Worcester, MA --Anthony Marotti threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns in leading Union College to 31-21 come-from-behind victory over Worcester Polytechnic Institute in front of a disappointed Homecoming Day crowd of 2,135 at WPI's Alumni Field.
With the win, Union is now 3-2 overall, and 3-0 in the Liberty League. WPI falls to 3-3 overall, 0-3 in the Liberty League. Union has now won three straight, while WPI has lost three in a row after opening the year with three victories.
WPI had built a 21-7 lead with just 2:07 remaining in the first half. But Union scored a TD with 10 seconds left in the half, and the momentum completely shifted. Union was destined to score 24 straight points and shut out WPI, 17-0, in the second half.
WPI senior WR Preston Roberts opened the scoring with a 5-yard TD pass, tip-toeing in the back of the end zone, from senior QB Ryan Jennette with 7:29 remaining in the first quarter. The extra point was good by junior Jim Griffin, and the Crimson & Gray led, 7-0.
WPI junior RB Billy Orfalea upped the count to 14-0 with a 3-yard jaunt with 14:31 left in the second quarter.
But here is where Union began its comeback. Marotti, a sophomore quarterback from River Edge, NJ, found sophomore WR Ryan Twitchell with a 33-yard TD toss, cutting the score to 14-7 with 3:12 left in the half.
WPI came right back with a three-play, 65-yard drive with just 2:07 left, culminated by the longest play from scrimmage during the game, a 60-yard TD pass right down the middle from Jennette to Roberts.
Union did not panic and smartly marched 80 yards on 10 plays, scoring a TD with just 10 seconds left in the half. Marotti connected on a nine-yard toss to junior tighe end Ryan Perry .
The Dutchmen would then score on three long drives the next three times it controlled the ball through the third and early part of the fourth quarters. With 7:56 left in the third, Union tied it at 21-all on a 1-yard run by senior tailback Sean Washington. That culminated a 14-play, 80-yard march.
Union took the lead for good with 2:18 left in the third on a three-yard run by senior running back Chris Nappi. That ended a nine-play, 77-yard drive. Then with 8:34 left, freshman kicker Ben Rapple booted home a 24-yard field goal--his first career three-pointer, giving Union some breathing room. The drive took a remarkable 17 plays and covered 72 yards.
That proved to be the final tally, although WPI had two more scoring threats. With about three minutes left, WPI had driven to the Union 18, but a fourth-and-six pass play was incomplete. Then following a 28-yard punt return by junior RB Brian Farragher, WPI again marched to the Union nine. After an illegal shift by WPI placed the ball on the Union 14, forcing a second-and-goal with about one minute left, Jennette tried a shovel pass, intended for Orfalea. But senior noseguard Andy Manocchio inercepted the ball for his team-leading second "pick" of the year, thus shutting down WPI's last gasp effort.
Union ran 84 plays to WPI's 59. But in the second half, it was 48-24, Union. The Dutchmen outgained WPI, 432 yards to 276. In the second half, the margin was 228 to 104. Union outpassed WPI, 272-187, overall. It outran WPI, 160-89. Time of possession was 36:08 to 23:52.
The game's leading rusher was sophomore tailback Tom Arcidiacono, who finished with 97 yards on 23 carries for the Dutchmen. Washington followed with 42 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. For WPI, Orfalea had 38 yards and one TD on 11 carries.
In passing, Marotti was 19-for-33 for 272 yards and two touchdowns with a pair of interceptions, both by WPI freshman Adam Haines. For WPI, Jennette was 14-for-32 for 187 yards and two TDs. He also was intercepted twice (by Mike Flanagan and Manocchio).
Two Union receivers had great days. Twitchell caught six balls for 135 yards and a touchdown, his sixth of the year. Steve Angiletta pulled down six more receptions for 100 yards. For WPI, Roberts had three catches for 77 yards and a pair of scores.
The Dutchmen's leading tackler was junior linebacker James Baron with six stops.
