Statistics
WORCESTER, Mass. –- A 24-6 halftime deficit was too much for the University of New England football team to overcome on Friday night at Alumni Stadium as Worcester Polytechnic Institute earned a 31-13 victory.
UNE (0-2) amassed 365 total yards of offense – 209 through the air and 156 by ground – while WPI (2-0) racked up 286 yards, but benefitted from a plus-four turnover differential.
An eight-play, 60 yard touchdown drive by the Engineers on their opening possession helped WPI jump out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. The Nor'easters answered with a
Damien Jones touchdown run early in the second quarter, but wouldn't score again until the game was already out of reach with fewer than two minutes remaining in the fourth.
UNE quarterback
Chris Lang completed 18 of 34 attempts for 187 yards, and threw two interceptions, while also logging 14 carries for a game-high 69 yards.
Will Ledbetter assumed signal-calling duties during the Nor'easters final possession and capped off the drive, which featured a 43-yard run by
Austin Ingersoll, with a nine-yard touchdown pass to
Jack Poirier.
WPI's Mike Ingraffia threw for two touchdowns, including one in the final seconds of the first half that sent the Engineers into the break with an 18-point advantage, and rushed for a team-high 57 yards. Michael Doherty and Rashad Stepney paced the Engineers' defense with seven tackles apiece.
Oscar Clark was among a quartet of Nor'easter defenders with four tackles, and picked off Ingraffia in the first quarter.
With UNE within one score (10-6) following Jones' touchdown, WPI found paydirt on the ensuing possession, grabbing a 17-6 lead. Ingraffia's late first-half touchdown pass extended that lead, and after a slow start to the second half that saw both offenses combine for five consecutive three-and-outs, the Engineers broke through with another Ingraffia touchdown pass to take a commanding 31-6 lead.
The Nor'easters are in action at Blue Storm Stadium for the first time in 2024, hosting Gallaudet on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 12 p.m.
