#23 Utica at Alfred State | Football Highlights - 9/26/26

ALFRED, NY - There can only be one. The No. 23 Utica University football team continued its historic start to the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon, cruising past Alfred State College, 58-13, to win the "Pioneer Bowl" and improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2023. The victory marked the Pioneers' first game and first win as a D3football.com-ranked team, as the orange and blue made their debut at No. 23 in the national poll earlier this week, which marked their second time ranked, but their first time ranked during the regular season. Saturday's matchup also carried a unique place in program history, as Alfred State was Utica's opponent for the first varsity game in program history on September 8, 2001. The Pioneers won that inaugural meeting 29-7, and 25 years later, Utica returned to Alfred State and delivered another dominant performance. The Pioneers now hold a perfect 4-0 record all-time against Alfred State. Utica wasted little time establishing control, scoring 28 points in the opening quarter and taking a 42-6 advantage into halftime. The Pioneers began the afternoon by halting a promising Alfred St. drive, before Gabriel Zawolo (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) opened the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown reception from Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute). On the ensuing kickoff, the Pioneers forced a massive fumble, recovering the ball before Tyshawn Taylor (Syracuse, NY/Syracuse Institute of Technology) hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass just 56 seconds later. Alfred State answered with a 72-yard touchdown run by Noah Currier, scoring back in just one play, but the Pioneers immediately responded with a one-play drive of their own, as Drevariis Yeomas's (Victor, NY/Victor) 56-yard touchdown run broke the game open once again. Logan Frederick (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) added an 18-yard touchdown reception to cap a wild opening quarter. The second quarter belonged to the Pioneer rushing attack. Eze Frazier (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) found the end zone twice, scoring on runs of four and six yards, as Utica added 14 more points to its lead. The Pioneers continued to control the game after halftime, with Nico Duarte (Kearny, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) connecting on field goals of 31, 20, and 38 yards to finish a perfect 3-for-3 afternoon. Micah Davis (Fredonia, NY/Fredonia) added a 15-yard touchdown run with five seconds remaining to cap the scoring and bring the game to its final tally of 58-13. Saturday Spotlight: After being held in check by Hobart one week ago, the Pioneer rushing attack came roaring back to life against Alfred State. Utica finished with 282 rushing yards on 38 attempts, averaging 7.4 yards per carry while scoring four touchdowns on the ground. The 282-yard performance marked the Pioneers' highest rushing total since September 21, 2024, when Utica ran for 292 yards against Lycoming. Leading the way was Drevariis Yeomas (Victor, NY/Victor), who broke through for the first 100-yard rushing performance of his career. Yeomas carried the ball eight times for 110 yards, averaging 13.6 yards per attempt, and ripped off a career-long 56-yard touchdown run. His breakout performance has pushed his season average to 6.5 yards per carry and provided another explosive element to an already dangerous Pioneer offense. Eze Frazier (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) continued to provide a steady presence in the backfield, rushing 13 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Frazier averaged 6.9 yards per carry and found the end zone on runs of four and six yards, while Tyler Hall (Holbrook, NY/Sachem North) added 54 yards on seven carries. Micah Davis (Fredonia, NY/Fredonia) contributed 22 rushing yards and a touchdown on four attempts. The running back room's performance was particularly notable coming off a week in which Hobart limited Utica to just 78 rushing yards. One week later, the Pioneers nearly quadrupled that total while averaging more than seven yards every time they ran the football. The rushing attack also helped Utica remain nearly perfect whenever it reached the red zone. The Pioneers went 8-for-8 in red-zone opportunities, scoring five touchdowns and three field goals.