The RPI football team was defeated last weekend 23-21, by the United States Merchant Marine Academy Mariners, but the team will still have one final chance to play on the ’86 Field. At noon on Saturday, the Engineers will host the Alfred University Saxons in the ECAC North Atlantic Championship Game.
The Saxons enter the game at 7-3 on the year, and finished the regular season in a three-way tie for second place at 4-2 in the Empire 8. Alfred travels to Troy following a 36-33 overtime victory over St. John Fisher in its last contest.
Freshman Tom Secky has completed 59.1 percent of his passes and thrown 24 touchdowns for the Saxons, but has also been intercepted 12 times on the season. Junior Jared Manzer and senior Trevor Bork have combined for 123 receptions and caught a total of 15 touchdown passes.
In the Saxons’ rushing game, senior Morgan O’Brien leads with 573 yards, while junior Vinson Hendrix’s set of nine touchdowns on the ground is good for first on the team.
“We need to be able to run the football. We need to protect [senior quarterback] Jimmy Robertson so he has an opportunity to make some plays,” said Head Coach Joe King.
The last time the Engineers competed in an ECAC Championship Game, Robertson, who this week was named the Offensive Player of the Year in the Liberty League, threw for 291 yards as the team defeated SUNY Cortland by a 26-7 margin in 2006.
After starting the year 7-0, the Engineers were defeated in consecutive games to enter this weekend’s matchup at 7-2. The second loss came on the road against the Mariners last weekend, as Merchant Marine consistently took advantage of short fields throughout the game.
“I thought Merchant Marine played a terrific game,” said King.
Four drives for the Mariners started in RPI territory, and all four resulted in scores. With the score tied at 7-7 in the first half, Merchant Marine recovered a fumble at RPI’s 46-yard line to set up a drive that ended with a field goal and then capitalized on a short punt with a 41-yard field goal to close out the scoring in the first half.
With the score 13-7 in the third quarter, the Mariners recovered another fumble—this one deep in RPI’s end of the field—and senior John Watson found the end zone to bring the score to 20-7. After RPI cut the deficit to 20-14 with a touchdown reception by graduate student and defensive lineman Nick Casale, Merchant Marine finished its scoring in the game on another drive starting in RPI territory, this time a result of a blocked punt. “That was a big play in that game, that blocked punt,” noted King. Senior Geoff Troy connected on a 21-yard field goal, his third and final of the game, on the ensuing Mariner drive.
With just under three minutes to play, Robertson brought the Engineers back to within one possession, scoring on a 14-yard run to trim the deficit to 23-21. But the Engineers were unable to get any closer. Merchant Marine was able to recover the ensuing onside kick attempt, and the Mariners were able to sustain their ensuing drive long enough to take all the remaining time off the clock.
Merchant Marine was able to accumulate an enormous 176 yards—146 of those from Watson—on the ground against RPI, while its defense held the Engineers to just 16 yards rushing and sacked Robertson five times in the game. On the Mariner defense, King noted, “They really got after us and gave us a lot of different looks. They’re very well coached on defense, and we just didn’t execute very well.”
Robertson finished with 277 yards and one touchdown through the air to go along with his rushing touchdown. Sophomore Ray Davis reeled in nine passes for 164 yards to lead the Engineer receiving corps in the game.
Now the Engineers will have one more chance to play this season, and one more chance to play on the ’86 Field. “I think it means a great deal. We’re obviously disappointed with the way the Hobart game finished up, so we do get a chance to play one more game out here on this field,” said King.
The contest will also give the team’s seniors one last opportunity to play in front of the home crowd at RPI. When asked if this meant a lot to the seniors, King replied with one word: “Absolutely.”
King pointed out that the seniors on the team have won three championships in their time at RPI: two ECAC and one Liberty League. “We have a chance to win another ECAC Championship this week, so it’d be a fitting way to send them out.”
