Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University football team scored four different ways as it collected its first Northeast Conference win of the season, 19-6, against Central Connecticut at Joe Walton Stadium Saturday afternoon. The win moves the Colonials to record to 1-3 in the league and 2-7 overall while the Blue Devils drop to 0-3 in the NEC and 1-7 overall.
"It feels very good to win a football game with these kids. They worked hard in all three phases of the game and everybody contributed," said RMU head coach
John Banaszak. "We won because we made big plays and that's what we've turned into - a big play football team. Whether it's special teams, offense or defense, we're going to get it done."
The Colonials scored with a safety, a rush, a field goal and an interception return and came 4:32 shy of pitching their first shutout since 2010. The defense held Central Connecticut to 285 yards of offense, 32 yards rushing and forced four turnovers.
Quarterback
Joe Carroll went 13-27 for 132 yards and was picked off once.
Malik Wells rushed 20 times for 57 yards and a touchdown and
TJ Neal added 30 yards on the ground.
Matthew Gonzalez collected four passes for 40 yards.
Defensively,
Marcelis Branch led the charge with nine tackles – eight of the solo variety – and an interception. Ten different players recorded tackles for loss, but none was bigger than the combo stop by
Gerald Ferguson and
Adam Wollet that led to a safety in the opening half.
Ryan Lewis, Steve Fiadewornu and
Nic Lamica all registered sacks.
A 44-yard punt by
Adam Check was downed at the CCSU one-yard line early in the first quarter. Two plays later, Ferguson lined up as a middle linebacker and shot the gap, submarining Blue Devils running back Cameron Nash in the endzone. Wollet came in from the other side and finished off the running back for the safety and the Colonials led, 2-0, less than five minutes after kickoff.
On the next 10 possessions, the teams combined for six punts, two fumbles, an interception and a missed field goal. The last of those 10 possessions resulted in a fumble recovery by
Gerald Ferguson when Fiadewornu forced the ball loose on a sack of Jacob Dolegala.
Carroll went 3-3 on the next possession for 37 yards. Wells finished off the nine-play, 57-yard drive when he went around left end from six yards out to put the host Colonials on top, 9-0, at the 2:02 mark of the second quarter.
Conor Shennan hit a career-long 47-yard field goal midway through the third quarter to stretch the lead to 12-0.
Central Connecticut methodically moved the ball 45 yards in 15 plays and had possession at the RMU 22-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Ryan Richards, Jr., ended the threat by picking off a swing pass in the left flat and streaked 75 yards untouched to put the Colonials on top, 19-0.
Branch kept the shutout alive at 10:04 with an interception in the Colonials endzone, but the Blue Devils finally ended the shutout with 4:32 to play. Nash capped off a 10-play, 65-yard drive with a one-yard dive.
The Colonials hit the road for the final time this season when they travel to Bryant University for a Noon game Saturday, Nov. 5.
