ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College football team dominated by shutting out previously unbeaten University of Rochester, 24-0, on Saturday in a Liberty League showdown at Bertino Field at Butterfield Stadium. Ithaca rushed for 287 yards in the win and held UR to 286 yards of offense as the Bombers improve to 7-0 all-time against the Yellowjackets.
The story of the first half was a battle of field possession as there were a total of five punts and three Rochester turnovers, which resulted in a 3-0 score at intermission in favor of Ithaca.
In the first quarter, neither team could reach the red zone, but Ithaca attempted a 44-yard field goal and missed to keep the game scoreless midway through the period.
Early in the second quarter, Rochester drove deep into IC territory, but Owen O'Neill forced a fumble and Darren Brunner recovered at the IC 13-yard line with 10:21 to go. The Bombers were forced to punt on the ensuing drive and regained possession shortly after as Joe Spirra intercepted a pass near midfield with 8:10 to go.
The Bombers moved into UR territory and faced a 3rd-and-1, but a loss of six yards on the next snap resulted in a punt down to the 6-yard line by Brunner with 6:35 to go.
UR picked up a pair of first downs to create some breathing room only to throw another interception at its own 38-yard line, this time by Tommy Moran with just under four minutes remaining in the half.
Ithaca then put together the lone scoring drive of the half as Baldin hit a 24-yard field goal with :14 on the clock to give IC a 3-0 lead.
Jalen Leonard-Osbourne had 49 yards in the first half, with 30 on the ground and 19 through the air. Matthew Parker was 7-for-10 passing in the half, while Jake Williams rushed for 34 yards on six attempts.
Jake Connolly finished the first half with eight tackles and a forced fumble, while Brunner added six stops.
The second half was all Bombers with three touchdowns on offense and two defensive turnover on downs with Rochester in the red zone.
IC received the second half kick and had to punt, but Brunner pinned UR back to its own 5-yard line with 11:43 remaining. The Yellowjackets were stuffed on 3rd-and-1 at their own 30 on the ensuing drive and the Bombers took a 10-0 shortly after the change of possession on a 68-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Nicholas Lang from Parker on 3rd-and-8 with just over six minutes to go.
With 2:42 left in the quarter, IC regained possession at its own 30 following a punt and moved into UR territory on a 17-yard run by Williams a few plays later to end the third quarter.
Less than a minute into the final period, Leonard-Osbourne eclipsed 2,000 career rushing yards on a 25-yard scamper to extend the Bombers' lead to 17-0.
The Bombers would be flagged 15 yards on the PAT and gave Rochester its next possession at midfield. The Yellowjackets would move all the way down to the IC 1-yard line and were denied on fourth down on a two-yard tackle for loss by Spirra and Connolly.
On the very next play, Williams rumbled for 69 yards and Leonard-Osbourne followed with a 28-yard touchdown jaunt to put the game on ice, 24-0, with 6:09 left.
Williams rushed for 130 yards on 11 carries to average 11.8 yards per carry, which is sixth on IC's single game list. Leonard-Osbourne had 102 yards on 18 attempts and caught four passes for 19 yards.
The Yellowjackets attempted to get into the end zone one last time, but Carson Ciancuielli notched a strip sack to push UR back to the 21-yard line and a fourth down throw fell incomplete.
IC ran out the clock with 26 yards rushing on four attempts from Ahmad Taylor.
The defense was led by 13 tackles, a forced fumble and pass break up from Connolly, 12 tackles and a fumble recovery from Brunner and 11 tackles by Danny Portas. Spirra finished with eight tackles and a half tackle for loss, while Ciancuielli racked up 17 sack yards on a pair of sacks and a forced fumble. Andrew Swierbut added eight tackles and Ryan Burns finished with seven tackles.
Ithaca hosts RPI next Saturday, October 19 for another Liberty League matchup at 1 p.m.
Ithaca Stifles Rochester in 24-0 Shutout Win
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241012_8lg7.xml
2024
Rochester
0
Ithaca
24
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester (5-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ithaca (2-3) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
Oct 12, 2024