State football suffers first loss of season

WVSU Sports,

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The West Virginia State University football team suffered its first loss of the season Saturday night, falling 29-9 to NCAA Division I FCS opponent Robert Morris University. WVSU moves to 1-1 heading into its bye week, while the Colonials improve to 2-0.

Joe Dailey was 6-of-15 passing for 62 yards and an 8-yard touchdown pass to Amare Ary, while adding a team-high 81 rushing yards. Bryan Johnson threw for 86 yards on four completions. Devin Cox rushed for 57 yards on nine carries, averaging a team-best 6.3 yards per carry.

Keyshon Washington led the defense with nine total tackles, including five solo stops. Amir Muhammad added six total tackles (five solo), while Gregory Deloach recorded six total tackles (two solo). Manny Toussaint finished with four solo tackles.

Both teams failed to score on their opening possessions, with the WVSU defense forcing a three-and-out on the Colonials’ first drive. Robert Morris opened the scoring with 6:45 left in the first quarter and converted a 2-point attempt to take an 8-0 lead.

Following a pair of punts, the Yellow Jackets pieced together three consecutive big plays. Johnson connected with Cox for a 20-yard completion before finding Malik Baker for 23 yards. Cox then broke off a 14-yard run, leading to a Joseph Shrader field goal to get the Yellow Jackets on the board at 8-3.

Robert Morris answered with a touchdown, but WVSU responded with a 16-play drive. Dailey capped the possession on fourth-and-goal by finding Ary for an 8-yard touchdown pass—a play upheld after video review—to trim the deficit to 15-9 with 3:08 remaining in the second quarter. Both teams punted on their final possessions before halftime.

Receiving the second-half kickoff, the Colonials constructed a nine-play scoring drive to extend their lead to 22-9. Robert Morris added another touchdown later in the third quarter to take a 29-9 advantage into the final quarter.

Neither team scored in the fourth quarter as the Yellow Jackets defense forced a punt and a missed field goal to close out the game.

Following a bye week, WVSU returns to action Sept. 19, hosting West Virginia Wesleyan College in its Mountain East Conference opener. Kickoff at Lakin-Ray Field at Dickerson Stadium is set for 1 p.m.