WORCESTER, Mass. (Oct. 1, 2022) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy football team defeated WPI on the road in the NEWMAC Conference-opener, 41-14, at the Engineers' Alumni Stadium. The victory improves the Mariners' record to 3-1 (1-0 NEWMAC), while WPI falls to 2-3 (0-1 NEWMAC) after suffering the loss.
 
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It was a welcomed sight to have sophomore wide receiver Talsen Smith (Roseville, Calif.) back, as he played in his first game of the season and contributed to the victory in big ways. He finished with two catches for 98 yards, as both his hauls resulted in touchdowns – the first was a 44-yard catch and run midway through the second quarter to put Merchant Marine up for good, and then he caught a pass at ankles early in the third and scuttled 54 yards for a TD.
 
Senior QB Jeremiah Wang (Manassas, Va.) also had a great day with 98 passing yards on 2-of-4 completions with the two TDs, while also rushing for a game-high 144 yards and two touchdowns on the ground – a 16-yarder that opened the scoring in the first and a 49-yarder late in the third.
 
Junior fullback Ceaser Gonzalez (Norco, Calif.) amassed 54 yards on the ground and scored one touchdown.
 
Sophomore kicker Jackson Tinkis (Bossier City, La.) was unblemished on the day, nailing all five of his extra point attempts and also converting two field goals from 42 yards as time expired on the first half, and from 35 yards in the fourth.
 
The Mariners' only forced turnover of the game came before their fifth touchdown late in the third quarter, after Payton Gourley (Simi Valley, Calif.) stripped a WPI receiver after making a catch and Teddy Brunger (Indialantic, Fla.) jumped on the loose ball. Just two plays later, Wang scampered in for his 49-yard TD rush.
 
Defensively, seniors C.J. Mustain (Oro Valley, Ariz.) and Xavier Coleman (San Ramon, Calif.) both tied for the team-high with five tackles apiece. Mustain had a sack for a loss of 10 yards, while Coleman also had a sack for a loss of five. Three other Mariners had four stops on the day – seniors Connor Caffrey (Spokane Valley, Wash.) and Daniel Falzone (Medford, N.J.) and sophomore C.J. Livesay (Morristown, Tenn.). Livesay had two sacks for combined losses of 13 yards, while Falzone had two tackles for losses, including a sack that dropped the Engineers back six yards.
 
For the Engineers, QB Dante Coccagnia passed for 175 yards on 15-of-20 completions with two TDs. Noah Herzig hauled in three catches for 90 yards and one score, while Isaac Frederiqu caught two passes for 17 yards with one TD. Evan Wertz led all players defensively with 14 tackles.
 
Up next, the Mariners will host Norwich University next Saturday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is scheduled for 12-noon at Tomb Field. Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links on the USMMA Football Schedule Page.
 
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