Lewisburg, Pa. - Bucknell intercepted a pair of Desmond Brentley (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Perry) passes and returned them both for touchdowns early in the second half to turn a 10-10 tie into a 24-10 advantage and the Bison held on for a 26-23 win over the Robert Morris University football team Saturday night at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The defeat drops the Colonials to 0-2 on the 2009 campaign, while Bucknell improves to 1-1.
On the second play from scrimmage to start the second half, Brentley dropped back and tried to hit senior wide receiver Sherrod Evers (Philadelphia, Pa. / Mastbaum Area) on a slant, but Brigham Farrand stepped in front of the pass, intercepted it and raced 19 yards untouched to the end zone to give Bucknell a 17-10 lead at the 14:10 mark of the third quarter.
Three plays later Brentley tried to hit Evers again, but this time Greg Jones stepped in front of the pass for the pick and galloped 25 yards to the end zone for the score and a 24-10 Bison lead.
RMU clawed back on its next possession, as on the first play of the drive junior halfback Myles Russ (Boca Raton, Fla. / West Boca) broke through the line and found daylight to scamper 60 yards to the end zone for a touchdown, trimming the deficit for the Colonials to 24-17. After each team battled to a 10-10 tie at halftime, a total of 21 points were put on the board in the first two minutes and 40 seconds of the third quarter.
Defense took center stage the rest of the contest, as Robert Morris held Bucknell to just 25 yards of total offense in the second half and -18 yards rushing overall thanks to six sacks in the contest.
The Colonials chipped away at the Bison lead thanks to the leg of junior kicker Garrett Clawson (Duncansville, Pa. / Hollidaysburg), who connected on a 25-yard field goal with 12:56 to play and drilled a career-long 44-yarder with 5:13 remaining to help close Robert Morris within one, 24-23.
Bucknell was held to one first down on its ensuing drive after Clawson's third field goal of the game, and the Colonials got the ball back at their own 16-yard line after a 41-yard punt by Andrew Bell with 2:08 to go.
Senior quarterback Camdin Crouse (Snow Shoe, Pa. / Bald Eagle), who relieved Brentley in the third quarter, started the drive with a pair of incompletions, and a seven-yard run by Crouse on 3rd-and-10 was called back after a holding penalty. Faced with a 3rd-and-18 from its own eight-yard line, Crouse tried to find an open receiver but instead was sacked in the end zone by Will Braaf and Tyler Anderson for a safety, giving Bucknell a 26-23 advantage.
RMU tried an onside kick after the safety and was able to recover, with junior Josh Kiel (Valencia, Pa. / Mars Area) coming up with the loose ball with 1:37 remaining. With one last chance the Colonials couldn't convert, with Rob Gerlach helping the Bison seal the win with his second interception of the game and Bucknell's fifth pick of the night.
The Bison had taken an early 3-0 lead on a 21-yard field goal by Drew Orth, but Robert Morris came back to take a 7-3 late in the first quarter lead when Brentley hit Evers on a slant pattern. Evers outran five Bucknell defenders to the end zone for a 55-yard touchdown reception and an RMU lead.
Clawson hit the first of his three field goals on the night with just 1:16 to play before halftime, a 40-yard boot, to help give the Colonials a 10-3 advantage, but the Bison used their two-minute offense to perfection to send the game tied into halftime, 10-10. Quarterback Marcello Trigg connected with running back A.J. Kizekai for a 22-yard touchdown pass with just two seconds left before the break, as Kizekai came out of the backfield and got behind the RMU defenders to haul in the touchdown pass.
That touchdown was the only blemish from a Colonial defensive unit that put forth its second straight solid effort, holding Bucknell to 183 yards of total offense. Linebackers Alex DiMichele (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Sto-Rox) and Elias Navarro (Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / South Plantation) tied for game-high honors with eight tackles each, with DiMichele posting one of RMU's six sacks.
Linebacker Ian Milanak (North Apollo, Pa. / Apollo Ridge) and safety Michael Landers (Springdale, Pa. / Springdale) each recorded six tackles, with Milanak joining a sack parade that also saw defensive linemen Mark Szymanski (Cadogan, Pa. / Ford City) and Mike Lovely (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Keystone Oaks), linebacker Adam Lawrence (Dubois, Pa. / Big Run) and cornerback James Snider (Newark, Del. / Valley Forge Military Academy) each record a takedown of either C.J. Hopson or Trigg.
Russ led the Colonials on the ground with his second consecutive 100-yard rushing performance to open the season, compiling 117 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Evers paced the Robert Morris receivers with eight catches for 139 yards and a touchdown.
Brentley completed 10 of his 21 passing attempts for 157 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions before being pulled in the third quarter, and Crouse finished 7-for-16 passing in relief for 105 yards and an interception.
Robert Morris is next in action Saturday, Sept. 19, when it opens the home portion of its 2009 schedule by hosting Dayton for a noon kickoff at Joe Walton Stadium.
