Moon Township, Pa. - Senior Regis Flowers (Irwin, Pa. / Norwin) scored a 22-yard touchdown with 5:01 remaining on a reception from senior quarterback Erik Cwalinski (Jacobsburg, Ohio / Shadyside) to help lift the Robert Morris University football team to a 34-27 victory over crosstown rival Duquesne Saturday afternoon at Joe Walton Stadium.

The win snaps a four-game losing streak and improves the Colonials to 2-4 overall on the 2008 campaign, including 1-2 in Northeast Conference play, while the Dukes fell to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in league action.     

A back-and-forth affair all afternoon, Duquesne tried to answer the eventual game-winning touchdown by RMU, but after reaching the Colonial 41-yard line the Robert Morris defense stiffened, forcing three straight incompletions by Dukes signal caller Connor Dixon. Faced with a 4th-and-10, Dixon completed a pass in the flat to Conrad Carter, but he gained just five yards, turning the ball back over to RMU.

The Colonials ran out the final 3:52 of action on the heels of sophomore halfback Myles Russ (Boca Raton, Fla. / West Boca), who rushed five times for 18 yards on the final possession of the afternoon. Russ finished the game with  a career-high 246 yards on a Robert Morris single-game record 37 attempts.

Duquesne took an early 7-0 lead when Kevin Rombach connected with Alex Roberson for a 31-yard touchdown pass on fourth down that came with 5:58 to go in the first quarter. It was the first passing attempt for Rombach on the afternoon, who came in after Dixon suffered a bruised forearm on the previous play after picking up 13 yards on the ground.    

Robert Morris put its first points of the afternoon on the board when sophomore kicker Garrett Clawson (Duncansville, Pa. / Hollidaysburg) converted a 21-yard field goal at the 3:23 mark of the first quarter. The Dukes looked like they were going to take control in the second quarter, but the RMU defense held firm, with a pair of Mark Troyan field goals, one for 20 yards and another for 37, increasing the Duquesne lead to 13-3 with 6:16 left before halftime.     

Russ helped the Colonials claw back in the second quarter, capping a three-play, 56-yard drive with a 51-yard tight-rope touchdown run down the visiting sidelines to close RMU within three, 13-10. Robert Morris was able to send the game into the break tied, 13-13, when Clawson hit a 35-yard field goal with just two seconds left on the first-half clock. Cwalinski was 5-for-6 passing during the drive, hitting five different receivers. The big play came on 1st-and-10 when he connected with freshman tight end Shadrae King (McKeesport, Pa. / McKeesport) for a 16-yard completion down to the DU 24-yard line to help set up the trifecta.    

Duquesne went three-and-out on its first series of the second half, and the Colonials took their first lead of the afternoon when Cwalinski completed a five-yard pass to sophomore T.J. Green (Stamford, Conn. / Milford Academy) for a touchdown to give the Colonials a 19-13 lead after the extra point attempt was muffed. The Dukes answered on their next possession, marching 77 yards on 11 plays before Cleo Williams found paydirt with a two-yard touchdown run to give the lead back to Duquesne, 20-19. 

Russ would score his second touchdown of the afternoon, this time from 18 yards out, to put the Colonials back on top, 25-20, with 1:19 left in the third quarter. RMU went for the two-point conversion, but Cwalinski's pass to Green was off the mark. However, the Dukes were whistled for pass interference, giving Robert Morris a second chance. Senior Jesse Kastelic (Enola, Pa. / East Pennsboro) converted for the Colonials on the second opportunity to increase the lead to 27-20. 

Duquesne opened the fourth quarter with a 10-play, 75-yard drive to knot the score for the second time, 27-27, when Williams scored from a yard out for his second touchdown of the afternoon. Robert Morris was able to put the eventual game-winning points on the board with 5:01 to go with a 12-play, 71-yard drive that was capped by the touchdown catch by Flowers. Russ carried the ball seven times for 39 yards during the decisive drive.  

The 246 yards on the ground for Russ is the third highest single-game total in school history, while his 37 attempts eclipses the single-game record of 36 established by former running back Sam Dorsett (1999-2003) in a 27-17 victory at Central Connecticut State (10/11/03). The total is also the seventh highest single-game total in the history of the Northeast Conference.   

Cwalinski finished 13-for-21 passing for 165 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, completing at least two passes to four different receivers. Flowers paced the receiving corps with three catches for 49 yards and a score, while Green caught three passes for 29 yards and a touchdown. Freshman James O'Quinn (Vandergrift, Pa. / Kiski Area) compiled 161 all-purpose yards on the afternoon, returning four kickoffs for 144 yards, including a 64-yard return in the first quarter, while catching one pass for 17 yards.   

Dixon finished 13-for-23 passing for 130 yards for Duquesne, while Rombach was 6-for-12 for 80 yards and a touchdown. Alex Roberson finished with five catches for 98 yards and a touchdown, while Williams rushed 18 times for 67 yards and two touchdown for the Dukes.

Defensively, Duquesne's Nathan Totino recorded a game-high 14 tackles, including five solo, while Chidozie Oparanozie recorded 11 stops. Robert Morris was led by sophomore linebacker Alex DiMichele (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Sto-Rox), who recorded 11 tackles, including two solo, and a quarterback hurry.

RMU takes to the road to complete its 2008 non-conference schedule Saturday, Oct. 18, when it visits Bryant for the first time in school history for a 1:00 p.m. tilt at Bulldog Stadium in Smithfield, R.I.