RPI football returns home today
UAlbany on bye, Union looks for 6th straight win
TROY, N.Y. » The RPI football team returns to East Campus Stadium for the first time since September 16 with a Liberty League contest against Ithaca College at noon Saturday. It is Reunion & Homecoming Weekend on campus.
Among the celebrations for Reunion & Homecoming is the 25th anniversary of the first Rensselaer football team to qualify for the post-season, the 1992 squad. That team played in the ECAC Northeast Bowl, defeating Bridgewater State, 28-25, behind quarterback Brandon Grabowski, who was named the Most Outstanding Player after throwing for a touchdown and rushing for two others.
The 2017 Engineers have played two road games while also having a bye week since its last home game. Rensselaer is 2-0 at home this season and outscored its opponents 7614 in the process.
Ithaca is in its first season as a member of the Liberty League. The Bombers have never played at East Campus Stadium.
Last week, Hobart scored 24 points in the second half while controlling the clock throughout on its way to a 30-0 win over RPI. Senior running back Mike Tivins had 10 carries for 50 yards and was also the team’s leading receiver with four catches for 33 yards. Senior defensive back Bryan Hayes made a game-high 15 tackles for the Engineers.
The Bombers began the season against No. 21 Alfred and lost to the Saxons — who RPI plays next week in Western New York. Ithaca then traveled to No. 25 Brockport and fell, 31-0. The Bombers have since
won three straight games, all in the Liberty League. They beat St. Lawrence, 2413 on the road, Hobart, 2421 at home, and Rochester, 46-6 on the road.
ALBANY ON BYE, RB TO MISS SEASON
ALBANY, N.Y. » University at Albany tailback Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks will miss the rest of the season, head coach Greg Gattuso announced Tuesday.
At the end of the season, the junior from Newark, N.J., will apply for a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA. If the waiver is granted, Ibitokun-Hanks will have two more years of eligibility upon his return.
“The health of our student-athletes is always of the utmost importance,” Gattuso said. “Elijah has worked extremely hard to get back on the field, but right now it’s in his best interest to focus on his recovery. He’s an extremely valuable member of our program, and we’ll look forward to getting him back next season.”
A STATS Preseason AllAmerican and member of the Colonial Athletic Association All-Preseason Team, Ibitokun-Hanks led the conference in rushing last year with 1,388 yards and scored 16 touchdowns.
Ibitokun-Hanks suffered a knee injury in last season’s finale at Stony Brook that caused him to miss all of Spring Practice. He injured his knee again during training camp and has appeared in just one game, rushing for 63 yards on 17 carries in a Sept. 16 win over Monmouth.
UNION AT ROCHESTER
The Union College Dutchmen look to improve their five-game winning streak at the University of Rochester this weekend, taking on the Yellowjackets in Liberty League action. Saturday’s contest is slated to begin at 1 p.m. at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
The Dutchmen picked up their fifth-consecutive win and opened Liberty League play with a 30-6 route against St. Lawrence at home on Oct. 7. The Saints scored on the first possession of the game, but it would be all Union for the remainder of the contest. QB Nick Cascione completed 24 passes for 154 yards, while also rushing for 15 yards and one TD. RB Connor Kinzelmann led the Dutchmen on the ground with 56 rushing yards and one TD. On defense Union College shined. LB Jake Lombardo led the Dutchmen with eight tackles and one sack, which forced a fumble that Union recovered for a touchdown.
Union has surpassed last season’s win total (3), and the Dutchmen won a fourth-straight road game for the first time since 2005. That season, Union went 10-0 in the regular season and 1-1 in the NCAA playoffs. The Dutchmen last won four-straight games overall in 2012, when they started 0-2, but won five straight from Sept. 22 (at St. Lawerence) through Oct. 20. Union’s four wins are the most since the 6-4 team in the 2012 season.