This afternoon Robert Morris hosted the Dayton Flyers, a team that has had the Colonials’ number for years. The newly energized hosts would end up losing in controversy with a final score of 27-24.
True freshman Matt Barr made his collegiate debut, showing off both an accurate arm and quick feet. Finishing with 14 completions on 34 attempts, Barr threw for 156 yards and one touchdown. While only completing 14 passes, Barr hit his receivers on many of his attempts, but they struggled to hold on.
Running back Ram Owens carried the ball 25 times, netting 72 yards and averaged 2.9 yards per carry. The Flyers defense played tough early on as they allowed virtually no progress by way of the run game. That changed in the second half, with Owens picking up more than 40 yards on the ground.
Compared to the team last year, the Colonials look to have brushed the monkey off their shoulders. The defense looked polished forcing three turnovers and bringing the quarterback to the turf three times. The offense also looked in sync, although early chances to score were squandered by drops or miscommunication.
Both teams began the game slowly as neither team scored in the first quarter. Robert Morris fired the opening salvo when Barr threw a pass to the deep corner of the end zone. Nic Lamica reached over the defensive back giving the Colonials their first touchdown of the season.
After a 30 yard field goal, Robert Morris went into halftime with a 10-0 lead.
Dayton’s play began to improve dramatically in the second half scoring 17 unanswered points going into the fourth quarter. This also included a 93-yard interception return by Danny Leach, turning out to be one of the biggest plays of the game.
Down 17-10, Robert Morris showed tenacity as they kept fighting for their first win of the season. Unfortunately, fans left disappointed with mistakes leading to a touchdown and a late game field goal that have Dayton the final lead, 27-24.
Even though Robert Morris lost their first game of the season and made bad mental mistakes, the fact they were able to keep the game close during the entirety of the match gives fans a lot of hope for the rest of the season.
The Colonials will play their next game on the road against the Youngstown State Penguins at 7pm.
Late Game Chaos
Today’s game ended in a bit of controversy when in the late seconds Matt Barr seemed as though he forgot where he was. Following a 32-yard catch by Kyle Buss and only two seconds left on the clock, it appeared as though a referee told Barr that he was not able to spike the ball.
Reviewing the video, you are able to see a referee say something to the quarterback. This led to Barr frantically trying to get his receivers to go down field, but would end up being sacked.
Colonial MVP
Ryan Richardson Jr. was a defensive stud in today’s game. Intercepting two balls, one eventually leading to a touchdown, Richardson Jr. did an incredible job on not only keeping an eye on his man, but also in keeping an eye on the quarterback and anticipating where he was going to throw to. Along with six tackles, the sophomore out of Buffalo looks to have a breakout season and give coaches a reason to keep him in on every play.
Photo Credit: RMU Sentry
