RPI HOSTS ROCHESTER TO OPEN CONFERENCE PLAY
TROY, NY » The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Football team will play their third straight home game at ECAV Stadium Saturday, October 5, when Liberty League opponent the University of Rochester, comes to Troy to open RPI’s conference play.
RPI is currently 3-1 after their 38-0 win over Anna Maria College last week at ECAV Stadium.
In the win, junior quarterback George Marinopoulos threw three touchdown passes and the RPI defense got at least one tackle from 31 different student-athletes as the Engineers shut out Anna Maria in the non-league game. RPI took control with 28 first quarter points, including a pair of touchdown passes from its junior quarterback.
On the other side of the field, Rochester enters week five 0-4. Last week the Yellowjackets fell to Alfred University 56-13. Rochester dropped its week one matchup with Caste Western Reserve University 37-6, its week two matchup with Endicott College was a 28-3 loss, and week three was a 27-21 loss to Alfred State College.
Rochester has allowed 148 total points this season while scoring just 43. The Yellowjackets are currently averaging just 67 rushing yards a game and 236.5 passing yards. The Rochester defense
is allowing 253.8 rushing yards and 153 passing yards per game to opponents. The Yellowjackets have utilized three quarterbacks this season. Ryan Eamer leads the trio with 588 total yards and four touchdowns while throwing 4 interceptions. The Rochester ground game is being led by Jason Cunningham who has rushed for 151 total yards this season.
Rochester has not scored a rushing touchdown this season.
RPI is averaging 143 rushing yards a game while allowing just 53.5 yards to opponents. The Engineers are averaging 224.75 passing yards a game and are allowing an average of 257.25.
Marinopolous has already eclipsed the 800 yard passing mark this season while throwing for eight touchdowns and just three interceptions. Both Dylan Burnett and Joe Scaglione have rushed for over 150 yards this season with Burnett adding a touchdown to his stat line.
On the defensive side of the ball, the ECAC has announced RPI’s John Sadak as the Football Players of the Month for September 2019. Through four games, the linebacker has helped the Engineers to three wins as the team’s leading tackler. Sadak has 15 unassisted stops, 13 assisted tackles and 4.5 tackles for a loss of 13 yards - all first on the team. Sadak also has a 6-yard sack and an interception.
Engineer Head Coach Ralph Isernia is 3-3 in conference opener’s in his time with RPI. Last season RPI beat Hobart 10-9 to open conference play after dropping the previous two season’s conference openers.
RPI has faced Rochester on 77 occasions alltime, trailing 31-42-4 (.442) in the series, which dates back to October 13, 1906. RPI was shut out in four of the first five games and 11 of the first 24, including a 0-0 tie in the series opener, which was played in Rochester. The Yellowjackets won 12 straight games from 1954 to 1965 and were 14-1 from 1951 to 1965. Rochester was 16-2 against Rensselaer from 1951 to 1987, but things changed in the 1990’s. From 1993 to 2005, Rensselaer posted a 10-1 record with two five-game winning streaks.
RPI is 7-3 in the last ten meetings, including a 42-0 win over the Yellowjackets last season. RPI ran for three touchdowns, passed for two others and recovered a fumbled punt in the end zone for another score. The RPI defense held the Yellowjackets to an even 100 yards of total offense, 11 rushing on 23 carries and 89 passing. The Engineers piled up 372 yards, 221 on the ground and 151 through the air.