Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU football team closed out their 2023 non-conference slate with a 35-10 loss to Howard at Joe Walton Stadium. The Colonials fall to 2-3 as they'll look forward to their first Big South-OVC matchup next weekend.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
After a scoreless first quarter of play, the game was knotted at 7-7 early in the second quarter when Howard scored on two straight possessions and put pressure on the Colonials to counter. The Bison made it 14-7 by way of an 88-yard kick return for a touchdown, then one possession later Howard converted on a 11-yard rushing score courtesy of quarterback Quinton Williams. After these two quick scores the Bison held the Colonials scoreless until late in the fourth quarter.
GROUND GAME
Bison quarterback Quinton Williams had an effective game through the air going 13 of 16 for 170 yards and one touchdown but his legs might've made more of an impact as he had two scores on the ground as well. Williams was part of a rushing attack that had 196 yards on 38 attempts for an efficient average of 4.4 yards per touch. Bison running back Ian Wheeler paced Howard on the ground with 82 yards on just four carries, including one touchdown run.
BREAKING THROUGH
The Colonials got on the board during their second possession of the second quarter by driving 55 yards on seven plays capped off with a 13-yard touchdown reception from tight end
Chaese Jackson. The Chiccitt-Jackson connection proved to be vital on this drive as they connected on a 29-yard pass to keep the drive alive on third down as they pushed closer to the redzone.To bring RMU closer to the endzone Colonials running back
Kimon O'Sullivan ran for a pivotal seven yards to keep the drive going on a 3rd and 5. Just one play later is when Chiccitt found Jackson and tied the game at 7-7.
SOMETHING TO BUILD ON
Colonials tight end
Chaese Jackson was a bright spot for the offense as he has now scored a touchdown in three straight games and also has a score in all but one game so far this season. Jackson had his best statistical performance to date hauling in seven catches for 76 yards and one touchdown, averaging almost 11 yards per catch. The transfer from Eastern Michigan has also thrown for a touchdown when he had an eight yard passing touchdown against Youngstown State two weeks ago.
DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING
RMU safety
Dee Pierce and linebacker
Tyler King led the team with seven tackles on the day with Pierce having six solo tackles. The Colonials had a solid eight tackles for loss in the contest led by
Joe Casale and
Tony Brown who each had two tackles behind the line of scrimmage. 5th year senior Garrett Fairman recorded his first sack of the 2023 season when he disrupted the pocket and ended up tackling Williams for an eleven yard loss. RMU linebacker
Bradley Magee hauled in his first interception as a member of the Colonials when he jumped in front of the Bison receiver and returned it 20 yards into Howard territory.
UP NEXT
RMU will hit the road for the next two weeks as they'll begin conference play against Gardner-Webb next Saturday at 4pm. The Colonials won't be back at Joe Walton Stadium until October 28th when they host Tennessee Tech for a noon kickoff.
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