RPI football beats Ithaca, earns 1st berth in NCAA playoffs since 2021

RPI quarterback Justin McCormcak jumps through a hole during a game against Hobart on Sept. 26 in Troy. (Jim Franco/Times Union) Senior tight end Grayson Hunter caught two touchdown passes as the RPI football team edged host Ithaca 14-10 on Saturday to earn the program's first trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs since 2021.The Engineers (7-2 overall, 6-0 Liberty League) won their sixth straight game to secure at least a share of the title with Ithaca (7-2, 6-1). RPI gets the Liberty League's automatic bid to the NCAAs because of the head-to-head tiebreaker."It's huge," RPI coach Ralph Isernia said. "It's something we've been working for, especially with this senior group the last four years. The time in the weight room and the time on the practice field, time in film meetings, all that stuff."RPI, which snapped a four-game losing streak against Ithaca, can win the league outright by beating Union College for the Dutchman Shoes Trophy in Troy next Saturday.Hunter, a backup behind starter Josh Young, made a diving 15-yard touchdown catch from starting quarterback Micah Balzarini for a 7-7 tie with 1:16 left in the second quarter.With 4:22 left in the third quarter, Hunter caught a 19-yard pass from backup quarterback Justin McCormack on a ball that was tipped by an Ithaca defender to put RPI ahead 14-10."Certainly, there's a lot of attention that goes to Josh Young, and that's understandable," Isernia said. "But (Hunter) is able to get open and he's made plays for us this entire year."Isernia said McCormack came into the game for Balzarini by design."Obviously, he brings another dimension with the run game and he's also an extremely effective passer as well," Isernia said.RPI's defense held Ithaca well below its league-leading average of 40.3 points per game. Defensive linemen Owen Boland and Cameron Keeperman combined on a sack of quarterback Michael Reed that helped stop a late Bombers drive.On the game's final play, Ithaca threw a Hail Mary pass from the RPI 48 that fell incomplete in a crowd in the end zone. RPI's Aidan Bekkenhuis was credited with the breakup.SubscribeThere’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at RPI football beats Ithaca, earns 1st berth in NCAA playoffs since 2021.