Cambridge, MA --- The battle of the Engineers ended 25-21 in favor of MIT football in the season finale for both teams on Saturday night at Steinbrenner Stadium. The win sees MIT close the 2023 campaign at 4-5 overall, 3-4 in the NEWMAC, while WPI finishes at 3-7, 1-6.
WPI scored first and led 21-10 at the half before MIT began its comeback. The Cambridge squad then out-scored the Worcester Engineers 15-0 in the second half, with a key Caleb Davis (Houston, TX) interception and a Chase Williams (Missoula, MT) game-saving tackle sealing it for the hosts on Senior Day.
For WPI, Terrence Benedict (Ticonderoga, NY) ended the game 17-for-35 with 181 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Douglas Cain (Jefferson, MA) caught seven passes for 84 yards and a score, Noah Herzig (Hubbardston, MA) had three receptions for 64 yards, and Jay Mezzo (Naugatuck, CT) added two catches for 28 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Hunter Carey (South Hadley, MA) finished the game with six attempts for 45 yards, while John Chau (Suffern, NY) carried the ball 12 times for 40 yards.
WPI's defense was led by Gavin Chieff (Bernardsville, NJ) who led all players with 11 tackles, while Rashad Stepney (Yorktown, VA) tallied 10 tackles and Frankie Polito (Shrewsbury, MA) added eight. John Chau (Suffern, NY) and Mohamed Barry (South Windsor, CT) added sacks in the loss.
MIT's Chase Harmon (West Linn, OR) was 6-for-20 for 101 yards through the air, while rushing for 45 yards on 10 attempts with a touchdown. Ethan Ardolino (Fair Haven, NJ) caught a pair of passes for 29 yards, while Daniel Monaghan (Northfield, MD) had 40 yards receiving on one catch.
The Engineers' ground game starred, led by a 133-yard performance from Brady Klein (Washington, IL), who had 27 attempts and a touchdown. Theo Dawson (Jackson, WY) carried the ball eight times for 25 yards, while Andrew Hutchison (San Diego, CA) had a 14-yard touchdown on his only attempt.
MIT's defense was led by Ryan Hourican (Staten Island, NY) with eight tackles, while Eric Anderson (Vienna, VA) notched six. Williams had a pair of sacks, while Davis finished with three pass breakups and an interception.
WPI had the only score of a quiet first quarter, going up 7-0 on a 13-yard rush from Carey. The touchdown capped a four-play, 70-yard drive that included a 30-yard completion from Benedict to Cain. Trailing 7-0 MIT put together an 11-play drive that spanned the end of the first quarter into the second, ending with a four-yard Klein score to knot the game at 7-7.
WPI answered on the ensuing possession, with Benedict finding Mezzo for a 23-yard touchdown. During the nine-play, 70-yard drive, the Engineers saw another 30-yard completion, this one coming on the halfback option with Carey throwing to Herzig.
MIT cut into the lead with a field goal late in the second quarter, making it 14-10. Brandon Eickert (St. Charles, IL) nailed a 25-yard attempt to finish out a 13-play, 57-yard drive.
The Worcester side again responded, marching 72 yards downfield and scoring to push it to 21-10. Benedict hit Cain with a four-yard pass to cap the nine-play drive. MIT got the ball back with 16 seconds left in the half but managed just a five-yard gain, and WPI's 11-point lead held at the break.
MIT scored the first points of the second half midway through the third quarter. The Engineers drove 62 yards on seven plays, ending with a Harmon eight-yard run to pay dirt. After the touchdown, Harmon found Hutchison in the end zone for a successful two-point conversion that narrowed the lead to 21-18. Both teams had two more possessions in the frame, but neither could put together a scoring drive and it ended 21-18 after three.
In the fourth, MIT punted on its first drive but pinned WPI inside their own 10. The hosts got a first down, but Davis intercepted a pass on the WPI 34, giving MIT good field possession with 11:06 to play. The Cambridge Engineers then needed just three plays to take the lead, scoring on a 14-yard Hutchinson rush to make it 25-21 with 9:38 remaining.
WPI got the ball back with 9:29 on the clock, needing a touchdown. The Engineers took the ball all the way down to the MIT three-yard line, going 73 yards in 22 plays, but a Williams tackle stopped WPI one yard shy of the first down, as the hosts turned it over on downs. MIT then lined up in victory formation to run out the remaining 20 seconds and close out the win.