Box Score span.Normal1 {mso-style-parent:""; font-family:Helvetica; } span.normal10 {}
Lexington, Va. - Tim Maypray's five-yard touchdown run with 1:27 to play proved to be the difference as VMI garnered a 14-13 victory over the Robert Morris University football team Saturday afternoon in the 2009 season opener for both programs.
The Colonials had taken a 13-7 lead with 6:22 to play when senior quarterback Desmond Brentley (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Perry), making his first collegiate start, hit junior fullback Jeff Link (Cumberland, Md. / Allegany) with a one-yard touchdown pass that capped a 12-play, 85-yard drive. However, the extra point attempt by junior Garrett Clawson (Duncansville, Pa. / Hollidaysburg) was blocked.
The Keydets followed by engineering a 13-play, 79-yard drive for the winning score behind the legs of Howard Abegesah, who rushed for 63 yards on six carries during the decisive drive. RMU got the ball back with 1:27 to play for one last possession but was unable to move the chains, turning the ball over on downs.
After a scoreless first half, VMI took the first lead of the afternoon when Emilio Calvin recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown at the 13:25 mark of the third quarter.
Faced with a 3rd-and-14 situation at its own 23-yard line, Robert Morris went to the shotgun for the first time on the 2009 campaign, but sophomore center Sam Miller's (Washington, Pa. / Trinity) snap sailed over the head of Brentley and into the end zone. Calvin pounced on the loose ball, giving the Keydets their first score of the season and a 7-0 advantage.
Despite the mishap, the Colonials answered by marching 73 yards on just six plays to tie the score, 7-7, when Brentley hit senior wide receiver Sherrod Evers (Philadelphia, Pa. / Mastbaum Area) for a 14-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone with 9:43 remaining in the third quarter.
Junior halfback Myles Russ (Boca Raton, Fla. / West Boca) was the primary offensive weapon for RMU during the drive, carrying three times for 53 yards, including a 34-yard scamper that gave Robert Morris a first down at the VMI 35-yard line.
The Keydets looked like they were going to take the lead in the fourth quarter when they drove to the Colonial 12-yard line, but on consecutive plays Abegesah was stopped for no gain, and on 4th-and-1 Maypray was thrown for a three-yard loss by defensive linemen Mark Szymanski (Cadogan, Pa. / Ford City) and Farren Mason (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway).
RMU's offense seemed to feed off the defensive stand, marching 85 yards for the go-ahead score. The big play came when Brentley hooked up with Evers for a 39-yard completion down to the VMI one-yard line.
Robert Morris forced four turnovers on the afternoon, as junior linebacker Alex DiMichele (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Sto-Rox), who finished with a game-high 15 tackles, forced one fumble and recovered three others on the afternoon, while senior cornerback Marvin McCalla (Coral Springs, Fla. / Coral Springs) notched his first career interception.
Russ finished with 145 yards rushing on 23 attempts, an average of 6.3 yards per carry, while Brentley completed 17 of his 26 passing attempts for 151 yards and two touchdowns in his Colonial debut. Evers led the Colonial receiving corps with six catches for 85 yards and a score. Abegesah paced the ground game for VMI, rushing 17 times for 100 yards.
RMU continues its two-game road swing to open the 2009 campaign Saturday, Sept. 12, when it visits Lewisburg, Pa., for a 6:00 p.m. contest against Bucknell at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
