It’s been a tough road for the Lycoming football program, first facing last year’s national champions and then facing a Utica team that has won a combined 19 games through 2022 and 2023.
The latter was expected to win, but a number of problems came together and they were unable to bounce back, losing 42 to 17. Along with these problems came some positives, which we will explore in more detail in this article.
With that said, here are some takeaways from Saturday’s loss to Utica.
Another slow start
Since the start of the season, the Warriors have yet to score a point in the first quarter. That wasn’t an issue against Widener, especially considering how close they were to the red zone at the end of the quarter and their slow start wasn’t across the board, but it has been an issue in the last two games.
Offensively, Laico picked up one first down on their first three attempts against the Pioneers, while defensively they allowed seven first downs and were under attack throughout the rest of the quarter after being thwarted on three consecutive attempts.
Midway through the second quarter, Utica led 21-3 and accumulated 234 yards of total offense on just 24 plays (9.75 yards per play). The Warriors fought back and were able to close the gap to 21-10 by halftime, but couldn’t get any closer.
Penalties
Penalties have been a big focus since the team’s season opener against the Pride, when they were penalized 13 times for 86 yards, and while they improved significantly against Cortland as one of the few positives from that loss, the penalty issues were amplified again against the Pioneers.
For the second time this season, the Warriors had 13 penalties in a game, this time totaling 100 penalty yards.
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty allowed Utica to go into a goal-to-go scenario on third down long on their first touchdown drive, then another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a delay of action on third down short at the start of the second saw them narrowly miss out on three points.
And most notably, they had a chance to get within one with a promising drive up midfield in the third quarter, but two false starts prevented them from scoring in the third quarter. On Lycoming’s next offensive drive, Will Fish threw an interception six to give Utica a 28-10 lead late in the third quarter, essentially sealing the win.
Run Defense
On Saturday, Utica running back Matt Brantley appeared to give Laico defenders a sense of deja vu with a 61-yard touchdown run in the second quarter after scoring on a 64-yard touchdown run in last year’s matchup.
The Pioneers ran the ball freely throughout the game, with two running backs, Brantley and James Salles, each recording over 100 yards, and the team totaling just under 300 yards and 7.7 yards per attempt.
With Lycoming coming from behind, they were able to play it safe and keep the ball on the ground for much of the game, with Brett Fuller passing the ball just 15 times. This didn’t affect the time of possession the Warriors actually led in, but if this struggle continues it could cause problems in that department going forward.
Debebe and Cop Cock are back
While not all takeaways from Saturday’s game were negative, there were some that could have been negative, such as Laico’s struggles in the passing game: One thing that’s actually worth hoping for in the passing game is the return of receivers Dawson Debebe and Billy Koppuk.
After recording three combined receiving yards against Widener and three against Cortland, both players had breakout games in 2024 against the Pioneers. Koppuk led the team in all receiving categories, catching six passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. Debebe followed suit with five receptions for 71 yards.
They were each heavily involved and made a clear impact in 2023, with Debebe leading the team in receiving yards (545) and touchdowns (7) while Koppuk was second in receptions (41) and touchdowns (5) and third in receiving yards with 485. So having them re-established could help Lycoming’s passing game see better days ahead.
Third Down/Red Zone Success
Just to add a little extra, the Warriors also converted in third-down and red-zone scenarios, converting 9 of their 20 third-down attempts (45%) and scoring on all three of their red-zone attempts, two touchdowns and one field goal.
The team previously struggled in both departments against Cortland, so it will be interesting to see if the team can continue to have success there. It’s worth noting that Debebe and Koppuk helped lift both departments, combining for seven third-down conversions in addition to Koppuk’s 17-yard score.
It was by no means a perfect performance, as Lycoming fell three points short of its previous game against Utica, but there were certainly aspects the team can look forward to building on going forward.
The next matchup will also be at Girardi Stadium, with the Warriors looking to bounce back against Hilbert (0-3), which is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Saturday.
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