TROY, N.Y. - Senior quarterback Mike Lefflbine threw three touchdown passes and the St. Lawrence University (SLU) defense forced four turnovers as the Saints defeated Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 24-10, in a Liberty League contest at East Campus Stadium. SLU improves to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the league, while the Engineers fall to 4-2 and 2-1.
Lefflbine (Greenwich, CT / Greenwich) completed 20 of 35 passes for 223 yards and the three scores. He was intercepted once and sacked once. He also ran four times for 23 yards. He took advantage of a short field thanks to an RPI turnover to put St. Lawrence ahead, 10-3, and the Saints did not trail from that point. He found sophomore tight end Mitch Gallagher (Malone, NY / Franklin Accademy) from eight yards out with 20 seconds left in the first quarter after a fumble recovery at the RPI 19 yard line.
A 23 yard third quarter touchdown pass to Leondre Simmon (Freeport, NY / Freeport) four minutes into the third quarter gave the Saints a 17-3 lead. Following a James Holley-Grisham (Rochester, NY / East High) interception, his second of the game, gave SLU the ball on the St. Lawrence 28 yard line. The Saints went ahead 24-3 when Lefflbine found Matt Gardiner (Chesire, CT / Cheshire) from 23 yards away with 4:32 to go in the third quarter.
St. Lawrence had two opportunities to extend its lead in the fourth quarter but missed a pair of field goals (26 yards & 34 yards). RPI then cut into its deficit when sophomore wide receiver Joey Giacone (Delmar, NY / Bethlehem) outleaped a defender to catch a 31 yard pass from backup quarterback Tommy Morgan (Haverhill, MA / Haverhill) in the front of the end zone. The touchdown, the first of Morgan's career, came with 1:14 to play in the fourth quarter and made it a 24-10 final.
Morgan played the majority of the game after RPI starting quarterback Jeff Avery(White Plains, NY / White Plains) left the game midway through the second quarter due to injury. Morgan finished with 100 passing yards (3 for 13) with the touchdown and two interceptions. He was sacked three times. Avery was 0 for 2 with 45 yards rushing on six carries. Running back Austin Amery (Castleton, VT / Fair Haven) had a 60 yard reception to help set up the Engineers touchdown.
Rensselaer held a 3-0 lead after scoring on its first drive, a series that went 51 yards on 10 plays, culminating with a 43 yard field goal from senior Andrew Franks (Carmel, CA / Carmel). The kick was the 31st career field goal for Franks, tying him with Matt Verenini (Averill Park, NY / Averill Park) for the school record. The Saints answered on its ensuing possession with a 20 yard field goal from Andrew Carvalho (Somerville, MA / Saint Clemente) and then got the ball back when RPI fumbled the kickoff that followed, leading the Lefflbine's first TD pass.
Eight different receivers caught passes for the Saints, led by junior Chris Shannon's (New Fairfield, CT / Trinity Pawling) five catches for 35 yards. Gallagher had four receptions for 73 yards. Junior running back Maurice Irby (Freeport, NY / Freeport) had a game-high 66 yards rushing on 15 carries.
The Saints defense was outstanding throughout, holding the Engineers to 100 passing yards and 245 total yards. Holley Grisham, a cornerback, led all SLU tacklers with 10 stops, including eight unassisted, with the two interceptions and a pass breakup. Jayson Leigh (Paughquag, NY / Arlington) had seven tackles, including six solos and two for lost yards (2).
RPI's defense was led by senior Connor Young (Burnt Hills, NY / Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake), who had a game-high 11 stops (5 solos). Junior linebackerBrandon Cook (Commack, NY / Commack) had 10 tackles, including 0.5 sacks (1 yard lost) and 1.0 tackles for lost yards (3).
The Engineers travel to the University of Rochester next Saturday, while the Saints are home to Springfield College. Both games are league games that begin at 1pm.
Lefflbine, Defense Lead St. Lawrence to Win Over Rensselaer
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141011_mr97.xml
2014
St. Lawrence
24
RPI
10
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Lawrence (5-1) | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| RPI (4-2) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
Oct 11, 2014