Pittsburgh, Pa. - Larry McCoy's 13-yard touchdown run with 6:21 to play helped Duquesne stop the momentum of the Robert Morris University football team Saturday afternoon as the Dukes went on to a 34-20 win over the Colonials at Rooney Field.
RMU falls to 0-5 with the defeat, including 0-2 in the Northeast Conference, while Duquesne improves to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in league play.
The Dukes had taken a 27-0 advantage at the 11:13 mark of the third quarter when Connor Dixon connected with Jay Spinks for a 12-yard touchdown pass, but Robert Morris reeled off 20 straight points to close its deficit to 27-20 with 10:05 to play.
Freshman quarterback Jeff Sinclair (Natrona Heights, Pa. / Highlands), making his first collegiate start, got the Colonials on the board with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter when he connected with sophomore tight end Shadrae King (McKeesport, Pa. / McKeesport) for a 19-yard touchdown pass.
RMU was able to trim its deficit to 27-13 at the 14:02 mark of the fourth quarter when Sinclair scored on a nine-yard touchdown run, taking a hard hit by Duquesne's Nathan Totino at the 1-yard line before spinning and stretching into the end zone for the score.
The touchdown was set up by a muffed punt by the Dukes, as Dave Williams fumbled at the Duquesne 12-yard line, with junior Jamar Cromwell (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Schenley) coming up with the fumble recovery for the Colonials.
Robert Morris held Duquesne to three-and-out on its next possession, and Sinclair helped the Colonials pull closer by directing a seven-play, 66-yard drive that was capped by a 53-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Sherrod Evers (Philadelphia, Pa. / Mastbaum Area) with 10:05 to play.
The Dukes followed by putting together their own drive behind the legs of McCoy, who rushed for 42 yards on five carries on the deciding possession, including his 13-yard touchdown scamper that stretched the lead for Duquesne to 34-20.
The Dukes had taken a 20-0 halftime advantage thanks to a seven-yard touchdown pass from Dixon to Dave Williams in the first quarter and a pair of touchdown runs in the second quarter, including a one-yard touchdown plunge by Marek Lapinski and an 11-yard scoring scamper by McCoy.
Sinclair finished 20-for-36 passing for 219 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in his collegiate debut, with his 20 completions the most by a true freshman making his first collegiate start in a Robert Morris uniform. Sinclair's favorite target was King, who finished with a career-high six receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown. Evers added four catches for 85 yards and a score.
Junior running back Myles Russ (Boca Raton, Fla. / West Boca) finished with 85 yards rushing on 21 carries to lead Robert Morris on the ground, while the defense was paced by junior linebacker Alex DiMichele (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Sto-Rox), who recorded 12 tackles. Senior linebacker Ian Milanak (North Apollo, Pa. / Apollo-Ridge) added 10 stops.
The two teams combined for 22 penalties that totaled 228 yards, with Robert Morris and Duquesne each finishing with 11 infractions. The Dukes posted 408 yards of total offense compared to 312 for RMU.
Robert Morris concludes a two-game road swing Saturday, Oct. 10, when it travels to Arute Field for a Noon kickoff against Central Connecticut State in New Britain, Conn.
