Liberty League leader Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was in total control from start to finish in a 42-0 football victory over the University of Rochester at Edwin Fauver Stadium in poor conditions on Saturday afternoon.
The visiting Engineers ran for three touchdowns, passed for two others, and recovered a fumbled punt in the end zone for another score. RPI's defense held Rochester to an even 100 yards of total offense – 11 yards rushing on 23 carries and 89 yards passing. RPI piled up 372 yards – 221 on the ground and 151 through the air.
RPI improved to 7-0 overall, 3-0 in Liberty League play. The Engineers are ranked #16 in the American Football Coaches Association poll and #17 by D3Football.com. Rochester is 1-7 overall, 0-4 in the Liberty League.
George Marinopoulos completed 16 of 24 passes for 151 yards for RPI with two touchdowns and one interception – and that came on a tipped reception. He threw an 11-yard scoring pass to Conor Davies midway through the first quarter for a 14-0 lead, then found Keaton Ackermann for 12 yards and a score midway through the third. That boosted the visitors' lead to 35-0.
Joe Scaglione rushed for 56 yards and two TDs. He scored on a two-yard run just before halftime (28-0 RPI), then completed the scoring with an eight-yard TD run with 12:44 to go. Nick Cella led RPI on the ground with 70 yards on eight carries. His touchdown run came 17 seconds into the game, thanks to the efforts of Conor Davies.
Rochester kicked off and Davies returned the kick 81 yards down to the UR three. Cella bulled into the end zone on the first play from scrimmage and Sanjay Krishnan made the PAT. Krishnan was 6-6 on extra points. Neither team attempted a field goal.
For Rochester, quarterback Josh Brown completed 17 of 31 throws for 89 yards. He connected with seven receivers. Connor Byrne had six catches (32 yards) and Sean Mannion had three (14 yards). Rochester threw numerous quick outs to receivers and backs with the ground game bottled up.
The weather – a steady rain fell through the game and increased as the afternoon went on – made for sloppy playing conditions, even on the artificial surface. The teams combined for four lost fumbles – two each way – and one interception. Early in the second quarter, Marinopoulos threw for Bryce Todd over the middle. Todd tipped the pass and Rochester's Davis Friedman intercepted it at the UR 26.
RPI did not punt until its fourth possession and that produced an Engineer touchdown. Zac Montrief's punt from the 47 was bobbled as the returner tried to grab it. The ball rolled into the end zone and Dennis DeCicco fell on it for a touchdown. That made the lead 21-0 with 5:16 left in the half.
Defensively, Noah Barnard led Rochester with 12 tackles (eight solo), including one tackle for loss. The Yellowjackets had three tackles behind the line and forced two fumbles. Deon Willis and Adam Baghi had recoveries. UR broke up two passes and picked off one. RPI had nine players with at least three tackles. The Engineers did not record a sack, but they totaled seven tackles behind the line for 20 yards in losses. DeCicco got both the forced fumble and the recovery on his second quarter touchdown. Damien Hall had two of RPI's six pass breakups; both were balls batted down at the line.
Next Saturday, RPI hosts St. Lawrence University while Rochester goes to Union. The Yellowjackets complete the season on November 10 when they host Alfred. RPI hosts Union for the Dutchman Shoes Trophy on November 10.
RPI In Control From Start to Finish vs. UR
/seasons/2018/boxscores/20181027_te6o.xml
2018
RPI
42
Rochester
0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPI (7-0) | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Rochester (1-7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Oct 27, 2018