KINGS POINT, N.Y. – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy scored four first-quarter touchdowns and rolled to a 55-7 victory over the University of Rochester on Saturday afternoon at Brooks Stadium.
 
It was the Liberty League opener for each team and most likely, the last time the schools will play each other in football. Merchant Marine is withdrawing from the Liberty League after this season to join the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference.
 
The Mariners are 2-1 overall, 1-0 in the Liberty League. Rochester is 1-2 overall, 0-1 Liberty. The results have paralleled each other. Merchant Marine won on the road two weeks ago, lost last week on the road, then won Saturday. Rochester lost its home opener two weeks ago, won on the road last week, and lost on Saturday.
 
Rochester totaled 259 yards in offense – 191 through the air and 68 on the ground. Emanuel Calmar carried four times for a net of 24 rushing yards. Nick Perpignan gained 23, Dan Bronson had 16, and Josh Brown rushed once for nine.
 
Bronson hit 12 of 24 passes for 124 yards. He was sacked twice and intercepted once. The pick eventually led to the last Merchant Marine touchdown.
 
The Mariners used their option-oriented attack to compile 579 yards in offense – 403 on the ground and 176 in the air. Quarterback Robert Moore hit all five of his passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. That total was helped by an 81-yard pitch-and-catch TD pass to Spencer Blauw  that put the home team ahead, 13-0, midway through the first period. Before the period ended, Moore threw down the right sideline to Luke Jamison who broke free for a 51-yard TD.
 
Moore and fullback Wiley Martin combined for 203 yards rushing and all six of Merchant Marine's rushing TDs. Moore carried 15 times for a net of 104 yards. He scored on runs of four yards (to put MM up, 6-0), one yard (41-0 just before halftime), and four yards (48-0 midway through the third). Martin burst away for a 53-yard TD run in the first quarter, a two-yarder and a four-yarder in the third.
 
Calmar finally got the Yellowjackets on the scoreboard with a one-yard run to finish a 10-play, 76-yard TD drive with 2:24 to go.
 
Defensively, Ricky Sparks had nine solo tackles and four assists. Christian Marini had six solos and four assists. Josh Churchin (8-1) and Ricky Simcic (6-3) had nine tackles.
 
On the first series of the game, Moore's fumble was recovered by Rochester's Kevin LeBlanc at the MM 25. Perpignan rushed twice, totaling seven yards, before Bronson threw two incompletions. The missed opportunity was costly. Moore promptly led a 10-play, 82 yard scoring drive. He had the key play – a 50-yard run on 3^rd-and-5 down to the Rochester 17. Four plays later, he took it in for a 6-0 lead.