THE BASICS:
- Score: MIT 35, SUNY Maritime College 28
- Records: MIT (2-5, 1-4 NEWMAC); SUNY Maritime College (4-3, 2-2 NEWMAC)
- Location: Throggs Neck, N.Y. (Reinhart Field)
- The Lead: Led by 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns by senior Brady Klein (Washington, Ill.), the MIT football team picked up a 35-28 road victory over SUNY Maritime College on Saturday afternoon. This marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs as the Privateers are in their first season as a member of the NEWMAC football conference.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- For the second straight week, MIT got on the board first as Klein scored on a one-yard touchdown run off the left side to make it 7-0 at the 9:03 mark. On a fourth and 16 play, senior Ethan Ardolino (Fair Haven, N.J.) gave the Engineers a first down as he pulled down a 21-yard reception that put the ball at the nine-yard line.
- With four minutes left in the first, MIT forced a Maritime turnover on downs to take possession at their own 28-yard line. On second down, Dru Stephens picked off MIT sophomore quarterback Chase Harmon (West Linn, Ore.) and returned the pick xx yards for the touchdown that tied the game at 7-7.
- In a quick start to the second quarter, first-year Michael Dennison (Beaufort, S.C.) caught a seven-yard touchdown pass across the middle on the first play of the quarter to put MIT up 13-7. Just 20 seconds later on the first play of the Maritime drive, Luke Caliendo took the ball straight up the middle for a 75-yard touchdown and its first lead of the game at 14-13.
- MIT went back in front to close the first-half scoring when Klein scored his second touchdown of the game as he picked up the five-yard TD for the 20-14 halftime edge. Graduate student Theo Dawson (Jackson, Wyoming) set up the first and goal play for MIT with a seven-yard rush down to the five.
- Midway through the third quarter, Maritime regained the lead on a big play as Steven Stassi found Ian Derda on a 45-yard touchdown pass to go back in front at 21-20. The back-and-forth game continued as the Engineers regained the lead at 27-21 as Dawson scored from one yard out to cap a nine-play, 75-yard drive with 3:40 left in the third.
- The fourth quarter got off to a quick start similar to the third as Stassi connected with Cole Trosclair from 11 yards out for the 28-27 Maritime lead with over 14 minutes left. Harmon and the MIT offense answered less than four minutes later when Harmon connected with junior Andrew Hutchison (San Diego, Calif.) for the 26-yard touchdown, along with the two-point conversion by Ardolino to make it a 35-28 margin.
- The Privateers moved into MIT territory late with a chance to tie the game, but the Engineer defense forced an incomplete pass on fourth and six to pick up their first NEWMAC victory of the season.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Klein finished the game with 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 37 attempts to go along with 55 yards from Dawson as MIT outgained the Privateers by a 249-171 margin on the ground. Harmon completed 16 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns, including three receptions for 37 yards to both Ardolino and Hutchison.
- Stassi finished 23-for-44 passing for 275 yards and two touchdowns for the Privateers, along with 85 and 83 yards rushing, respectively, from Caliendo and Devin Cline. Derda was the game's top receiver with 10 catches for 150 yards and one touchdown.
- On defense, first-year Caleb Davis (Houston, Texas) led MIT with nine total stops, while junior Ryan Hourican (Staten Island, N.Y.) finished with five tackles, one sack and a game-high four pass breakups. Dylan Denicker was the top tackler for the Privateers, finishing up with 11 stops and a half sack.
UP NEXT:
- The Engineers return home on Saturday, October 28th as MIT hosts Norwich University for a Noon start in Cambridge.
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