THE BASICS:

- Score: RPI 31, MIT 10

- Records: MIT (0-3); RPI (2-1) 

- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Steinbrenner Stadium)

- The Lead: On Saturday afternoon at Steinbrenner Stadium, the MIT football team dropped a 31-10 final to visiting RPI in the team's final non-conference game of the season. RPI is receiving votes in this week's D3football.com Top 25 National Poll.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- MIT got on the board with 9:52 left in the first as senior Tucker Cheyne (Avon, Conn.) converted a 25-yard field goal for the 3-0 edge. RPI answered just under five minutes later as Christian Kapp booted a 32-yard field goal of his own to tie the game at 3-3 with 4:55 on the clock.

- MIT faced a third and long to open the second quarter, but RPI's Alexander Greenidge intercepted sophomore Udgam Goyal (Frisco, Texas) and returned the ball 66 yards for the touchdown and a 10-3 RPI lead early in the second.

- Both teams had chances in the final moments of the first half, but a number of turnovers by both squads sent the game into the half at 10-3 in favor of RPI.

- RPI took advantage of an MIT fumble at midfield early in the third quarter and turned that into a touchdown as Mike Tivinis scored on a seven-yard rushing touchdown for the 17-3 margin with 8:24 on the clock. Over the remainder of the third, RPI intercepted MIT at the goal line for one turnover. The hosts answered with just under two minutes left as senior Matt Iovino (Sayville, N.Y.) recovered a fumble at midfield as the game went to the fourth at 17-3 RPI.

- The visitors found the end zone just under five minutes into the fourth as sophomore Maliek Kelly scored from seven yards out for the 24-3 advantage. On the next possession, sophomore Andrew DeNucci (Newton, Mass.) intercepted Eddie Trimpert at midfield and returned the ball down to the RPI three. On third down, freshman John Robertson (Brentwood, Tenn.) scored his first career rushing touchdown to make it a 24-10 score midway through the final period.

- RPI closed out the scoring with 2:56 remaining in the game as John Ramsdell scored from nine yards out to cap a seven-play, 69-yard drive for the 31-10 final.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- MIT had the advantage in the passing game as Goyal completed 18 passes for 200 yards as the Engineers owned a 19-18 edge in first downs. For RPI, the Engineers held a 243-141 advantage on the ground behind a 123-yard effort from Tivinis. On the ground for MIT, Robertson was the leading rusher with 85 yards on 26 attempts. MIT's leading receiver was freshman Eric Bradford (Dublin, Ohio) with six catches for 69 yards.

- Defensively, three RPI players finished with six tackles each, including DJ Stefonsky and Brendan Zotti with four solo stops each. For MIT, junior Mitch Turley (Westfield, Ind.) was the top tackler with nine stops on the day that included five solo tackles.

UP NEXT:

- MIT is back in action on Saturday, September 24th as the Engineers hit the road to Castine, Maine for the NEFC opener at Maine Maritime. That game is scheduled for a Noon start and is the first road contest of the season for MIT.

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