Photo Credit: Elizabeth Whitney (Delaware State)
Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU football team continued its 2022 season Saturday, falling in Dover, Del., to Delaware State, 14-9, at Alumni Stadium. The Colonials slipped to 0-4 during the 2022 season.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Neither team could get anything going on the opening drives of the contest, but the Hornets broke through on their possession. Jared Lewis hit Jerrish Halsey with a 16-yard catch down the middle on 3rd-and-11 that helped DSU record a first down, its first of the game. Two plays later out of the shotgun, Marquis Gillis took the handoff and burst up the middle 41 yards to pay dirt to give the Hornets an early 7-0 advantage at the 5:05 mark of the first quarter. RMU answered on its next possession, getting a 30-yard run from fifth-year
Alijah Jackson on the second play of a drive that started at its own 18-yard line. The burst from Jackson set the Colonials up near midfield before junior
Jake Simmons hit wide receiver
Bryce Bevins for 16 yards and
Parker Fetterman for 11 more. The drive would stall, however, and RMU settled for a 38-yard field goal from sophomore
Jayson Jenkins to trim its deficit to 7-3.
SECOND TIME AROUND
An even quarter in possession time, neither the Colonials or Hornets were able to muster much offensively as defense took center stage. The two teams combined for just 31 yards of total offense, including 24 for RMU. Freshman
Zach Tanner got the call under center during the period, finishing 2-for-7 passing for 34 yards, including an 18-yard strike to running back
Anthony Purge and a reception from Jackson that saw him scamper 16 yards after the catch. Tanner was also sacked three times during the quarter.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Delaware State (3-2) looked to take control late in the third quarter with a takeaway on special teams. Faced with 4th-and-1 at their own 47-yard line, the Hornets decided to punt, but RMU muffed the opportunity at its own three-yard line. Coleon Williams, who recorded a pair of pass breakups during the contest, came up with the big play, pouncing on the ball at the goal line and scoring to push the DSU lead to 14-3.
CLOSING THE GAP
RMU put together a sustained drive in the fourth quarter and this time capitalized, as Purge capped a 10-play, 62-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run with 4:14 to play. Tanner hit Bevins for an 11-yard completion that moved the ball to the 21-yard line of the Hornets, and after a couple of incompletions, Tanner used his legs, scrambling nine yards to the 12 and then two more yards right up the middle for a first down inside the red zone. Purge would gain seven yards on his first carry before punching it in to pull RMU to within 14-9. The two-point conversion failed, however. The Colonials tried an onside kick but were unable to come up with possession, and the Hornets were able to run out the clock thanks to the legs of Wade Ingle, who rushed for 17 yards in the final drive of the contest, including a pair for a first down that kept the clock moving.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Tanner finished 10-for-25 for 98 yards in his NCAA Division I debut in replace of Simmons, who completed three of his 11 attempts for 23 yards. The duo of Jackson and Purge combined to rush for 99 yards Saturday on 24 carries, with Jackson finishing with 52 yards on the ground and Purge 47. The pair also each finished with a pair of receptions. Bevins paced the RMU receiving corps with four catches for 36 yards, while defensively linebacker
Joe Casale and defensive end
Rico Watson each recorded six tackles. Of the six stops for Casale, four were solo, while Watson posted three solo takedowns.
UP NEXT
RMU opens Big South action Saturday, Oct. 8, with a Noon kickoff against Gardner-Webb at Joe Walton Stadium. The game is part of the University's Homecoming festivities.
Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | RMU Athletics Gameday App
