ALFRED, N.Y. – The Ithaca College football team took their one-game winning streak to Alfred, NY on a beautiful Saturday morning to take on the Alfred University Saxons. Ithaca looked to keep its momentum after taking down Endicott one week prior. The Bombers put together a terrific effort on both sides of the ball, ultimately taking home the victory 22-0 over the Saxons. The Bombers move to 2-1 on the season, while Alfred falls to 1-2 three weeks into the season.
The offense for Ithaca clicked right away from its first drive around two minutes into the game. A.J. Wingfield looked sharp out of the gates completing passes to two of his favorite targets Ben Marinaccio and Sam Kline which both resulted in first downs for the Bombers. The drive continued with some solid runs from Jalen Hines, landing Ithaca at Alfred's three-yard line. Wingfield was able to cap off the first drive of the day with a two-yard run to give the Bombers a 6-0 lead.
Alfred's second drive appeared to have some momentum falling its way as a couple of Chris Kelly passes and Max Freeman IV rushes got the Saxons a few of first downs. However, the Bombers' defense got a huge stop on 3rd-and-10, forcing the Saxons to punt the ball back to Ithaca.
Ithaca's second drive was dominated by their two-headed run game with Jalen Leonard-Osbourne and Hines each putting together multiple solid runs together to keep Ithaca driving. By the end of the first quarter, Ithaca was in Alfred territory in a prime position to add to their lead. A Wingfield dart to Kline for 15 yards put Ithaca in the redzone about one minute into the second quarter. Leonard-Osbourne was able to cap off the drive with a one-yard plunge into the endzone which ultimately saw Ithaca take a 13-0 lead.
Ithaca's next score occurred late in the second quarter after Wingfield completed a 31-yard bomb to Leonard-Osbourne putting Ithaca in yet another prime position to score. However, after a couple QB hurries by Alfred's defense on two goal-to-go situations, the Saxons forced a short Derek Baldwin field goal to put the Bombers up 16-0.
Alfred's next drive saw them get into Ithaca territory for the first time in the game, however on 4th&10, QB Chris Kelly's pass to Jacob Kelsey fell incomplete, keeping the score 16-0.
The next Ithaca score occurred in the middle of the fourth quarter. After a short, 35-yard Saxon punt, Ithaca's drive began at the Saxon 39-yard line. After a 19-yard run by Leonard-Osbourne on 4th-and-1, Ithaca set up shop on the Alfred 11-yard line. Wingfield finished the drive off by finding Nicholas Matos for a six-yard touchdown putting Ithaca up 22-0.
After a solid victory, Ithaca saw many individuals put together impressive performances. Wingfield completed 21 of his 32 passes for 226 yards and two total touchdowns. Leonard-Osbourne had 85 yards on the ground while also having four catches for 67 yards. Kline led all Ithaca receivers with six catches for 77 yards.
Jonathan Koumas and Ben Stola led the Ithaca defense with nine and six tackles, respectively. Owen O'Neill and Jon Ramsey also compiled a sack and three tackles for loss each. Ithaca's 350 yards of offense was far superior to the 155 yards of offense for Alfred.
Ithaca will return to their brand-new home turf at Butterfield Stadium on Saturday, September 30 to take on Hobart College in a classic Liberty League clash with a 1pm start time.
No. 20 Ithaca Notches 22-0 Shutout at Alfred
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20230916_z0zk.xml
2023
Ithaca
22
Alfred
0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 19 Ithaca (2-1) | 6 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 22 |
| Alfred (1-2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sep 16, 2023