Johnson City, Tenn. – East Tennessee State took advantage of a trio of Robert Morris University turnovers en route to a 16-3 win over the Colonials at William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium in Johnson City, Tenn. RMU ends the non-conference schedule at 2-3 overall while the Bucs improve to 3-3 on the year, scoring 13 of their 16 points following RMU fumbles.
 
Linebacker Gerald Ferguson turned in the best effort of his four-year tenure collecting a career-best 13 tackles. He picked up a sack and 3.5 tackles for loss as well. Linebacker Tyler Lamica added a pair of sacks and three tackles for loss amongst his five stops. The RMU defense held the Bucs to 255 yards of offense, just 53 on the ground and 202 through the air.
 
Quarterback Jimmy Walker was sacked eight times but still managed to throw for 183 yards, going 18-of-36. He found Tim Vecchio seven times for 71 yards and Warren Robinson five times for 57 yards. Harrison Dreher rushed 15 times for 66 yards.
 
Neither team was able to establish much offense in the first half, but East Tennessee State took advantage of a pair of turnovers by Robert Morris. JJ Jerman converted a 30-yard field goal late in the first quarter following the Colonials first fumble of the afternoon. A muffed punt return gave the homestanding Bucs the ball at the RMU 11-yard line in the second quarter. Three plays later, Austin Herink found Drake Powell in the endzone for a five-yard touchdown that put the Bucs on top, 10-0, at the half.
 
Jerman added his second field goal after the Colonials third turnover to stretch the margin to 13-0. The junior's third field goal of the game came with 16 seconds left in the third quarter, his 18-yard effort putting the host squad on top, 16-0.
 
The Colonials started moving the ball in the fourth quarter, Walker starting the team's first scoring drive with a 20-yard strike to Robinson. Dreher followed with a 20-yard run before Walker connected on throws of 18 and 17 yards to Vecchio. A trio of penalties slowed the RMU drive and Nick Bisceglia put points on the board with a 32-yard field goal.
 
Robert Morris returns to Joe Walton Stadium for the first time in nearly a month when they host Duquesne in their Northeast Conference opener Saturday, Sept. 14, at 6:00 p.m.