Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University football team scored on its final two possessions of the first half and its first two possessions in the third quarter in taking a 28-7 lead and never looked back Saturday afternoon with a 28-14 victory over in-state rival Saint Francis in a Northeast Conference game at Joe Walton Stadium. The win improved the Colonials to 2-1 overall on the 2007 campaign, including a perfect 2-0 in league play, while the Red Flash fell to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in NEC action.

After a scoreless first quarter, RMU jumped out to a 7-0 advantage with a nine-play, 70-yard drive that was capped by a six-yard touchdown run from freshman halfback Myles Russ (Boca Raton, Fla. / West Boca). A key play on the drive came courtesy of junior quarterback Erik Cwalinski (Jacobsburg, Ohio / Shadyside), who was flushed out of the pocket and almost sacked but found an open Russ for an 18-yard pass play that put the Colonials on the Saint Francis 25-yard line. On the next play senior flanker Mario Hines (Ecorse, Mich. / Ecorse) gained 14 yards on an end-around, and four plays later Russ scored to give the Colonials a 7-0 lead.

Saint Francis answered on its next possession, marching 80 yards on 13 plays and knotting the score, 7-7, when Calvin Williams hit paydirt from a yard out. Red Flash quarterback George Little was 4-for-7 passing during the drive for 61 yards, including a 22-yard strike to Antoine Rivera on 1st-and-10 that put the ball at the RMU two-yard line. The Colonials got the ball back with just 1:56 remaining before halftime after the Saint Francis touchdown, but Cwalinski marched RMU 65 yards on eight plays, hooking up with sophomore tight end Chris Molnar (Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional) for a two-yard touchdown pass on a fade with just 14 seconds to play in the first half to put RMU back on top, 14-7. Cwalinski was 5-for-6 passing for 69 yards during the drive, including a 26-yard strike to Hines and an 18-yard completion to senior split end Alvin Hill (New Kensington, Pa. / Plum) that gave Robert Morris a 1st-and-goal from the Red Flash two-yard line.

Saint Francis went three-and-out on its first drive after the break, and on the ensuing punt Hines found an open seam, received a few good blocks and scampered 48 yards on the return before going out-of-bounds at the Red Flash 12-yard line. Two plays later Russ found the end zone again, this time from 12 yards out, to give the Colonials a 21-7 advantage. Again SFU went three-and-out, and this time Hines returned a Bobby Fuller punt 21 yards to the Red Flash 43-yard line. Hines capped a seven-play drive by hauling in a nine-yard touchdown pass from Cwalinski to give Robert Morris a 28-7 lead.

The score remained that way until the fourth quarter, when Little hooked up with Omar Winston for a 31-yard touchdown pass with 8:57 to play to pull the Red Flash within two scores, 28-14. The touchdown capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive, as Joe DeLeo caught a pair of passes from Little for 26 yards, while Little rushed for 16 yards. Little tried to rally Saint Francis late, but he was forced into bad passes by a Colonial defense that applied constant pressure and intercepted him four times on the afternoon, including a pair from senior safety James Kazil (Georgetown, Pa. / South Side).

Cwalinski completed 15 of his 30 passing attempts for 161 yards and two touchdowns and did not throw an interception, while Little finished 18-for-43 passing for 241 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions. He was also sacked three times. Russ paced the Robert Morris ground game with 89 yards rushing on 22 carries, averaging 4.0 yards per rush. Hines and Hill each caught four passes on the afternoon, as Hines finished with 56 yards receiving and Hill 48. Senior wide receiver Julian Ellison (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Carrick) finished with three receptions for 27 yards.

The Colonial defense was paced by senior linebacker Chad Wengert (Kempton, Pa. / Kutztown), who recorded 11 tackles while adding a forced fumble, interception, two passes defended, a half a sack and a quarterback hurry. Sophomore defensive lineman Mark Szymanski (Cadogan, Pa. / Ford City) and senior linebacker Jordan Howard (Uniontown, Ohio / Lake) each added seven tackles, with four of Szymanski's takedowns for losses that totaled five yards. He also added a pass breakup and four quarterback hurries.

Robert Morris returns to non-conference action next week when it travels to Morehead State for a 1:00 p.m. tilt at Jayne Field in Morehead, Ky. It marks the inaugural meeting between the Colonials and Eagles, who are a member of the Pioneer Football League (PFL).