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West Long Branch, N.J. - Junior quarterback Jeff Sinclair's (Natrona Heights, Pa. / Highlands) 21-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Shadrae King (McKeesport, Pa. / McKeesport) with 5:15 to play proved to be the game winner as the Robert Morris University football team earned its first victory of the 2011 campaign Saturday afternoon with a 23-20 win over Monmouth at Kessler Field.

The Colonials improved to 1-3 overall on the 2011 campaign, including 1-0 in the Northeast Conference, while the Hawks slipped to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in league play.

The final score of the contest capped a nine-play, 79-yard drive by RMU that was aided by one of Monmouth's 13 penalties on the afternoon. Faced with a 4th-and-4 situation at their own 27-yard line, the Colonials were set to punt, but a substitution infraction by the Hawks pushed the ball up five yards to the Robert Morris 32-yard line and gave RMU both a first down and new life.

Sinclair capitalized, hitting King for a 10-yard completion before hooking up with junior wide receiver Rickeem Jackson (Orlando, Fla. / College of the Canyons) for a 26-yard strike down the visiting sideline that moved the ball to the Monmouth 25-yard line.

Three plays later Sinclair connected with King, who pulled three defenders four yards into the end zone for the score. The extra point by junior Greg Langer (Wexford, Pa. / Pine-Richland), however, was blocked by Jose Gumbs, keeping RMU's lead at three.

Monmouth drove to the RMU 32-yard on its next possession, but the drive stalled when junior linebacker Brad Banas (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston) broke up a Kyle Frazier pass intended for Tyler George on 3rd-and-6. Eric Spillane tried to tie the game with a 49-yard field goal attempt, but his effort fell short.

The Colonials got the ball back with 2:18 to play but couldn't record a first down to put the game away, instead punting the ball back to the Hawks with 1:36 remaining. Monmouth was able to drive into Robert Morris territory, reaching the 36-yard line, but Frazier's last gasp pass attempt to the end zone with 0.5 seconds left on the clock was knocked away by the Colonials.   

A tightly contested affair all afternoon, Robert Morris took an early 7-0 lead on its first possession of the game when Sinclair connected with King for a 19-yard touchdown pass. The Hawks tied it, 7-7, with just 29 seconds left in the first quarter when Frazier hit Mitchell Pollard with a six-yard touchdown pass.

The game eventually entered halftime tied, 10-10, as Langer booted a 34-yard field goal at the 11:45 mark of the second quarter for the Colonials while Spillane connected for a 29-yard trifecta with 7:51 left before intermission for Monmouth.

The Hawks grabbed their first lead of the afternoon early in the third quarter thanks to great special teams play. Robert Morris went three-and-out on its first possession of the second half, and on the punt attempt the snap bounced twice to freshman Tony LaMancusa (Tonawanda, N.Y. / St. Joseph's), who fumbled. Patrick Gray picked up the loose ball for the Hawks and scampered 11 yards into the end zone to give Monmouth a 17-10 advantage. 

RMU was able to tie the game just over two minutes later when freshman running back Justin Brooks (St. Charles, Md. / McDonough) scored from nine yards out with 11:11 to play in the third quarter. The score was set up by the Robert Morris defense, as junior safety Cameron Chadwick (Vista, Calif. / College of Canyons) intercepted Frazier and returned it 39 yards to the nine-yard line of the Hawks. On the next play Brooks ran around the left end and galloped into the end zone untouched for the touchdown.

Monmouth answered on its next possession, as Spillane capped a nine-play, 52-yard drive with a 36-yard field goal to push the Hawks in front, 20-17. The score remained that way until Sinclair engineered the third fourth-quarter comeback of his career with his second touchdown pass of the day to King. 

Sinclair finished the afternoon 18-for-24 passing for 211 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. King tied a career-high with nine receptions, finishing with 104 yards receiving and two scores. Thanks to his performance King broke a pair of RMU records, catching a pass for the 23rd straight game dating back to the 2009 season while also becoming the program's all-time leading receiver.

King owns 115 career receptions, breaking the mark of 112 that was established by former wide receiver Tyjuan Massey from 2002 to 2005. His streak of 23 straight games with at least one reception broke the mark of former wide receiver Opio Gary (1998-2001), who finished with at least one catch over the final 22 contests of his career.

Defensively the Colonials were led by senior defensive back Alex Tarr (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park) and Chadwick, who finished with nine and eight tackles, respectively. The duo each also recorded an interception. Banas and senior linebacker Jon Krepps (Belle Vernon, Pa. / Belle Vernon), making a return to action after missing two games with a hamstring injury, each finished with seven takedowns.

A three-game road swing now complete, Robert Morris returns home to Joe Walton Stadium Saturday, Oct. 8, for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff against in-state rival Saint Francis. The contest marks the first home night game in the program's 18-year history and is part of the University's Homecoming festivities.

Notes: Robert Morris won its third straight over Monmouth and has won four of the last five meetings to take a 10-7 (.588) advantage in the all-time series ... Nine of the 17 meetings between the Colonials and Hawks have been decided by a touchdown or less, including five by a field goal or less ... Sinclair's completion percentage of 75 percent (18-for-24) against Monmouth ranks as the fifth highest in RMU single-game history ... In three career games against the Hawks, Sinclair has completed 68.3 percent (41-for-60) of his passes for 487 yards, five touchdowns and one interception ... Monmouth was penalized 13 times for 136 yards on the afternoon ... The Hawks finished with 345 yards of total offense compared to 225 for Robert Morris ... Sinclair suffered four more sacks on the afternoon as the Hawks posted 11 tackles for losses that totaled 62 yards ... Senior wide receiver Anthony Coleman (Cheltenham, Md. / St. John's College High School) finished with 127 all-purpose yards to move into seventh place all-time at Robert Morris with 2,729 for his career ... King's two touchdown catches against the Hawks give him 18 for his career, just four shy of breaking Massey's career record of 21.