Box Score TROY, N.Y. -- Three first-half turnovers by Allegheny allowed No. 19 RPI to build a 24-7 lead at halftime, which the Gators were unable to recover from as the Engineers pulled away in the second half of a 52-14 nonconference opener for both teams.

A pair of fumbles on Allegheny's first two drives led directly to RPI's first two scores, but the Gators cut the lead in half with a 10-play, 64-yard drive that was capped by a nine-yard scoring strike from junior QB Nazareth Greer (Apache Junction, Ariz./Marcos De Niza) to classmate tight end Austin French (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver Falls) at the 11:52-mark of the second quarter.

On the ensuing possession, junior defensive lineman Hunter Cazin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) intercepted RPI at the Engineers' 18-yard line, but was caught from behind on the return and fumbled the ball through the end zone for a touchback. RPI turned the miscue into a field goal to push the lead out to 17-7, and added another TD just before the end of the half to take a 24-7 lead into intermission.

Greer accounted for Allegheny's second touchdown when he sprinted in from six yards out to make it 45-14 with 9:39 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The junior quarterback finished the game with a 300-plus yard passing game against RPI for a consecutive season. After putting up 370 in 2018, Greer completed 30-of-47 passes for 318 yards and a score. It was his second career 300-yard game.

Senior wide receiver Ben Bachik  finished with a game-high eight receptions for a career-high 112 yards. Senior Dwaine Barber (Hialeah, Fla./Hialeah Gardens) hauled in five passes for 84 yards and senior Alex Victor (Miami, Fla./G. Holmes Braddock) made seven catches for 54 yards. French finished with four grabs, including the touchdown, and 35 yards.

Defensively, three Gators recorded double-digit stops with senior Corey Laskey (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) leading all players with a career-high 16 tackles (seven solo). Senior Kyle McGee (Manilus, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manilus) and junior Chase Balla (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) both posted 13 stops, establishing a new career high for McGee. Freshman Hudson Alread (Victor, N.Y./Victor) made nine tackles in his collegiate debut.

Allegheny will be idle next weekend before hosting Wabash in both the 2019 home and North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) openers at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21.