MOON TOWNSHIP— The Robert Morris football team (2-5, 0-3) defeated the Central State Marauders (3-5, 1-3) by the score of 49-45 on Saturday. Here are the quick hits from the game.

Why it happened

As has been every week, except for the game against James Madison (5-2, 3-1), all of RMU’s offensive playmakers showed up in this one. Jimmy Walker had four touchdowns in the game, three of which were to Matthew Gonzalez, and Terence Stephens had another 100-yard rushing performance. It’s tough to out-gun Robert Morris when those three are performing to their potential.

What it means

This game has more significance than a D-II game usually does. Two years ago, Robert Morris fell to D-II Alderson Broaddus by the score of 14-7 and also struggled to put away D-II Malone after they won 21-19 in a game that came literally down to inches. Even earlier this season, Robert Morris struggled to put away D-II Virginia State when they won 22-19.

This game has significant because it shows that the Colonials still aren’t ready to be contenders again. While the first quarter was extremely promising, and the offense looks better and better each passing week, the defense is still far from ready for the next level.

Who starred

The Colonials offensive playmakers all starred in this one. Jimmy Walker had four touchdowns in the game, three of which were to Matthew Gonzalez. Those three touchdowns gave Gonzalez ten on the year, which put him in third place in all of FCS football and tied the single-season RMU record. Terence Stephens and Alijah Jackson also had big games, as they each had over 100-yards rushing each. It was the first time since 1997 that RMU has had two 100-yard rushers. Those four stepping up was big for Robert Morris.

Who stumbled

Just like the offense performs week after week, the defense struggles week after week. That was true again when they allowed Central State to stay in the game, despite the RMU offense scoring on seemingly every drive. The defense specifically let WR Kevin Greenhow get behind them throughout the game. Heading into the fourth quarter, Greenhow already had over 260 yards and three touchdowns.

Who is next

The Colonials next opponent is Saint Francis (2-5, 0-2) who is coming off a loss to Duquesne by the score of 27-20. Outside of their two victories, in which SFU scored 59 and 45, SFU has struggled to finish out games as all of their losses were by one possession. Next week’s game for Robert Morris is a home game for RMU at 12:00 p.m.