NCAA Release | RPI Athletics Fanshop

TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) football team will host Husson University in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs, it has been announced. The Engineers and Eagles meet on Saturday at noon at East Campus Stadium. It will be the first meeting the two programs.

This is the sixth NCAA Playoffs appearance for RPI, which also qualified in 2017. The other seasons were 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2007. Rensselaer advanced to the national semifinals in 2003, but lost in the first round in 1999, 2007 and last season. RPI dropped a second round matchup in 2001.

The Engineers, who are coached by sixth-year coach Ralph Isernia, finished the regular season with an 8-1 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 10-9 victory at co-champion Ithaca College.

Rensselaer averages 28.0 points per game while allowing 17.11. It rushes for 155.8 yards and throws for 207.3 per contest, while the opposition has posted 82.7 rushing yards and 263.3 passing yards. 

Senior Nick Cella (Holmdel, NJ / Red Bank Catholic) leads the ground game with 636 yards and five touchdowns on 144 carries, including 115 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's regular season finale. Senior Conor Davies (Lanoka Harbor, NJ / Lacey Township) has team-highs of 34 catches for 359 yards and three touchdowns. He has also run the ball 19 times for 135 yards and two scores. Senior Keaton Ackermann (Erieville, NY / Cazenovia) is second on the team in receiving with 24 receptions for 291 yards and three touchdowns.

Sophomore quarterback George Marinopoulos (Slingerlands, NY / Guillderland) has started each game, helping the team to wins in each of its first eight contests. He has completed 140 of 252 passes for 1820 yards with 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He has a passing efficiency rating of 125.59.

On defense, senior linebacker Jack Hoggard (Acton, MA / Acton-Boxborough) is first on the team in solo (34), assisted (54) and total tackles (88). He has five tackles for lost yards (9), a team-high seven pass breakups and a fumble recovery that he returned 17 yards. Junior Jack Fallon (Yarmouthport, MA / Dennis-Yarmouth), also a linebacker, is second with 61 total stops, including 21 unassisted and 2.0 for lost yards (4). He has a forced fumble and has two pass breakups.

Sophomore Amaechi Konkwo (Arlington, VA / Bishop Ireton) has a team-high 6.5 sacks, while three players are tied for the team lead with three interceptions apiece. The Engineers have 15 INTs this season. 

Sophomore Sanjay Krishnan (Rockville, MD / Thomas S. Wootton) has made 11 of 13 field goals and 27 of 31 point-after-touchdowns and leads the team in scoring with 60 points. Classmate Zac Montrief (Suwanee, GA / Mountain View) handles the punting, averaging 38.1 yards per kick (44 for 1679) with 16 that have landed inside the 20-yard line.

Husson, which is in Bangor, Maine, is 8-2 overall. The Eagles qualified for the national tournament by winning the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) , going 6-0. They have won each of their last seven games.

RPI and Husson have one common opponent in Union College, which defeated both the Engineers (34-10 on Nov. 10) and the Eagles (30-7 on Sept. 1). 

The winner between Rensselaer and Husson advances to play the winner of the first round game between The College at Brockport and Framingham State University on November 24.