Nov. 1: St. Lawrence University got touchdowns from its offense, defense and special teams on Saturday, as the Saints knocked off WPI in Worcester, MA by the score of 20-7.  The victory sets St. Lawrence on a collision course with nationally-ranked Hobart, as the two teams will square off in a Liberty League championship game next Saturday, November 8 at Leckonby Stadium.

St. Lawrence (7-1, 5-0) struggled at times against the Engineers (3-5, 3-2) in the rain, as WPI finished with a 259-172 advantage in total yardage.  However, captain Evan Lapice had two interceptions on the day including an 80-yard pick-six for a score, while James Holley-Grisham returned a punt 52 yards for a touchdown, the first punt return for a touchdown by a St. Lawrence player in Liberty League play.  Finally, Mike Lefflbine capped St. Lawrence's scoring with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Chris Shannon, who climbed the ladder and got a foot down for a fantastic catch in the back of the end zone.

"That was a great road win against a tough opponent," said St. Lawrence head coach Mark Raymond.  "We made some great plays on special teams and created some timely turnovers."

 The Saints offense did much of its damage on the ground, with Jake Gnieser and Maurice Irby splitting carries as the team outrushed WPI 121-42.  Lefflbine was 6-of-12 passing for 51 yards and a score, while WPI's Dan Eckler completed 21-of-37 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown, but was done in by three interceptions.  Brandon Eccher had a big game for the Engineers with 150 yards receiving on 13 catches.

Defensively, the St. Lawrence secondary continued to thrive with the three interceptions including one from league-leader Holley-Grisham.  The Scarlet and Brown, who also had nine pass break-ups and 10.0 tackles for a loss on the day, got strong games from Alec Dietsch (nine tackles, 3.0 for a loss) and William Garrity (eight tackles. 0.5 for a loss).  WPI's defense was anchored by Brian Murtagh, who had a game-high 11 tackles and added an interception.

Lapice opened the scoring with his first career touchdown at 8:35 of the first quarter, as he intercepted Eckler at the Saints' 20-yard line and took it 80 yards for the score and a 6-0 St. Lawrence lead.  The pick-six thwarted early momentum that WPI had built, as Andrew Carvalho added the extra point for a 7-0 advantage.

Despite having just two first downs midway through the first half, the Saints extended the lead to 13-0 with just 4:22 remaining until intermission.  With WPI backed up in its own end, Vinny Tavernelli kicked a 38-yard punt that fell to Holley-Grisham at the Saints' 48 yard line.  The Rochester, NY native did the rest, as he found a seam and raced 52 yards for the special team's touchdown.  The point after failed.

Meanwhile, the St. Lawrence defense was able to shut out WPI in the half, never allowing the Engineers into the red zone.  Eckler had the home team driving on its last chance of the half at the St. Lawrence 35-yard line, only to be intercepted by Lapice again to end the drive and keep the Saints ahead 13-0 at intermission.

The defensive stand allowed the visitors to extend the lead to 20-0 on the team's best offensive drive of the day, an 8-play, 75-yard scoring march.  Lefflbine was key on the drive, as he found Mitch Gallagher for a 17-yard completion, then followed a defensive pass interference penalty with a 19-yard scramble to reach the WPI 18.  On 3rd-and-3, he found Shannon for the 11-yard strike for the 19-0 lead, with Carvalho's point after making it 20-0 with 10:59 to go in the third.

St. Lawrence's defense would make the lead stand up, as it forced three consecutive three-and-out drives from WPI.  The Engineers would make it a game late thanks to a touchdown pass from Eckler to Liam Koenen, making it 20-7, and had a key chance to draw even closer in the final minutes.  However, St. Lawrence's defense held on a goal line stand, as WPI failed to score on four plays inside the 8-yard line, coming away empty thanks to a pass break-up on fourth down by Jayson Leigh.  The Saints, who ran the ball throughout most of the second half to keep the clock moving with the lead, ran out the clock after a fumble by Eckler at the Saints' 29 yard line, with Nick Barclay recovering to ensure the victory.

St. Lawrence will take on Hobart College, currently ranked eighth in the national poll, next Saturday at 1:00pm with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line.  The Saints have defeated the Statesmen just once since 1992, but it was under Coach Raymond in 2010, the program's lone Liberty League Championship season.