Box Score
TROY, N.Y. – Sophomore wide receiver
Ray Davis caught nine passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 12-yard score with 4:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) football team over Alfred University, 34-31, in the ECAC North Atlantic Championship Game at ’86 Field.
Davis (Worcester, MA/South High Community) was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player of the game, the last ever on historic ’86 Field. The Engineers, who move into the $114 million East Campus Athletic Village beginning in 2009, improve to 8-2 overall. Alfred’s season ends at 7-4.
Following an Alfred touchdown that gave the visitors their first lead, 31-27, with 7:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, Davis caught two passes on the ensuing drive, a 36-yarder and the 12-yard score, to put the Engineers back ahead, 34-31. His touchdown reception came in the back right corner of the end zone on a 1st-and-10 play.
Rensselaer, which is now 8-0 all-time in ECAC Championship Games, jumped out to a 7-0 lead on its first possession when senior quarterback
Jimmy Robertson (Yonkers, NY/Iona Prep.) capped a 10-play, 60-yard drive with a 1-yard run. The Saxons came back on their ensuing possession with a 26-yard field goal by Eric Rockwood (Allegany, NY/Allegany-Limestone) to pull within four points, 7-3, with 8:20 left in the first quarter.
The two teams combined for 30 points in the second quarter, including 17 by the Engineers for a 24-16 lead at the break. Rensselaer pulled ahead, 14-3, on a 45-yard pass from Robertson to Davis down the left sideline. The Engineers were set up with solid field possession thanks to a 3-yard punt after a dropped snap. Alfred got the touchdown right back when freshman quarterback Tom Secky (Bemus Point, NY/Maple Grove) threw a 64-yard scoring strike to junior wide receiver Jared Manzer (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) on first down to pull within 14-10.
Following a fumble recovery at the Alfred 3-yard line, RPI sophomore
Nick Costa (Yonkers, NY/Iona Prep.) pushed the home team’s lead to 21-10 with a 2-yard plunge on a fourth down play. The Saxons again got the touchdown right back, this time when Secky found senior Trevor Bork (Fishers, NY/York) down the middle of the field from 26 yards with 49 seconds remaining in the half. RPI needed just 34 seconds to answer back, this time on a 32-yard field goal by junior
Peter Nilson (Appleton, WI/Kimberly).
Alfred tied the score at 24-24 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Vinson Hendrix (Rochester, NY/East) and a two-point conversion pass from Secky to Rahsaan Parks (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) at 6:10 of the third quarter. Nilson put RPI ahead with a 22-yard field goal just under three minutes later before the Saxons took the lead on a 20-yard pass from Secky to Bork.
RPI’s game-winning drive went 62 yards on 11 plays in 3:34. The series featured the two receptions by Davis, including one that was thrown by sophomore wide receiver
Patrick McCarthy (Strafford, NH/Spauling), an RPI fumble that resulted in a loss of 15 yards before going out of bounds, and an Alfred interception that was returned 98 yards for a touchdown that was negated by a defensive pass interference call in the end zone. RPI’s touchdown came immediately following the penalty on the Saxons.
Robertson, RPI’s career leader in nearly all passing statistics, was 16 for 31 with 257 yards passing, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while Costa finished with 113 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, junior
Joe Albano (Dalton, MA/Wahconah Regional) made a game-high 13 tackles, including seven unassisted. Classmate
Tim Acker (Arlington, WA/Arlington) added 11 stops (4 solos) and an interception in the end zone.
For Alfred, which lost for the first time in seven ECAC Championship Bowls (6-1), John Soule (Richfield Springs, NY/Richfield Springs) had nine tackles, including four unassisted. Two others had eight stops apiece.
Senior tailback Morgan O’Brien (Bradford, PA/Bradford) rushed for 91 yards on 19 carries and caught two passes for 27 yards. Stecky connected on 19 of 32 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns. He was intercepted twice, including on Alfred’s final offensive series. Bork had six receptions for 90 yards and the two scores and Manzer caught four passes for 138 yards and the touchdown.