NCAA Release | Saturday's Game Highlights

TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) football team will travel to Wesley College for the first round of the NCAA Playoffs, it has been announced. The Engineers and Wolverines meet on Saturday at a time to be determined. RPI and Wesley have never played one another. 

This is the fifth NCAA Playoffs appearance for RPI, which last qualified in 2007. The other seasons were 1999, 2001 and 2003. Rensselaer advanced to the national semifinals in 2003, but lost in the first round in 1999 and 2007 and dropped a second round matchup in 2001. RPI has never played a first round game on the road.

The Engineers, who are coached by fifth-year coach Ralph Isernia, finished the regular season with an 8-2 overall record and a 4-1 Liberty League mark. They tied for the conference title, but earned the league's automatic bid based on a victory over Ithaca College.

Rensselaer averages 29.40 points per game while allowing 16.5. It rushes for 186.5 yards and throws for 161.80 per contest, while the opposition has posted 81.4 rushing yards and 222.5 passing yards. The Engineers are +12 in turnover margin.

Offensively, RPI has had 17 different ball carriers and 14 different receivers. Senior Mike Tivinis (Middleton, MA / Masconomet) leads the ground game with 606 yards and six touchdowns on 103 carries, including 131 yards on 21 carries against Union College on Saturday. Classmate Ethan Wells (Windsor, MA / Wahconah Regional) has 399 yards and three TDs on 77 carries and junior Nick Cella (Holmdel, NJ / Red Bank Catholic) has amassed 355 yards and five scores on 75 attempts.

Junior Keaton Ackermann (Erieville, NY / Cazenovia) is first on the Engineers in catches (23), receiving yards (320) and touchdown receptions (6). He had five receptions for 48 yards, including a go-ahead 15-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter, against the Dutchmen. Senior Johnny Ramsdell (Haverhill, MA / Haverhill) has 19 catches for 218 yards and two TDs. He has also run the ball 20 times for 90 yards.

Freshman quarterback George Marinopoulos has started each of the last five games, helping the team to a five-game winning streak. In six total contests, he has completed 74 of 112 passes for 804 yards. He has nine touchdowns and three interceptions with a passing efficiency rating of 147.53.

On defense, senior safety Bryan Hayes (Boyleston, MA / Tahanto Regional) is first on the team in solo (42), assisted (30) and total tackles (72). He also has two interceptions and four pass breakups. Classmate Brandt Beck (Mohnton, PA / The Hill School), a linebacker, is second with 64 total stops, including 5.5 tackles for lost yards (26), two sacks (19 yards lost), an interceptions, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. 

Senior Malik Joseph (Bronx, NY / Iona Prep.) and freshman Amaechi Konkwo (Arlington, VA / Bishop Ireton) both have a team-high three sacks, while senior Sean Egan (Watervliet, NY / Shaker) has the most interceptions with seven. He had two against Union on Saturday. 

Rensselaer has a veteran kicker in senior Christian Kapp (Amawalk, NY / Iona Prep.), who has made 7 of 12 field goals and 37 of 37 point-after-touchdowns. The team's leading scorer (60 points), he averages 63.0 yards per kickoff with 31 touchbacks. 

Junior Conor Davies (Lanoka Harbor, NJ / Lacey Township) is the Engineers' return specialist with 22 punt returns for 266 yards and seven kickoff returns for 165 yards.

The Engineers finished 2017 with eight wins, which is the second most in the regular season in school history. Eight other teams have accomplished the feat with the most recent being in 2015. Four of the victories came at home (4-0) and four were on the road (4-2). 

Wesley, which is in Dover, Del., is ranked 13th in the latest D3football.com Top 25, is 9-1 overall. The Wolverines qualified for the national tournament by winning the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), going 9-0. Wesley's lone loss came in the season opener, a 24-19 defeat at the hands of Delaware Valley University, which is No. 7 in the nation.

The winner between Rensselaer and Wesley advances to play the winner of the first round game between The College at Brockport and Plymouth State University on November 25.