Robert Morris Takeaways: Colonials Still Need to Improve Following First Win of Season

MOON TWP, Pa. — After a full day and some change has passed since the Robert Morris football program picked up its first win of the season, let’s take a dive into some of the key takeaways from Saturday.

While most people are still skeptical, and rightfully so, of what caliber of team the Colonials are or will be this season due to the win coming against Division-II West Liberty, the Robert Morris players and coaches all look at it as a building block.

A Win is a Win

The Colonials managed to beat West Liberty by two touchdowns on Saturday but the final score is not indicative of the game itself.

After scoring touchdowns on their first two offensive possessions of the game and jumping out to a 14-point lead, it looked as if the Colonials would handle business accordingly and blow out the Hilltoppers. That was just simply not the case.

Following the 14-0 start, the Hilltoppers actually matched the Colonials with two touchdowns each over the final portion of the game. On top of that, the Colonials only out-gained the Hilltoppers in total yardage by 43 yards (325-282) and lost three fumbles in the process.

“The way we won it, it was an ugly win,” Clark said to Robert Morris Sports Now following the game. “Not to take anything away from West Liberty. I think they played extremely hard and they got after us as much as they could, but as long as you have self-inflicted wounds, it just drives you crazy as a coach.”

Regardless, learning and improving after a win is certainly better than trying to do so after a loss which is what Robert Morris head coach Bernard Clark Jr. echoed after the game.

“I am happy about the win, but I am not happy about the way we play,” Clark continued.

Two-Headed Monster at Running Back

One of the biggest improvements that the Colonials displayed in the win over the Hilltoppers was the ability to run the ball. The Colonials managed to rush for a total of 242 yards on Saturday which is far more than the 94 yards they managed through the first two games combined.

Prior to the season, many were excited to see the UMass transfer Donta Whack, who played well on Saturday, but many people forgot about returning junior Ethan Shine, who stole the show against the Hilltoppers.

Robert Morris running back Ethan Shine runs against West Liberty on Sept. 13, 2025 — RMU Athletics

While they both would likely want to the be the feature back for the team, the duo has formed a strong connection to this point and only look to make each other better on and off of the field.

“We really just keep on pushing each other to be the best possible,” Shine said about his relationship with Whack. “We coach each other up, we criticize each other, and I think it makes us both better.”

Shine totaled 133 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries for an average of 6.7 yards per carry on Saturday. Whack also averaged over six yards per rush (6.4), as he ran for 58 yards and a score on just nine attempts in the win over West Liberty.

Defense Still Needs to Improve

One glaring weakness in the win over the Hilltoppers was the up-and-down play of the defense.

The defense definitely stuck its foot in the ground and made some timely plays including an interception in the end zone and a fourth-down stop, both while West Liberty was deep into Robert Morris territory, and a game-sealing interception by Tahseen Howard, but it was gashed through the air for 219 yards and two passing scores.

While the timely plays made a difference in the final outcome, the staff is not satisfied with where the unit it currently at as it is a repeat offender to many of the same mistakes that crippled them through the first two games.

“We were doing the same things in the first two games,” Clark said. “Those opponents were just a whole lot better than we were, and they capitalized on those things. We are still missing tackles, we are still not seeing guys in our zones when it is time to break on the ball, we are still not fitting gaps so we are still not doing a lot of fundamental things properly.”

In total, the Hilltoppers racked up 282 yards of total offense and without some of their costly mistakes, it could have been a much closer game due to the Colonials’ inability to get off of the field at times.

Prior to the season, the league’s coaches picked Robert Morris to finish in third-place of the conference and even received one first-place vote. In order for them to reach those, or even greater heights, the time together as a collective unit is now