Football thrashes Gettysburg

In some games it just seems that everything goes right. Last Saturday, the UR football team had just one of those games. With a dominating performance on both sides of the ball, UR earned its first win of the season against the Gettysburg Bullets in convincing fashion.After poor defensive showings in the first two games of the season, the UR defense was a bright spot against Gettysburg, holding the team under 200 yards of offense, including just 59 on the ground.To junior linebacker Matt Simon it was vital for the defense to play well, after giving up 500 yards the previous week.”It was huge for the defense to come out and dominate the game against Gettysburg after a not-so-good showing against Fisher, because it gives the defense the confidence we need to play well for the rest of the season,” Simon said.Simon led UR defensively with eight tackles, including two for a loss and two sacks. Junior Nick Grow – making his first collegiate start – and Peter Kum-Nji also collected eight tackles. Leading the at-times unstoppable pass rush, senior Benji Waller chipped in with a tackle for a loss, a sack, a quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery.Offensively, UR backfield mates, sophomore Pat O’Brien and freshman Matt Bielecki, were two cogs in a dominant ground attack. UR’s running game rang up 271 yards and accounted for four touchdowns. Bielecki had a career day on the ground. Rushing 10 times for 88 yards, Bielecki found the end zone four times. That feat tied a 62-year-old school record set against Hobart College and gained back Liberty League Offensive Player of the Week.O’Brien paced the ground game, gaining 105 yards on 22 carries. Where some may see a competition for playing time, O’Brien sees a running duo that can only help his game and the team.”Having Matt in the backfield has been a great addition to our offense and has helped my game as well,” O’Brien said. “Having him be able to take some of the carries keeps both of our legs fresh, and more importantly, the defense never knows before the snap who is going to get the ball, creating a better opportunity to catch them off-guard.”Offensively, UR scored in each quarter, the first coming by way of a 10-play, 67-yard drive that culminated with a Bielecki 19-yard run. The Yellowjackets’ next two drives went for over 90 yards. The first was a mammoth 18-play, 99-yard march that ended with a Bielecki plunge from three yards away and ate up over eight minutes of the second quarter. The second eclipsed 90 yards and ended with another Bielecki run, this time from 36 yards out. Early in the fourth quarter, Bielecki added his final score from three yards out. Freshman kicker Rob Corey nailed a 19-yard field goal in the fourth to cap Yellowjacket scoring. For his play, which included four successful extra points and five kickoffs inside the Gettysburg eight-yard line, Corey was named Liberty League Special Teams Player of the Week.Quarterback Aaron Molisani led a consistent passing attack that converted many key third downs. The junior racked up 176 yards passing, while connecting on 18 of 30 attempts and added another 52 yards on the ground. Junior receiver David Ferris added 69 yards on five catches.Gettysburg’s late score may have spoiled a shutout, but did not spoil UR’s total defense performance. The Bullets’ leading rusher managed only 39 yards on 16 carries, while the team’s quarterbacks combined to go 10 for 32 for 139 yards.To Simon, such a performance was needed before entering play in the newly formed Liberty League.”[Our performance] was important for the defense because it sets the tone for the upcoming league games, which we need to win to make the postseason,” Simon said.UR will be put to the test on both sides of the ball as it enters league play this weekend by traveling to Union College in Schenectady, NY for a 1 p.m. kickoff.Allard can be reached at dallard@campustimes.org.