What transpired over the first two weeks of Robert Morris’ football season could be summed up as nothing short of nearly disastrous.
After traveling to Utah State to absorb an understandable 22-point loss to an NCAA Division I FBS team, the Division I FCS Colonials returned home and took a devastating gut punch in the form of a two-point defeat at the hands of Division II Edinboro in its Sept. 7 home opener.
“We had a pretty good game out in Utah,” said Robert Morris redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Chiccitt, who is a Bethel Park product. “We were coming back, and we got smacked in the face, obviously, I’m still in shock of how we lost that game. We kind of all week were talking about it. We could use it as either let’s lay down for the rest of the year and have another bad year, or we can use it as a reality check.”
What a difference six weeks can make.
Chiccitt completed 19-of-25 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns Saturday afternoon to lead Robert Morris to an impressive 45-31 Northeast Conference victory against Long Island University at Joe Walton Stadium in Moon.
With the rout of the Sharks (1-7, 1-2), the Colonials (4-3, 2-0) have a new lease on life and sit nestled with Duquesne (4-2, 2-0) and Central Connecticut State (3-4, 1-0) as the top dogs in conference just past the midway point of the 2024 campaign.
“We are starting to mesh,” said Robert Morris coach Bernard Clark Jr., whose team has won four of its past five contests. “We are starting to jell together. Guys are able to complement each other and also be critical of each other without guys getting upset. They’re starting to learn from each other and have confidence in each other.
“That’s the great thing about our team,” he added. “We’re coming together. Our culture is coming together.”
That was certainly true of the Colonials’ passing attack in its latest outing.
Chiccitt completed a 75-yard touchdown pass to top wide receiver Noah Robinson while also connecting with Charles Shawn for a 30-yard scoring strike in the second quarter and an 86-yard shovel pass, which ended any hope of a Sharks comeback with 2:10 left in the fourth quarter.
Charles finished with six receptions for 141 yards, and Robinson chipped in six catches for 126 yards.
Running back DJ Moyer, filling in as starter without top Colonials rusher Tyvon Edmonds Jr., also racked up 88 yards on 14 carries with two critical second-half touchdown runs. His 15-yard run to pay dirt put Robert Morris ahead for good, 37-31, with 8:38 left in the contest.
“It really wasn’t anything super special,” Chiccitt said. “It was getting the ball in the hands of my playmakers, Noah and Shawn. They make it really easy.”
In his second full season as Robert Morris’ starter, Chiccitt has emerged to become one of the top passers in the NEC.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Chiccitt has completed 134-of-194 passes for a conference-best completion percentage of 69.1. He has thrown for 1,538 yards, good for second best in the NEC, with 12 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
“The thing about Chiccitt, he never gets rattled,” Clark said. “That’s the great thing about the young man. He never gets upset. He never gets rattled. He just stays calm in the pocket and he plays hard.”
As good as Chiccitt was, Long Island quarterback Ethan Greenwood, a Citadel transfer, was nearly equal to the task.
Greenwood completed 13-of-26 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown but severely gashed the Colonials defense in the ground game. He rushed for 147 yards on 25 carries.
The Sharks, who racked up 268 yards on the ground, also got considerable contributions from Pat Bowen, Luca Stanzani and Jared Lewis.
Bowen rushed for 67 yards and a score, while Stanzani added 24 yards and a touchdown and Lewis contributed a 1-yard run, which gave Long Island a 31-30 lead with 13:42 left in the game.
“Hang on for dear life, to be totally honest with you,” said Clark of his defense’s difficulties with Greenwood. “We knew he was going to be a problem coming into the game. We knew it was going to be an issue. We were trying to do some different things, but we were missing tackles on him, and every time we missed a tackle he was making it happen.”
Aviyon Smith-Mack caught three passes for 107 yards for the Sharks, and Michael Love added seven catches for 97 yards and a score.
With the game on the line, though, the Colonials defense was able to come up big in the end.
Clinging to a 37-31 lead inside the game’s final three minutes, Robert Morris stopped Long Island on four straight goal-to-go plays. The final fourth-down stop came with 1:30 left when a Greenwood heave toward the end zone fell harmlessly to the turf for an incomplete pass.
“It was just one of those things, where they played well, they were a good team, we just played better,” Clark said.
Robert Morris will look to win its third straight game when it hosts Saint Francis at 2 p.m. next Saturday for another tough NEC matchup.
Despite its rough start to the season, Chiccitt said the Colonials now have plenty of confidence.
“Every week, it doesn’t matter who we are playing, we think we’re going to win,” he said. “We’re excited to just keep it going through this home stand and just keep winning, keep stacking wins.”
California stifles high-powered No. 6 Slippery Rock offense for upset win
California University of Pennsylvania held No. 6 Slippery Rock to just 10 rushing yards and one touchdown en route to earning a 28-7 upset victory in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division game Saturday afternoon at Adamson Stadium in California.
The Vulcans (6-1, 4-0) now sit atop the PSAC West Division standings, while the Rock (6-1, 3-1) will be left to pick up the pieces after its first regular-season loss since dropping a 20-12 decision to rival Indiana University of Pennsylvania Nov. 12, 2022. It is the first regular-season loss Slippery Rock has suffered by more than a touchdown margin since falling, 48-21, to the Crimson Hawks Oct. 16, 2021.
Defensive back Dominic Solomon Jr., a Clairton graduate, led the California defensive effort with a team-high eight tackles, one for a loss, with an interception.
Vulcans quarterback Davis Black threw for 250 yards and a touchdown while also carrying the ball seven times for 28 yards and a score.
Wide receiver Eric Willis III was Black’s top target with five catches for 106 yards and a score.
California running back Erick McKan III rushed for 59 yards and a score, and McKeesport product Bobby Boyd Jr. added a game-high 67 yards on 14 carries.
Kicker Anthony Beitko, also a McKeesport product, converted on field goals of 41 and 20 yards for the Vulcans.
Slippery Rock quarterback Brayden Long threw for 282 yards and a 32-yard touchdown pass to Kylon Williams to account for their team’s lone score.
IUP rallies to knock off Seton Hill
Indiana University of Pennsylvania used 20 unanswered second-half points Saturday afternoon at George P. Miller Stadium to emerge with a 20-13 PSAC West victory against upset-minded Seton Hill and end its two-game losing skid.
Crimson Hawks (5-2, 2-2) quarterback Karst Hunter capped a 12-play, 80-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 54 seconds left in the third quarter to tie the game at 13-13 before running back JD Younger scored the game-winner on a 3-yard run with 4:23 left in the contest.
Hunter threw for 164 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions while also rushing for 39 yards. Younger carried the ball 21 times for 104 yards.
Griffins (2-5, 0-3) running back Ky’Ron Craggette, a Uniontown native, rushed for a game-high 150 yards and his team’s lone touchdown on 31 carries. Connellsville native Ben Zavatchan converted on field goals of 22 and 27 yards for Seton Hill.
Washington & Jefferson upsets No. 7 Grove City to snap Wolverines’ school-record 16-game regular season winning streak
The top NCAA Division III passer in the nation, Jacob Pugh, a Thomas Jefferson product, completed 26-of-40 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns to lead Washington & Jefferson to a 27-19 upset victory over No. 7 Grove City Saturday night in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference showdown at Cameron Stadium in Washington.
The loss for the Wolverines (5-1) snapped its school record 16-game regular season winning streak, while the Presidents (6-1) earned a signature victory after falling to Carnegie Mellon (5-1) in overtime, 30-27, three weeks ago.
All three teams are now chasing Case Western Reserve (6-0) in the PAC standings.
For W&J Saturday night, though, it was all about the Presidents passing attack.
Pugh — who entered the game with 1,815 passing yards, which was good for No. 1 in the nation – stood tall behind a veteran offensive line and found his top passing targets often against the Grove City.
W&J wide receiver Jacob Macosko, a Peters Township product, caught 13 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 10 catches, 92 yards and a score from wide receiver John Peduzzi.
Running back Kobe Derosa, a Laurel graduate, rushed for 16 yards and a touchdown for the Presidents.
For Grove City, running back Nico Flati paced the offensive attack on the ground.
The West Allegheny product rushed for a game-high 102 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries.
Wolverines quarterback Logan Pfeuffer, a Peters Township graduate, threw for 138 yards and also rushed for 26 yards and his team’s other touchdown.
Grove City kicker Daniel Sullivan converted on field goals of 42 and 23 yards.
Westminster throttles Saint Vincent
Westminster racked up 479 yards of total offense — and its defense conceded just 58 yards – as the Titans routed Saint Vincent, 56-0, Saturday afternoon in a PAC contest at Harold Burry Stadium in New Wilmington.
Quarterback Ty McGowan, a Moon product, completed 12-of-19 passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns for Westminster (5-1). He completed three passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns to senior wide receiver Jalen Washington to go along with five passes for 63 yards and a score to Brite Cannon and a 29-yard scoring strike to Elijah Grayer.
Running back Ryan Gomes also rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown for the Titans against the Bearcats (1-6), while Clayton Cannon Jr. added 34 yards and a score on four carries.
Waynesburg runs over Bethany
Junior running back Zayne Cawley rushed for 249 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries as Waynesburg surged past Bethany, W. Va., 34-14, Saturday afternoon in a PAC contest at John F. Wiley Stadium in Waynesburg.
Yellow Jackets (2-4) quarterback Samuel Barber threw for 124 yards and a touchdown against the Bison (0-6).
Junior wide receiver Isaac Trout, a Southmoreland product, caught four passes for 60 yards and a score for Waynesburg.
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.