In the final home game of the season, the football team put on an offensive and defensive spectacle against St. Lawrence University. The men gave the fans something to look forward to next season as they won handily 34-14.
Fun was the key to the win against St. Lawrence. The very first play the Yellowjackets ran was a reverse to senior wide receiver Tony Messana who threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to senior quarterback Patrick Keegan to lead off the game.
“This has been a very up and down year for our team,” Keegan said. “We had high expectations coming into the season but unfortunately things didn’t quite go according to plan. We started off slowly, losing a few close games we really should have won. These last couple weeks have really shown the character and the talent of this 2010 team.”
With Saturday’s game being Senior Day for the football team, they wanted to prove their accomplishments over the past four seasons.
“I am very happy for our seniors, especially, and the way they were able to finish their final home game of the season on such a positive note,” head coach Scott Greene said. “Our young players have done a terrific job stepping in and have made a significant impact in our recent team’s success.”
The defense held up its end, not allowing a St. Lawrence point until midway through the third quarter. The running defense shined through the game, only allowing 20 total yards on 21 attempts. The running defense even netted 39 yards for a loss and also forced four big turnovers.
Sophomore linebacker Brendan Pidgeon continued his impressive season with a 51-yard interception return for the touchdown. He also contributed 4.5 tackles in the game and upped his team high tackle total to an eclipsing 58.
“This weekend was great for our team and our program,” junior quarterback Braezen Subick said. “We controlled the game from start to finish, and made more plays than they did.”
With that win, the Yellowjackets gave St. Lawrence their first loss in Liberty League competition and lowered their overall record to 4-5. UR is slowly climbing back up the rankings and now resides in fifth place, only one game behind a four-way tie for second place.
“This win meant a lot to this team because not only were we going against the top ranked team in our conference but it was also the last time the seniors would ever play in Fauver Stadium,” freshman linebacker Tony Ortega said. “We all knew that we had to get this win for each other and this was evident in the way we played.”
UR will bring their three-game winning streak to Hobart College, who is 5-3 on the season. Hobart sits in a three way tie for second in the Liberty League standings but could fall with a loss to UR in the final regular season game.
“Our recent winning streak means everything to this team,” Ortega said. “We have all worked so hard to try to win games this season and even though we had a rough start we maintained the faith and focus in ourselves to get out of the rough patch and start winning games.”
Manrique is a member of the class of 2012.
