Albany, N.Y. - Dan Di Lella's three touchdown passes in the first half helped Albany jump out to a 21-0 lead as the Great Danes snapped a two-game winning streak by the Robert Morris University football team Saturday afternoon with a 28-17 win over the Colonials at University Field.
Albany moved into sole possession of first place in the Northeast Conference standings with the victory, improving to 4-2 overall and a perfect 3-0 in league play, while RMU dipped to 2-4 overall and 2-1 in the NEC.
On the first play of the second possession of the afternoon for the Great Danes, Di Lella hit Cole King for a 44-yard touchdown pass to give Albany an early 7-0 lead. Di Lella would strike again on Albany's next possession, this time hitting Nick Hutcherson with a nine-yard touchdown pass that capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive and gave the Great Danes a 14-0 advantage.
Di Lella's third touchdown strike of the first half came with 4:12 left before the break when he hit Ryan Kirchner in the back of the end zone for a 27-yard scoring pass. Meanwhile, the Robert Morris offense struggled in the first half, going three-and-out four times and accumulating just six first downs.
RMU's offense sprung to life in the second half, as junior quarterback Jeff Sinclair (Natrona Heights, Pa. / Highlands) engineered a 10-play, 62-yard drive and capped it with an eight-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Donte Jeter (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Oliver).
Jeter hauled in all three of his receptions of the game during the drive, accumulating 25 yards and his first career touchdown.
Albany stalled at the 24-yard line of the Colonials on its next drive, and a 42-yard field goal attempt by Herb Glass fell short due to stiffening winds.
Robert Morris responded by marching to the Albany 19-yard line before settling for a 36-yard field goal by junior Greg Langer (Wexford, Pa. / Pine-Richland) to close to within 21-10 at the end of the third quarter.
The Great Danes helped squash any chance of an RMU comeback on their next drive, calling six straight running plays, the last of which was a one-yard touchdown plunge by Dillon Romain. On the second play of the drive, Romain galloped 34 yards to the RMU 29-yard line and finished with five carries for 63 yards during the decisive possession.
Sinclair added a 17-yard touchdown run with just 26 seconds remaining for the final score of the game and finished the afternoon with 236 yards of total offense.
In addition to completing 12 of his 33 pass attempts for 158 yards and a touchdown, Sinclair added 78 yards rushing on 14 carries and a score to pace the RMU ground game.
Jeter, senior tight end Shadrae King (McKeesport, Pa. / McKeesport) and junior wide receiver Rickeem Jackson (Orlando, Fla. / College of Canyons) each finished with three receptions, with Jackson accumulating 37 yards receiving and King 29.
Romain finished with 93 yards rushing, while Drew Smith added 17 carries for 90 yards for the Great Danes. Di Lella finished 20-for-30 passing for 279 yards and three touchdowns and was sacked just once as Albany finished with 473 yards of total offense on the afternoon.
Defensively the Colonials were led by junior safety Cameron Chadwick (Vista, Calif. / College of Canyons), who recorded a game and career-high 16 tackles.
Seniors Alex Tarr (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) and Jon Krepps (Belle Vernon, Pa. / Belle Vernon) registered nine and eight tackles, respectively, while junior linebacker Kyle Cooper (Hurricane, W. Va. / Hurricane) posted two and-a-half tackles for loss, including a sack, among his seven takedowns.
Robert Morris returns home to Joe Walton Stadium to open a two-game homestand Saturday, Oct. 22, when it welcomes Bryant for a Noon kickoff.
Notes: Albany snapped a two-game losing streak against Robert Morris with the win and took a 7-6 (.538) advantage in the all-time series ... The defeat marked just RMU's second loss against an NEC foe in its last 16 league games ... The Great Danes racked up 473 yards of total offense and also suffered 14 penalties that cost them 134 yards ... The Colonials compiled 293 total yards ... Robert Morris was a perfect 3-for-3 in fourth-down conversions yet 3-for-16 in third-down conversions ... Sinclair eclipsed 4,000 career yards of total offense with 236 against Albany, pushing his total to 4,142, which ranks sixth all-time at Robert Morris ... Sinclair has been responsible for 12 of RMU's 15 touchdowns so far this season ... King has now recorded at least one reception in 25 straight games dating back to the 2009 season ... Senior wide receiver Anthony Coleman (Cheltenham, Md. / St. John's College High School) is 11 yards shy of eclipsing 3,000 career all-purpose yards after finishing with 139 against the Great Danes ... Robert Morris finished with seven tackles for losses that totaled 19 yards ... Chadwick's 16 tackles are the most by a Colonial since former linebacker Alex DiMichele (2006-10) finished with 19 in a 35-14 win @ Saint Francis (10/2/10) ... RMU's 80-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a 17-yard touchdown run by Sinclair in the fourth quarter is its longest of the 2011 season.
