A 37-14 victory over Liberty League newcomer Susquehanna University last Saturday pushed the football team to a perfect 4-0 on the season, and 2-0 in the league. The victory has moved the team into 23rd position on the American Football Coaches Association Division III Coaches’ Poll. The Crusaders fell to 1-4 overall, 0-2 in the league.
The Engineers are averaging 32.5 points and 425.2 yards per game this season. Breaking it down, the team runs for 160.8 yards while throwing for 264.5 yards per game.
On defense, the team has kept opponents to just 13.8 points on average. Of the 229.2 yards given up, only about 46 are on the ground, good enough for sixth in the nation.
Two athletes were honored by the league this week—sophomore Tim Acker was named Defensive Performer of the Week and freshman Nick Lalumia was tabbed as Special Teams Performer of the Week.
Acker made six unassisted tackles, including three sacks, for an impressive 26 lost yards. He made two interceptions and returned three punts for 18 yards.
Lalumia punted five times for 215 yards, for an average of 43 yards. He hit 55 yards at one point, made one for a touchback, and had another one inside the 20-yard line. On his only attempt of the day, he made a 27-yard field goal and averaged nearly 54 yards on his seven kickoffs.
The victory over the Crusaders saw promising contributions from both the defense and offense. On defense, Susquehanna was held to just negative four yards rushing on the ground and 226 of total offense.
Home-standing Susquehanna scored first and RPI responded with a five-yard touchdown blast by freshman running back Bob Munier. Lalumia followed with a field goal, and senior wide-receiver Brendan McGowan brought in a one-yard pass from junior quarterback Jimmy Robertson with the clock running down in the first half to take a 16-7 lead at halftime.
Robertson ran in another touchdown in the third quarter, in addition to a seven-yard run for a touchdown by freshman Nick Costa and junior running back Isaac Williams’ 22-yard run in the fourth quarter. The Crusaders would add one last score late in the game to bring the final to 37-14.
Senior linebacker Tom Rayhill led the defense with eight tackles, including five unassisted, with a pass breakup. Munier finished with 101 rushing yards on 22 attempts and Williams ran for 59 on seven carries. Robertson had 235 yards, while completing 16 of 23 passes. McGowan topped the team with 11 receptions for 91 receiving yards.
The Engineers host St. Lawrence University Saturday on the ’86 Field for a 1 pm game.
