The football team ended the 2012 season with a win over Northeast Conference rival Robet Morris 26-21.
“I’m very happy for our seniors to finish the season off with a win,” head coach Kevin Callahan said. “I’m happy for all of the players on the team, I’m proud of the way they battled in that game. They continued to play hard all the way to the end. It’s an excellent way for our seniors to end their careers.”
Julian Hayes led the Hawks (5-5, 4-3) to their second win in Pittsburgh this season (The other came against Duquesne). Hayes carried the ball 22 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
The Blue and White took a 17-0 lead in first quarter and carried it into halftime. Hayes scored from two yards away, Eric Spillane connected on a 21-yard field goal and Tristan Roberts caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Frazier to build the three-possession lead.
The Colonials (4-7, 3-5) made it a tight game with two touchdowns early in the second half. Deontae Howard scored on a 20-yard run to give Robert Morris their first points of the day. Less than four minutes later, Jeff Sinclair found Duane Mitchell for a 39-yard touchdown and the extra point cut MU’s lead to three.
Spillane added a 43-yard field goal later in the third quarter to put the Hawks ahead by six.
Hayes looked to put the game away with his second touchdown early in the fourth quarter. He scored from 22 yards away with 11:12 on the block and put his team ahead 26-14.
Just more than three minutes later, Sinclair and Mitchell were hooking up again for the Colonials. From 44 yards away, the two connected and made the score 26-21 with 8:05 left in the game.
Ryan Mohr punted for the Hawks and made Robert Morris start from their one-yard line with 3:10 to play in the game, trailing by five.
Sinclair dinked and dunked his way down the field until the Colonials faced a fourth-and-one at the Blue and White’s 20-yard line with less than a minute on the clock. He found D.J. Hayes for a 16-yard gain and set up a first-and-goal from the four-yard line with 28 seconds left.
The drive nearly ended with a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the three-yard line, but the Colonials were penalized for holding.
Robert Morris faced fourth-and-goal from the 13 on the final play of the game. Sinclair threw an incomplete pass after crossing the line of scrimmage. The game ended on the illegal forward pass and the Hawks picked up their fifth win of the season.
In his last game as MU’s quarterback, Frazier completed 22 of 27 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown, along with no interceptions.
The receiving duo of Roberts and Neal Sterling showcased their talent in the season finale. The two combined for 9 catches, 170 yards and a touchdown.
The defense sacked Sinclair four times in the game. Pat O’hara, Chris Luma and Brad Harris had one a piece.
Sinclair completed 21 of 34 passes for the Colonials, throwing for two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Evan Taylor was RMU’s leading rusher, taking 16 carries for 78 yards.
Mitchell led all Colonial receivers with 5 catches for 116 yards, including two touchdowns.
Nolan Nearhoof led the Robert Morris defense with two-and-a-half sacks. As a team, they brought Frazier down six times.
A season that looked promising early on ended with a .500 record for the Hawks. They finish the season third in the NEC, behind Albany and Wagner, who both went 7-1 against conference opponents.
PHOTO COURTESY of MU Photography
