Aaron Schaffer, Staff Photographer
The UR football team bounced back this week after two straight losses on the road, dropping St. Lawrence University to 0-5 on the season with a 30-20 victory over them at home on Saturday, Sept. 29.
Junior quarterback Dean Kennedy helped UR score early with a 23-yard touchdown run on UR’s first drive. The game’s next score came in the second quarter, when Kennedy ran a second touchdown to top off a 97-yard drive. UR had been pinned on the 3-yard line by a St. Lawrence punt three minutes into the second quarter, but quickly responded with a 19-yard pass. Penalties helped UR pick up a good portion of its 97 yards, too.
Early in the drive, Kennedy rushed for three yards on a 3rd-and-11. However, the Yellowjackets managed to pick up the first down due to a 15-yard personal foul call against St. Lawrence linebacker Taylor Zappia after his hit on Kennedy. Kennedy’s pass was incomplete to junior wide receiver Garrett Kesel on the ’Jackets’ next third down, but St. Lawrence got hit with a pass interference call, giving UR 15 more yards and another first down. Pass interference was then called on a second incomplete pass to Kesel on the two-yard line, setting up Kennedy’s 4-yard touchdown.
St. Lawrence got yet another chance to score after that touchdown, but failed to do so. With 35 seconds left in the first half, Kennedy dodged a defender before stepping up, with two other defenders in his face, to throw a 57-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Thomas Hayes. This put the ’Jackets up 21-0 going into halftime.
The onslaught continued well into the third quarter, with senior kicker Alex Antonucci kicking a 19-yard field goal with 6:03 left on the clock, building Rochester’s lead to 24-0. About 20 seconds later, senior free-safety Kobie Hamm intercepted St. Lawrence quarterback Danny Metzgar’s pass and returned it for a touchdown, push–ing the score up to 30-0. UR would have had 31 points, but Antonucci’s extra point attempt bounced off the upright. In the fourth quarter, Kennedy connected with junior tight end Ken Apostolakos for an 80-yard pass on a play-action pass, but Antonucci had his 19-yard field goal attempt blocked.
After his interception, Metzgar was benched and his backup, Zane Fish, took the field for St. Lawrence. Fish almost engineered an impressive comeback, throwing a 12-yard touchdown to receiver Mike Tateosian with a minute left in the third, a 23-yard touchdown to Tateosian again in the fourth and a 27-yard touchdown to receiver Miles Crump with 14 seconds left in the game.
Kennedy finished with a 50 percent accuracy rating on 28 passes for a total of 345 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 35 yards and two touchdowns. Due to his performance, he was named the League Offensive Performer of the Week. He has racked up 961 passing yards, six passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns over the past four games.
UR is now 1-1 in Liberty League standings and 2-2 overall. The Yellowjackets will journey to Long Island to play the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday, Oct. 6.
Ondo is a member of the class of 2014.
