Box Score / Video

TROY, N.Y. – Senior quarterback Jimmy Robertson threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) offense compiled 513 yards in defeating Susquehanna University, 35-14, before a Homecoming Game crowd of 3,015 at '86 Field. The homestanding Engineers improve to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Liberty League. The Crusaders fall to 3-4 and 2-2.

Robertson (Yonkers, NY/Iona Prep.) completed 22 of 35 passes with no interceptions. He also rushed for 52 yards on nine carries. He connected with classmate Eren Savasli (Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn Tech.) eight times for 161 yards and two first quarter touchdowns, while sophomore Patrick McCarthy (Stafford, NH/Spaulding) pulled in eight passes for 140 yards. Nick Costa, a sophomore running back, added 68 rushing yards, including two short-yardage touchdowns.

RPI jumped out to a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter when Robertson found Savasli for touchdowns just 33 seconds apart. The first came on a 61-yard pass and catch down the right sideline and the second on a 5-yard strike in the end zone. The Engineers' second score was set up by a fumble recovery on the kickoff of their first touchdown.

Susquehanna pulled to with seven points, 14-7, just nine seconds into the second quarter when junior running back Dave Paveletz (Warrior Run, PA/Hanover Area) battled through the defense on a fourth and one play for a 12-yard touchdown. The run culminated a 12-play, 92-yard drive for the Crusaders.

Rensselaer regained its 14-point advantage on the ensuing drive, which covered 92 yards in eight plays. Costa burst through the middle of the line from five yards out for the score. The highlight of the drive was a 41-yard reception by McCarthy. Costa put RPI ahead 28-7 with just 22 seconds left in the first half when he plunged into the end zone from a yard out. The Engineers, who drove 93 yards on 12 plays in 3:08, held that lead going into the lockerroom.

Neither team was able to score in the third quarter but the Engineers were first to get into the end zone in the fourth quarter, this time on a 7-yard run by sophomore running back Bob Munier (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo). Munier's touchdown came with 10:40 left in the final stanza. Susquehanna got its final points on a blocked punt that Josh Simpson (North Braddock, PA/Woodland Hills) returned a yard for a touchdown with 3:32 remaining.

Defensively for Rensselaer, which held the Crusaders to 301 yards of total offense, including 130 on the ground, juniors Bobby Stutz (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Dobbs Ferry) and Stefan Schulz (Bradford, MA/Haverhill) both had team-highs of eight tackles.

For Susquehanna, freshman linebacker Trevor Terpening (Mount Airy, MD/South Carroll) had a game-high 13 stops, including three unassisted and one for lost yards (2). Simpson added 11 tackles and two pass breakups.

Offensively for the Crusaders, Paveletz rushed for 76 yards on 24 carries. He entered the game ranked 25th nationally, averaging 129.67 yards per contest. Senior quarterback Derek Pope (Selinsgrove, PA/Selinsgrove Area) completed 15 of 33 passes for 171 yards. He was not intercepted.

Rensselaer, which remains in first place in the Liberty League, travels to St. Lawrence for a league contest next Saturday at 1pm. Susquehanna is off next weekend and returns to action on November 1 against St. Lawrence (1pm).