KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Oct. 21, 2023) – USMMA junior wide receiver Talsen Smith (Roseville, Calif.) had three touchdown receptions over 60 yards each, as he crushed his own single-game receiving record, finishing with a total of 324 receiving yards in the Mariners' 40-28 home NEWMAC win over WPI on Saturday at Brooks Stadium. Merchant Marine improves to 6-1 (4-1 NEWMAC) on the season, while the Engineers fall to 3-4 (1-3 NEWMAC) with the loss.
 
Prior to kickoff, the Mariners paid tribute to their 18 graduating seniors with a special Senior Day ceremony honoring Andrew Airosus (Quincy, Mass.), Buddy Arensberg (Mobile, Ala.), Jacob Berault (Slidell, La.), John Boruch (Newport, R.I.), Teddy Brunger (Indialantic, Fla.), Joseph Franco (Staten Island, N.Y.), Ceaser Gonzalez (Norco, Calif.), Alex Goodwin (Pensacola, Fla.), Payton Gourley (Simi Valley, Calif.), Thomas Joyce (Taunton, Mass.), Noah Kunce (Elk Grove, Calif.), Nathan Mars (Scarborough, Mass.), Giovanni Orcesi (Dexter, N.Y.), Hayden Redd (Logandale, Nev.), Randy Ruple (Menifee, Calif.), Cole Simmons (Montrose, Colo.), Ben Carney (El Paso, Texas) and Jackson Troutt (Fairfield, Calif.).
 
Game Links

• Box Score
• Senior Day Gallery
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Head Coach Jameson Croall
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Junior Talsen Smith 

Sophomore quarterback Gervy Alota (San Diego, Calif.) had the best game of his young career with 355 yard passing on 17-of-26 passing with three touchdowns. He also scored a one-yard TD on a keeper late in the second quarter. On the ground, Simmons and Gonzalez did the bulk of the carrying and amassed 74 and 59 yard, respectively, with Gonzalez finding the end zone late in the contest.
 
Defensively, junior Jack Temple (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) recorded 4.5 tackles for losses that dropped WPI back a combined 12 yards, including three sacks, as he finished the day with six total tackles and one quarterback hurry. Classmate C.J. Livesay (Morristown, Tenn.) led the Mariners with eight tackles, including a half-tackle for a loss, while also pressuring the Engineer QB to pass once. Fellow junior Nicolas Espada (Babylon, N.Y.) and freshman Aidan Graham (Allen, Texas) both ended the day with seven tackles each, with Graham also registering a sack and a fumble recovery.
 
The game was close throughout, but USMMA led from wire-to-wire.
 
The Mariners started the game with a surprise on-side kick, and their opening drive ended with a 35-yard field goal by junior Jackson Tinkis (Bossier City, La.). After a three-and-out by the Merchant Marine defense, Smith's first receiving TD of the day came on the first play of next possession and went for 68 yards, however the extra-point was missed and the Mariners led 9-0 at 9:49.
 
WPI marched 72 yard in eight plays on the next drive, capped off by a 31-yard touchdown pass from senior QB Terrence Benedict to classmate Jay Mezzo and the PAT made it 9-7.
 
Three more times the Mariners would find the end zone, including 65-yard and 61-yard receptions by Smith, but each time the Engineers would answer back to make it a two-point game. That was until the Merchant Marine defense shut out WPI in the fourth quarter, and Tinkis added a 32-yard field goal at 11:33 to make it a five-point game, followed by a one-yard run by Gonzalez late in the quarter that closed out the scoring.
 
On the last two WPI drives, Temple recorded two sacks and had his one QB hurry to help keep the Engineers off the board.
 
For WPI, Benedict finished the day with 276 passing yards on 21-of-31 completions with three touchdowns. Senior Hunter Carey led the Engineer ground game with 58 yards and one touchdown, classmate Noah Herzig hauled in a team-high five catches for 45 yards and three different players had receiving touchdowns – senior Douglas Cain, who finished with 66 yards, Mezzo, who had 65 and senior Bryce Curtin, who had 49.
 
On defense, junior Gavin Chieff led all players with 13 tackles, while Frankie Polito and Jimmy Espinal both had nine stops apiece, with Polito recovering a fumble and Espinal recording one tackle for a loss.
 
Up next, the Mariners travel up to Springfield, Mass., next weekend for a big clash with the first-place Pride on Saturday, Oct. 28, beginning at noon at Springfield's Stagg 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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