BIELECKI RUNS ROCHESTER

PAST ST. LAWRENCE, 31-24

Sept. 29: St. Lawrence University senior tight end Brett Young caught a one yard touchdown pass to pull the Saints to within one score of the University of Rochester with only 3:03 remaining in regulation. However, the Scarlet and Brown failed to recover the onsides kick, and the Yellowjackets escaped with a 31-24 behind senior running back Matt Bielecki, who finished with 186 yards on 30 carries.

 

The win was the first of the 2007 campaign for Rochester, who moved to 1-3 overall and 1-1 in the league.

St. Lawrence also landed at 1-1 in conference play, but falls to 2-2 overall.

 

The two teams wasted very little time exchanging offensive punches, as both teams managed to score on their opening drives in less than three minutes. Rochester received the opening kick-off, and Andy Rape returned the ball all the way back to the St. Lawrence 23 yard line. From there, sophomore quarterback Adam Barrett called four plays and on a 2 nd-and-goal connected with senior wide receiver JJ Vanderstyne for an 8 yard touchdown pass to give Rochester the early 7-0 advantage.

 

Senior quarterback Brad Heil would answer in a big way, moving the Saints 66 yards on six plays in 2:26 to even the score. Sophomore Connor Hackett was the workhorse on the drive, carrying the ball three times for 28 yards, setting the Saints up at the Rochester 3 yard line. From there, Heil found junior full back Carl Festa out of the backfield for a touchdown to even the score at 7-7.

 

After the two teams exchanged three-and-outs, the Yellowjackets turned to Bielecki to get them their lead back. Rochester ran the ball on five consecutive plays with a combination of Barrett, Bielecki and Paul Ferrese to land on St. Lawrence’s 21 yard line. From there, Bielecki did the rest, eluding St. Lawrence tacklers and crossing the goal line for his first touchdown of the afternoon, giving the Yellowjackets a 14-7 lead.

 

Heil and the Saints offense would go back to work on the follow drive, and perhaps most importantly, ate up over four minutes of clock which kept Bielecki off of the field. The home team moved the ball to the Rochester 34 yard line before stalling, as the Yellowjackets forced a 4 th down and 12 situation. St. Lawrence opted to go for the first down, and using some trickery, earned a first down at the 21 yard line. Heil handed the ball off to Hackett, who took off to his right. The running back then pulled up, and threw a perfect pass back across the field to a wide open Heil, who had snuck behind the Yellowjacket defense. Though they were unable to punch the ball into the end zone, sophomore Matt Popov connected on a 26 yard field goal to complete the first quarter scoring and pull the Saints to within four, 14-10.

 

That score would hold until midway through the second quarter, when the Saints took the lead for the first time on the afternoon with 7:04 to play in the first half. Heil and Hackett again moved the Saints efficiently down the field, moving 60 yards before setting up at the Rochester 11 yard line. Heil looked to senior wide receiver Mike O’Donnell in the end zone, and though the pass fell incomplete, a flag was thrown on the defender for pass interference. The Saints got the ball on the two yard line, and on 1 st-and-goal, Hackett took the carry up the middle and into the end zone for a 17-14 St. Lawrence lead.

 

Trailing for the first time in the game, the Yellowjackets responded with a tidy nine play drive that saw them even the score at 17-17. The Saints defense was able to contain Bielecki on the drive, holding him to only five yards on four carries, as sophomore Gerard Bryant did an outstanding job in the trenches for the Scarlet and Brown against the run. Rochester settled for a 37 yard field goal attempt by Griffin Moar, which was good, leveling the score heading to half time.

 

The third quarter proved to be one that Heil would hope to soon forget, as the Fayetteville, NY native was intercepted four times on four consecutive drives. Rochester ’s Matt Francis and Logan Bosiljevac each intercepted Heil once and Rape picked him off twice in the third quarter, giving Rochester the momentum and great field position. However, the Saints defensive unit was up to the challenge, turning back the Yellowjackets after the first two interceptions without a single point.

 

It wasn’t until Bosiljevac intercepted a ball that was tipped at the line of scrimmage that gave Rochester their best chance, setting up 1 st and 10 from the St. Lawrence 42 yard line. This time, Bielecki was too much for the Saints defense, as he rushed the ball four times for 36 yards, including a 24 yard touchdown run give Rochester back a seven point cushion, 24-17, with 2:39 to play in the third quarter.

 

With their passing game continuing to struggle, Rochester again turned to Bielecki when they got the ball back after a St. Lawrence punt. The Yellowjackets, starting at their own 9 yard line, marched 91 yards on 11 plays, led by Bielecki who carried the ball eight times to reach the St. Lawrence 4 yard line. With the entire Saints defense thinking run, Rochester used a quick pass to the left for Bielecki out of the back field, and he raced across the goal line, giving the visitors a 31-17 lead with only 6:37 remaining in regulation.

 

Knowing the game was on the line, Heil and the Saints’ offense started at their own 40 yard line after a solid return by O’Donnell. The home team turned to the air attack, as Heil connected with senior Charles Cannan, sophomore Anthony Patterson, and O’Donnell as the Scarlet and Brown quickly reached the Rochester 8 yard line. After finding O’Donnell on 2 nd-and-goal for a 6 yard completion, Hackett’s carry up the middle brought the ball to the 1 yard line. Needing a touchdown on the 4 th down play, St. Lawrence used play action to open up Young in the back of the end zone, as he caught his second touchdown of the season. Popov’s extra point closed the gap to 31-24 with 3:03 to play in regulation.

 

Needing to recover the onsides kick, the Saints put their hands team on the field, but Popov’s kick squirted out of bounds at the St. Lawrence 42 yard line before any of his teammates could reel it in. Needing only one first down to run the clock out, it was appropriate that Rochester turned to Bielecki. The senior barreled forward on three consecutive rushes to move the chains, and allow his team to kneel on the ball for a hard-earned 31-24 victory over the Saints.

 

Bielecki became the University of Rochester ’s all-time leading rusher after his 186 yard afternoon. Hackett also found success on the ground for St. Lawrence, as he carried the ball 21 times for 110 yards and one touchdown. It was the third time this season that the sophomore has rushed for over 100 yards.

 

With the victory, Rochester improved to 42-24-2 in the all-time series against St. Lawrence, and remained unbeaten against the Saints since 1998.

 

The Scarlet and Brown will look to rebound next weekend when they visit the Rensselaer Red Hawks, ranked No. 3 in the state, in Troy, NY on Saturday, October 6th. Kick-off is set for 1:00pm.