Gamberoni at the R38. Lawther drove the Saints to the Rochester 8, then was picked off by Bush at the five yard line.
Rochester had the ball at midfield on its scoring drive. Rose passed to Peyton Monaco for 25 yards. The Yellowjackets were flagged for a false start back to the 30 and Rose was sacked for an eight-yard loss by Thomas Our, setting up 2nd-and 23 at the SLU38. He threw down the sideline to Shinaman for a 29-yard gain, but it was whistled off for a penalty each way – holding on Rochester, roughing the passer on St. Lawrence. A pass to Ethan Herbold gained six yards before Rose was stopped for no gain on a keeper. That set up 4th-and17 at the SLU 32. Rose found Shinaman down the sideline for 31 yards. He was pushed out of bounds at the one by Alex Bjerser. Varney took it into the end zone on the next play.
Defensively, Brad Beckwith had nine assisted tackles. Simon Weeren (six solo) and Bush (three solo plus the INT) had seven stops. Rochester had eight tackles for loss – two by Nick Petruzziello.