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TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) football team's offense scored 35 first half points, while the defense held Norwich University to just 14 yards and one first down in the opening two quarters, and the Engineers went on to defeat the Cadets, 37-0. The game was a non-league contest that marked the beginning of the season for both teams.

The Engineers scored three touchdowns on the ground and two through the air as five different student-athletes found paydirt. Senior Nick Schlatz (Bridgewater, MA / Bridgewater-Raynham) started the scoring when he ran in from a yard out on the game's opening drive. Following a missed field goal by Rensselaer, junior John Costello (Winchester, MA / Winchester) made it 14-0 with a five yard run to the left side with 35 seconds left in the first quarter. Senior quarterback Jeff Avery (White Plains, NY / White Plains) found sophomore Johnny Ramsdell (Haverhill, MA / Haverhill) in the right flat and he ran into the end zone untouched from six yards out at 9:19 of the second quarter for a three touchdown lead. 

Rensselaer then took advantage of a pair of Norwich turnovers. Following a fumble forced by senior linebacker Mark Grimes (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown), the Engineers used six plays to cover 37 yards, finishing the drive with a five yard run off a pitch to senior Austin Amery (Rutland, VT / Fair Haven) with 4:39 to go in the first half. RPI made it 35-0 five minutes later. One play after Alexander Greenidge (Miller Place, NY / Miller Place) fell on a muffed punt return, Avery found classmate Logan Gaddar (South Portland, ME / South Portland) in the front left corner of the end zone from 19 yards away. 

RPI added a safety five seconds into the fourth quarter for the final margin. The shutout was the first for the Engineers since blanking Rochester on October 2, 2010 (17-0).

Rensselaer's balanced attack featured 120 rushing yards on seven carries for sophomore Mike Tivinis (Middleton, MA / Masconomet Regional) and 80 yards on the ground from Schlatz. Ten others also carried the ball out of the backfield. Avery completed 14 of 19 passes for 208 yards and the two scores. He was not intercepted. Junior Joey Giacone (Delmar, NY / Bethlehem) caught four passes for 66 yards including a 39 yard reception down the right sideline to set up the first score. 

The Engineers defense held the Cadets to under 100 yards in both rushing (62) and receiving (92). They had three sacks (21 yards lost), seven tackles for lost yards (31) and six pass breakups. Sophomore Sam Barrett (East Andover, NH / Proctor Academy) had a team-high six tackles, while Grimes finished with five stops, including three unassisted, a six yard sack and a forced fumble. Senior Anthony Pilla (Lake Hauto, PA / Marian Catholic) recorded 1.5 sacks (10 yards lost) among his three tackles.

On special teams, sophomore Christian Kapp (Amawalk, NY / Iona Prep.), who last year played behind consensus National All-America Andrew Franks - who was named the starting kicker of the Miami Dolphins on Saturday - was 5 for 5 on point after touchdowns. He also punted twice for 32.0 yards with one that landed inside the 20 yard line.

For Norwich, junior Jake Apthorpe (Honeoye Falls, NY / Honeoye Falls-Lima) led all tacklers with 11 stops. He had four unassisted and 2.0 sacks (8 yards lost). Classmate Benjamin Hummer (Annapolis, MD / St. Mary's) had eight tackles (5 solo). Junior Pierre Noel (Manchester, NH / Manchester Memorial) had a game-high four catches for 44 yards, including a 37 yard long. Senior running back Sam Chaves (Alfred, ME / Massabesic) carried the ball 16 times for 33 yards.

WIDE MARGIN:
The Engineers outgained the Cadets 469-154 including 261-62 on the ground. Norwich had 125 yards (41 rushing, 84 receiving) in the fourth quarter.

OPENING DAY BLANKING:
RPI shutout its opponent in the season opener for the first time since defeating Endicott 28-0 at home in 2009.

WELCOME BACK:
Rensselaer quarterback Jeff Avery returned to the field for the first time since suffering a season-ending injury in week 6 of the 2014 season.

SETTING 'EM UP:
Mike Tivinis rushed for 34 of RPI's 58 yards on its second scoring drive.
Nick Schlatz (24 rushing yards) and Jeff Avery (32 passing yards) had a hand in every play on Rensselaer's third scoring drive, which culminated with a six yard pass from Avery to Johnny Ramsdell.
Ryan Buss made the tackle in the end zone that resulted in a fourth quarter safety.

NEW STANDARDS:
Sophomore running back set personal marks for rushing yards (120) and longest run (66). His long run nearly finished in the end zone but the ball was knocked out of his hands and through the end zone by Norwich's Joshua Johnson, resulting in a touchback.

FLAGS FLY:
The two teams combined for 13 penalties for 152 yards including 10 for 122 by the Engineers.

UP NEXT:
The Cadets host St. Lawrence University in a non-league game on Saturday at 1pm.
The Engineers travel to Alfred University for a non-league contest on Saturday at 1pm.

SPECIAL THANKS:
Thank you to RPI TV for providing game highlights and game replay and to WRPI for providing audio to each.