Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU football team concluded the road portion of its 2021 spring schedule Saturday, dropping a 27-14 decision in Charleston, S.C., to Charleston Southern at Buccaneer Field. The Colonials slip to 0-3 overall, including 0-2 in the Big South.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
RMU won the coin toss and decided to defer, and on the first possession of the game, Charleston Southern used an 11-play, 55-yard drive that ended in a 37-yard field goal attempt from Alex Usry that was wide right. The Colonials couldn't get anything going on their first possession of the contest, and the Buccaneers answered by opening the scoring with a three-yard touchdown run from running back Terrence Wilson. The score capped a seven-play drive that saw Wilson rush four times for 12 yards, while the big play came when Jack Chambers hit wide receiver Isaac Ross for a 27-yard completion on 3rd-and-15 that moved the chains and put the ball for CSU at the five-yard line of the Colonials.
TYING IT UP
The Colonials got their offense going late in the first half, as redshirt junior quarterback
George Martin engineered a six-play, 45-yard drive that was capped with a two-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior wide receiver
D'Andre Hicks that tied the contest, 7-7. It was the second time during the drive that Martin and Hicks hooked up, which included a 13-yard completion on 3rd-and-11. Two plays later Martin hit another of his new targets, junior wide receiver
Daevon Robinson, for 33 yards that had RMU knocking on the door.
ANSWERING
Charleston Southern (1-2 / 1-2 Big South) came right back to grab the lead for good on its next possession. Chambers completed each of his first four passes of the drive and also rushed for four more yards, while the Buccaneers were aided by an RMU penalty. Faced with a 3rd-and-10 at the RMU 37-yard line, the Colonials called timeout. Out of the pause, Chambers tried to hit Quinn Caballero, but defensive back
Sydney Audiger was called for pass interference. The Buccaneers took advantage, as on the next play Chambers hit Ross again, this time for a 22-yard touchdown pass, to put Charleston Southern on top, 14-7. Ross finished with seven receptions for 102 yards against the Colonials.
THE SECOND HALF
RMU received good field position to open the second half when sophomore
Jonathan Wynn provided a 29-yard kickoff return to set up shop for the Colonials at their own 41-yard line. Martin would hit Robinson for a 12-yard completion to move the ball into Charleston Southern territory before the wheels of redshirt junior running back
Alijah Jackson and redshirt sophomore
Jordan Johnson moved the ball to the 29-yard line of the Buccaneers. The drive stalled, however, and senior
Nick Bisceglia missed a 48-yard field goal to end the drive. CSU responded, marching 69 yards and grabbing a 21-7 advantage on a two-yard touchdown scamper from Wilson.
NUMBERS
Martin finished 18-for-38 passing against Charleston Southern, accruing a career-high 304 yards through the air. He tossed two touchdowns and was also intercepted once. His biggest pass of the day came late when he hit Jackson for a 61-yard completion that set RMU up deep in Buccaneers territory. Despite being held to just 31 yards rushing, Jackson caught two balls out of the backfield for 97 yards, while Hicks and Robinson combined for 11 catches and 140 yards receiving. Hicks posted seven catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns, including an eight-yard score in the fourth quarter for his second touchdown reception of the day.
AT THE TOP
The starting linebacker corps of junior
Aniello Buzzacco, redshirt freshman
Jamar Shegog and junior
Darrell Mason combined for 36 tackles against the Buccaneers. Buzzacco led the way with 14 takedowns, including six solo stops, while Shegog has put forth a solid spring campaign, leading the way with seven solo takedowns among his 13 tackles. He also forced a fumble and recorded a pass breakup against the Buccaneers. Buzzacco, meanwhile, extended his streak of double-digit tackle performances to six dating to the 2019 season, a stretch in which he is averaging 12.5 stops per contest.
UP NEXT
A three-game road trip that took six weeks to complete in the rear view mirror, the Colonials return to the friendly confines of Joe Walton Stadium to conclude their 2021 spring season. RMU will host Monmouth Saturday, April 17, in a Noon kickoff.
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