KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Oct. 4, 2025) – In a classic NEWMAC grinder with no touchdowns either way, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy football team leaned on special teams and a stingy defense to edge MIT, 6-3, on Saturday afternoon at Brooks Stadium. The Mariners stay unbeaten at 4-0 overall (2-0 NEWMAC), while the Engineers fall to 2-2 (0-2 NEWMAC).
Game Links
Freshman
Karson Bye (Liberty Hill, Texas) was perfect on two field goal attempts, drilling a 41-yarder on the final snap of the first half and the go-ahead 44-yarder with 4:41 left in the fourth. Classmate
Calvin Evans (Tualatin, Ore.) flipped the field all afternoon, punting five times for a 41.2 average with a long of 58 and three downed inside the 20 — including darts to the MIT 11, 2 and 1 in the second half that set up defensive stands.
USMMA's defense did the rest, piling up three sacks for 26 yards and generating a pair of takeaways. Senior
Chase Shavey's (Mercer Island, Wash.) end-zone interception for a touchback erased an MIT red-zone trip midway through the second quarter, and classmate
Caleb Green (Flower Mound, Texas) forced and recovered a fumble on MIT's final desperation attempt at the end of the game in the fourth quarter.
How It Happened
- MIT 3-0 (4:09, 1Q): Engineers finished a 14-play, 67-yard march with a 22-yard field goal.
- USMMA 3-3 (0:00, 2Q): After a late surge sparked by field position and a Shavey punt return, Bye banged through 41 yards as time expired.
- USMMA 6-3 (4:41, 4Q): A methodical 15-play, 54-yard drive over 9:13 set up Bye's 44-yard winner. Evans had earlier pinned MIT at the 2 to start the series that ended with back-to-back sacks bridging the third and fourth quarters and a short MIT punt to the USMMA 19 — the springboard for the decisive drive.
Defensive Leaders
- Senior Jonathan Hardy (Savannah, Ga.) logged a game-high 10 tackles (8 solo) with a 9-yard sack and 1.0 TFL.
- Sophomore Chase Laux (Oro Valley, Ariz.) added 9 tackles (8 solo).
- Junior Zatyk Holub (Mount Vernon, Iowa) tallied 7 stops with 0.5 TFL and a pass breakup.
- Freshman Joe Laureano (Staten Island, N.Y.) and senior Stephen Scroggins (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) each recorded a sack (10 and 7 yards, respectively).
- Additional TFLs: sophomore Trent Sterner (North Kingstown, R.I.) (1.0/1), junior Aidan Graham (Allen, Texas) (0.5/1), junior Armondo Orcesi (Dexter, N.Y.) (1.0/1).
By The Numbers
- USMMA out-punted MIT in net (41.2-38.2) and owned the fourth quarter's clock (10:21 TOP).
- Total offense was nearly even (USMMA 221, MIT 232), with the Mariners rushing for 160 yards on 52 attempts.
- Senior Gervy Alota (San Diego, Calif.) led all-purpose yards with 96 (48 rush, 48 receive); sophomore Bubba Mustain (Oro Valley, Ariz.) ran 19 times for 58 and went 4-of-6 for 61 through the air; junior Seamus Bonte (Westerville, Ohio) added 32 rushing yards.
- The defense held MIT to 2.1 yards per rush and 4-of-12 on third down.
Merchant Marine remains undefeated in NEWMAC play at 2-0, powered by airtight defense, elite field position from Evans, and the steady right leg of Bye.
The Mariners are right back home next Saturday, Oct. 11, when they host NEWMAC rival SUNY Maritime on Homecoming and Hall of Fame Weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Brooks Stadium.
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