ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. –Â The Marian football team posted 50-plus points for the second straight game and cruised to a 51-7 win over Robert Morris Saturday at Morris Field in Arlington Heights, Illinois. No. 15 Marian is 2-0 with the win.
Marian scored early and often as the defense made quick work of the Eagles and the offense needed few plays to find the end zone in the first quarter. Before the game was seven minutes old, the Knights led 21-0 after touchdown runs from Tristen Tonte and Wesley Cook along with a touchdown pass from Luke Johnston to Brandon Dillon. The Knights’ defense was all over RMU with Nickai Poyser ending one drive early with an interception and the defensive line racking up three tackles for loss during the span.
The only blemish in the first quarter came at the six minute mark when Johnston was picked off on a screen pass, but the Knights stopped Robert Morris on fourth down and it led to a 31-yard Matt Plesac field goal just before the end of the quarter.
Robert Morris put together its best drive of the game early in the second quarter, but on fourth down Mac Dutra and Chad Scaggs came up with a sack to keep the Eagles off the board. The Knights struggled to keep the offense going though, and it was RMU that got on the board first in the quarter. The Eagles punched it in from a yard out to make it 24-7 with 7:38 to play in the quarter. Plesac was able to push the lead back to 20 with a 34-yard field goal late in the half and Marian scored once more with a touchdown pass from Johnston to Greg Miller, Jr. with nine seconds left in the half. The Knights racked up 326 yards of offense in the first half and took a 34-7 lead to the locker room.
Penalties marred the early part of the third quarter, but the Marian defense continued to dominate Robert Morris. Scaggs and Dutra each earned another sack and Marian’s special teams blocked a punt, which opened a drive for the Knights at RMU’s 16 yard line. The Knights posted 10 more points in the quarter with a 30-yard field goal from Plesac and a 21-yard touchdown pass from Johnston to Johnny William to push the lead to 37.
A 14-yard run from Charles Salary in the fourth quarter gave Marian 51 points and the Knights rolled to their first road of the season and first ever win at Robert Morris. The Knights posted 582 yards of total offense, while limiting Robert Morris to just 123. Mairan just for 174 yards and threw for 408 as Johnston finished 22-for-32 with 337 yards and three touchdowns. Dillon led the receiving corps with 121 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Dutra had five tackles with three sacks, while Ryley Pease compiled five tackles, including four solos. The defense forced five turnovers and sacked Robert Morris six times.
Marian will have a bye week next week before welcoming Olivet Nazarene to St. Vincent Field on Sept. 22 at 6:05 p.m.
