Colorado Springs, Colo. – The RMU football team opened its 2023 season Saturday, falling to Air Force, 42-7, in front of 30,142 fans at Falcon Stadium.
TRIPLE THREAT
Taking on a squad that won 10 games in the Mountain West Conference last season, the Falcons used the triple option to their advantage in the season opener for both programs. Air Force finished with 374 yards rushing on the afternoon on 56 attempts, an average of 6.7 yards per rush. In contrast, RMU rushed just 26 times. The Falcons grabbed the early lead, 7-0, on a three-yard touchdown run by Cade Harris. The drive for Air Force began at the RMU 26-yard line after the Colonials suffered a fumble on their first drive of the year.
ADDING ON
Quarterback Zac Larrier was the key offensive force for the Falcons, as he capped the second drive for Air Force with a 26-yard touchdown scamper down the left sideline. Larrier faked a handoff and a pitch before finding daylight to race the final 20 yards untouched and give the Falcons a 14-0 edge. Larrier finished with 14 rushes for 99 yards and a pair of touchdowns Saturday.
AIR ENSEMBLE
Early in the second quarter Larrier was thrown for a four-yard loss by senior defensive lineman
Bernadin Fleurima, Jr., dropping the Falcons back to their own 16-yard line. On the next play Larrier faked a handoff and found a streaking Jared Roznos down the middle of the field, who hauled in the pass around midfield before racing to the end zone for an 84-yard touchdown. Roznos finished with a pair of receptions for 95 yards on the afternoon, both of which came from Larrier, who passed just three times.
THE DEBUT
Earning the start at quarterback Saturday in his RMU debut was redshirt sophomore
Tyler Szalkowski, who finished 4-for-6 passing for 14 yards before leaving the game early in the second quarter due to injury.
Anthony Chiccitt relieved Szalkowski and engineered RMU's lone scoring drive of the afternoon in the fourth quarter, capping a 56-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Chaese Jackson. The big play of the drive came when Chiccitt hit wide receiver
Noah Robinson on a short pass in the right flat, with Robinson scampering down to the two-yard line of the Falcons before being brought down out of bounds. Chiccitt was 3-for-3 passing on the drive for 39 yards and finished the afternoon 14-for-18 for 99 yards and a score.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Linebacker
Jamar Shegog paced an RMU defensive effort that racked up 68 tackles Saturday, including 32 solo takedowns, by notching a game-high 12 stops. Seven of those takedowns were of the solo variety as Shegog picked up his first double-digit tackle performance since the 2021 campaign. Safety
Shakespeare Louis posted six tackles, while defensive end
Garret Fairman added five stops, with each recording four solo takedowns.
UP NEXT
RMU returns home for its 2023 home opener, welcoming in-state rival Saint Francis to Joe Walton Stadium for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff Saturday, Sept. 9.
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