ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College football team played the first-ever home night game at Butterfield Stadium since the field was constructed in 1959 on Saturday evening and the Bombers took down Alfred University, 27-3, to give head coach
Brandon Maguire his first victory.
Ithaca's defense was the story of contest as the Bombers held Alfred to just 22 yards rushing on 34 attempts and notched 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks. The Saxons also threw for just 146 yards to finish the game with 168 yards of offense.
Landon Varley and
Chris Clax each finished the evening with eight total tackles and 2.5 sacks apiece, which Varley also recorded a strip sack and fumble recovery.
Carson Ciancuielli earned a sack, while
Ty Boland and
Davin Foote had a half-sack each.
Andrew Swierbut led the defense with 13 total tackles, while
Joe Spirra finished the game with 10 stops.
Jake Green added nine tackles.
Offensively,
Michael Reed threw for 177 yards of 14-of-27 passing with a touchdown and rushed for 57 yards and another score.
Chris Scully rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts with one catch for 17 yards, while
Nicholas Lang caught eight passes for 104 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 23 yards on one carry.
The Bombers received the opening kick and quickly moved towards midfield on a pair of runs from Scully, and then he took a backwards pass for 61 yards to score the game's opening touchdown, but it was called back and IC had to punt.
Alfred muffed the ensuing punt but recovered at its own 14-yard line. The Saxons then marched 18 plays down to the IC 11-yard line where the drive ended on a turnovers on downs after nearly nine minutes.
After a Bombers three-and-out, Alfred took over near midfield, but the drive never got started as IC notched three straight sacks to end the first quarter in a scoreless tie.
IC would get on the board first early in the second quarter on a 21-yard field goal from
Caleb Wandell with 12:24 remaining, which was set up by a 23-yard run by
Ahmad Taylor.
Alfred would tie the game at 3-3 with 9:02 to go as a roughing the kicker call gave the Saxons new life on a punt.
The Bombers answered on the next by moving down into the red zone thanks to an Alfred roughing penalty, but later turned the ball over with an interception in the end zone with 4:49 left in the half.
IC regrouped and took the lead right before halftime on a 1-yard sneak by Reed to make it 10-3 with just over 12 seconds on the clock. Three completions to Lang for 44 yards, followed by 18 yards rushing from Reed set up the score.
Ithaca went into intermission with a 196-98 advantage in yards as Alfred had just eight yards on the ground.
Alfred took the second half kick, but quickly gave the ball back on the first snap as Varley notched a strip sack and recovery at the 26-yard line. On IC's first play from scrimmage after the change, Scully rumbled for 26 yards to extend the lead to 17-3.
Later in the quarter, Lang rushed for 23 yards to move deep into Alfred territory and then he caught a 27-yard pass for another touchdown, but a penalty wiped out the score and the Bombers were forced to punt midway through the third.
The third quarter would end at 17-3, but IC added a touchdown in the opening minute of the fourth quarter on a 22-yard strike from Reed to Lang to make it 24-3.
The final points were scored at the 10:38 mark on a 26-yard field goal from Wandell to make it 27-3.
IC remains at home next Saturday, September 19 for its Liberty League opener against Hilbert at 1 p.m.
