Moon Township, Pa. - Senior Sherrod Evers (Philadelphia, Pa. / Mastbaum Area) tied the Robert Morris University single-game record for receptions with 10, including a 31-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, to help propel the Colonials to a 27-13 win over Morehead State in their 2008 season opener Saturday at Joe Walton Stadium. With the victory RMU moves to 1-0, while the Eagles fall to 1-1.

Going three-and-out on its first two possessions of the season, Robert Morris got its offense going late in the first quarter by marching 57 yards on eight plays before senior fullback Jesse Kastelic (Enola, Pa. / East Pennsboro) capped it with a one-yard touchdown plunge to give the Colonials a 7-0 lead. Sophomore halfback Myles Russ (Boca Raton, Fla. / West Roca) scampered for 20 yards on 1st-and-10 to open the drive, while senior quarterback Erik Cwalinski (Jacobsburg, Ohio / Shadyside) connected with Evers for a 27-yard completion down to the MSU three-yard line.

Sophomore kicker Garrett Clawson (Duncansville, Pa. / Hollidaysburg) extended the RMU lead to 13-0 with a pair of field goals in the second quarter, hitting his first in an RMU uniform from 22 yards out before connecting on a 35-yard field goal with 5:12 remaining before halftime.   

Robert Morris used the two-minute offense to perfection at the end of the first half to take a 20-0 lead, as Cwalinski found a streaking Evers for a 31-yard touchdown pass with 29 ticks left on the clock in the second quarter. RMU had got the ball back with just 1:01 remaining before the break and after an eight-yard completion from Cwalinski to senior tight end Regis Flowers (Irwin, Pa. / Norwin) the Colonials extended their lead with the score by Evers.

Meanwhile, the Robert Morris defense proved to be stingy in the first half, allowing Morehead State a total of 55 yards of total offense, including 14 rushes for just 20 yards. Evers recorded six catches for 128 yards and a touchdown in the first half, while the Colonial ground game combined for 81 yards on 19 carries. 

In the second half Kastelic hit paydirt for the second time on the afternoon, again from a yard out, to extend the Robert Morris advantage to 27-0 with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter. The big play came thanks to the arm of Cwalinski, who found freshman flanker James O'Quinn (Vandergrift, Pa. / Kiski Area) open for a 28-yard completion down to the MSU four-yard line.

Morehead State found some life on the ensuing kickoff, as Desmond Cox returned the ball 46 yards to set up shop for the Eagle offense at the RMU 47-yard line. MSU signal caller Evan Sawyer engineered a nine-play, 47-yard drive to get the Eagles on the board when Michael Kearns punched it in from a yard out. Mason Webb missed the extra point, however, to make the score 27-6 in favor of Robert Morris.

The Eagles got on the board again, this time with a 51-yard touchdown pass from Sawyer to Nick Feldman, at the start of the fourth quarter with 14:12 to play, but the Colonials kept Morehead State at bay behind their ground game.

Russ finished with a career-high 132 yards on just 19 carries, an average of 6.9 yards per rush, while junior Raphael Johnson (Clinton, Md. / Charles H. Flowers) carried nine times for 33 yards. Cwalinski completed 16 of his 26 passes for 225 yards and a score while not throwing an interception and suffering just two sacks. 

Sawyer finished 14-for-29 for 205 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice, while Feldman hauled in five catches for 93 yards and a score. Evers finished with 10 catches for 159 yards for Robert Morris, tying the single-game mark for receptions originally established by former wide receiver Tyjuan Massey (2002-05) against Sacred Heart Nov. 12, 2005.

The Colonial defense was paced by sophomore linebacker Alex DiMichele (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Sto-Rox), who finished with 10 tackles in his RMU debut. Junior linebacker Adam Lawrence (Big Run, Pa. / Dubois Area) added six takedowns and teamed with senior defensive end Shannon Smoot (Columbus, Ohio / Bishop Hartley) to provide RMU with its only sack of the afternoon.

Robert Morris continues its 2008 campaign by hosting Bucknell at Walton Stadium Saturday, Sept. 13, at 1:00 p.m.