MOON TWP., Pa. — Robert Morris (5-3, 3-0) is sticking to their pattern on one side of the ball that carries the team to victory. Last week was offense and the week before that was defense. For the second time in three weeks, the defense came through, this time stifling the Saint Francis (2-6, 0-4) offense en route to a 17-0 victory.

“It’s exactly what you want to do,” coach Bernard Clark said Pittsburgh Sports Now about winning in different ways. “You want to have a solid team all the way through. When the defense doesn’t pick up the slack, the offense picks up. When the defense has to pick up a slack, they pick it up, so that’s the great thing, we’re a team. Special teams has been solid all along, so that’s the positive thing about Robert Morris football.”

In the first half, the Colonials defense forced three and outs on four of the six Red Flash offensive drives while forcing punts on all six of their first half drives. The Red Flash offense mustered just 63 yards of total offense in the first half.

That trend continued in the second half as the Colonials defense forced four more punts and an interception while allowing just 67 yards. In the entire game, the Red Flash offense totaled just 129 yards of total offense.

“Defensively we did some good things,” Clark said. “We knew coming into the game it was going to be a defensive game just based on the past games (Saint Francis) played last week. … So it was a situation where we knew going in, we’d have to raise our game defensively.”

The game started with each team going toe-to-toe on its first two offensive possessions, but on the Colonials’ third drive of the first half, the offense woke up. After Anthony Chiccitt avoided defensive line pressure and hit Noah Robinson for a 42-yard gain, Ethan Shine finished the scoring with a one-yard touchdown punch.

“I play an unselfish position,” Shine said Pittsburgh Sports Now after the game. “I try to do my best when my team needs me. Everyone does their job, I’m just doing my job like everyone else. When we play well, everyone flows together.”

The Colonials followed that run with another push. Early in the second quarter, Jayson Jenkins hit a 42-yard field goal that gave the Colonials a 10-point lead, which they carried into halftime.

The Red Flash tried to climb back into the game as they started the second half with the ball. They moved the ball past midfield but turned it over when Nick Whitfield Jr.’s pass was airmailed and intercepted by Rob Carter Jr. and returned to midfield.

The Colonials extended their lead late in the third quarter. Three plays through the air, Tyvon Edmonds Jr. ran in the second one-yard touchdown of the game for the Colonials, extending their lead to three scores, which was the margin at the end of the game.

The Colonials will stay at home to host Merrimack in a non-conference matchup next week. The game against Merrimack will mark the team’s fourth consecutive home game.