TROY, NY – Sophomore wide receiver Kyle Reynolds hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass in overtime to lift the Union College football team to a 34-28 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), this afternoon in the Dutchman Shoes Trophy game at East Campus Stadium. With the win in the 110th meeting between the two schools, the Dutchmen improve to 6-4 and 6-1 in the Liberty League, while the Engineers conclude their season at 5-4 and 3-3 in league play.

The victory gives Union the Dutchman Shoes trophy for the second consecutive season and 47th in 63 meetings since the trophy was introduced in 1950. Union leads the all-time series with RPI, 81-25-4 since the rivalry began in 1886.

Union senior linebacker Noah Joseph had 11 tackles, giving him 201 for his career. He became the 16th Dutchman to record 200 or more career tackles. In addition, he finished the season with 105 tackles, which now ranks as the seventh most tackles in a season in Union College history.

Sophomore QB Connor Eck was 17 for 24 with no interceptions for 279 yards and two touchdowns for the Dutchmen. He finished his first season as the starter with only three interceptions in 224 pass attempts. Sophomore WR Kyle Reynolds had his second 100+ yard receiving game, with a career high 142 and the game winning touchdown catch. Junior RB T.J. Franzese led the ground game for the Dutchmen with 66 yards and a TD on 12 carries, and had 30 receiving yards with a score.

Trailing by eight (28-20), with 3:59 left in regulation, the Engineers drove 69 yards in 15 plays for a touchdown. Senior quarterback Mike Hermann found tight end Mike Blais all alone at the left side of the end zone. Hermann then flipped the two-point conversion to Austin Caswell to knot the score at 28-all.

After the Rensselaer came up empty in their overtime possession, the Dutchmen scored on a fourth and 16 play from the 31 yard line. Eck dropped back and flung a pass down the left sideline for Reynolds, who caught the ball in stride and scampered into the end zone to win the game.

RPI struck first, after a muffed Dutchmen punt set the offense up at the Union 15 yard line. Hermann's second rushing attempt from inside the five got the hosts into the endzone for a 7-0 lead, with 3:40 left in the first quarter.

Despite moving the ball well on a few occasions, the Dutchmen weren't able to get on the board until 3:24 to go in the first half. Eck capped a nine-play, 65-yard drive with a one-yard scoring run tie the game at 7-7.

The Engineers came back on the ensuing possession to retake the lead. Aided by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, RPI was able to move the ball to the Union 33 yard line. From there, sophomore kicker Andrew Franks drilled a school-record 50-yard field goal to give the Engineers a 10-7 lead at halftime.

Union held a 178 to 109 advantage in total yards at the break.

RPI drove down the field to start the third quarter, but were stopped inside the Union 20. Franks' 31-yard attempt had the distance, but went wide left. The Dutchmen took their first lead of the game with 3:46 left in the third quarter on a 31-yard passing play from Eck to Franzese. Rensselaer re-captured the lead on an 11-yard scoring play from Hermann to Caswell, making it 17-14, with 12:01 left in the third.

Exactly three minutes later, Union running back Dyland Schuck rumbled in from 23 yards out to give the visitors back the lead at 21-17.

After a Franks field goal brought the Engineers to within 21-20, the Dutchmen drove down the field quickly and scored to make it 28-20. Franzese capped the drive with two-yard touchdown run.

Union completed a 31st non-losing season in the past 32 years.