RPI Tops Widener in Scotty Whitelaw Bowl
TROY, N.Y. - Rensselar Polytechnic Institute (RPI) cruised to a 49-21 win over Widener University Saturday at ECAV Stadium to claim win the ECAC Scotty Whitelaw Bowl for the second-straight year. It is the 12th ECAC bowl victory for the Engineers.
Playing in its first ECAC bowl game since 2011, Widener's defense opened the game with a 3-and-out stand, setting up a 61-yard scoring drive for the Pride offense. Chase Diehl capped the four-minute, 12-play drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Hostetter to give Widener a 7-0 lead.
However, RPI answered in less than a minute. On the Engineers' second play on offense, Sterlig Walker-Sutton completed a 48-yard pass to Liberty League Rookie of the Year Kayden White. The extra point was missed, but RPI took the lead late in the first quarter with a 20-yard touchdown catch by Hayden Faraday from Anthony DeMatteo. Faraday led all players with 71 receiving yards on five catches.
DeMatteo added a 1-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and Aleksander Maric kicked field goals of 18 and 20 yards to give the Engineers a 23-7 halftime lead.
The RPI' defense forced a turnover on downs to start the second half. White broke RPI's first play of the third quarter for a 78-yard touchdown run, his second of the game. It set up a 107-yard game on five carries.
Widener turned the ball over on downs twice in the first 40 minutes of play, but the first turnover was 9:30 left in the third quarter when Carlos Davis intercepted Michael Caloiaro. Four plays later, DeMatteo connected with Anthony Meissner for a 21-yard touchdown. Dematteo completed 13-of-20 passes in the game for 166 yards.
Diehl threw for 86 yards in the first half for Widener, but Caloiaro took over in the second half to attempt a third-quarter rally for the Pride. He finished the game with 210 yards passing.
Trailing 39-7, Hostetter hauled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Caloiaro with 4:40 left in the third quarter, but Christian Buckley silenced the Pride's momentum with an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, 46-14.
Widener answered with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Caloairo to Jordan Baxter, but that was the best the Pride could muster. Hostetter finished with 107 yards on seven catches, including a first-down catch to set up the Baxter TD.
Marc capped the Engineers' scoring with a 28-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. RPI forced turnovers on the Pride's next two possessions, first a Mark Lapioli interception, followed by a Nate Sicard fumble recovery.
Anthony D'Agostino and Desmond Von Tobel each had 11 tackles for RPI.
The game was the first meeting between the two programs, as RPI finishes the season 8-3 with a 12-3 record in ECAC bowls since 1992. Widener finishes the 2023 campaign at 7-4.