Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Athletics

ECAC Northeast (Nov. 21)

at Bridgewater St.

28-25 W

ECAC Northwest (Nov. 20)

PLYMOUTH ST.

13-0 W

ECAC Northwest (Nov. 18)

WORCESTER ST.

69-12 W

ECAC Northeast (Nov. 22)

at Worcester St.

14-13 W

NCAA 1st Round (Nov. 20)

29-10 L

NCAA 2nd Round (Nov. 24)

27-10 L

ECAC Northeast (Nov. 23)

at Worcester St.

55-29 W

NCAA 1st Round (Nov. 22)

34-20 W

NCAA 2nd Round (Nov. 29)

at Springfield

40-34 W

NCAA Regional Final (Dec. 6)

21-16 W

NCAA Semifinals (Dec. 13)

at St. John’s (MN)

38-10 L

ECAC Northwest (Nov. 19)

at St. John Fisher

26-22 W

ECAC Northeast (Nov. 18)

at Cortland

26-7 W

NCAA 1st Round (Nov. 17)

17-14 L

RPI 28, Bridgewater St. 25 • Swenson Field • Bridgewater, MA

Quarterback Brandon Grabowski threw for 175 yards and a touchdown and rushed for two more scores, including the game-winning TD at 8:03 of the fourth quarter, to lead Rensselaer to victory in its first-ever post-season appearance. Kurt Stapleton added 99 yards on the ground. Dave Eddy had 15 tackles (7 solos) and a pass breakup and Brian Reinhart made 13 stops, including a team-best nine unassisted. With the win the Engineers set the school record for victories in a season, finishing the campaign with an 8-2 mark. 

RPI 13, Plymouth St. 0 • ‘86 Field • Troy, NY

In the first home playoff game in the program’s history, Rensselaer’s defense stifled the Panthers, holding the visitors to just 2.7 yards per play (169 total yards). Chris Mastergeorge led the way with 12 tackles, including three unassisted, and a pass breakup. Chris Paoli added eight tackles, including three solos and one for lost yards (1). Offensively, running back J.P. Peterson, the game’s Most Valuable Player, rushed for 137 yards and quarterback Brandon Grabowski threw for one touchdown and ran for another.

RPI 69, Worcester St. 12 • Ned Harkness Field • Troy, NY

In the first football game ever played at Ned Harkness Field, running back Dan McGovern rushed for a school-record 320 yards and four touchdowns (48, 58, 6 and 15 yards) to lead the Engineers over the Lancers. Rensselaer scored 13 points in the first quarter, 17 in the second, 27 in the third and 12 in the fourth on its way to registering the second most points scored in a single game in school history. Defensive back Rob Taylor had 10 tackles, broke up three passes and forced a fumble for RPI.

RPI 14, Worcester St. 13 • Coghlin Field • Worcester, MA

Defensive back Matt Vittengl blocked a Worcester St. extra point attempt with 2:53 to play to seal the victory for the Engineers. Quarterback Matt Robbens led RPI, throwing for a touchdown and running for another to earn the game’s MVP Award. Vittengl finished with seven tackles, including a team-high six unassisted, two pass breakups, an interception and the blocked kick. Kicker Eric Byrne’s second extra-point provided the winning margin.

Rowan 29, RPI 10 • Ned Harkness Field • Troy, NY

In the first NCAA Playoff Game in the program’s history, Rowan scored on its first two possessions and held Rensselaer out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. The loss was the first of the season for the Engineers, who posted the first perfect regular season record (9-0) in the school’s history. Matt Vittengl finished with a game-high 21 tackles (16 solos) while Marc Tanner added 11 stops, including five unassisted and one for a loss of five yards. Offensively, Richard Mokay caught seven passes for 92 yards.

Ithaca 27, RPI 10 • ‘86 Field • Troy, NY

Following a Rensselaer field goal, Ithaca scored three straight touchdowns and controlled the clock on its way to victory. RPI, which was playing its first-ever NCAA Second Round game after earning the top seed and a first round bye, finished with an 8-1 record. Running back Flynn Cochran rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown while his brother, Evan, a wide receiver, made nine catches for 147 yards. Marc Blevins had 16 tackles (9 solos) and an interception and Ed Petkovsek added 12 tackles (5 solos) and a forced fumble.

RPI 55, Worcester St. 29 • Coughlin Field • Worcester, MA

Evan and Flynn Cochran accounted for five touchdowns, including two in the second quarter when the Engineers exploded for 35 points to take an insurmountable lead. Evan caught seven passes for 123 yards and a TD pass and ran for another while Flynn rushed for three scores. He finished with 100 yards on the ground. Quarterback Dan Cole, the game’s Most Valuable Player, threw one scoring strike and ran for two others. Greg Giadone paced the defense with nine tackles (4 solos) and a fumble recovery (19 yard return).

RPI 34, Curry 20 • ‘86 Field • Troy, NY

Rensselaer earned its first-ever NCAA Playoff Game victory behind four touchdown passes from Dan Cole, including three to Flynn Cochran. Cole finished with 362 yards through the air while Cochran caught 15 passes for 216 yards. Defensively, Grant Cochran, Flynn’s brother, had 18 tackles, including six unassisted and a sack (4 yards), with a pass breakup and Sean Doran made 17 stops. He had five unassisted tackles and two pass breakups.

RPI 40, Springfield 34 • Benedum Field • Springfield, MA

In a game with 40 miles-per-hour winds, quarterback Dan Cole threw for 348 yards and five touchdowns as the fifth-seeded Engineers upended top-seeded Springfield. Flynn Cochran caught 11 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns and Dan Stephens had six receptions for 124 yards and a score. Grant Cochran finished with 13 tackles, including 10 unassisted and two for lost yards (7), to lead a defense that gave up 441 yards rushing but did not allow a pass completion on the afternoon.

RPI 21, Ithaca 16 • ‘86 Field • Troy, NY

Playing for the first time ever in the month of December, Rensselaer scored on long pass plays on its first two possessions and held off the visiting Bombers in a game played in blizzard-like conditions. Quarterback Dan Cole recorded 268 yards passing and three touchdowns while wide receiver Pat Hugheshad 12 receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown. Jon Branche added four receptions for 82 yards and two scores. Dylan Cooper led the defense, tallying a game-high 11 tackles, followed by Tim Frame, who had 10 stops.

St. John’s 38, RPI 10 • Clemens Stadium • Collegeville, MN

St. John’s broke open a tie game with a third quarter touchdown and three more in the fourth to end Rensselaer’s most successful season ever. The Engineers, who got 237 yards passing and 21 yards rushing from quarterback Dan Cole, concluded the season with a school record 11 wins (11-2). RPI, which got nine tackles (6 solos) from linebacker Chris Pierz, would later be awarded the ECAC Upstate Team of the Year Award as well as the program’s first-ever Lambert Trophy. The Johnnies went on to win the Stagg Bowl.

RPI 26, St. John Fisher 22 • Growney Stadium • Pittsford, NY

Wide receiver Brendan McGowan scored on a 47-yard pass from quarterback Jimmy Robertson with just 1:48 left to give the Engineers a come-from-behind victory. Rensselaer running back Jay Bernardo, who rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries, was the game’s Most Outstanding Player. Defensively, Grant Cochran and Jimmy Motzkin tied for the team lead with nine tackles apiece. With the win, the senior class tied the school record for victories in a four-year span (32-10).

RPI 26, Cortland 7 • Cortland Stadium Complex • Cortland, NY

Senior Jay Bernardo tied the school record for career touchdowns (48), Drew Taranto tied the school mark for field goals in a game (4), and linebacker Tom Rayhill led the defense to earn MVP honors as Rensselaer defeated Cortland. Rayhill finished with a team-high 11 tackles, including nine unassisted, helping RPI hold the Red Dragons to 211 yards of total offense while forcing seven turnovers. Bernardo finished with 122 yards rushing and two touchdowns while Taranto had field goals of 22, 26, 27, and 31 yards.

Senior placekicker Matthew Dalessio kicked a 27-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give The College of New Jersey a 17-14 come-from-behind win. Rensselaer led, 14-7, in the fourth quarter on a pair of touchdown runs by freshman running back Nick Costa before the Lions mounted their comeback. The Engineers, who were held to -3 yards rushing, had two 100-yard receivers in Brendan McGowan, who had six catches for 155 yards, and Eren Savasli, who had four receptions for 101 yards.

2008 ECAC North Atlantic Championship Game

Down 31-27 late in the fourth quarter, sophomore wide receiver Ray Davis caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from senior Jimmy Robertson to lift Rensselaer to a 34-31 come-from-behind win over Alfred. The Engineers led 24-16 in the first half before the Saxons tied it up in the third quarter and pulled ahead at the start of the fouth. Rensselaer sophomore running back Nick Costa ran for 113 yards on 32 carries, while Davis, the game’s Most Outstanding Player, had nine receptions for 197 yards.