Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU football team picked up their second straight win of the season as they slipped past the Charleston Southern Buccaneers, 14-12. The Colonials improved to 4-6 overall, with a 2-3 mark in conference play. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers fell to 4-6 and dropped their third conference game of the season as they now sit at 2-3 in the Big South-OVC. 

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
With just over one minute remaining in the game, William Barber stopped Buccaneers quarterback Isaiah Bess short of the first down as the Colonials took over at Charleston Southern's 38-yard line and sealed the victory.

The Colonials started the fourth quarter off with a message to run the ball as they ran for 52 yards on their first scoring drive, which was capped off by a Zach Tanner one-yard rushing score to take the 7-6 lead. The Buccaneers had their chances afterwards but a muffed punt and several scoreless drives didn't help their cause as the visiting team was held to six points in the second half.

FOURTH QUARTER TEMPO
RMU scored both of their touchdowns in the fourth quarter as sophomore quarterback Zach Tanner was responsible for both scores in the final frame. Tanner came in relief of Tyler Szalkowski and was part of a rushing attack that accumulated 189 yards on the ground, which was a season best for the Colonials in that category. Tanner scored his second rushing touchdown around the right side for 25 yards which was his longest rush and helped put the Colonials up by eight with 10 minutes left in the game.

Colonials running back DJ Moyer had his most efficient game of the season as he did most of his damage in the fourth quarter. Moyer rushed for 51 yards in the final frame as he helped the RMU rushing attack wear down the Buccaneers defense en route to victory.

DEFENSIVE STAND
The Colonials defense was the unsung hero in the second half as they held the Buccaneers scoreless on four separate possessions to help the RMU offense work their way back and take the lead. The home defense held Charleston Southern to 59 total yards in the third quarter as these stops were critical in order for the Colonials to come back in the game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Tanner finished 4-of-7 for 41 yards passing but also had six carries for 66 yards on the ground with two rushing scores. Moyer paced the Colonials with 15 carries for 88 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per rush. Noah Robinson led the RMU receiving core with four catches for 47 yards with his longest reception being 14 yards.

ON THE DEFENSIVE
Joe Casale and Jermarian Jackson led the Colonials on the defensive, registering 6 tackles with Casale also recording two pass breakups. Noah Steverson recorded the lone sack for the RMU defense on an eight-yard loss as he finished the day with three tackles. Jamar Shegog and Tizlam Muhammad finished the day with five tackles as Shegog had a quarterback hit as well.

MAKING PROGRESS
This was the first time the Colonials have posted wins in back-to-back weeks since 2019 when RMU defeated Saint Francis and Wagner in consecutive weeks and ended up finishing the season 7-5 overall. RMU had their best rushing performance since September 2021 when they ran for 189 yards in a win against Howard.

UP NEXT
The Colonials will close out their 2023 season when they host Eastern Illinois next Saturday at Joe Walton Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.

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