Lexington, Va. – Senior Deontae Howard (Clairton, Pa. / Clairton) turned the left corner and sprinted into the end zone from 17 yards out to conclude the game and give the Robert Morris University football team a thrilling, 37-31, win in double overtime at VMI in non-conference action Saturday afternoon at an overcast Foster Stadium.
In a game full of twists and turns, RMU rallied from a 10-point deficit with fewer than 20 minutes remaining. The Colonials actually took the lead in the fourth quarter, but VMI would score on its final drive to even the proceedings, forcing overtime. After neither team scored in the first extra session, Howard’s rush finally ended the game.
Robert Morris’ 448 yards of total offense, its most in a road game since 2004, combined with its 297 return yards gave the Colonials a school-record 745 all-purpose yards. Not only did that figure break a record, it surpassed the previous top mark, achieved in RMU’s inaugural season, by 60 yards. RMU also broke team single-game records for most punt return yards (154) and highest gain per punt return (38.5).
Junior cornerback Antwan Eddie (Homestead, Fla. / South Dade) was one of the key contributors to the special teams yardage collected by the Colonials as he returned two punts for 110 yards, including bringing one back 88 yards for a touchdown. Eddie’s 88-yard runback is the longest punt return in school history, shattering the previous top mark of 56. Eddie’s fist career touchdown of any kind is also the seventh punt return for a TD in Colonial history. Eddie’s 110 punt return yards are the second most in RMU single-game history and come just three weeks after he tallied 96 in RMU’s home opener.
True freshman Andy Smigiera (West Seneca, N.Y. / West Seneca East) added 168 all-purpose yards on seven returns in what was his first game serving as a return man for RMU.
Howard finished with a career-best 100 yards rushing and also caught a pass.
Junior Paul Jones (McKees Rocks, Pa. / Sto-Rox (Penn State)) had his best performance in his young career as a Colonial as he completed a season-best 22 passes for a season-high 321 yards. His 321 passing yards represent the fourth highest single-game mark in RMU history and the most by a Colonial in nearly 10 years.
Senior wide receiver Donte Jeter (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Oliver) caught a career-high eight passes for 112 yards, tallying his fourth career 100-yard game. Jeter’s effort allowed him to surpass 1,000 career receiving yards and moved him into 10th place in that category at RMU. His eight grabs also moved him into ninth in career catches (70) at Robert Morris.
Sophomore Duane Mitchell (Monroe Falls, Ohio / Stow) caught a career-best six passes for 90 yards while sophomore Sean Gavin (Glenshaw, Pa. / Shaler Area) hauled in four receptions for 79 yards in his collegiate debut.
Sophomore Kimani Smith (Erie, Pa. / Erie Cathedral Prep) tallied his first-career sack on a third-down play on the game’s opening drive to force a Keydet punt. The RMU offense then immediately went to work.
Facing a third down on its first series, Jones hit Mitchell for 17 yards to convert before finding him across the middle for 29 yards on the very next play, which moved the ball into the red zone. After two rushes by Howard generated a first-and-goal, Jones kept a play alive and scrambled to his right and rifled a pass to Jeter who came back to the ball along the sideline to haul in a touchdown.
On the ensuing drive, VMI responded immediately by using a long rush, which moved the ball into the red zone, and then two passes to knot the score, 7-7.
Each team had to punt on its next possession. However, on VMI’s punt, Eddie gathered the ball at his own 12-yard line and found a seam, eventually running toward the left sideline, as he raced away from the defense and into the end zone. It was the first special teams touchdown by RMU since September 2006, a span of 75 games.
VMI came back with a long sustained drive that moved into the RMU red zone. However, the Colonial defense stiffened and forced a field goal attempt, which was converted.
Robert Morris drove 48 yards on 14 plays on its next possession but missed its first field goal of the game.
The Keydets then used a trio of rushing plays and three passes to find the end zone and took a 17-14 lead late in the first half.
The Colonials moved the ball into VMI territory on their final drive of the half but ran out of time before moving into field goal range.
A 29-yard pass from Jones to Gavin moved the ball across midfield on RMU’s opening possession of the second half, but the drive would stall when a pass fell incomplete on a fourth down attempt.
VMI used the momentum from the defensive stop to add to its lead as it scored on a 36-yard pass as its receiver caught the ball cutting across the field toward the right sideline and ran away from the RMU defense.
Robert Morris once again drove into VMI territory on its next drive but was forced to punt. At that point, the Colonial defense began to establish itself for a sustained period of time.
Redshirt senior linebacker Mike Cook (Victoria, Minn. / Eden Prairie (Winona State)) grabbed onto a ballcarrier and forced a fumble on the Keydets’ next possession, and sophomore Marcelis Branch (Homestead, Fla. / Miami Southridge) pounced on top of it.
Unfortunately, RMU turned the ball back over almost right away. However, Robert Morris then forced a three-and-out, and Smigiera returned a punt 29 yards to near midfield.
Jones hit Gavin for 28 yards to move the ball into the red zone before Howard rushed for 13 yards, drawing it close to the goal line. Sophomore fullback Corey Garry (McDonald, Pa. / Fort Cherry) was then called upon to carry the ball for the first time in his RMU career and pounded it across the goal line, drawing Robert Morris within 24-21.
The RMU defense forced a second straight three-and-out, and the Colonial offense picked up where it left off.
Jones found Jeter for a 30-yard completion to move the ball into Keydet territory. Later in the drive, facing a third down, RMU dialed up gorgeous play action as Jones found redshirt senior tight end Tyler Digby (New Westminster, British Columbia / New Westminster) for a 16-yard touchdown, which put RMU back on top.
Three consecutive punts took about eight minutes off the clock. Then a 25-yard rush by Howard brought RMU into field goal range, and junior Hunter Khaleghi (San Diego, Calif. / La Jolla Country Day)converted a 40-yard attempt, the first make of his career.
VMI and then RMU were both stopped on fourth down tries on their next possessions. The Keydets took over on their own 32-yard line and quickly moved into RMU territory with the clock ticking down. On a last-gasp play, the hosts would score on a 39-yard pass with just one second remaining, essentially necessitating overtime.
RMU had the ball first in the extra session but turned it over on its second offensive play. Unable to give up points, the Colonial defense kept VMI from getting a first down as junior defensive lineman Forrest Mason (Union Bridge, Md. / Hargrave Military Academy) batted down a third-down pass. VMI missed a field goal, bringing the game to another extra session.
Robert Morris again kept VMI out of the end zone, and the Keydets missed a field goal attempt on their double OT possession.
RMU opened its next drive with an eight-yard rush by Howard. The Colonials then called nearly an identical play as Howard ran around the left end and went practically untouched across the goal line, setting off a wild celebration by the Colonials.
Redshirt senior linebacker Kyle Cooper (Hurricane, W.Va. / Hurricane) posted a game best and career-high 13 tackles, hitting double figures for the second straight week. Cook added 12 stops, reaching double digits in tackles for the seventh time in his last 13 games, while forcing a fumble for the second time in three games. Smith set a new career best with eight tackles, including a career-high three tackles for loss.
Saturday marked the first overtime game for Robert Morris since Oct. 14, 2006. That ended a string of 72 consecutive regulation games for RMU, which had been the longest such stretch in program history. Incidentally, RMU has won each of its past two games that have required additional time in the second extra session.
Robert Morris improved to 16-6-1 all-time when playing after a bye week and has now won each of its past five such games within regular season play. It also improved to 63-23-1 all-time when it has a 100-yard rusher. RMU is now 70-5 all-time when scoring at least 30 points.
The Colonials will be right back on the road next weekend as they finish a two-game road trip Saturday, Oct. 5, at Monmouth.
