Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Junior quarterback Jimmy Robertson (Yonkers, NY/Iona Prep) threw for 272 yards and four touchdowns to lead Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to a 34-10 win over Endicott College in a Divison III football game at ’86 Field. The non-league affair was the season opener for both teams.

Robertson completed 18 of 24 passes for 272 yards and four touchdowns – three in the first half. He connected on scoring strikes of 37, 2, 54 and 28 yards while being intercepted once. He also ran five times for 18 yards.

Junior Eren Savasli (Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn Tech.) had two touchdown receptions while Brendan McGowan (Mesa, AZ/Mountain View) and Drew Utschig (Harrison, NY/Iona Prep) had one apiece. McGowan finished with a game-high 121 yards on six catches while Savasli had four catches for 81 yards. Five other receivers had at least one reception. Rensselaer’s other touchdown came on a 12-yard run by junior Isaac Williams (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa).

Defensively, the Engineers held the Gulls to 168 yards of total offense, including just 35 on the ground. Senior Anthony Casale (Troy, NY/Troy) made a game-high 12 tackles, including five unassisted, with a pass breakup and sophomore Stefan Schulz (Bradford, MA/Haverhill) recorded 11 tackles, including three solos and 0.5 for lost yards (1), with an interception and a 29-yard return.

RPI opened the scoring on its second drive of the day when Robertson found an open Savasli running down the left hash marks from 37 yards out. The Engineers, who saw their initial extra point blocked, increased their lead to 13 points on Williams’ run through traffic on the left side with 2:23 left in the first quarter.

Rensselaer added two more touchdowns in the second quarter – a two-yard fade to Savasli at 13:40 and a 54-yard completion to a streaking McGowan five minutes later – for a 27-0 lead. A 25-yard field goal by Chris Brennan (East Longmeadow, MA/East Longmeadow) with 2:06 left put Endicott on the scoreboard.

Robertson and Utschig hooked up from 28 yards out at 10:08 of the third quarter, with Utschig wrestling the ball away from the defender, before the visitors got seven points on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith (Winthrop, MA/Winthrop) to tight end Jake Maxfield (Newport, NH/Newport Middle) with 1:43 left in the stanza.

Smith finished the afternoon by connecting on 21 of 35 passes for 133 yards and an interception. He found ten different receivers, including Maxfield eight times for 80 yards. Defensively, senior Pego Jean-Paul (Deltona, FL/Stamford) had seven tackles, including four solos, and an interception.

Rensselaer returns to action next Saturday when it hosts Utica College in a non-league game beginning at 1pm at ’86 Field. Endicott also plays again next Saturday when it makes its home debut against Massachusetts Maritime. That game begins at noon.