ITHACA, N.Y. -- The football team (5-2, 2-1 Empire 8) held the nation's third-ranked rushing attack nearly 250 yards below its season average in beating the visiting Springfield Pride (5-2, 2-2 Empire 8) 23-14 Saturday. Ithaca allowed just two touchdowns and 170 yards on the ground to a Springfield team that came in averaging nearly 40 points and 419 rushing yards per game.

Senior quarterback Rob Zappia (Greece Athena/Rochester) threw for a career-high 301 yards, with senior wideout Thomas Vossler (Loon Lake/Saranac Lake) posting career-best figures of 12 catches and 121 yards. Vossler and senior tight end Dan Higgins (Greece Athena/Rochester) both caught a touchdown pass and junior Andrew Rogowski (Canisius/East Amherst) kicked a career-long 44-yard field goal.

Vossler's touchdown catch came on his 12th and final reception of the game (one short of Ithaca's single-game record) and capped a 10-play, 74-yard drive after the Pride had scored a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to pull within two points.

Zappia threw for 70 of the 74 yards on Ithaca's final scoring drive with Vossler's three-yard touchdown catch closing the scoring. Springfield gained just 55 yards on 21 plays on three final drives; the Pride turned the ball over on downs each time.

Ithaca's three-man line led the defense; senior tackle Andrew Haim (Douglas MacArthur/Levittown) recorded 13 tackles – including two for loss, senior end Matt Dibble (Columbia/East Schodack) finished with 11 and senior end Sean Gil (Sachem North/Holbrook) added eight. All three were career-high totals. Dibble also collected a career-best four tackles for loss – and added a sack (the third surrendered by Springfield this year) and a pass break-up (the second).

Junior linebackers Ryan Clarke (Archbishop Spaulding/West Friendship, Md.) and Eric Toporoff (Montville Township//Montville, N.J.) made nine tackles apiece. Sophomore linebacker Will Carter (Westlake/Thornwood) added eight as Ithaca held Springfield without a run of more than 17 yards. The Pride have averaged just 201 rushing yards and scored just eight touchdowns in the last five meetings at Butterfield Stadium.

Ithaca hosts Utica in an Empire 8 game next Saturday.

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