Rochester Defeats WPI 34-7
Rochester 34, WPI 7
Worcester, MA --- The University of Rochester football team kept up its winning ways on Saturday afternoon with a strong, hard-nosed offense and a stifling defense, as it won its third-straight contest with a 34-7 victory over host WPI at blustery Alumni Field.
Rochester improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Liberty League. It is the most wins at this point in the season for U of R since 2000 (5-1), as well as its longest winning streak (four) since that same season. WPI (2-4) has lost four straight and drops to 0-4 in the LL.
The Yellow Jackets were paced offensively by their "I-87 Backfield" of Matt Bielecki (Albany, NY) and Pat O'Brien (Glens Falls, NY), as well as quarterback Aaron Molisani (Canandaiqua, NY). Bielecki rushed for 177 yards on 30 carries, while O'Brien had a 10-yard touchdown reception late in the first half.
Molisani had three TD passes in the game, as well as throwing for 202 yards (19-of-26, one interception).
Defensively for the Yellow Jackets, Jason Goeller (Pittsburgh, PA) was everywhere for U of R: the 6-foot-2, 231-pound senior defensive lineman came up with a pair of fourth-down sacks on WPI starting quarterback Rob Pantalone (Camp Hill, PA) on consecutive possessions, as well as an interception on the first play of the second half.
Bielecki got the Yellow Jackets on the board with a three-yard touchdown plunge to cap off a 10-play, 73-yard drive to open the contest. Bielecki got the yeoman's workload of the drive: on second-and-13 following a U of R penalty, Bielecki took a screen pass from Molisani in the left flat, bringing it to the Engineer 49. He then picked up the first down with a two-yard carry on the next play that came as he stretched around the defender for the marker, before Molisani kept it himself for a 15-yard gain on a roll-out to the right.
Bielecki then set up his seventh touchdown of the season after a 19-yard carry of his own on a sweep to the right that brought U of R to the WPI 13. Three plays later, he plunged in off the right guard. Griffin Moar's (Pittsford, NY) kick into a stiff wind failed, 6-0 Yellow Jackets.
After WPI drove downfield and were unsuccessful in attempting a 32-yard field goal - which came four plays after a key fourth-down conversion by the Engineers - the Yellow Jackets came back with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown run by Bielecki. Rochester went to the air for five of the plays, with the key play in the drive a 32-yard completion from Molisani to J.J. Vanderstyne (Victor, NY). Molisani simply lofted the ball over the secondary to the junior wide out, who was a step behind the WPI defender for the reception and the first down.
Six plays later, Bielecki took the handoff and first-and-goal from the WPI 2 and stutter-stepped through the defensive line for the score. Moar's kick sailed high and through to make it 13-0 Rochester with 24 seconds left in the first quarter.
WPI cut the lead to six points with 5:48 left in the first half on a seven-play, 31-yard drive.
The Engineers were stuck on third down for several snaps, as flags wiped out a near first down and a touchdown pass on consecutive plays. But on third-and-21 from the Rochester 32, Pantalone (7-of-14, 73 yards) dropped back and found Orry Cummings (Windham, ME; five receptions, 69 yards) for a 20-yard reception to make it fourth-and-1 at the Yellow Jacket 12.
Pantalone then found Mike Butler (Athol, MA; four receptions, 43 yards) with a leaping four-yard grab on the sideline to make it first-and-goal, and Alix Orton (Worcester, MA; eight rushes for 18 yards) took the next handoff and swept out to the right side, streaking around the end and in from eight yards for the touchdown. Gregory Lyons' (Holden, MA) point-after attempt was good, 13-7.
Rochester responded immediately with a five-play, 37-yard scoring drive, with Molisani hooking up with O'Brien on a 10-yard dump pass on the hash mark. Zack Ingolsby (Allison Park, PA) had a 43-yard kickoff return before he was dragged out of bounds on the WPI sideline to set up the score.
WPI made a big defensive stop on Rochester's first offensive series of the second half, but could not convert it into points.
After Dustin Bradway (Glastonbury, CT) came up with a big sack of Molisani on fourth-and-less than 1, the Engineers constructed a drive that took WPI into the red zone for the fourth time on the afternoon. Keying the drive was a 27-yard Cummings reception from backup quarterback Justin Wells (Jay, ME)
A third-down conversion run by Orton on third-and-2 kept the drive going as well as snapping WPI's 0-for-6 third-down conversion streak, before Wells found Butler on a 15-yard quick slant pass on another third-down conversion, which brought the ball down to the Yellow Jacket 10.
But WPI could not punch it in, as three hand-offs brought it to the 2. Rochester then took over on downs after the defense hit Orton for a five-yard loss on an option pitch to the right side.
Molisani padded the Yellow Jacket lead on the next possession, as he found Vanderstyne (game-high nine receptions for 108 yards) wide open in the back of the end zone with 13:48 left in the game, capping off a 14-play, 93-yard drive to make it 27-7.
He then found Pat McCarthy (Grand Island, NY) on a five-yard touchdown pass to close out the scoring.
George Chyoghly (Boylston, MA) led the WPI running game with 45 yards on 11 carries while Matt Boudreau (Rensselaer, NY) notched 12 tackles.
Joe Galantini (Jessup, PA) had nine tackles for Rochester.
WPI will travel to Rensselaer next Saturday afternoon, while Rochester will be at Grove City, PA next Saturday.
Story by Sean Sweeney, WPI Sports Information Correspondent