Box Score
TROY, N.Y. – Rensselaer got four touchdown passes from freshman quarterback Jimmy Robertson (Yonkers, NY/Iona Prep) and the defense held the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) to just 123 yards of total offense and off the scoreboard in a 41-0 victory in a Division III football game at ’86 Field. With the victory, the Engineers improve to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the league. The Mariners fall to 1-7 and 0-5.
After both teams punted on their first possessions, the Engineers broke out on top on their second attempt. Robertson connected with classmate Justin Heafy (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) from three yards out at 7:45 of the first quarter to culminate an 8-play, 60-yard drive. Rensselaer took advantage of a USMMA turnover to go ahead 14-0 just 1:43 later. Just one play after a fumbled snap by the Mariners’ punter, RPI junior running back Jay Bernardo (Rensselaer, NY/LaSalle Institute) scored on a four-yard run for a two-touchdown advantage.
Robertson put RPI ahead 20-0 when he hit sophomore wide receiver Brendan McGowan (Mesa, AZ/Mountain View) on a three-yard fade with 5:47 left in the second quarter. The quarterback set up his touchdown strike, which concluded a 9-play, 64-yard drive, with a 32-yard run to the two-yard line on a third-and-one play.
Robertson and McGowan hooked up again on RPI’s first possession of the second half, this time from 11 yards out at the 12:37 mark. McGowan scored after catching the ball on the 10-yard line, breaking a tackle and running into the end zone. Drew Taranto’s (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker) third extra point of the day made it 27-0. Senior linebacker Grant Cochran (Kent, WA-Kent-Meridian) put RPI ahead 33-0 when he intercepted a lateral and scored from 20 yards out with 4:37 left in the third quarter. Taranto’s point-after made it 34-0 in favor of the home team.
The third touchdown pass from Robertson to McGowan, this time from 48 yards out, and Taranto’s extra point put RPI ahead 41-0 at 13:31 of the fourth quarter. Robertson finished the game by completing 24-of-33 passes for 267 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. He also ran eight times for 29 yards. McGowan caught 11 passes for 143 yards and three scores. As a team, the Engineers finished with 378 yards of total offense, including 267 through the air.
Defensively, RPI held the Mariners to 32 yards rushing and 91 yards passing in posting its first shutout since beating St. Lawrence, 55-0, on Nov. 8, 2003. Cochran led the way with six tackles, including five solos and one for a loss of three yards, an interception with a 12-yard return, a pass breakup and the fumble recovery for the touchdown. Senior Armin Warner (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady) added a team-high eight tackles, including four solos, and a pass breakup.
Freshman Ryan Perruquet (Danville, PA/Danville Area), making his first career start, connected on 15-of-36 passes for 91 yards. He was intercepted once. Senior wide receiver Andrew Ghiglia (Arroyo Grande, CA/Arroyo Grande) caught four passes for 18 yards. Defensively for the Mariners, sophomore Garron Edgington (Fairview, NC/A.C. Reynolds) had a game-high 13 tackles, including seven unassisted and one for a loss of seven yards.
Rensselaer returns to action next Saturday at 11am in the Transit Trophy Game at WPI. USMMA is idle next week. The Mariners play again on November 5 when they host St. Lawrence, a league foe, at 1pm.
