MIT AT COAST GUARD ACADEMY

When: Today, 1:30 p.m. Where: Cadet Memorial Field, New London. Records: MIT 3-2 overall, 2-1 NEWMAC; Coast Guard Academy 5-2 overall, 2-2.

Players to watch: MIT, QB Chris Mauck (52-for-114, 742 yards, 10 TDs, 6 INTs), RB John Robertson (126 carries, 622 yards, 1 TD), WR Keithen Shepard (16 catches, 297 yards, 6 TDs), DT Sam Gozelski (28 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble), LB Sam Gantman (42 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss), DB Adam Zimmermann (37 tackles, 1 INT).

Coast Guard, QB Ryan Jones (125-for-223, 1,382 yards, 10 TDs, 8 INT), RB Jon Wagner (76 carries, 358 yards, 5 TDs), WR Justin Moffatt (50 catches, 595 yards, 4 TDs), WR Damaso Jaime (20 catches, 325 yards, 5 TDs), DT Philip Orlando (49 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, 8 sacks), LB RJ Robiskie (36 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks), LB Eugene Bizer (76 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 2 INT, 2 fumble recoveries), DB Pat Crowley (48 tackles, 8 pass breakups, 4 INTs), DB Mike Goldsworthy (34 tackles, 7 pass breakups).

Analysis: Coast Guard head coach Bill George says that when he flips on game film of MIT, it’s easy to see how the Engineers won the league last year. MIT boasts the NEWMAC’s leading rusher, John Robertson, with 124.4 yards per game, and the Engineers’ defense is allowing just 239.4 yards and 18 points per game. Coast Guard, however, has a great deal of momentum coming off of last week’s 33-8 victory at Maine Maritime, in which the Bears lit things up with their passing game. Senior quarterback Ryan Jones became just the fourth player in academy history to eclipse the 4,000-yard passing mark for his career, throwing for a career-high 353 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, junior Justin Moffatt caught a career-high 13 passes for a Coast Guard single-game record of 256 yards. MIT, which has losses this season to Carnegie Mellon (24-7) and Merchant Marine (35-29 in double overtime), is coming off a bye week, having beaten Maine Maritime 30-12 on Oct. 12. “This one’s a pretty big hurdle for us,” Coast Guard’s Jones said. “It would secure a winning record for us, which isn’t always an easy thing to obtain . ... We have some studs on the defensive side of the ball where if you draw the X’s and O’s up right, they can stop just about anybody.” ... Coast Guard’s defense is allowing just 15.1 points per game and leads the NEWMAC in takeaways with 13 (eight interceptions, five fumble recoveries) and 28 sacks. DL Philip Orlando leads the league with eight sacks, while LB Eugene Bizer is first in the conference with 76 tackles . ... Moffatt had touchdown catches of 56 and 58 yards, with a good number of yards coming after the catch — Jones joked that he threw it about 8 yards each time. “Justin played fantastic,” said George, who was asked what gives Moffatt the ability to turn short catches into such lengthy gains. “Overall speed. Balance. Agility. Justin is all over in all those areas.” ... MIT beat Coast Guard 13-0 last season in Cambridge, Mass., holding the Bears to a season-low 118 yards offense. Coast Guard, which could have claimed a share of the NEWMAC lead with a win, was shut out for the first time since 2015 . ... The Bears will be celebrating Parents’ Weekend before heading into their bye week next week.