TROY, NY - The Utica College football team officially kicked off its second year of varsity football on Saturday afternoon at '86 Field in Troy, suffering a tough 47-0 loss to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

Engineer junior quarterback Dan Cole threw for 262 yards (17-of-24) and a school-record six touchdowns to lead his team to victory.

RPI opened the game with a 64-yard touchdown reception from Cole to senior Evan Cochran, a combination that would account for three of the Engineers seven touchdowns on the day. The Engineers also reached the end zone on a 36-yard pass from Cole to senior running back Pat Hughes, a 62-yard fumble recovery by junior defensive back Jai Echols, and an 18-yard pass and 3-yard pass from Cole to juniors Flynn Cochran and Joseph Gomez, respectively.

Highlighting the Pioneers' defensive efforts was junior linebacker Jason Colunio (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua) with a game-high 15 tackles (6 solo), one forced fumble, and an intercepted pass. Sophomore defensive back Christopher Sargis (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Ludden) added 12 tackles (5 solo), including two for lost yards. UC was led offensively by sophomore quarterback Aaron Rogers (Dundee, NY/Dundee Central), who went 14-for-34 for 130 yards and an interception, and freshman receiver Matthew Connors, who caught three passes for 56 yards.

Rounding out Utica's top performers was junior punter Jeff Muha (Boonville, NY/Adirondack), who averaged 44.3 yards on seven punts (310 yards), including a 61-yard bomb and three inside the 20-yard line.

The Pioneers kick off their home opener on Saturday, September 21, at 2:00 p.m. by hosting SUNY Brockport.

Click here for game statistics.