Football Five: Alfred State at Rochester

The Alfred State football team hits the road for the first time in the 2021 season. They head down 390 to take on the University of Rochester. Opening kickoff at Fauver Stadium is slated for Noon.

• Rochester and Alfred State have met every year since the Pioneers moved to NCAA DIII. This is the 8th meeting between the two programs. Alfred State won the last meeting in 2019 (neither team played any games during the 2020-21 season) 27-21. In that contest, the Pioneers jumped out to a 20-0 lead and led 27-21 at halftime. The game was decided in the final minutes when the Pioneer defense put together a goal line stand.
• Last week, Alfred State couldn't overcome a strong 3rd quarter by Utica on Saturday and fell 39-21 while Rochester tried to rally but fell 27-20 at home to Case Western.
  • Roman Napoleon caught five passes for 164 yards and two scores (75 yards and 62 yards). Aaron Jenkins finished with 250 yards passing on the day. Joel Smith made 12 tackles (eight solo and four for a loss) on his way to being named the ECFC Rookie of the Week. Rylie Van Fleet and Joseph Alvarado each had 10 tackles
  • The Yellowjackets fought back from a 27-7 deficit with less than six minutes left in the third period to close within one touchdown. UR tried an onside kick in the last 90 seconds which was recovered by CWRU which ran out the clock. Rochester QB Sean Casey passed for 327 yards and two TDs while Brandon Bush led the defense with 10 tackles and two pass breakups.
• Both Alfred State and Rochester were able to put together big plays offensively but neither team was able to force a turnover. Alfred State was a -2 (a fumble and an interception) while Rochester was a -1 (interception). Turnovers have been key in past match-ups in the series. In the 2019 contest, Alfred State was a +3 in the turnover battle and returned an interception for a touchdown.
• Six of the seven members of the ECFC are in action this weekend. Dean and Castelton were victorious in their season openers while Alfred State and Keystone fell. Anna Maria and Maritime open up their season this week while Gallaudet is still one week away from their opener. For all the latest ECFC information visit https://easterncollegiatefootball.com/landing/index
• A special 9/11 ceremony will take place before kickoff at Noon. 
  • Live Stats and Live Video - provided by the U of R