PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – After battling to a 3-3 draw through three quarters, visiting Ithaca College used a big fourth quarter, scoring three touchdown runs to post a 24-10 victory over the University of Rochester football team on Saturday afternoon at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
Ithaca, ranked #16 in the latest D3football.com poll, remains unbeaten in the Liberty League at 4-0 and is 6-1 overall. Rochester drops to 5-3 on the season and is 2-2 in the conference with a pair of contests remaining to close out the 2023 campaign.
After Ithaca went up by 14 points, courtesy of a pair of scoring runs from Jalen Leonard-Osbourne, Rochester countered in the fourth quarter with a Ryan Rose 3-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Kane on fourth down with just over five minutes remaining, cutting the Bombers lead to seven at 17-10.
Ithaca was able to chew up four of the remaining five minutes on the clock during its next drive finishing off the scoring with a Colin Schumm 3-yard plunge.
A last ditch effort from Rochester saw the Yellowjackets drive well into Bomber territory, but a second Ithaca interception of the fourth quarter by Derek Slywka sealed the deal for the visiting Bombers.
Ithaca used its size along the offensive line to power to 317 yards rushing in the victory, 208 coming from Leonard-Osbourne on 26 attempts. He added two touchdowns and had a long run of 34 yards. Schumm chipped in 60 yards on the ground, as the Bombers finished the game averaging 6.0 yards per tote.
Rochester's Rose finished 22-for-37 passing for 217 yards, throwing one touchdown and two interceptions. He connected with Aidan Papantonis eight times for 99 yards, including a long of 49 yards on UR's final possession of the game. Jay Zheng took a play-action reception 52 yards in the first half, setting up a UR field goal, while Trey Johnson added 34 yards on five catches. Daniel Papantonis chipped in 46 yards on the ground for the Yellowjackets.
The Yellowjacket defense was paced by Happy Chane and Bradley Beckwith who each had 12 tackles. J.T. Monahan added nine stops, while Judah Thomas picked off his sixth pass of the season in the first quarter, continuing to rank among Division III's leaders in that category.
On the opening drive of the game, Ithaca reached the UR red zone, but one 3rd-and-2, Schumm was stuffed at the line by Joe DeBonis, forcing a Bombers field goal attempt which sailed wide right off the foot of Derek Baldin.
UR's first possession ended in a punt, and again Ithaca marched into Yellowjacket territory, but came away with nothing as Thomas' interception in the end zone thwarted the Bombers scoring opportunity.
After Ithaca started with the ball in the second quarter near midfield, the UR defensive line stopped three straight runs to force a Bombers punt. Andy Kristian made a pair of big tackles for Rochester and J.T. Monahan finished the drive by tripping up Schumm on third down scramble.
Rochester's lone scoring drive of the first half followed, with the Yellowjackets trekking 65 yards in eight plays, with Zheng's 52-yard catch-and-run being the big play. A pair of 15-yard penalties were traded for each team and the Yellowjackets had to settle for a field goal, with Jordan Laudani connecting from 32 yards for the 3-0 lead.
Both defenses stood tall on the next four possessions, with Ithaca's Jason Green coming up with the biggest play of the half, stopping Will Varney on 4th-and-inches, setting up the Bombers with the ball and a chance to score before intermission.
Schumm made a couple of quick passes and eventually got Ithaca inside the Yellowjackets 30-yard line, allowing Baldin to attempt a 45-yard field goal closing the half. The junior kicker booted his career long field goal through the uprights to send the teams into the locker room deadlocked at 3-3.
Rochester started with the ball in the second half an put together a nice offensive drive, marching 12 plays to the Ithaca 11-yard line. The drive included a key third down conversion from Rose to A. Papantonis, and later, a fourth down conversion to Kane.
Faced with another 4th-and-1, the Yellowjackets elected to attempt a 28-yard field goal, but Slywka streaked in from the left side and blocked the kick, keeping the score tied.
Fortunately for the Yellowjackets, Ithaca's next drive ended in a similar fashion, with Baldin's field goal kick from 26 yards missing wide right.
A UR 3-and-out drive gave the ball back to the Bombers as the third quarter ticked away. At the start of the fourth, a fourth down conversion by Leonard-Osbourne was followed by a scamper around the right end for a 20-yard touchdown, putting Ithaca in front 10-3.
Rochester's next possession lasted just three plays, as Rose floated a pass up the left sideline which was picked off by Slywka, setting up the Bombers with good field position.
After a penalty on Ithaca backed up the Bombers on first down, three chunk plays set up the Bombers with a fourth-and-one decision at the Yellowjackets 34-yard line. Ithaca ended up going for it, and Leonard-Osbourne made it a good call, rushing up the right side to the end zone for a 34-yard score. Baldin's PAT kick made the score 17-3 Bombers.
UR's next drive was the best of the game, as the Yellowjackets went 75 yards in 14 plays to get back within one. Kane was Rose's big target on the drive, as he hauled in a clutch 4th-and-6 conversion over the middle before catching his third touchdown catch of the season on another fourth down play, and first since week two back in September.
Ithaca's next drive saw the Bombers face a third-and-9 at midfield, with Schumm dealing Rochester a big blow, connecting with Nicholas Lang for 11 yards and a first down, allowing a couple more minutes to tick off the clock. Schumm finished off the drive himself a few plays later boosting the lead 24-10.
Up next, the regular season continues to wind down with the Yellowjackets traveling to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday for a noon kickoff in Troy, NY. Ithaca meanwhile, hosts Buffalo State next weekend, looking to continue its run towards a conference crown.