The UR football team celebrated their second consecutive Meliora Weekend victory this past weekend, defeating Liberty League rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) 34-20 on the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 18.
Despite the 14-point margin of victory, the game was a tight affair, with RPI threatening to tie the game in the final seconds before an 87-yard fumble recovery by sophomore Matt Pisano put the game out of reach for the visitors. Fellow sophomore Colin Woods caused the fumble, forcing RPI’s quarterback to lose the ball in a play that started on the Rochester three-yard line.
Neither team scored in the first quarter, but it was not long before both team’s offenses began to heat up. UR struck first with a 48-yard touchdown pass from freshman Daniel Bronson to junior Farid Adenuga. The ’Jackets would fail to convert the extra point, however, in a play that eventually proved to be inconsequential.
RPI responded immediately, scoring three plays later on a 76-yard run and taking their only lead of the day, 7-6.
Each team would score once more before the half. The ’Jackets scored another touchdown thanks to Bronson’s second TD pass of the game, this time to sophomore Max Berger. With only a minute remaining, RPI nailed a 25-yard field goal after a 13-play drive to put the score at 13-10 for Rochester at halftime.
UR’s freshman quarterback Bronson threw another touchdown pass to start the scoring in the third quarter, hitting sophomore Kyle Allegrini for a 35-yard score. RPI followed up with a touchdown pass of their own later in the quarter, bringing them to a deficit to only three points.
In the fourth quarter, the ‘Jackets found the end once again, this time via the ground game, as freshman running back Matthew Eichhorn ran in from three yards with only 13 minutes remaining.
RPI later hit their second field goal of the day, this time from 29 yards, putting themselves within one touchdown of tying the game. This was ultimately as close as they would get, though, as the ’Jackets’ defense held RPI off in the final seconds, tacking on another touchdown in the process.
The game marked UR’s second consecutive win, and was particularly crucial because it pitted Rochester against a conference foe. The ’Jackets now stand at an overall record of 4-2, with a 2-2 Liberty League record. This Saturday, Oct. 25, they will travel to Schenectady, NY for a paramount game against Union College, a team that currently sits at 0-6. If the rain kept you from seeing the boys’ last home game on Mel Weekend, no need to worry – Rochester will wrap up their home portion of the schedule on Saturday, Nov. 8, when they will host Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Senior Day at Fauver Stadium. Come by and support the boys!
Shapiro is a member of the class of 2016.
