ALFRED, N.Y. – The Morrisville State College football team closed out the October slate Saturday with a road loss at Empire 8 opponent Alfred University.
The loss drops Morrisville State to 2-6 on the season, 0-5 within conference play. Alfred improves to 6-2, 4-1 in the E8.
Morrisville State collected 107 yards in the running game, with junior running back Nick Edmond (Blythe, Calif.) leading the way with 75 net yards on 21 carries. Quarterback Bill Flatow (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) added 33 on five carries, also connecting on 18-of-35 pass attempts for 177 yards as the Mustangs posted a gain of 284 yards total offense on the day.
Senior Joseph Faniel (Clyde, N.Y.) led the receiving unit with six catches for a team best 70 yards, with fellow junior Raffaele Bradshaw (Westbury, N.Y.) adding 61 yards on five catches in the Mustangs offensive efforts.
For a second time in as many games, Michael Bodnar (Miller Place, N.Y.) led the defensive unit with 12 total stops, including eight solo, while registering a pass break up. Jarrod Faniel (Clyde, N.Y.) added nine, five solo tackles.
Alfred, who outgained the Mustangs 356 to 284 yards in total offense, collected 324 yards on the ground as Maleke Fuentes and Nasir Smith registered 146 and 105 yards, respectively, on 38 carries combined.
Quarterback Bryce Morrison connected on 6-of-11 passing attempts for 32 yards and a touchdown, connecting with Merlin Thomas for the Saxons lone scoring passing strike.
Fuentes put Alfred on the board midway through the first half, capping off the 75-yard drive with a one-yard run for the 7-0 host lead, before Morrison hit Thomas late in the second for the 14-0 halftime advantage.
The hosts struck twice in the third, their first a 40-yard interception return from Milgate for the touchdown score at 12:29, before Smith pounded the ball over the goal line with 2:20 remaining in the quarter for the 28-0 significant host lead.
Morrisville State was able to break through the stingy Alfred defense early in the fourth, as Edmond found a hole to reach the end zone, capping off the 10-play, 65 yard drive with his one-yard scoring run with 13:08 to go.
Within minutes Alfred responded, as Fuentes collected his second touchdown of the afternoon on a 17-yard scramble for the 35-7 Saxon lead.
Morrisville State returns to the field Saturday, hosting St. John Fisher College in their home finale on Drake Field. Kick-off is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on the Morrisville State College campus.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
#30#