Paveletz, Defense Win Running-Backs Showdown; SU Takes Down Rochester, 17-14
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Senior running back Dave Paveletz (Warrior Run, Pa./Hanover Area) rushed 27 times for a game-high 170 yards and two touchdowns to lead visiting Susquehanna University past the University of Rochester, 17-14, in a Liberty League football game at Edwin Fauver Stadium on Oct. 10.
Paveletz was pitted against junior running back Clarence Onyiriuka (Painted Post, N.Y./Corning West) in this game. Onyiriuka came into the contest ranked 15th in NCAA Division III in rushing yards per game this year for Rochester (1-4, 1-2 Liberty) with a 125.8-yard average. Paveletz was ranked seventh nationally with 138.7 ypg for Susquehanna (4-2, 2-1 Liberty).
After a 59-yard run and a three-yard TD run on his first and second carries of the game, respectively, Onyiriuka was held relatively in check for the rest of the afternoon. He ended up with a team-high 154 yards on 26 carries but no more scores.
Sophomore running back Greg Tellish (Mount Airy, Md./South Carroll) and senior running back Josh Gordon (Albany, N.Y./Albany HS) spelled Paveletz with four and six carries for 20 and 14 yards, respectively. Paveletz now has 43 career rushing TD, two behind the Crusaders all-time record set by Jason Eck '05 from 2001-04.
This game also featured a battle between two sophomore quarterbacks in Susquehanna's Matt Lottes (Muttontown, N.Y./Long Island Lutheran) and the Yellowjackets' Braezen Subick (Mahwah, N.J./Don Bosco Prep). Subick completed a game-high 21 passes (on 39 attempts) for a game-high 175 yards and one touchdown, but he was also intercepted twice deep in SU territory.
Lottes, who served as a backup to fellow sophomore Tom Duff (Loudonville, N.Y./Colonie Central) last week, made his first collegiate start this week. The usual starter--sophomore Rich Palazzi (Newfoundland, Pa./Wallenpaupack)--continues to recover from an injury. Lottes completed 12 of 22 passes in this game for 108 yards.
Lottes' favorite target was senior J.J. Moran (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville), who caught a team-high five passes for a game-high 56 yards. Teammate and sophomore Mike Ritter (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) added three catches for 28 yards.
Onyiriuka made a game-high six catches (for 36 yards), while teammate and senior tight end Pedro Sosa (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) caught five for 43. Junior wide receiver Tony Messana (Piffard, N.Y./York Central) made four catches for the Yellowjackets for a team-high 50 yards, and senior wide receiver Adam Barrett (Avon, N.Y./Avon) caught four for 35, including a TD.
The Crusaders' junior linebacker Ryan Eck (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Twp.) led all players with 14 tackles (three solo). Teammate and freshman defensive back Jalon Scott (Albany, N.Y./Albany HS) made nine stops, including a game-high-tying five solo tackles, and broke up a game-high three passes. Senior linebacker Erich Majors (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) made eight tackles (four solo), and sophomore linebacker Mitch Phillips (Millersburg, Pa./Millersburg) notched seven stops (five solo). Senior split end/defensive back Justin Young (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) and junior defensive back Braden Klingler (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) both made important interceptions. Young also broke up a pass and made five tackles (two solo). Klingler made two tackles (one solo) and returned his interception 60 yards.
Junior inside linebacker Ed Dauphin (New Hartford, N.Y./New Hartford) led Rochester with nine tackles (four solo). Freshman linebacker Brendan Pidgeon (Oneonta, N.Y./Oneonta HS) had eight stops (four solo), and senior outside linebacker Trenton Tully (Johnson City, N.Y./Johnson City) added six stops (four solo), including the game's lone sack. Junior defensive back Chris Pesota (Dickson City, Pa./Scranton Prep) made four tackles (three solo) and broke up a team-high two passes.
SU won the coin toss and received the opening kickoff but was eventually forced to punt. Rochester scored on the next drive with Onyiriuka's TD and an extra point from junior placekicker Zachary White-Stellato (Albany, N.Y./Albany HS) that made the score 7-0 just 3 minutes, 29 seconds into the game.
The Crusaders came close to answering on their ensuing possession, but a 37-yard field-goal attempt by junior punter/placekicker Bobby Eppleman (Chester Springs, Pa./Great Valley) sailed wide right.
SU then forced a three-and-out by the Yellowjackets offense and got a 21-yard punt return from Moran that spotted the ball at the Rochester 44-yard line.
From there, Susquehanna put together a six-play, 44-yard drive, capped off by a Paveletz 10-yard TD bowl and an Eppleman point-after that tied the game at 7 with 2:19 left in the opening quarter.
Neither team did much in the second quarter. Rochester posed the only scoring threat with a 29-yard field-goal try by White-Stellato, but his kick missed badly to keep the score at 7-7 through halftime.
The Crusaders kicked off to start the second half and then forced another punt. On the next possession, SU marched nine plays for 69 yards in a game-changing TD drive. Paveletz busted the possession open with a 40-yard run in which he hurdled a player before being caught at the Rochester 1. Paveletz eventually found the end zone, and Eppleman kicked another PAT for a 14-7 lead with 9:22 left in the third quarter.
The Yellowjackets seemed poised to respond on their next drive when they took the ball down to the SU 10, but Young picked off Subick in the end zone to shut down the threat.
The score remained 14-7 into the fourth quarter, but the Susquehanna lead appeared to be in trouble when Rochester drove into SU territory on its first possession of the period. The Yellowjackets went 11 plays down to the SU 27, but on second-and-six--with senior defensive end Pete Johnsen (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) and a host of other Crusaders bearing down on Subick--Klingler intercepted a pass and returned the ball all the way to the Rochester 25.
The Crusaders capitalized, eventually getting an important 20-yard field goal from Eppleman that made the score a two-possession difference at 17-7 with just 3:22 remaining.
Rochester wouldn't go away, taking the next possession 63 yards over 13 plays for a three-yard Subick-to-Barrett TD and a White-Stellato PAT that cut the lead to 17-14 with 52 seconds to play.
Susquehanna survived a late scare when White-Stellato's onside kick bounced off an SU player and back to the turf before Klingler pounced on it to allow the Crusaders to finish the game in victory formation.
Susquehanna held the advantage in time of possession, 31:45-28:15.
Next Game: Saturday, Oct. 17, vs. Rensselaer (Liberty League game - Community Day), 1 p.m.