PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – Visiting St. Lawrence University rallied past the University of Rochester football team with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns, earning a 35-31 Liberty League victory on Saturday afternoon at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
 
Rochester's 31 points were the most put up by the offense this season, with quarterback Ryan Rose leading the Yellowjackets (2-6, 1-4 Liberty League) throwing for a career-high three touchdown passes.
 
Will Varney and Daniel Papantonis combined for 200 yards rushing on the ground, with Varney punching in a short TD.
 
Trey Johnson finished with five catches for 83 yards and a score, with Aidan Papantonis and Jackson Kaen each also grabbing a touchdown reception.
 
On the opening drive of the game, Rochester reached the St. Lawrence 4-yard line, but a pair of Saints (3-5, 1-3 Liberty League) run stuffers clogged up the running lane for Varney, forcing a turnover on downs. It was the lone 4th down stop by either team on the day.
 
Rochester forced a St. Lawrence punt on its opening possession and marched down the field in 10 plays for a touchdown on its second drive of the game. Varney and Papantonis each earned some chunk yards on the ground, with Rose finishing off the scoring drive with a pass to the left corner of the end zone from nine yards out. The younger Papantonis made a toe-tapping catch for the 6-0 Rochester lead.
 

On the ensuing SLU possession, a fortunate catch along the sidelines by Cole Salyards picked up 31 yards, with an additional roughing the passer penalty giving the Saints their first red zone appearance on the day. From there, Peyton Schmitt ran three times in the next four plays, converting on 4th and 2 for a 4-yard touchdown run. The PAT by Clayton Fogler was blocked by J.T. Monahan and the score was tied.
 
The Saints used some early Halloween trickery on the kickoff, catching Rochester off guard with an onside kick. Evan Pastino ended up recovering and keeping the SLU offense on the field.
 
Four plays later, St. Lawrence had the 13-6 lead after Daniel Lawther connected with Tyler Liddy for a 41-yard bomb over the middle of the field.
 
UR was able to respond right away, trekking 71 yards in 12 plays to knot the game at 13-all. Varney was the main ball carrier on that drive, carrying six times, including a 1-yard touchdown plunge.
 
St. Lawrence went 3-and-out and quickly gave the ball back to the Yellowjackets with two minutes left in the half. A pair of runs put the ball into SLU territory and Rose followed with back-to-back passes to Johnson to convert the go-ahead touchdown. Johnson's score came from 31 yards, and was the second week in a row the junior caught a TD.
 
Rochester went for two and Rose again connected with Johnson on the conversion, giving the Yellowjackets the 21-13 lead at halftime.
 
St. Lawrence got the ball to start the second half and used another trick play to score on its opening drive. On first down from the Rochester 48, Lawther swung a lateral out to the right to Liddy who pulled the defense up on the potential screen. The Saints wide receiver followed by launching a pass to a wide-open Robert Coll for the touchdown, making the score 21-20.
UR continued its strong offensive output on the next drive, converting its fourth touchdown of the game on an 8-yard pass from Rose to Kane.
 
During its next possession, St. Lawrence fought back and chewed up over eight minutes in a 14-play, 59 yard drive which ended on a Lawther 5-yard TD to T.J. Cornacchia. After the score, Lawther rolled to his right and fired over the middle on the two-point attempt, again finding Cornacchia in the end zone and the score was tied.
 
Rochester's next possession ended with the lone turnover of the game, as Rose had a pass bounce off his receivers hands and into the waiting arms of Grady Harrington. Harrington returned the pick all the way down to the Rochester 22-yard line, setting up the Saints for the go-ahead score.
 
St. Lawrence needed just two plays to score, as Lawther found Salyards over the middle from 15 yards out to take the 35-28 lead with under 12 minutes on the clock.
 
The Yellowjackets reached the St. Lawrence 20-yard line on their next drive, but on a 4th-and-10, UR decided for a field goal from Jordan Laudani to cut into the Saints lead. The Yellowjacket kicker converted the field goal, his seventh of the season, making the score 35-31.
 
Rochester's defense needed a stop on the final St. Lawrence drive, but a couple of key conversions by Lawther, including a 4th-and-1 rush, allowed the Saints to run out the clock and hang on for the win.
 
St. Lawrence's Lawther finished 20-for-29 passing on the day, throwing for 211 yards and three TD's. Schmitt had 76 yards on the ground and a score, with Cole and Salyards combining for 10 catches, 134 yards and 2 TD's.
 
Defensively for Rochester, Caden Cole and Simon Weeren were the leading tacklers with 10 each. Nolan Ragland chipped in seven while Keyden Snow and Jordy Tawa eadch had six and a pass break-up. Monahan finished with a game-high three QB hurries to go along with his blocked kick and half a tackle for loss.
 
The Yellowjackets next contest is the home finale next Saturday at noon against Hartwick.