ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 16/18 Ithaca College football team ran its winning streak to six straight games, including four in a row in the Liberty League, with a 24-10 victory at the University of Rochester on Saturday, October 21 at Fauver Stadium. Ithaca, which scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, is now 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the Liberty League, while Rochester drops to 5-3 and 2-2.
It was a slow start offensively for both teams as the first half ended in a 3-3 tie.
Ithaca had the first crack of the contest and marched down into scoring position on the initial drive of the game, but a 40-yard field goal attempt by Derek Baldin sailed wide with 11:12 to go in the first quarter. Rochester was forced to punt on its first drive of the contest and the Bombers moved down to the UR 37-yard line but threw and interception in the end zone.
The first quarter would end with no score on either side, but the Yellowjackets put up the first points of the day with 9:12 remaining in the half on a 32-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
IC and Rochester would trade punts on the next three possessions and then the Yellowjackets turned the ball over on downs at the IC 43-yard line with 1:14 remaining. The Bombers would march down to the UR 28-yard line and Baldin booted a 45-yard field goal with two seconds left to knot the game at 3-3.
Rochester received the kick in the second half and burned over five minutes off the clock to set up a 28-yard field goal attempt, but it was blocked by Derek Slywka. The Bombers would ride that momentum with a long drive of their own, but it came up empty after a missed 26-yard field goal with 3:43 left in the third quarter.
The Bombers would take a 10-3 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 20-yard touchdown run by Jalen Leonard-Osbourne at the 13:35 mark as IC capped off a seven-play, 44-yard drive for their first lead of the game.
UR gave the ball right back to IC as Slywka recorded his first of two interceptions on the day just three plays later. Ithaca punched in the change of possession with a 34-yard score by Leonard-Osbourne with 10:12 left in the game.
Leonard-Osbourne finished the game with a career-high 208 yards rushing on 26 carries. He also caught three passes for 31 yards. Leonard-Osbourne is the first IC running back to eclipse 200 yards in a game since 2012.
Rochester responded with a 14-play, 75-yard drive to cut its deficit to 17-10 with 5:04 on the clock, but the Bombers put the game away with their next drive. IC marched 75 yards on 10 plays and punched in a 3-yard touchdown run by Colin Schumm with 59 seconds left.
Schumm, who made his first collegiate start, ran for 60 yards on 18 carries and threw for 78 yards on 11-of-19.
Rochester drove all the way down to the IC 29-yard line before Slywka intercepted another pass with one second left to end the game.
The Bombers rushed for 317 yards in the win and picked up 26 first downs. IC's defense held Rochester to 282 yards of offense and just 65 yards on the round. The Yellowjackets entered the game averaging over 154 yards rushing per game.
Ben Stola led the defense with 10 total tackles and two pass breakups, while Jake Connolly and Drew Buckley each recorded eight tackles. Josh Miles added five tackles.
The Bombers will clinch the Liberty League's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship with a win in their next game at home against Buffalo State on October 28 at 1 p.m. Next Saturday's game also marks Family Weekend and Alumni Weekend on South Hill. IC will also honor the newest hall of fame class during halftime.
No. 16/18 Ithaca Scores 21 Fourth Quarter Points to Down Rochester, 24-10
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20231021_pib6.xml
2023
Ithaca
24
Rochester
10
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 19 Ithaca (6-1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 24 |
| Rochester (5-3) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
Oct 21, 2023