WPI 52, Becker 16 

Box Score

Worcester, MA --- WPI scored four first-quarter touchdowns, three coming on 12 offensive plays, and five different Engineers scored in the first half as WPI defeated visiting Becker, 52-16, in a non-league contest at Alumni Field on Saturday afternoon.

With the victory, WPI improves to 2-0 on the 2006 campaign, while Becker drops to 0-3.

WPI wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard, as Mike Butler (Athol, MA) took the handoff on the first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Rob Pantalone (Camp Hill, PA, 2-of-2, 24 yards passing, two rushes for 27 yards) appeared to pitch it to tailback Alix Orton (Worcester, MA), but instead tossed it to Butler, who swept out to the right side on the reverse. He then sprinted down the sideline for a 66-yard touchdown run, his third TD of the season. Gregory Lyons (Holden, MA) added the point-after to give the Engineers a 7-0 lead after 31 seconds had elapsed.

Chris Boudreau (Rensselaer, NY) then padded the WPI lead with an interception return. Boudreau picked off Becker's second pass of the game and returned it 39 yards to record the Engineers' third defensive TD of the season.

WPI then forced Becker to punt on its next series before marching 46 yards in five plays to make it a three-touchdown game. Orton capped off the drive with a two-yard plunge off the right guard, and Lyons added the PAT to make it 21-0 Engineers.

Another three-and-out for the Hawks led to a six-yard scoring drive for the Engineers. Orton did the honors again, this time scoring from less than a yard out. It followed Orton's initial attempt at hitting paydirt on the drive, as he was stopped just short of the goal line. On the next play, he went toward the left end and slid in. Lyons missed the point-after, 27-0.

After the first quarter break, WPI scored on the first play of the second stanza, as backup signalcaller Justin Wells (Jay, ME) threw his first touchdown pass of the season to senior wide receiver Matt Burger (Ballston Lake, NY). Burger got behind the Becker secondary and barely outran the Becker safety to the end zone to make it 33-0 Engineers.

Wells (10 of 16, 134 yards passing, one interception) added another TD pass in the third quarter, a 17-yard pass to Orry Cummings (Windham, ME).

Becker got onto the board on its next series, as Jacques Faublas (Canton, MA) hauled in a 52-yard touchdown pass on a quick slant from Shane Swift (Worcester, MA - 11 of 20, 169 yards passing, two interceptions). Faublas, who had four receptions for 123 yards, was able to turn on the afterburners and fly into the end zone for the score. The kick failed, 33-6 WPI.

Becker's defense then stepped it up with a sack of Wells on fourth down, but then the Hawks closed the gap to 33-13 as Acie Johnson (Lynn, MA) scored from nine yards out on a reverse. That followed a 34-yard pass from Swift to Faublas on fourth-and-one, saving the drive and extending it by a play.

Running back George Chyoghly (Boylston, MA) added WPI's sixth TD of the game, plowing in straight up the middle from a yard out to make it 40-13, WPI.

The Engineers reeled off 479 yards of offense, while Becker had 255 yards of offense.

WPI is at the US Merchant Marine Academy in King's Point, NY next Saturday evening, while Becker will host Mount Ida here at Alumni Field on Saturday afternoon.