ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College football team posted its fifth straight win of the season and remained undefeated in Liberty League play as the Bombers took down Rochester, 36-0, on Homecoming Weekend on South Hill. The Bombers scored 29 second half points to improve to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the Liberty League.
It was a slow start offensively, as the Bombers scored just seven points in the first half to take a 7-0 lead into halftime.
On IC's first possession of the game, the Bombers moved into Rochester territory but turned the ball of on downs at the 13-yard line. IC then had another chance to score on its next drive but came up empty on a well-struck field goal attempt from Caleb Wandell from 43-yard out that rang off the left upright.
The Yellowjackets threatened to score early in the second quarter, only to turn the ball over on downs at the IC 28-yard line. Ithaca quickly flipped the field on completions from Michael Reed to Nicholas Lang and Antwan Harvey of 13 and 12 yards, and then Chris Scully rushed for 25 more yards to spot the ball inside the UR 10-yard line.
Reed then scored from seven yards out for the only scoring of the first half.
IC outgained Rochester, 187-93, in the first half and owned a 12-to-4 advantage in first downs.
The Bombers came out of intermission and made a statement in the third quarter with three touchdowns and nearly 200 yards of offense.
IC received the second half kick and started its drive at the 29-yard line. Scully started things off with a 10-yard rush, followed by a 16-yard reception from Nicholas Matos to spot IC in Rochester territory. A few plays later, Harvey hauled in an 18-yard completion down to the 4-yard line and Scully did the rest for his first of three touchdowns on the day.
On Rochester's first play following the touchdown, Nicholas Garzarella recorded a strip sack and Davin Foote recovered at the 9-yard line. Scully would punch another one across the goal line from two yards out with 9:49 to go to give IC a 21-0 advantage.
Later in the quarter, Lang took a handoff and raced 66 yards down the left sideline to extend the lead to 28-0 with 2:32 remaining.
IC notched its final touchdown of the contest at the 11:23 mark of the fourth quarter on another Scully rushing touchdown, this time from one yard. Tyler Wolfe would score on a two-point conversion to account for the 36-0 final.
On that drive, Scully accounted for 41 yards and he finished the game with 118 yards rushing on 24 attempts, to go along with two catches for 24 yards.
Reed threw for 196 yards on 18-of-29 passing and rushed for 58 yards on 13 carries. Lang caught five passes for 53 yards, to go along with his 66-yard touchdown run, while Harvey had 46 yards on four grabs and Tian Murray caught two passes for 33 yards.
Joe Spirra led the defense with eight total tackles, including a sack, while Henry Takacs logged seven tackles with a sack, pass breakup and two quarterback hurries.
Ithaca allowed just 200 yards to Rochester on the day, while the offense accumulated 501 yards and 29 first downs. The Bombers finished the game with 262 yards rushing to eclipse the 200-yard plateau for the fifth time this year.
IC heads into a bye week next Saturday and then travels to Union on October 24 and Buffalo State on October 31.
