WORCESTER, Mass. – WPI scored on the game's opening drive and never trailed in the contest as the host Engineers earned a 34-12 NEWMAC victory over visiting MIT football on Saturday afternoon at H. Carr Field at Alumni Stadium.
Graduate student quarterback Mike Ingraffia (Kings Park, N.Y.) completed 13-of-20 passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns through the air for WPI, connecting with classmate Josh Castro (Pittsburgh, Pa.) on a pair of scores, while also rushing for a fourth. MIT sophomore Shaunak Joshi (Tampa, Fla.) completed 22-of-46 passes, including a touchdown pass to sophomore Michael Dennison (Beaufort, S.C.) in the fourth quarter.
THE BASICS:
- Score: WPI 24, MIT 12
- Records: WPI (5-5 Overall, 4-3 NEWMAC), MIT (3-6 Overall, 1-6 NEWMAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- WPI took the opening drive down the field and into the end zone, completing a four play, 62-yard drive with a 10-yard John Chau (Suffern, N.Y.) touchdown run.
- Each of the next two drives ended with a punt before the visiting Engineers got on the board thanks to a field goal from first year Luke Pelletier (Williamsburg, Va.). The reigning NEWMAC Special Teams Athlete of the Week split the uprights from 21-yards out after MIT's drive stalled at the goal line after 12 plays and over five minutes of possession time.
- With MIT driving, the game moved into the second quarter with WPI leading, 7-3. Joshi was unable to connect with senior wide receiver Andrew Hutchison (San Diego, Calif.) on third and goal, setting up Pelletier for another attempt. Unfortunately, this time the kick was off the mark and WPI took over at their own 20-yard line.
- A failed lateral on the ensuing WPI drive was recovered by Chau in the WPI end zone before he was swarmed by the MIT defense, resulting in a safety that gave MIT two points and the contest an unusual 7-5 scoreline.
- WPI carried the 7-5 lead until the final drive of the first half, increasing its lead to 13-5 when Ingraffia connected with Castro for a 32-yard score as time expired. Brock Dubey's (Dudley, Mass.) point after made the score 14-5 WPI at the break.
- WPI forced a turnover on the first MIT possession of the second half, as rookie Grant Englehard (Chelmsford, Mass.) picked-off Joshi at the three and returned the ball 46 yards to midfield. The host Engineers took advantage of the miscue, as back-to-back runs of 11 and 30 yards from Chau pushed the ball into scoring territory before Ingraffia found Castro in the end zone again to put WPI up, 20-5.
- MIT pulled back to within one score at the start of the fourth quarter, as Joshi connected with Dennison for a score at the end of a 14-play drive that stretched from the end of the third quarter into the fourth. Joshi completed 10 passes on the drive to help move MIT 75-yards in six minutes.
- Leading by eight, WPI put together its best drive of the day to put the game out of reach. The host Engineers moved 80-yards in eight minutes before Ingraffia found Jay Mezzo (Naugatuck, Conn.) for a seven-yard touchdown pass to make it 27-12 WPI with 4:32 left in regulation.
- WPI sealed the victory on the next MIT drive when Frankie Polito (Shrewsbury, Mass.) intercepted Joshi at the 21 and returned the ball for a touchdown to give WPI the 34-12 final.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- MIT senior Ryan Hourican (Staten Island, N.Y.) recorded a game-high and season-high 12 tackles, finishing the year with a career-high 56.
- Chau finished with a game-high 117 yards rushing for WPI.
- Carson Phelps (Wichita, Kan.) was the leading rusher and receiver for MIT with 55 yards on 12 attempts on the ground and seven receptions for 74 yards.
- MIT wide receiver Daniel Monaghan (Northfield, MN) added five catches for 83 yards.
- WPI put constant pressure on Joshi, finishing the game with four sacks.
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