TROY, NY – Rochester will have its say in the outcome of the Liberty League football race after a close-fought 20-14 loss to homestanding Rensselaer at Harkness Field. Hobart comes to Fauver Stadium next Saturday for the regular season finale. The Statesmen will be looking to secure a possible Pool C berth.
The Yellowjackets held RPI's high octane offense (31 ppg. over 400 ypg. in total offense) in check for much of the afternoon. Through three-quarters, the Yellowjackets were up, 7-0. Rochester dominated the possession battle, holding the ball for nearly 10 minutes more than RPI. The Yellowjackets totaled 370 yards – 210 on the ground – to 292 for the hosts.
In fact, the fourth quarter turned into a shootout – much different than the first three quarters. For the opening 45 minutes, the game was dominated defensively on both sides of the ball. There were nine punts, one turnover, one missed scoring opportunity (a blocked field goal) and one score – a 25-yard touchdown pass.
Rochester set the tone from the outset. The Yellowjackets got a 27-yard kickoff return by Michael Dermody but couldn't move, and punted to the RPI 12. From there, the Engineers gained a net of three yards in one play before punting.
The Yellowjackets drove from the RPI 41 down to the 16. On third and eight, Aaron Molisani's potential TD pass to Tom Shay was tipped away by Mark Sangiorgi. The Engineers then blocked a 34-yard field goal attempt.
Again, RPI couldn't move against the Yellowjacket defense. Rochester then assembled a 15-play, 61-yard drive that ate up 6:52 and resulted in a 25-yard Molisani-to-Shay TD pass and a 7-0 lead with 1:02 left in the quarter.
A crucial play in the drive was a 13-yard completion from Molisani to David Ferris on third-and-13 at the Rochester 36. It gave the Yellowjackets a first down near midfield. They hooked up again, this time for 15 yards on a first-and-19 following a holding call. Matt Bielecki carried twice to get the first down, then after Molisani was sacked, he found Shay over the middle in between defenders for a 25-yard scoring strike.
RPI didn't find its offensive footing until late in the third. The Engineers marched 82 yards in 15 plays to get on the scoreboard when Jimmy Robertson threw a one-yard TD pass to tight end Jon Branche on the first play of the fourth period. The PAT snap was bad and Brendan McGowan was tackled as he tried to run for two.
The Engineers forced a punt, then Robertson led RPI on another 82-yard scoring drive. He scrambled once for 19 yards to get the ball near midfield, then hit three key passes. The last was a 22-yard strike to McGowan with 9:34 left. That put RPI ahead, 12-7. Robertson hit Branche for two points to make it 14-7.
This is where Rochester put together its biggest drive of the game and showed its mettle. Dermody returned the kickoff 48 yards to the RPI 40. On first down, Molisani found tight end Pat McCarthy deep for 26 yards to the RPI 14. Pat O'Brien rushed five yards to the nine, followed by a four-yard plunge from Ray Finocchio to the five. Molisani kept it to the three. O'Brien gained two yards to the one. Molisani, then O'Brien were pushed back on second and third down. O'Brien finally took it around right end for a touchdown and Rob Corey's PAT tied it at 14-14 with 5:35 to go.
RPI got a five-yard pass from Robertson, followed by a substitution penalty against Rochester to put the ball on the Engineer 25. Robertson found Branche down the right side for 27 yards to the Rochester 43. On first and 10, Jay Bernardo swept right, found a seam, and broke free for a 43-yard touchdown with 3:38 left. The PAT was missed.
John Tesiero intercepted Molisani at midfield and ran it back to the R37. The Engineers ran down most of the clock before turning the ball over to the Yellowjackets at their own 25 with 22 seconds left.
Molisani scrambled 19 yards on first down, then spiked the ball on second down. His final pass deep down the middle for Ferris was broken up by Tim Frame as time expired.
. Notes: Bielecki carried a career-high equaling 37 times for 176 yards. He became the first Rochester running back to run for more than 1,000 yards in 13 years. The last man to do it was Jeremy Hurd ('93) on October 31, 1992 vs. RPI… Bielecki is the fourth Rochester runner in school history to break 1,000 yards in a season… He has 1,026 yards this season… Molisani was 9 of 27 for 160 yards, one TD and one interception. He was sacked five times… Shay and Ferris caught three passes apiece… Dermody returned five punts for 69 yards and three kickoffs for 95 yards. He also had nine total tackles (seven solo), one pass breakup, and shared a tackle for loss.
