ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University football team opened their Empire 8 competition portion of the season with a 14-10 win over SUNY Morrisville on Saturday from Yunevich Stadium.

The Saxons (3-2, 1-0 Empire 8) outrushed the Mustangs (2-4, 0-2 Empire 8) by a 168-74 margin as part of their winning efforts.

Joe Copp (Minoa, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) finished the game with a team-high 13 tackles, recording his 300th career tackle with the program and inserting himself into the record books. Max Freeman IV (Painted Post, NY/Corning-Painted Post) totaled 129 rushing yards and a touchdown across 22 attempts. Dion Anderson (Buffalo, NY/St. Joseph's Collegiate Academy) added 80 scrimmage yards and a touchdown for the Saxons.

"It's always great to get a win on Homecoming," Head Coach Bob Rankl said. "I was proud of the way that our guys played, particularly in the second half. I thought it was a gritty performance and our team preserved. We are going to enjoy this win and then it's right back to work for us tomorrow as we prepare for a very good Cortland football team."

The Mustangs set the tone early in the first quarter, putting together an 11-play drive that was capped off with a 4-yard touchdown for the early lead. During SUNY Morrisville's following drive, a botched snap was quickly recovered by Copp. Alfred University had just one scoring opportunity before going into the second quarter with a 7-0 deficit.

In the opening moments of the second quarter, the Mustangs had their drive cut short following an interception by Adam Mietz (Akron, NY/Akron). The Saxons quickly found momentum thanks to a 42-yard passing touchdown from Chris Kelly (Lake Ronkonkoma, NY/Sachem North) to Anderson to tie the game. An 8-play drive by SUNY Morrisville led to a fourth down stop by the Saxons defense, as JJ Mundo (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) secured the tackle. In the closing minutes of the first half, the Mustangs were able to kick a 31-yard field goal to put the Saxons behind 10-7 going into the break.

Alfred University was the first to get on the scoreboard in the second half, as a 2-yard quarterback keeper from Kelly gave the Saxons their first lead of the afternoon. In the fourth quarter, the Mustangs drove down to AU's 32-yard line before an interception from TJ Marsh (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) secured the win for Alfred University.

Alfred University will next travel to face SUNY Cortland next Saturday at 1:00 PM.