FAUVER STADIUM – It was just the kind of start a team would want for its Homecoming Game with a large crowd in the stands: a huge takeaway in the first 50 seconds, following by an exciting long run for a touchdown and an early lead against a nationally-ranked opponent.
 
That was the setting at Edwin Fauver Stadium on Saturday afternoon when the Yellowjackets tangled with St. Lawrence University. The Saints came to Fauver bearing a 5-0 record (2-0 in the Liberty League) and ranked in both polls: #21 by d3football.com, #22 by the American Football Coaches Association.
 
UR won the coin toss and chose to defer to the second half. St. Lawrence took the ball. The Saints got a 24-yard kickoff return to set up, 1^st-and-10 at their own 48. Two plays later, on 3^rd-and-8, Sean Richardson's pass over the left side was picked off by UR's Ricky Sparks at the R45. His dive forward carried him to the 47. Only 51 seconds had been played.
 
On first down, Kyle Allegrini ran a jet sweep from left to right, cut hard around right end and sped down the right sideline, breaking several tackles along the way. He scored a touchdown and Noah Honickman's PAT made it 7-0 with 14 minutes left in the first quarter.
 
It didn't stay that way. St. Lawrence scored two touchdowns in a span of seven seconds enroute to a 48-13 victory. SLU improved to 6-0 overall, 3-0 in the Liberty League. Rochester, which lost its third straight, is 1-4 overall, 0-3 in the Liberty League.
 
Mitch Gallagher caught a 12-yard TD pass from Sean Richardson with 8:57 left in the first quarter. That completed a 12-play, 72-yard scoring drive. The extra point by Andrew Carvalho tied the score at 7-7. Daly Hebert's kickoff was fielded by Allegrini at the 4. He returned it to the 15 where the ball was jarred loose by Jack Sutherland. It was scooped up by Scott Arens at the 12 and he ran in untouched. Carvalho's PAT made it 14-7 Saints with 8:50 left in the half.
 
Rochester totaled 308 yards in offense. The Yellowjackets ran for 133 (Allegrini had 52 net yards and Nick Perpignan rushed 10 times for 47). Josh Brown completed 12 of 25 throws for 175 yards in his first varsity start. He was sacked three times. Allegrini tried an option pass that fell incomplete.
 
The second Yellowjacket touchdown closed the scoring for both teams. Brown threw a nine-yard scoring strike to Kenny Kish in the back of the end zone with 31 seconds to play.