The Engineers demonstrated Saturday that all it takes to win a football game is a few big plays.
For the second time in as many weeks, RPI leaped out to an early 21-0 lead, as they handily reclaimed the Shotglass Trophy with a 34-12 victory over the Coast Guard Academy.
“We’re a big play offense,” said Head Coach Joe King, and the Engineers’ first play from scrimmage was just that: a 72-yard halfback option pass from Pat Hughes to Flynn Cochran that put RPI up 7-0.
Rensselaer also got big yardage on the first play of the second half. Quarterback Dan Cole threw a short pass to Evan Cochran, who lateraled to Hughes as part of a designed play. Hughes went 59 yards to the Bears’ six-yard line, and Evan Cochran picked up the TD on a reverse the next play.
Not to be outdone, the defense also scored twice for the Engineers. Linebacker Chris Pierz picked off Coast Guard’s Matt Gully near midfield on the Bears’ second drive and ran it back for a touchdown. Cornerback Jai Echols duplicated this feat on the Bears’ next possession, giving Rensselaer a 21-0 lead after a total time of possession of less than 30 seconds.
The rest of the game, though, was significantly less spectacular. The Engineer offense was very inconsistent, especially the passing game—several catchable balls were simply dropped, and Cole ended up just 6-for-25 for 122 yards.
Coast Guard’s attack was also spotty. At times, the Bears moved the ball with apparent ease, utilizing a predominantly rushing attack. Rarely, though, did they put enough solid plays back-to-back to get close to scoring. The Bears also committed four turnovers.
Despite the flaws in the game, King said that he was mostly happy with the way his team played. The Academy, he said, is a difficult place to play at, and even more so on Saturday, which was the Homecoming game for the Bears.
King added that the team only turned the ball over once and did not give up any big plays, two points that are emphasized by the coaching staff.
Avoiding big plays by the opponents will be more difficult this week, as RPI takes on WPI in the annual battle for the Transit Trophy. The Engineers from Worcester boast a young team with lots of speed on offense, and the WPI defense held Union to less than 100 yards on the ground in a 20-7 loss. Rensselaer currently holds the trophy after a 31-14 victory at Worcester last season.
