MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – A record-setting performance from junior linebacker Amanuel Dickson highlighted Saturday afternoon at Joe Walton Stadium, despite RMU football falling to New Haven, 26-15.
With the loss, the Colonials move to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in Northeast Conference action, while the Chargers improve to 2-5 overall and 1-1 in league play.
BACK-AND-FORTH FIRST HALF
New Haven opened the scoring on its first possession, putting together a 15-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a 21-yard field goal from Liam Quigley.
The Colonials answered early in the second quarter. After taking over at the New Haven 40-yard line, RMU marched down the field before Carson Haggard punched it in from one yard out to give the Colonials a 7-3 advantage.
RMU's defense kept the Chargers out of the end zone throughout the opening half, but New Haven cut the deficit to one on the final play before halftime when Quigley connected on a 53-yard field goal, sending the Colonials into the locker room with a 7-6 advantage.
CHARGERS TAKE CONTROL
New Haven gained momentum after the break, capitalizing on RMU turnovers while holding the Colonials scoreless in the third quarter.
The Chargers extended their advantage to 20-7 when Frank Daniley found the end zone on a 12-yard rush with 2:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Quigley added his third field goal of the afternoon early in the fourth, connecting from 47 yards to push the New Haven advantage to 23-7 with 11:01 remaining.
CARTER PROVIDES THE SPARK
RMU continued to battle in the fourth quarter, with Haggard connecting with Jaqai Carter for the Colonials' biggest offensive play of the afternoon.
Facing a 16-point deficit, Haggard found Carter for a 55-yard touchdown with 7:34 remaining. Noah Schaerli connected with Dillon Mohammed on the ensuing two-point conversion to pull RMU within one possession at 23-15.
Carter finished with nine receptions for a game-high 141 yards and a touchdown, marking his second 100-yard receiving performance of the season.
Haggard finished the afternoon with 246 passing yards and a touchdown. Schaerli added three receptions for 51 yards, while Xavier Goulbourne hauled in a 31-yard reception.
New Haven responded to RMU's late score with an 11-play drive that took nearly six minutes off the clock. Quigley capped the possession with a 46-yard field goal with 1:33 remaining to seal the 26-15 victory.
DICKSON MAKES HISTORY
Dickson turned in a historic performance for the RMU defense, finishing with a career-high 21 tackles to establish a new program single-game record.
The junior registered 11 solo stops and 10 assisted tackles, surpassing the previous school record of 20 held by Reggie Chambers and Jordan Howard. Dickson also added a career-high 3.0 tackles for loss, totaling eight yards, along with a quarterback hurry.
The record-setting performance continued an impressive stretch for Dickson, who has recorded at least nine tackles in each of RMU's last four games.
Osman Kamara also made his presence felt defensively, finishing with a career-high 10 tackles, a team-high 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Jake Lopinto followed with eight tackles.
BY THE NUMBERS
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Amanuel Dickson set the RMU single-game record with 21 tackles, surpassing the previous mark of 20 held by Reggie Chambers and Jordan Howard.
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Dickson added a career-high 3.0 tackles for loss.
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Jaqai Carter finished with nine receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown.
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Carson Haggard threw for 246 yards and a touchdown while adding a rushing score.
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Osman Kamara registered a career-high 10 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
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RMU's defense limited New Haven to 84 passing yards and 239 yards of total offense.
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The Colonials finished with 251 yards of total offense, including 246 through the air.
UP NEXT
RMU remains at Joe Walton Stadium next week when the Colonials host Mercyhurst in Northeast Conference action. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
