Sept. 19, 2009

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MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) -- The University of Dayton football team evened its record Saturday with a spirited 21-14 win at Robert Morris. Due to injuries, all-league wide receiver Steve Valentino started at quarterback, and led the Flyers to their first win of the season.

Valentino played quarterback in high school and spent his redshirt freshman season running UD's scout team. He then played backup QB and threw just five passes in 2007, but was moved to wideout the following spring. Last year he caught 50 passes and was named First Team All-PFL. Voted a team captain last spring, he did not take any snaps at quarterback until this past Tuesday, Sept. 15

With four days practice, Valentino threw for two touchdowns and was 14 of 29 passing for 192 yards and one interception. He was also UD's leading ground gainer, carrying the ball 21 times for 58 yards.

Valentino's day got off to a rough start when his third pass of the day was batted into the air at the line of scrimmage, and returned five yards by RMU linebacker Alex DiMichele to the 20-yard line. Five plays later, Josh Keil fought his way just over the goal line to give Robert Morris a 7-0 lead.

The Dayton offense got it going in the second quarter. The Flyers drove 74 yards to tie the score at 7-7 with 4:49 left in the first half when Valentino hit Justin Millio with a scoring pass on third-and-two from the eight. Another key play was a spectacular one-handed catch laid out along the sideline by Justin Watkins for 23 yards on fourth-and-three from the RMU 39.

UD forced a three-and-out on Robert Morris' next possession, and Valentino took the Flyers 45 yards in eight plays to take the lead. He was clutch when he most needed to again, completing a 23-yarder to Nick Collins on third and 10 at the 45 and an 18-yarder to Anthony Papp on third and eight at the20. Redshirt freshman Brian Mack ran it in from the two with 1:14 to go in the first half to make the halftime score Dayton 14, Robert Morris 7.

After a scoreless third quarter, Dayton added to its lead with another spectacular catch by Watkins, this time in the back corner of the end zone, on a first-and-goal from the eight. UD's 10-play, 41-yard drive was kept alive by two key plays. On fourth-and-one at the 32, Valentino fumbled the snap, but was heads-up enough to bend over and pick up the ball rather than cover it, and athletic enough to jump over the pile for the first down. A Colonial personal foul on a failed third-down run kept the drive alive and put the ball on the eight just before the Flyer TD.

The two teams exchanged six punts before Robert Morris made it a one-score game on Camdin Crouse's 25-yard TD pass to Sherrod Evers with 2:41 left in the fourth quarter.

At that point, Dayton had two tasks to complete: field the kickoff and get two first downs. The first was accomplished when Colonial kicker Garret Clawson tried to pooch it over the drawn-in Flyer receivers. UD senior Scott Horcher ran back, called for a fair catch and caught the ball over his shoulder.

Mack ran for nine yards on first down, and Valentino gained two on a quarterback sneak. Getting that first down forced Robert Morris to burn its remaining two timeouts. Mack gained three yards on first down, but was nailed in behind the line for a loss of two on second down. Up to this point, the Flyers were oh-for-four on third down in the fourth quarter. But Valentino faked it to Mack, ran around left end, got a great downfield block from Papp, and dove just past the chains for 10 yards, the first down, and the game.

Watkins caught seven passes for 97 yards and a touchdown to lead all receivers. RMU's Myles Russ was the top ground gainer, getting 19 carries for 87 yards.

Defensive back James Vercammen led the Dayton defense with 12 tackles (10 solo), with three in the backfield and a sack. Flyer defensive end Brandon Wingeier had five hits (4 solo), with two sacks, two in the backfield, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. DiMichele also had 12 tackles for Robert Morris.

Dayton hosts Duquesne at Welcome Stadium next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET.