UR football pounds St. Lawrence into submission

Games are often won and lost on a team’s quarterback play. If this Saturday was any indication, the UR football team has nothing to worry about.Amassing 320 yards of total offense, just 68 yards shy of a school record, junior quarterback Aaron Molisani led UR to a vital league win over St. Lawrence University, 31-7, bringing their league record to 1-1.Sophomore wideout Osaze Ogbahon saw Molisani’s play as essential to UR’s victory.”Aaron is our offensive leader,” Ogbahon said. “He makes the team go and without him I don’t know where we’d be. He puts up numbers and is consistently a double threat on the ground and through the air.”UR was the first to strike offensively in the first quarter, when Molisani made a perfect read and went untouched for a 25-yard rushing score.”The play called was a QB draw with the option to throw to the back in case of blitz,” Molisani said. “The backer dropped into zone and I was gone. With help from the receivers blocking downfield, six points were on the board.”St. Lawrence was quick to answer with a touchdown on their next drive. The tie was short-lived as UR’s special teams and defense answered. Freshman place kicker Rob Corey connected on a 26-yard field goal. After a defensive stand backed St. Lawrence inside their 10-yard line, the UR punt team forced a safety.Both defenses stiffened in the second quarter, making it tough for either offense. Undeterred, UR struck again late in that quarter.Facing a third and six, Molisani hit Ogbahon, who turned a quick screen pass into a 51-yard score. Ogbahon was clearly excited about the play – his first collegiate touchdown – but still praised the work of his teammates.”It’s difficult to manage the emotions that come out – you just want to jump up and celebrate with your teammates [who] make it possible,” Ogbahon said. “I think that play was evidence of why football is the ultimate team sport, because it was 11 guys all doing their job and when that happens success will follow.”SLU mistakes led to the Yellowjackets’ next two scores. It took just a single play for Molisani to hit junior wideout David Ferris – after a poor St. Lawrence punt – ending the third quarter.After junior cornerback Mike Dermody’s interception to start the fourth quarter, Molisani connected with junior wideout Nate Gibbons on a 34-yard touchdown pass. “Receivers like ours make my job easy,” Molisani said. “[Ogbahon], Ferris and Gibbons all made big plays that resulted in touchdowns.” The trio combined for 145 of Molisani’s passing yards.Defensively, UR held St. Lawrence to 334 yards and caused four turnovers. The effort was spearheaded by sophomore linebacker Paul Kum-Nji, who recorded eight tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery.Junior linebacker Matt Simon matched Kum-Nji’s tackle total as well.Echoing his teammates above, Kum-Nji attributed his performance to others.”The credit goes to my coaches and teammates, especially our front seven,” Kum-Nji said. “Because of their hard work I was able to make many of those tackles without having to deal with blockers.”Against St. Lawrence, the offense and defense both put together a dominating performance, which Molisani views as necessary for the rest of the season.UR will have a chance to build on that success and reach the .500 mark for the season as they take on the United States Merchant Marine Academy, as part of Meliora Weekend, on Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. at Fauver Stadium. Allard can be reached at dallard@campustimes.org.