2007 ECAC Division III Northwest Football Bowl
Alfred University 49, University of Rochester 14

Box Score

ALFRED, NY - The Alfred University football team defeated visiting Rochester, 49-14, Saturday afternoon at Merrill Field to claim the ECAC Northwest Bowl Championship.

AU sophomore tailback Vinson Hendrix rushed for 228 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns to earn Most Valuable Player honors for the Saxons, who have now won an ECAC Bowl game each of the last four seasons. With his performance, Hendrix finished the season with 1,406 yards, which breaks the AU single-season record of 1,400 set in 2004 by Chaz Bruce.

Alfred (8-3, 4-2 Empire 8) got on the board first, when senior defensive tackle Don Miller scored the first of his three 1-yard touchdown runs with 9:41 left in the first, capping a seven-play, 39-yard drive. Rochester tied the gamer at 7-7 with 9:38 left in the second when tailback Matt Bielecki scored on an eight-yard run.

The Saxons would score six unanswered touchdowns to put the game away.  Miller ran in from a yard out with 5:56 left in the second and on Alfred's next possession Hendrix scored on a 30-yard run. Miller would get his third TD of the game with 52 seconds left in the half, capping an eight-play, 52-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge, to put the Saxons up 28-7.  AU senior quarterback Paul Keeley tossed a pair of touchdown passes to give Alfred a 42-7 lead. The first was a 17-yarder to sophomore wide receiver Jared Manzer with 9:58 left in the third. The second, a 33-yarder to senior wide receiver Saucobie Riley came with 13:39 left in the fourth and ended a five-play, 49-yard drive.

Hendrix closed out Alfred's scoring with 9:06 left in regulation on a 34-yard TD run. Rochester¹s Tim Hamilton blocked a punt by Alfred¹s Pete Marley and returned it 29 yards for a score with 1:43 left in the game. Hendrix finished a stellar sophomore campaign by rushing for 1,406 yards on 215 carries (6.5 yards per carry) to go with 12 rushing touchdowns. His eight games with at least 100 yards rushing tied Bruce¹s 2004 single-season record. He also caught 32 passes for 326 yards and a pair of scores. Miller, the Saxons' short yardage back, ended the season with six rushing touchdowns and finished his career with 11. Senior tailback Elmer Newsome wrapped up his career with 46 rushing yards.

Keeley, the MVP in Alfred's previous two ECAC Bowl wins, was solid in the final game of his career, completing 17 of 26 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Trevor Bork caught five passes for 76 yards. Senior tight end Matt Gibbins caught four for 44 yards and Manzer caught three for 36.

Rochester quarterback Adam Barrett completed 17 of 33 passes for 195 yards and an interception. Backup Patrick Keegan was three-of-six for 15 yards and an interception. Wide receiver J.J. VanderStyne had a game-high 10 catches for 133 yards. Bielecki rushed for 64 yards on 20 carries and scored a touchdown.

Senior defensive tackle Mike Penkin had a game-high 14 tackles, including on for loss. Sophomore linebacker Chad Pieri had 11 tackles (two for loss) and Miller added six tackles (two solo, two for loss). Sophomore linebacker Marc Mangovski had 10 tackles and an interception. Junior free safety Brian Nitsche had nine tackles and junior safety Kris Sambor had an interception.

Free safety Matt Stack paced the Rochester defense with 12 tackles (six solo). Linebacker Joe Galantini added 10 tackles (five solo) and cornerback Andy Rape had two solo tackles, and forced and recovered a fumble. Defensive end Brad Mills chipped in with a quarterback sack.

(Courtesy of Alfred University Sports Information)