5 key takeaways from Lycoming’s loss to Utica

It’s been a rough road stint for the Lycoming football program, first matching up with last year’s national champion before facing a Utica team that accumulated a combined 19 wins throughout 2022 and 2023.

Though the latter was considered more winnable, plenty went wrong that kept it from bouncing back, as it fell, 42-17. With those issues came a few positives, aspects of which we’ll get into throughout this article.

With that being said, here are some of the takeaways from Saturday’s loss to Utica.

Another slow start

Since the beginning of the season, the Warriors have yet to score a point in the first quarter While that wasn’t an issue against Widener, especially considering they were nearing the red zone at the end of the quarter there and the slow start wasn’t all-encompassing, it has been an issue in their last two outings.

Offensively, Lyco accumulated one first down through its first three drives against the Pioneers. Defensively, it allowed seven, forcing a three-and-out before getting ran all over for the rest of the quarter.

By the midway point of the second quarter, Utica had gotten out to a 21-3 lead and accumulated 234 yards of total offense on just 24 plays (9.75 yards per play). Though the Warriors were able to respond to cut the deficit to 21-10 heading into halftime, they were never able to get things closer than that.

Penalties

Penalties had been a point of emphasis after the team’s opener against the Pride, where it was penalized 13 times for 86 yards. Though it greatly improved on that against Cortland, one of the few positives from that loss, its penalty issue came back in full force against the Pioneers.

For the second time this season, the Warriors were penalized 13 times in a game, this time racking up 100 yards in penalty yardage.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty helped Utica go from third and long to a goal-to-go scenario on its first touchdown drive. It narrowly missed out on three points at the start of the second because of another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a delay of game on third and short.

And most notably, with a chance to cut the deficit to one score in the third on a promising drive past midfield, two false starts forced it into a third and long it failed to convert. On the next offensive drive for Lycoming, Will Fish threw a pick six, giving Utica a 28-10 lead deep in the third quarter and essentially sealing the deal.

Run defense

It’s likely that Utica running back Matt Brantley gave some Lyco defenders deja vu on Saturday, breaking off a 61-yard touchdown run in the second quarter after previously having a 64-yard one in last year’s matchup.

Throughout the game, the Pioneers were able to run the ball at will, with two of their backs in Brantley and James Salles posting 100-yard outings and the team as a whole combining for just under 300 yards and 7.7 yards per attempt.

Coupled with Lycoming playing from behind, they were able to play it safe and keep the ball on the ground for most of the game, with Brett Fuller only passing the ball 15 times. It’s not something that factored into time of possession, a stat the Warriors actually led in, but it could pose a problem in that regard later down the road if those struggles continue.

Re-emergence of Debebe and Coppock

Not every takeaway from Saturday’s game was negative, though there were a few candidates that could’ve made it so, including Lyco’s struggles in the pass game. One aspect regarding its pass game that is actually worth being excited about is the reemergence of receivers Dawson Debebe and Billy Coppock within it.

After combining for three receiving yards against Widener and three receptions against Cortland, each player had their 2024 breakout game against the Pioneers. Coppock led the team in all receiving categories, catching six passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. And Debebe wasn’t far behind him, logging five receptions for 71 yards.

In 2023, they were each heavily involved and made a clear impact, with Debebe leading the team in receiving yards (545) and touchdowns (7) and Coppock placing second in receptions (41) and touchdowns (5) and third in receiving yards with 485. So, getting them reestablished could help Lycoming’s pass game see better days.

Third down/red zone success

Small addition to round this out, but the Warriors also saw success converting in third down and red zone scenarios. Of their 20 third down attempts, they converted on nine of them (45%). And they scored on all three red zone trips, amounting to two touchdowns and a field goal.

That came after the team previously struggled in both categories against Cortland, so it’ll be interesting to see if the team can continue finding success there. Worth noting that Debebe and Coppock played a role in both upticks, accounting for a combined seven third down conversions to go along with Coppock’s 17-yard score.

It wasn’t a perfect performance by any means, as Lycoming undershot its previous matchup with Utica by three scores, but there were certainly aspects the team could hope to build on moving forward.

Its next matchup takes place at Girardi Stadium too, where the Warriors will look to bounce back against Hilbert (0-3). That game is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday.