Time ran out for the Engineers as they built a comeback against the University of Rochester. Down 15-0 after the first-half, sophomore quarterback Jimmy Robertson threw for 253 yards in the second half, leading RPI to score on four of six possessions in its attempt to overthrow the second place team in the Liberty League. “[Robertson] played really well,” said senior captain Jay Bernardo, “[his] inconsistency between the halves existed because we just didn’t play as well. Rochester was mixing in a lot of different coverages with blitzes and it was throwing us off a bit. We came out in the second half in our two-minute tempo and it forced them to play their base defense and minimized their blitzes.”
The 30-23 loss left Rensselaer at 2-3 in the league, 5-3 overall. Rochester rises to 4-1 in the league, remaining tied with Hobart for second.
Robertson spread his passes around, with senior Jon Branche finding five balls for 99 yards, sophomore Eren Savasli had four catches for 99 yards, and junior Brenden McGowan caught four for 76 yards. “Savasli had a very strong game,” Bernardo said. “He did everything that was asked of him. He was especially strong with his blocking in the perimeter as well as going up and getting the football for most of his catches. He used his height to his advantage, which is good to see because he’s matured a lot since last year.”
Senior linebacker Nick Foglia recorded 17 tackles, including 13 unassisted. The Liberty League named him the Defensive Performer of the Week. The most satisfying tackle for the senior “was the first one of the game because it set the tempo for myself and our defense,” he said.
Senior Armin Warner had 14 tackles, and one sack. Sophomore James McLaughlin also had two sacks. “I think we played an okay game on defense, but we had mental breakdowns that you cannot have and expect to win,” said Foglia.
Bernardo lead on the ground with 16 carries for 66 yards. “A lot went well for me in the second half,” he said. “Of course I can only go as far as my line can take me and they stepped it up immensely in the second half—Jake Russell, Grant Sanville, Matt Merrow, Terrence Bynum, and Shawn Hermann—with us putting the pressure on them with a fast-paced tempo our line was able to control the line of scrimmage.”
In the second half, senior Drew Taranto led things off with a 25-yard field goal after an 11-play, 65-yard drive by the Engineers. The next possession, RPI took it 85 yards, finishing with a pass to McGowan that he turned into a touchdown to bring it to 15-10.
The defense couldn’t hold off the Yellowjackets for long, as they answered with a long drive of their own, ending with a five-yard touchdown run by Aaron Molisari.
At the beginning of the fourth, Taranto’s field goal attempt was blocked, but it wasn’t long until Robertson had the ball in his hand again, this time looking for Branche in two consecutive plays, the second scoring, bringing it to 22-17 with just under 12 minutes left.
A misplay by Branche during the next possession let Rochester’s Peter Kum-Nji send the ball flying from his hands and saw Sean Simpson complete the turnover, leading to Rochester’s last score.
RPI wasted little time responding with Robertson finding big passes and Bernardo sealing the deal. “My touchdown was a short yardage one,” he explained. “It was off a fairly quick drive. We decided to run a play that attacked the middle of their defense, the line opened up a nice hole and I just snuck through.”
Taranto’s extra point was blocked, leaving the score at 30-23 with 4:41 on the clock.
Although the defense was able to hold Rochester and regain possession with 2:36 left, Robertson threw his first interception of the day when he missed Savasli and Rochester’s Andy Rape was able to hang on to it.
“The key to winning is consistency” said Robertson. “And simply put we were not consistent ... we didn’t get into any type of rhythm and put our defense in bad positions on the field. It’s tough to get shut out in the first half and then win. It’s not something you want as an offense.”
“As a team the biggest positive was our mental toughness. We never gave up considering the circumstances. It was great to see everyone battling together until the end, which is all you can ask for,” said Bernardo, who was staying positive after the tough loss.
He also understood exactly what was happening, as Rochester took control of the first half: “To really sum it up, we broke down mentally in the first half. We just didn’t go out and play our game, as Rochester controlled the tempo on both sides of the ball. We’ve prided ourselves on being a second half team, and we definitely showed that on Saturday; it just wasn’t meant to be I guess.”
The team had already missed the automatic playoff bid, but a big win could have increased the chances of an at-large bid. “It is disappointing anytime you miss out on a playoff opportunity,” said Foglia, “but we have a chance of holding all three of our trophies at the end of the season. We are looking forward to our matchup against Union College on Saturday.”
Next week is the big game against Route 7 rival Union in the Dutchman’s Shoes Cup. “It’s disappointing,” agreed Bernardo, “to miss the playoffs, considering all the expectations we had for ourselves this year, but we get an opportunity to salvage something with this game. It really is our Super Bowl. We get to play in a big rivalry game, at home no less. The great thing about this game is that we can leave everything on the field as there’s nothing to hold back. We also get an outside shot at an ECAC game if we do win this one, so the season isn’t over yet.”
