The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy scored four touchdowns as a result of takeaways and went on to a 48-19 victory over the University of Rochester at Edwin Fauver Stadium.
The Mariners intercepted three passes and recovered two fumbles, returning one of them for the go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter. Merchant Marine improved to 3-4 overall, 2-1 in the Liberty League. Rochester is 0-5 overall, 0-3 in the Liberty League.
John-Leon Gosselin ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns for USMMA. Karl Heimbrock ran for one TD and threw for another. Quarterback Derrick Ventre threw for two TDs. He completed seven of eight passes for 98 yards. Merchant Marine totaled 308 yards in offense – 184 on the ground, 124 through the air.
Rochester had 304 yards in offense, 184 rushing, 120 passing. Chris Lebano rushed for 63 yards and one TD. Quinton Mitchell rushed for 26 yards and another TD. Patrick Keegan completed 9 of 16 passes for 64 yards. He was intercepted twice. Braezen Subick, the third Rochester QB to play, completed four of nine passes for 36 yards and one score. Andy Breidigam completed one of two passes. He was intercepted once.
Merchant Marine converted five of six fourth down opportunities, scoring TDs three times, twice in the fourth quarter. Early in the second quarter, the Academy faced fourth and six from the Rochester 26. Heimbrock rolled out and threw a 26-yard option pass to Dan Lagomarsino. Richard Grennen made the PAT. Rochester answered with a 10-play, 51-yard drive, tying the score on a one-yard dive by Quinton Mitchell and the PAT by Zachary White-Stellato.
Late in the half, the Academy downed a Steffan Moss punt at the Rochester 7. Lebano gained four yards on first down. On second-and-six, Marcus Broeder jarred the ball loose from Jared Hilton, scooped up the ball at the five, and ran it in for the go-ahead score. Rochester's Bill Campi blocked the PAT.
Ventre threw a 12-yard TD pass to Chris Dumesnil with 5:40 left in the third quarter and Mike Mitchell ran for two points. On Rochester's first play from scrimmage, MM's Dan McGroarty recovered a fumble by Byron Saggese at the UR 28. Six plays later, Gosselin took it in for the TD and Grennan's PAT made it 28-7. Lebano rushed 51 yards for a TD on a sweep, bringing Rochester within 28-13, in the final minute of the third quarter. A bad snap botched the PAT.
Gosselin rushed 81 yards for a TD early in the fourth quarter. Heimbrock added a two-yard TD run after Kevin Stapf picked off Keegan. McGroarty intercepted Andy Breidigam and returned it 35 yards to the MM 24. Ventre found Chaise Dunn for a 30-yard TD pass with 4:31 remaining.
