Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU football team concluded the road portion of its 2023 non-conference schedule Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium in Youngstown, Ohio, falling to Youngstown, 48-28. The Colonials dipped to 1-2 (.333) overall during the 2023 season.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
A back-and-forth affair in the early going, both the Penguins and Colonials scored on their opening possessions. YSU grabbed the early lead, 6-0, on a six-yard touchdown run from Dra Rushton. RMU came up with a big play on special teams, however, with linebacker
Trey Woods blocking the extra point attempt from Andrew Lastovka.
Rob Carter, Jr., followed with a 32-yard return on the ensuing kickoff, setting up the first possession for RMU at the its own 36-yard line. The splash plays ignited the offense, which marched 64 yards on 10 plays before quarterback
Anthony Chiccitt connected with wide receiver
Noah Robinson for a 29-yard touchdown pass. The ruling was confirmed after review, with
Jayson Jenkins pushing the Colonials in front, 7-6, with the extra point.
COMBOS
Chiccitt and Robinson are proving to be a formidable tandem in the early going of the 2023 season for RMU. Targeted 10 times Saturday afternoon, Robinson hauled in a pair of touchdowns. The second touchdown of the afternoon for the Mineral, Va., native came from tight end
Chaese Jackson, who connected with Robinson for an eight-yard touchdown through the air with 11:25 to go in the first half and gave the Colonials a 14-13 lead. The score was set up by the RMU defense, with linebacker
Jamar Shegog intercepting Mitch Davidson at the 40-yard line of the Penguins before rumbling 30 yards to set up the offense in the red zone. The Colonials cashed in with the razzle dazzle play as Jackson became the second receiver in as many games to throw a touchdown pass.
ANSWERING
Davidson atoned for his interception on the next possession for Youngstown State (2-1), using just five plays to push the Penguins back on top. The quarterback opened the drive with a nine-yard rush and later completed passes to Tyson King for 19 yards and CJ Charleston for 31 more to put YSU in the red zone. Rushton finished the drive off with a 10-yard burst up the middle to give Youngstown State the lead for good. Charleston caught six balls for 119 yards to lead all receivers, including 81 yards after the catch, while Bryce Oliver added another six receptions for the Penguins, amassing 108 yards.
NOAH'S ARK
Robinson finished with nine catches for an even 100 yards, becoming the first RMU receiver to record consecutive 100-yard receiving games since former tight end Matthew Gonzalez (2016-19) in 2019. Gonzalez finished with eight receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown against Dayton (9/14/19), followed by just three receptions for 126 yards in a 31-21 triumph at VMI (9/21/19). Through three games, Robinson has hauled in 20 balls for 274 yards (13.7 yards per catch) and three touchdowns.
THE SECOND HALF
Youngstown State owned a 27-14 cushion at halftime and scored on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter to open up a 41-14 edge. RMU got a pair of scores in the fourth quarter, including an eight-yard touchdown pass from Chiccitt to Jackson and a splash play from backup quarterback
Zin'tayvious Smith. Under five minutes remaining, Smith rushed for nine yards on consecutive plays before bursting with a 60-yard dash to the end zone with 1:22 to play. The sprint helped Smith lead the Colonials in rushing with 77 yards on just three carries.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Chiccitt finished 19-for-31 passing for 171 yards and a pair of scores, hitting eight different receivers in the process. In his two starts this season, Chiccitt has completed 68.9 percent (40-for-58) of his passes for 452 yards and five touchdowns. He has also thrown 76 attempts through the first three games without an interception.
UP NEXT
The Colonials return home to Joe Walton Stadium to host Lynchburg Saturday, Sept. 23, in a 3:00 p.m. kickoff. The game is part of Homecoming festivities at RMU.
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