Moon Township, Pa. - A pair of second-half touchdown runs helped Monmouth send the Robert Morris University football team to its third straight defeat Saturday afternoon as the Hawks garnered a 34-26 victory at Joe Walton Stadium in the 2008 Northeast Conference opener for both teams. Monmouth improves to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in the NEC with the win, while the Colonials fall to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in league play.   

Trailing, 21-13, entering the second half, RMU used a 10-play, 76-yard drive to close within two, 21-19, when senior quarterback Erik Cwalinski (Jacobsburg, Ohio / Shadyside) hooked up with freshman tight end Shadrae King (McKeesport, Pa. / McKeesport) for an 11-yard touchdown pass.

The Hawks responded on their next drive, marching 76 yards on 14 plays to take a 28-19 edge when David Sinisi scored from nine yards out. Monmouth added to its advantage when the Colonials went three-and-out on their next possession and Bobby Giles capped a seven-play, 70-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge to increase the lead to 34-19 in favor of the Hawks with 14:54 to play.  

Robert Morris clawed back in the game thanks to the wheels of sophomore halfback Myles Russ (Boca Raton, Fla. / West Boca), who scored from 11 yards out to close RMU's deficit to 34-26 with 13:05 to go. On the first play of the drive Russ broke through the defensive line of the Hawks and found daylight, scampering 54 yards down to the Monmouth 32-yard line. Cwalinski then hooked up with senior tight end Regis Flowers (Irwin, Pa. / Norwin) and King for consecutive completions before Russ found the end zone.  

Monmouth couldn't convert a first down on its next possession, giving the Colonials the ball back with 10:44 to go. However, on third-and-five Cwalinski was sacked for the second time on the afternoon by Kevin Walsh, forcing RMU to punt. The Hawks then played keep away, eating time off the clock with a series of runs and advancing the ball to the Robert Morris 34-yard line before the drive stalled on fourth-and-one when Sinisi was stopped in the backfield for a one-yard loss.    

RMU couldn't get its offense going in its last possession of the game, as Cwalinski couldn't find an open receiver on third or fourth down before the Colonials turned the ball over on downs.   

In the first half, Monmouth took a 7-0 lead by marching 72 yards after the opening kickoff, with quarterback Brett Burke hitting John Nalbone with a 10-yard touchdown pass. The Colonials came back to tie it, 7-7, with 13:36 to go before halftime when Cwalinski connected with Flowers for an eight-yard touchdown pass.

The Hawks used a trick play to take a 14-7 lead when Rodney Salomon took the pitch on an end around and found daylight down the visiting sideline for a 36-yard touchdown scamper. RMU answered with 3:05 left before the break, when Cwalinski hit freshman flanker James O'Quinn (Vandergrift, Pa. / Kiski Area) with a 12-yard touchdown pass. However, the extra point attempt was off the mark, keeping the Colonials down one, 14-13.

Monmouth was able to take an eight-point advantage at halftime by going 72 yards in just one minute and 22 seconds before Troy Yudin got behind the secondary to haul in a 46-yard touchdown pass from Burke with 1:38 remaining in the second quarter.  

Cwalinski finished 11-for-23 passing for 197 yards and three touchdowns, but offensively the afternoon belonged to Russ, who carried 25 times for a career-high 205 yards and a touchdown. Flowers finished with four catches for 53 yards and a score, while King recorded three catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. 

A trio of Colonials finished in double-digits in tackles, as sophomores Troy Cree (Waynesburg, Pa. / Waynesburg Central) and Alex DiMichele (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Sto-Rox) each finished with 12 takedowns, while junior safety Michael Landers (Springdale, Pa. / Springdale) posted 11 stops. 

Robert Morris continues its 2008 NEC schedule in its next contest, traveling to Fairfield, Conn., for a 1:00 p.m. tilt with Sacred Heart at Campus Field Saturday, Oct. 4.