Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University football team scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to erase a 12-point deficit and defeat Virginia State, 22-19, in its home opener on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Joe Walton Stadium. A blocked field goal on the final play of regulation sealed the RMU victory, giving first-year head coach Bernard Clark Jr. his first career victory and leveling the team's record at 1-1.
 
Trailing 19-7 after the Trojans recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Robert Morris took over at their own 26. Things looked bleak after an incompletion and a sack had the Colonials facing third-and-17. Jimmy Walker took the snap and unleashed a pass deep down the right sideline to tight end Matthew Gonzalez who raced 81 yards to paydirt. It was the fifth-longest passing score in team history and brought the Colonials to within one score.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, Nick Bisceglia hit the perfect pooch kick and junior linebacker Thomas Neal vaulted over a Virginia State defender to corral the onside kick and give RMU possession on the visiting team's 41-yard line. Walker went right back to the well, this time finding Steve Petrick along the right boundary for 29-yards. Two plays later, the senior signal-caller dropped a dime into the arms of Warren Robinson to put RMU on top. A shovel pass to Terence Stephens on the point-after put the host squad on top, 22-19, with 7:22 to play.
 
The Colonials defense bent, but didn't break on the final drive of the game. Virginia State marched 79 yards on 13 plays to set-up a game-tying field goal attempt. The 21-yard try, however, was turned away by the outstretched arm of sophomore Frank Antuono.
 
Walker went 9-for-21 for 205 yards with a pair of scoring throws and a pair of picks. On the decisive two drives of the fourth quarter, he was 4-for-6 for 122 yards including back-to-back bombs that netted 110 yards. His favorite target was Gonzalez who hauled in four catches for 113 yards becoming the team's first 100-yard receiver since Kyle Buss hauled in nine passes for 138 yards against East Tennessee State on Nov. 7, 2015.
 
Virginia State quarterback Cordelral Cook accounted for 362 yards, 182 through the air and 180 on the ground. He rushed 25 times and had one score while completing 18-of-36 passes. Demetrius Strickland added 82 yards rushing and Joshua Harris caught seven balls for 89 yards.
 
Jon Muehlbauer topped all players with 12 tackles, including eight in the first quarter. Adam Wollet added 11 while Amir Fenwick had a career-high 10 stops from his defensive tackle position.
 
Virginia State scored on the opening possession of the second quarter, a quick-paced offense covering 74 yards in 3:23 before Cook scored on a one-yard sneak. RMU responded with a seven-play, 70-yard march that was capped by Mathew Barr's one-yard off-tackle run. Strickland also had a seven-yard rushing score in the third quarter.
 
Robert Morris travels to #2 James Madison next Saturday, Sept. 15, for a 6:00 p.m. game against the Dukes at Bridgeforth Stadium.