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University of Dayton Athletics

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Branden Johnson vs. RMU

Football

DAYTON WINS ON THE ROAD AT ROBERT MORRIS 21-14

Flyer Go 2-1 In Non-Conference Play

Branden Johnson caught two TD passes in the RMU win.
PDF Final Stats

Moon Township, Pa. --
The University of Dayton gained 140 yards and scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to beat Robert Morris 21-14 on the road Saturday. Dayton's second straight win improves the Flyers 2-1 on the year, while RMU fell to 1-2.

UD outgained Robert Morris 327-187 despite being held to just eight yards in the third period. Wideout Brandon Johnson scored two TD's on the afternoon, catching six passes for 133 yards. Quarterback Will Bardo was 13 of 26 passing for 183 yards and the pair of touchdowns. The running back tandem of Robert Washington and Connor Kacsor combined to gain 123 yards on 33 attempts, Kacsor scored Dayton's third touchdown on a two-yard run with 5:44 left in the game.

Safety Nick Weston led Dayton with 11 tackles, an interception and a pass breakup. Punter Kyle Pignatiello averaged 42.5 yards a punt on six punts, with three of them being inside the 20-yard line.

Dayton took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead. The Flyers capitalized on a 15-yard facemask penalty tacked onto the end of a Bardo run to get out of a third-and-24 hole, and on the next play, Bardo hit Johnson for a 22-yard score.

A mishandled punt gave RMU the ball on the UD 11-yard-line, and Colonial quarterback Paul Jones hit D.J. Pearson to tie the game. Robert Morris would not penetrate Dayton territory again until its final possession of the third quarter, but on a third-and-one at the Flyer 33, RMU tried to catch the Dayton secondary napping. Instead, Devon Morgan and Chris Beaschler sacked Jones for a 13-yard loss.

The punt that followed the sack pinned UD back on its own seven-yard line, but the Flyers responded with a seven-play, 93-yard drive that resulted in a Bardo-to-Johnson 41-yard score. On the ensuing kickoff, Dayton's Nolan Harmotto stripped RMU return man Brian Jones of the ball, and Flyer backup linebacker Mitch Sanders recovered the fumble at the Robert Morris 39.

Dayton covered those 39 yards in 10 plays (nine on the ground), with Kacsor scoring from the two-yard line. Not only did the Flyers make it a two-score game, but they also took six minutes and five seconds off the clock.

The UD defense came up with a three-and-out and got the ball back at midfield with 4:49 to go. The Flyers only gained 15 yards, but they ran seven plays, kept the ball for 2:39 and most importantly, forced the Colonials to use all three of their time outs.

RMU was able to score on a 40-yard Jones-to-Duane Mitchell pass, but Dayton co-captain Colin Monnier gathered in the on-side kick. Unable to stop the clock, Robert Morris could only watch Dayton take a knee three times, and then the 21-14 win.

It was the Flyers' 11th straight win over Robert Morris. UD leads the series 14-2.

Dayton has a week off in the schedule before opening Pioneer Football League play on Saturday, Sept. 28 against Marist. Game time at Welcome Stadium is 1:00 p.m.

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