PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – Through the Yellowjackets trailed by just four, 7-3, at the half, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute scored 24 unanswered in the second half, including 17 in the final quarter, to defeat the University of Rochester, 31-3 on Meliora Weekend on Saturday afternoon at Fauver Stadium.
 
After winning the opening coin toss and electing to receive, the Yellowjackets got things going early with their one-two punch of Daniel Papantonis and Will Varney. Papantonis took the game's first carry for five yards and picked up three on his second before Trey Johnson caught Ryan Rose's first pass for eight yards to pick up a first down.
 
But a pair of incompleted passes slowed UR's opening drive, and the Engineers started their first drive on their own 16-yard line following Alex Wing's 43-yard punt.
 
The Engineers proceeded to reel off a seven-play, 57-yard drive, but on 4th-and-6, Caden Cole held Jake Kazanowsky one-yard short of the line to gain, giving UR the ball back on the 32-yard line.
 
The 'Jackets would get down to RPI's 41, but couldn't pick up the first down on 3rd-and-7 and were again forced to punt.
 
RPI followed with a three-and-out of their own, but on 1st-and-10 from their own 24-yard line, Rose threw the first of his three interceptions on the day, as Jimmy Leblo intercepted Rose's pass intended for Papantonis and returned it inside the Yellowjacket 10-yard line, setting RPI up with 1st-and-Goal.
 
And with three-straight rushes, two by Christian Buckley and the third by Dylan Burnett, Rensselaer powered the ball into the end zone for the game's first score, taking a 7-0 lead on Burnett's one-yard touchdown run.
 
UR looked to answer, driving down into RPI territory behind a pair of long runs from Papantonis and Varney, but a face-mask penalty overturned a first-down conversion for Rochester, and the 'Jackets punted on 4th-and-6 just past midfield.
 
Starting from their own 10, RPI looked to add to their lead, converting a 2nd-and-6 with a 21-yard pass from Kazanowksy to Sean Kelly, but with a false start and tackle for loss by Simon Weeren, UR's defense held strong and forced another Engineer punt on 4th-and-16.
 
Rochester again put together the makings of a scoring drive, with a 28-yard pass from Rose to Tom Tommaso setting UR up just outside the red zone. But on 2nd-and-9, Rose couldn't connect with Varney, and instead, his pass was intercepted by C.J. Lyons, keeping the Yellowjackets off the scoreboard.
 
Again though, UR's defense made a stand, holding the Engineers to just one first down and giving the 'Jacket offense the ball back with 2:18 to play and a chance to put up points before the end of the half.
 
That's exactly what UR did, as with four rushes from Papantonis and Varney, the 'Jackets' seven-play, 18-yard drive set up Jordan Laudani's 39-yard field goal, the longest of the sophomore's career, to send UR into the locker room down by just four, 7-3.
 
RPI started their opening drive of the second half from their own 24-yard line, and UR's defense, with some help from a pair of false start penalties, got the stop Rochester needed. However, the Engineers pulled off some trickery, faking the punt and Kevin Hughes scampered 63-yard for a score, putting RPI up 14-3.
 
Rochester went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, unable to answer the touchdown run, but UR's defense forced a three-and-out on the other end with Caden Cole and Andy Kristian coming up with a big sack on 3rd-and-19.
 
However, UR again went three-and-out, unable to get anything going offensively as two passes from Rose sailed incomplete. And this time, RPI answered, marching down the field with a 12-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by Burnett's 10-yard touchdown rush, his second off the game, to go up 21-3 to start the fourth quarter.
 
And after RPI picked off Rose once again, the Engineers went up 24-3, finishing off a four-play, nine-yard drive with Aleksandar Maric's 25-field goal to extend their three-possession lead.
 
Rose and Papantonis connected for nine yards on a screen to start the ensuing UR drive, and Papantonis rushed for two on the next play to pick up the first down.
 
But with three-straight incompletions, the Yellowjackets turned the ball over on downs, and RPI then put the finishing touches on their win with an 11-play, 40-yard touchdown drive.
 
Converting a pair of fourth downs, RPI took 6:37 off the clock and went up 31-3 on Kazanowsky's five-yard touchdown pass to Gil Goldsmith, solidifying the Liberty League victory for the Engineers.
 
The Yellowjackets would then run out the clock with six rushes for 24 yards, as the Engineers picked up their first conference victory.
 
UR falls to 1-3 (0-1 LL), while RPI moves to 3-2 (1-0 LL) with the win.
 
Papantonis led the 'Jackets with 20 rushes for 82 yards, while Varney rushed 59 yards on 10 carries. Through the air, Rose went 11-for-25 for 97 yards, throwing three interceptions, while Tommaso was UR's leading receiver with one catch for 28 yards.
 
For RPI, Kazanowsky went 13-for-23 for 133 yards and a score, while Burnett rushed 19 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Defensively, Cole and Kristian led all tacklers with 13 tackles apiece, while J.T. Monahan had a team-high 2.5 tackles for a loss and one sack.
 
On the special teams front, Alex Wing averaged 36.8 yards per punt, including three inside the 20-yard line, while Laudani scored UR's only points of the day on his 39-yard field goal, a career-long.
 
The Yellowjackets next head to Ithaca, NY on Saturday, Oct. 8, continuing Liberty League play against the Bombers at 1 p.m.