In a battle of the defense, the University of Rochester Yellowjackets broke through in the second half to defeat the St. Lawrence University football team 21-0 on Saturday afternoon in Rochester, N.Y.

Ryan Surhoff led the Saints defense with 10 tackles, including six solo, and a tackle for the loss of four yards. Both Brennan Twombley and Savino Morelli recorded eight tackles, while Liam Perkins finished with five and a sack for the loss of seven yards. Twombley also recorded one interception, while Nicholas Giardina and John Finnegan each finished with a pass breakup.

Saints quarterback Daniel Lawther passed 27-for-42 for 241 yards, while Shea Goodwin caught 10 passes for 90 yards and Nicholas Huhtala recorded five receptions for 61 yards.

On special teams, first-year Sam Arbaugh logged five punts for 173 yards.

Both teams locked down on defense for the start, as both teams went scoreless in the first quarter. Both the Saints and Yellowjackets each picked up four first downs, and the Saints went 1-for-2 on third down conversions, while Rochester went 1-for-3.

Strong defensive play continued both sides of the ball, as the game remained deadlocked at 0-0 at halftime.

Rochester was able to put points on the board first, as Luke Herter intercepted a pass from Lawther on the 29-yard line and ran it back for the touchdown. Jordan Laudani's kick was good for the 7-0 lead.

The Yellowjackets doubled up on their score with two minutes to play in the third, as Daniel Papantonis capped a 74 -yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown run. Laudani's second kick connected for the 14-0 lead.

Rochester scored once more in the fourth, as Jake Adelmann recorded a one-yard touchdown run and combined with a third kick from Laudani, the Yellowjackets claimed a 21-0 win.

Ryan Rose passed 10-for-16 for 108 yards and one touchdown, while Daniel Papantonis ran for 194 yards on 24 attempts and Aidan Papantonia caught three passes for 58 yards for the Yellowjackets. Defensively, Heter tallied one interception, a breakup and 12 tackles, while Joe DeBonis finished with eight tackles and two sacks for the loss of 16.

With the loss, the Saints fell to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in conference play, while Rochester improved to 6-1 and 2-1, respectively.

The Saints finished with a 17-16 edge in first downs, while Rochester finished with a 370-241 advantage in total offense. St. Lawrence finished 4-for-14 on third down conversions, while Rochester went 5-for-12.

St. Lawrence enters a bye week next week and will return to Liberty League play at Ithaca on Saturday, November 9 for a 1 p.m. kickoff.