ALFRED, NY - Homecoming Weekend was a massive success for the Alfred University football team, who defeated Catholic University 45-15 on Saturday from Yunevich Stadium. 

During halftime, Alfred University Athletics took time to recognize the 1963-64 football programs, who were part of the infamous 'Miracle at Merrill' thanks to a significant win over Susquehanna during the 1964 season. At the time, Susquehanna was ranked among the top small schools across the nation, but Alfred University managed to defeat the Crusaders, 18-16. 

Chris Kelly (Lake Ronkonkoma, NY/Lake Ronkonkoma) led Alfred University, completing 10-of-15 attempts for 123 passing yards and a touchdown. Alexander Coffey (Columbia, MD/Long Reach) totaled three touchdowns for the Saxons, including two rushing touchdowns to go with a receiving touchdown. The defense for AU was led by Adam Mietz (Akron, NY/Akron), who tallied a pair of interceptions, one of which was brought back for a touchdown. 

"I'm definitely happy with how our team performed in all three phases in the game in the second half," Head Coach Bob Rankl said. "I thought we stubbed our toe a little bit in the first half and had too many self-killers on the offensive side of the ball. We want to focus on playing a full four quarters next week against Hilbert. It was a great Homecoming crowd today and I thought we had a great energy and game day atmosphere inside The Pit! It was great seeing so many former players and alumni return to campus!"

Catholic was the first to get on the scoreboard in the first quarter thanks to a field goal, but Alfred University retaliated with a field goal of their own from Dominic Bronco (Rochester, NY/Aquinas) to equalize the score. A pass by the Cardinals in the following possession was intercepted by Mietz to give the ball back to the Saxons. The next score did not occur until the second quarter, as Coffey rushed into the end zone to give AU their first lead of the afternoon. Catholic attempted to cut their deficit with a 44-yard field goal, but Neil Peters (The Bronx, NY/DeWitt-Clinton) blocked the attempt to give Alfred University a 10-3 lead going into halftime. 

The Saxons defense stepped up in the early stages of the second half, as Mietz returned an interception 80 yards to extend the lead for AU. In the following offensive possession for Alfred University, Kelly found Coffey for a 37-yard passing touchdown. Following a touchdown from Catholic, Dion Anderson (Buffalo, NY/St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) sparked the special teams unit with a 95-yard kick return touchdown. The return by Anderson was just two yards short of the all-time record for Alfred University Football. The Cardinals tried to move the ball downfield, but an interception from Jack Bestpitch (Buffalo, NY/St. Mary's of Lancaster) gave the ball to the Saxons in the opposing redzone. Five plays later, Alfred University relied on a rushing touchdown from Max Freeman IV (Corning, NY/Corning Painted-Post) to further the advantage with one quarter to play. 

Early in the fourth quarter, Coffey capped off his impressive afternoon with his third touchdown. The Cardinals scored once more, but the Saxons managed to run out the clock and secure the win. 

Alfred University will next host Hilbert College next Saturday at 1:00 PM to wrap up their non-conference portion of the fall schedule. 

 

--Swords Forward Saxons--