Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University football team concluded its 2010 spring practice Saturday afternoon at Joe Walton Stadium, with the Blue Team earning a 34-27 victory over the White Team.

"We had a productive spring camp," head coach Joe Walton said. "The most important thing is the enthusiasm was there, especially in the scrimmage today. There are still some problems we have to work out, and we hope the freshman we have coming in can contribute. We're still thin in regard to backups on the offensive line, and our tight end situation should improve once we get Paul Evans back from injury and Tyler Digby back from lacrosse."

Scoring with a points-based system in which points were awarded for first downs, defensive stops on third down, turnovers and a negative yardage play, only two touchdowns were scored on the afternoon.

The first score came on the eighth series of the afternoon, when junior cornerback Rolf Bathold (Naples, Fla. / Lely) stepped in front of a pass from junior Aaron Smetanka (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Catholic) and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown. The score, which counted for 10 points, gave the White Team a slim 17-14 advantage.

The Blue Team's lone score of the afternoon came courtesy of freshman quarterback Kyle McNeil (Elizabethtown, Pa. / Elizabethtown Area), who found daylight down the near sideline after checking off his receivers and scampered 37 yards for a touchdown. McNeil rushed twice on the afternoon for 50 yards while completing one of his six passes for 13 yards and suffering an interception. 

Junior running back Myles Russ (Boca Raton, Fla. / West Boca) saw limited action but was effective in the first series of the day, rushing four times for 26 yards, including a 10-yard run and an 11-yard scamper for first downs that picked up points for the Blue Team.

Freshman running back Monty Ashby (Pittsburgh, Pa. / East Allegheny) posted 11 carries for 35 yards, including three runs of 10 yards or more that produced first downs.

"Running back is one of our deepest positions, and it's something I feel very comfortable about," Walton said. "In fact, I'm not worried about that position at all. Obviously having Myles and Raphael Johnson back are important, and Monty has the chance to be a good one."

Freshman quarterback Jeff Sinclair (Natrona Heights, Pa. / Highlands) completed his first two passes of the day, including an eight-yard strike to sophomore tight end Shadrae King (McKeesport, Pa. / McKeesport) on the first play from scrimmage, but finished just 2-for-8 passing on the afternoon for 10 yards. He did pick up a first down by rushing for 11 yards that helped move the chains on the first series. 

"I think the kids enjoyed the point-system with the spring game," Walton said. "It was something different, and you could feel the energy from both sidelines. It was good for the competition, which is great to see."

In addition to Bathold's interception, freshman Vernon Wright (McKeesport, Pa. / McKeesport) intercepted McNeil, returning it 17 yards before being tackled.

The leading tackler for the Colonials were freshman defensive linemen Steve Mitchell (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Pittsburgh Central Catholic) and Connor Sullivan (Washington, D.C. / St. John's College High School), who each posted five stops. Sullivan had one-a-half sacks, while Mitchell had one.

"I think we're going to have a strong defense again, and I think we're going to have the makings of a good team," Walton said. "We're just going to need to shore up our situation at some of the backup positions. That's important, because injuries happen throughout the course of a season, and we need to have players ready to step in and play important roles."

Junior linebacker Elias Navarro (Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / South Plantation) posted four tackles, while freshman defensive lineman Nolan Nearhoof (Gibsonia, Pa. / Mars Area) recorded a pair of sacks among his four stops.