Richmond, Ky. – No. 19 Eastern Kentucky came out on top of the Robert Morris University football team, 38-6, in non-conference action at a muggy Roy Kidd Stadium Thursday evening in each team's 2013 opener.

It marked the second straight season that RMU opened on the road against a nationally ranked opponent. The Colonels are one of the most storied programs at the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as they have won two national titles and made 20 playoff appearances.

True freshman Alex Caratelli (Beaver Falls, Pa. / Blackhawk) had one of the highlights for the Colonials as the rookie caught a touchdown pass in his collegiate debut.

Redshirt senior linebacker Mike Cook (Victoria, Minn. / Eden Prarie (Winona State)) tallied a game-high 10 tackles. It was his sixth career contest with double-figure stops, the most among all active Colonials. Senior Samuel Collins (Germantown, Md. / Clarksburg) contributed a career-best eight tackles, including a tackle for loss. Senior Matthew Fox (Jamestown, N.Y. / Maple Grove) added his first-ever forced fumble with a vicious hit on kickoff coverage.

After RMU was forced to punt on its opening possession, Eastern Kentucky would open the scoring with a 56-yard drive, which was keyed in large part by a trick, third-down play in which the Colonels passed the ball to their primary quarterback.

Another Colonial punt and a penalty gave the Colonels golden field position, and they promptly took advantage, scoring on a one-yard rush to double their lead.

Eastern Kentucky looked to add to its lead early in the second quarter, but the RMU defense came up with a big fourth-down stop to turn the ball over on downs as redshirt senior A.J. Holderman (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston) and senior Adrian Perez (Los Angeles, Calif. / West Los Angeles J.C.) combined on a sack.

Robert Morris moved into the EKU red zone on its next possession as senior Deontae Howard (Clairton, Pa. / Clairton) ran for 27 yards on three carries and junior quarterback Paul Jones (McKees Rocks, Pa. / Penn State) hooked up with senior tight end Andrew Smith (Cranberry Township, Pa. / Seneca Valley) for a 23-yard completion. However, the drive would stall before the end zone, and RMU's subsequent field goal was blocked.

Eastern Kentucky used the specials teams stop to regain momentum and drove 76 yards to find paydirt once again.

Robert Morris would respond by driving 75 yards on 12 plays to get back into the game. Facing a fourth down at the EKU 36-yard line, Jones found senior wide receiver Donte Jeter (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Oliver) for a 16-yard gain and a conversion. Two plays later, RMU would face a third-and-10, prompting the Colonials to bring Caratelli onto the field for the first time.

On his first snap of collegiate action, Caratelli caught a pass in stride cutting across the middle and would break into the end zone before anyone could take him down, recording not only his first reception but also his first touchdown on the play. The play also marked Jones' first TD pass in a Colonial uniform.

The Colonels would get the ball back with under two minutes remaining but were not content to run out the clock. Eastern Kentucky kept the pressure on and drove into the red zone. On a third-down play, EKU would break into the end zone with a rush with just two seconds remaining, scoring a backbreaking touchdown and setting the halftime score at 28-6.

RMU forced the Colonels into three-and-outs on each of their first two possessions of the second half but could not take advantage as it was unable to turn the defensive stops into points on the other end.

The hosts would put the game away by scoring 10 points in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter.

Jones finished 16-of-28 for 177 yards in his RMU debut. Jeter caught five passes for 63 yards while junior wideout Duane Mitchell (Monroe Falls, Ohio / Stow) tied his career high with five catches for 47 yards.

Robert Morris was 2-for-2 on fourth down Thursday. In doing so, the Colonials converted at least one fourth down in their sixth consecutive game and are now 11-for-13 overall in this stretch on fourth down.

Five Colonials made their first start with RMU Thursday night. In addition to Jones and Collins, junior defensive lineman Forrest Mason (Union Bridge, Md. / Hargrave Military Academy), freshman placekicker Connor Shennan (Plymouth, Mich. / Canton) and sophomore linebacker Kimani Smith (Erie, Pa. / Erie Cathedral Prep) all earned their first start against the Colonels. In all, 14 Colonials made their first appearance in a RMU uniform Thursday.

Jones became the first Colonial quarterback to start a season opener in his first season on the roster since the program's inaugural season.

RMU, which played on a Thursday for the first time in program history, fell to 19-12-1 when playing an opponent for the first time.

Robert Morris will contest its home opener next week as it will look to get into the win column against Morgan State. Kickoff is set for Noon.