TROY, N.Y. - Senior quarterback Tyler Johnson rushed for 120 yards and threw for 198 more with two touchdowns to lead Alfred University to a 33-17 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in a non-league football game at East Campus Stadium. The Saxons, who led 27-0 at halftime, improve to 2-0, while the Engineers fall to 1-1.
Johnson (East Syracuse, NY / East Syracuse-Minoa), a fourth-year starter, led the visitors to a big lead at the break by gaining 78 yards on 10 carries and completing 14 of 19 passes for 179 yards and his two touchdown passes in the first 30 minutes. He brought Alfred down the field on the game's first series, throwing for 22 yards and running for 13. The 11-play, 71-yard drive was culminated by a 24-yard field goal from junior kicker Trevor Monk (Liverpool, NY / Liverpool).
Following an RPI fumble at the Alfred 40 yard line on its first series, Alfred made it 10-0 when Maleke Fuentes (Olean, NY / Olean) scored from two yards out. Johnson, who ran for two yards and threw for 42 on the previous series, then made it a 17-0 lead when he hooked up with senior running back Casey Bright (Pulaski, NY / Pulaski) for an eight-yard touchdown with 10:05 left in the second quarter. Alfred's defense held RPI to a three-and-out and Johnson struck again, this time from 17 yards to classmate Brendan Buisch (Hornell, NY / Hornell) just over five mintues later (5:01). The first half ended with the Saxons going 80 yards on 12 plays in 1:56 as Monk made a 23-yard field goal as time expired.
RPI made the game interesting early in the second half when it scored on on its first three series of the third quarter. The Engineers got on the board with 9:15 remaining in the frame when sophomore quarterback Eddie Trimpert (Hillsborough, NJ / Hillsborough) found junior Johnny Ramsdell (Haverhill, MA / Haverhill) at the side of the end zone from 30 yards out on a fourth-and-five play. The drive covered 68 yards on 11 plays.
Junior kicker Christian Kapp (Amawalk, NY / Iona Prep.) then executed an onside kick that was recovered by teammate Bryan Hayes (Boylston, MA / Tahanto Regional) at the Alfred 32-yard line. A defensive pass interference call moved the ball to the 17-yard line and junior Mike Tivinis (Middleton, MA / Masconomet Regional) busted up the middle for a touchdown that pulled the Engineers to within 13 points, 27-14. A three-and-out by the Saxons resulted in a punt that sophomore Conor Davies (Lanoka Harbor, NJ / Lacey Township) returned 61 yards and Kapp finished the drive with a 26-yard field goal to make it a 10-point contest.
Fuentes answered immediately with a big kickoff return, going 49 yards to the RPI 39 yard line and Monk, who had tackled Davies to keep him out of the end zone, made a 35-yard field goal with 13 seconds left in the third quarter. The Engineers continued to drive the ball down the field, but a fumble at the Alfred eight yard line at the start of the fourth quarter put the ball back in the visitor's hands. The Saxons drove 67 yards - 36 from Bright and 30 from Johnson - on 12 plays and Monk converted his fourth field goal of the game, this time from 42 yards out, for the final margin.
Johnson's 318 total yards came on 15 carries and 18 (of 26) completions. Bright added 99 yards on the ground on a game-high 21 carries. Buisch made a game-high six catches for 62 yards for the Saxons, who held a 441-260 advantage in total yards and won the turnover battle, 2-0. Junior linebacker A.J. LiCata (Lake View, NY / Frontier) had a game-high 15 tackles, including six unassisted and 1.5 sacks (5 yards lost). Freshman Isaiah Moak (Averill Park, NY / Averill Park) added 13 tackles with 0.5 sacks (2 yards).
Hayes, a junior safety, had 14 tackles (7 unassisted) and senior Alexander Greenidge (Miller Place, NY / Miller Place) recorded 13 stops (6 unassisted) for RPI. Offensively, Tivinis rushed for 75 yards on 13 carries, while Ramsdell ran for 25 yards on four attempts and caught five passes for 48 yards and the touchdown. Trimpert was 8 of 16 for 80 yards.
Rensselaer, which saw its six-game winning streak snapped, concludes its non-league schedule next Saturday at MIT (noon). Alfred travels to Buffalo State for an Empire 8 contest (noon).
Rensselaer Sees Six-Game Winning Streak Snapped
/seasons/2016/boxscores/20160910_0xdr.xml
2016
Alfred
33
RPI
17
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 14 Alfred (2-0) | 10 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 33 |
| RPI (1-1) | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
Sep 10, 2016