UTICA, NY – It was a record breaking day for junior Daniel Papantonis of the University Rochester football team, as the running back piled up 309 yards rushing in a 43-28 opening-night loss to Utica University at Charles Gaetano Stadium on Saturday.
Papantonis rattled off touchdown runs of 92, 88, 44 and 17 yards, averaging a whopping 17.2 yards per carry, setting another new Rochester single-game record.
Rochester (0-1) got the game off to a lightning quick start, jumping out to a 21-7 lead after the opening quarter, but Utica (1-0) was able to answer in a big way, outscoring the Yellowjackets 36-7 the rest of the game, leading to the double-digit victory.
Much of the offensive damage came from Utica's quarterback-wide receiver combo of Braeden Zenelovic and Nate Palmer. The pair connected on three TD's, with Palmer also grabbing a touchdown score from Brandon Belott. Palmer finished with 222 yards on eight receptions and the four touchdowns.
After a penalty on the opening kickoff backed the Yellowjackets up to the 8-yard line, Papantonis got things started right away on the first play of the game, rushing 92 yards for a touchdown. The UR junior running back went practically untouched up the right side, recording the second longest rush in Rochester program history.
Rochester's defense was able to hold off Utica on its opening drive of the game, getting the ball back to its offense. On the next Yellowjackets snap, another big run occurred, with Will Varney breaking through for a 16-yard scamper, but the Pioneers forced a fumble on the play and recovered in UR territory.
Utica used the momentum to its advantage, scoring after just two plays to tie the game. An eight yard run by James Salles preceded a 41-yard touchdown pass from Zenelovic to Palmer on a bubble screen to the left.
On the next play from scrimmage for Rochester, Papantonis again took the ball to the house, going 88 yards through the left side of the Pioneer defense this time, putting the Yellowjackets up 14-7.
The Pioneers went three-and-out on their next drive and again the Yellowjacket offense had the ball and kept pounding through on the ground. Papantonis took three straight carries, the last being a 44-yard dash to pay dirt and Rochester was up by two scores.
Rochester's first drive of the second quarter featured more big chunk plays in the run game, this time from Will Varney. The Yellowjackets got 8, 10 and 23-yard runs, but saw their drive stall out at the Utica 27 when quarterback Ryan Rose could only gain four yards on a 4th and 6 play.
Utica answered two drives later with a scoring drive mainly targeting the Yellowjacket secondary. The Pioneers quarterback Zenelovic fired three first down passes on the drive, the final one a 19-yard TD strike to Palmer.
On the extra point attempt, a bad snap forced Palmer to scramble and heave up a pass into the end zone, which was deflected and then caught by Logan Kraft for the 2-point conversion.
Rochester again reached Utica territory, getting inside the 30, but were unable to convert another 4th down opportunity and turned the ball back over on downs. The Yellowjackets finished 2-for-5 on 4th down conversions.
The momentum kept creeping in Utica's favor, as the Pioneers used a late second quarter drive, spanning ten plays to take the lead into halftime. Matt Brantley rushed for the 14-yard score, putting Utica up 22-21.
Utica's offense continued to shine starting the second half, scoring on a big 39-yard catch and run by Palmer from Zenelovic.
Trailing by eight, Rochester went back to the ground with its next drive, chewing up over seven minutes on a 12-play, 79-yard drive that ended with Papantonis' fourth rushing TD of the game. The score put him in elusive company, as he became just the tenth player in UR history with four or more rushing touchdowns in a single game.
Utica quickly rebuilt its lead on the next drive, scoring again to make it 36-28 with under two minutes to play in the third. Two big Rochester penalties gave the Pioneers some key yardage, with Utica capping the drive with a 48-yard strike from Belott to Palmer.
The Yellowjackets first drive of the fourth reached the red zone, but a holding penalty and incomplete pass on 3rd and 20 forced a field goal attempt. On the kick, the snap was low and altered the run-up of kicker Jordan Laudani and the 44-yard attempt ended just short.
Utica responded its fourth straight touchdown drive to make contest a two-possession game. Big plays on the from Salles, Zach Hoage, Palmer and Tyler Kolenda, set up Brantley's second rushing score of the game. The 14-yard scamper sealed the win as the Yellowjackets were unable to score over the final six minutes of the contest.
In addition to Papantonis' huge day, Varney finished with 128 yards on 16 carries, averaging eight yards a tote. Rose finished 10-for-22 passing for 111 yards. Ryan Pasquali led the Yellowjacket receiving core with five catches for 52 yards.
On defense, Caden Cole led the Yellowjackets with 11 tackles, four of which were solo stops. Jack Yensel made eight tackles, with Jordy Tawa, Bradley Beckwith and Adam Huewe each picking up six. Joe DeBonis made 2.5 tackles for loss in the game.
UR's offensive line paved the way for 422 net yards rushing in the contest, fourth most in team history. The 9.0 yards per carry did establish a new Rochester team record though, as the Yellowjackets needed just 47 attempts to reach that total.
Rochester looks to rebound next weekend against Alfred State in another road night game.