RPI tackles Allegheny in season opener

Troy—The RPI Engineers wanted to come out and show that they are still in control here in the 2019 season. They did that, beating Allegheny 52-14.

The Engineers came out of the gate firing on all cylinders. They forced a fumble near mid field to gain their first possession of the year and made it a good one. Marc Meishlan hurdled all the linemen to score the seasons first touchdown. They then forced another fumble deep in their own territory and brought it back for Dylan Burnett to score.

The defense appeared to struggle with the Allegheny offense in the early parts of the game. Their quick passing and outside run game made it hard for the Engineers to get bodies on them. RPI allowed them to make frequent trip down the field but stopped them from scoring all but once. The Engineers scored a field goal, and a touchdown pass to Vinnie McDonald put them up 24-7 at halftime.

“That’s one of the things we stress as a defense. If they do get too far down the field or have a big play, we have a bend don’t break mentality. Keep them out of the end zone, force them into that field goal,” said captian John Sadak.

It was all RPI in the second half. The third quarter saw 195 total offensive yards and three scores, one of which a 76 yard pass to McDonald. They allowed a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but it was neutralized when Ryan Skivington returned a fumble 100 yards for a touchdown.

“Playing to our advantage of having a lot of depth, that helps us rely on each other. We’re not worried about ourselves, we’re worried about the guy next to us,” said Meishlan.

George Marinopoulos lead the team in passing with 276 yards, 83 of which to Dennis Decicco on two catches. Meishlan led the team in touchdowns with three on just eight yards.

The Engineers will travel to play Worcester Polytechnic Institute next week. The winner will receive the Transit troph, which RPI currently holds.

McDonald said, “The only thing we can expect going into WPI is to win the game.”