CARLISLE, Pa. - The Dickinson football team will look to build on a solid 2021 campaign on Saturday afternoon when they begin the 2022 season on the road with a first-ever matchup against the 20th-ranked Engineers of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) at 1 pm in Troy, New York.

Game Information
Location: Troy, N.Y. | ECAV Stadium
Kickoff: 1 pm
Records: Red Devils (4-6, 4-5 Centennial) | RPI (11-2, 5-1 Liberty League)
Head Coaches: Dickinson - Brad Fordyce (6th season, 16-24) | RPI - Ralph Isernia (9th season, 61-29)
Last Meeting: First ever meeting
Media Links: Live Video | Live Stats | Live Audio | Program

Inside the Devils Den
Schedule Overview
Dickinson will be tested right out of the gates this year as they play their first three games on the road which includes contests against No. 20 RPI (Saturday) and No. 11 Muhlenberg in the conference opener on Saturday, September 10th. After that the Red and White will attempt to hold onto the Bucket the following week when they head to Gettysburg (Sept. 17). The Devils finally will take to the Biddle Field turf on Saturday, September 24th at 1 pm when they welcome Susquehanna University for a Homecoming showdown. Dickinson will then make the trip into Maryland to battle McDaniel (Oct. 1), before taking the week off prior to squaring off with Moravian University for a special Friday Night Lights on October 14th at 6 pm. The always exciting Battle for the Conestoga Wagon occurs Saturday, October 22nd in Lancaster at 1 pm. The Devils will play their final two home games against Juniata (Oct. 29) and Johns Hopkins (Nov. 5) for Senior Day, before the season concludes in Collegeville versus Ursinus (Nov. 12).

New Men Under Center
Randolph-Macon College transfer Presley Egbers is expected to get the start at QB for the Red and White after playing in all ten games for the Yellow Jackets last season. He posted a 66.3 completion percentage going 65-98 through the air with seven touchdowns and three picks, while carrying the rock 84 times for 344 yards and eight scores. Egbers will now be on the Devils side after throwing for 165 and two tds to go along with 31 yards on the ground in the Jackets 31-21 win in Carlisle last year. Peter Graham, Matt Maiona, and Calvin Shirley are all on the roster as well. 

Rushing Attack
Last season's leading rusher Diante Ball is back to tote the rock for the Red and White after carrying 134 times for 594 yards and 6 touchdowns averaging 4.4 ypc. Princeton Douglass returns to the lineup as well picking up 256 yards on 34 rushes. Dickinson also has Noah Boyd, Maxwell Crow, Rob Gentile, Nikkos Kovanes, Alex Merrifield, and Adam Smith in the running back room that will look to make an impact. 

Pass Catchers
Douglass will look to build on a strong 2021 where he reeled in 73 passes racking up just under 1,000 yards at 919 with three tds. Johnny Knight and Bryce Peterson will provide some depth on the outside for the quarterback as they combined for 44 receptions and 553 yards to go along with four scores. Andrew Reale put up over 100 yards, while Devlin McCool added 58 and three touchdowns. Leon Friebel, A.J. Jennings, Bobby Markey, and Calder Shanks among others will hope to contribute to the attack. 

Defense Helps as Well
Dickinson brings back three three men that recorded 50 or more tackles led by Neville Krueger and Alex Sulin each with 61, while combining for 14 tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits, six sacks, three pass breakups, and two interceptions. Tommy Buchert is also back to bolster the d-core after posting 51 stops, two picks, and a fumble recovery. Defensive backs Keon Eady and Ellis Tompkins will look to build on their solid statlines from last year as they joined together for 59 tackles (37 solo) coupled with four pass breakups and three ints. The Red Devils have added numerous new players on the defensive side of the ball who will all try to make their names known throughout the season.

Inside the Factory
RPI is coming off an impressive 11-2 (5-1 Liberty League) mark last season and making a trip to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals where they fell 55-6 to No. 1 North Central College after knocking off Endicott (20-14) and SUNY Cortland (21-14). The Engineers have been outstanding on opening weekend over the past decade as they have posted an 11-1 record and have won nine straight. They have also built a fortress in Troy as they have not lost an opener at home since 2000 when they dropped a 24-10 decision to Plymouth State. 

Quarterback George Marinopoulos is back under center after throwing for 2,441 yards on 220-345 attempts with 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His options to distribute the ball to are quite impressive as they bring back a two-headed rushing tandam led Dylan Burnett who racked up 517 yards on 139 carries, while Delano Munoz Whatts added 512 yards through 117 attempts. Marinopoulos's top target from last year Peter Lombardi will provide a massive safety valve after putting up 72 catches for 674 yards and eight scores. Sterling Walker-Sutton returns to bring his 421 yards and 32 receptions to party. 

RPI is led defensively by the duo of Joe Deptula and Cole McGrath after they joined up for 142 tackles (69 solo), including a dozen for loss to go along with two sacks, one fumble recovery, and one interception. The Engineers also have a pair of D3football.com Preseason First Team All-Americans in lineman Josh Cohen and linebacker C.J. Lyons. Cohen was strong up front last season racking up 52 stops which included six tackles for loss and three sacks, while adding three quarterback hits and forcing a pair of fumbles. Lyons led the team last year in pass breakups with six and also contributed 52 tackles (36 solo). 

Stat Pack
Points per game - DC (20.4) | RPI (21.0)
Points Allowed per game - DC (21.0) | RPI (17.3)
Rushing Yards per game - DC (111.0) | RPI (90.2)
Passing Yards per game - DC (225.8) | RPI (198.2)
Total Offense per game - DC (336.8) | RPI (288.5)
Total Defense per game - DC (328.4) | RPI (281.5)
Penalty Yards per game - DC (58.3) | RPI (42.4)
Time of Possession - DC (27:25) | RPI (30:58)