MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (Interstat) — Carson Haggard threw for 296 yards and four touchdowns, and Robert Morris held off Norfolk State 33-31 on Saturday in an NCAA Football Championship Division game at Joe Walton Stadium. Haggard completed 20 of 28 passes. Jaqai Carter had nine receptions for 171 yards and three touchdowns for the Colonials, who improved to 3-2. Norfolk State fell to 3-3. The Spartans had a final chance in the closing seconds, but Marco Peery’s 52-yard field goal attempt missed. Robert Morris won despite a late Norfolk State push and a game that produced 64 combined points.

Norfolk State struck first when D. Golmond connected with Rocco Ciocca on a 17-yard touchdown pass at 7:32 of the first quarter. Robert Morris answered later in the opening period when Haggard found Noah Schaerli for a 15-yard score. Haggard then hit Carter for a 21-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Bryson Costa attempted a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter, but the kick was no good. Norfolk State’s last scoring opportunity came in the fourth quarter, when Peery lined up for a 52-yard field goal with four seconds remaining, but the attempt missed.

Haggard’s four-touchdown performance paced a Robert Morris passing attack that produced 296 yards through the air. Carter was his top target, scoring three times through the air and adding one carry for 2 yards. Schaerli caught four passes for 60 yards and one touchdown. Tyreke Jinks added a 29-yard reception, Tyler Evans had three catches for 19 yards, Attawan Mays had one catch for 11 yards and Max Lopacienski had one catch for 6 yards. Xavier Goulbourne carried 12 times for 34 yards and caught one pass for no gain. Donta Whack added 10 carries for 39 yards, and Breyon Williams ran twice for 3 yards.

Robert Morris’ defense made enough plays to protect the lead. Amanuel Dickson recorded 11 tackles. Noel Roach added eight tackles and two quarterback hurries. Jake Lopinto had six tackles and two quarterback hurries. Chyco Williams finished with five tackles. David Johnson had four tackles and two quarterback hurries, while Asher Wilson had four tackles, one sack and one quarterback hurry. Khalil Hunter contributed three tackles and one quarterback hurry, and Antonio Martin had three tackles. Max Thompson, Ethen Tebbetts, Brandon Martin, Devin German, Jaylen Williams and Tay’Shawn Wilson each recorded one tackle. John Gayer had one tackle and one quarterback hurry. Osman Kamara, Jyree Roberts, Mekhi Kilburn, Ronnie Woods, Quedrion Miles and Elijah Davis each had two tackles.

Robert Morris also received production in the kicking game. Bryson Costa punted three times for 123 yards. Owen McGraw returned two kickoffs for 54 yards. Tay’Shawn Wilson had two kickoff returns for 35 yards. J’Kharri Thomas returned one kickoff for 26 yards. The Colonials’ special teams helped limit Norfolk State’s field position while the offense leaned on Haggard and Carter.

Norfolk State’s offense found success through the air as well. Rocco Ciocca caught three passes for 69 yards and one touchdown. Paul Billups II had four receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown. Jason Wonodi caught three passes for 64 yards and returned three kickoffs for 70 yards. He also had one punt return for minus-23 yards. Kam’Ryn Thomas added three catches for 31 yards. Kiron Benjamin caught one pass for 2 yards and one touchdown. J. Daniels had a 3-yard rush in the first quarter. Marco Peery made extra points and attempted the late 52-yard field goal. Jake Walker handled kicking duties for the Spartans.

Norfolk State’s defense was led by Rontravious Perry, who recorded seven tackles. Brendan Thompson had five tackles and two quarterback hurries. Quintin Goins added five tackles and one sack. Nasir Bashir and Stephon Hall each had four tackles. Javontay Martin and BJ Blake each finished with three tackles. Josiah Davis had three tackles and one interception. The Spartans’ defensive effort kept the game within reach into the final minutes, but the Colonials made the necessary plays down the stretch.

Robert Morris entered the game after a 31-28 loss at Buffalo. The Colonials had also lost at Akron, beaten West Virginia State and won at Wagner earlier in the season. Norfolk State entered after a 43-20 win at Chicago State and had also beaten Hampton and Winston-Salem while losing to Old Dominion and Virginia. Norfolk State is scheduled to host Virginia Lynchburg next. Robert Morris will visit Morgan State next. After those games, Norfolk State will visit South Carolina State, host Delaware State, host North Carolina Central, visit Morgan State and host Howard. Robert Morris will host New Haven, host Mercyhurst, visit Central Connecticut, visit Duquesne, host Stonehill and host Long Island University.

Haggard’s previous recent performance came against Buffalo, when he completed 13 of 31 passes for 163 yards, ran four times for 59 yards and accounted for two touchdowns. Against Norfolk State, he spread the ball to Carter, Schaerli, Jinks, Evans, Mays and Lopacienski. Carter’s 171 receiving yards and three touchdowns were the top offensive numbers of the game. Dickson’s 11 tackles led all defenders. Roach, Lopinto, Johnson and Asher Wilson combined for five quarterback hurries and one sack for Robert Morris. Norfolk State got a 69-yard receiving day from Ciocca, a 64-yard day from Wonodi and two other touchdown catches from Billups and Benjamin. Davis added an interception for the Spartans.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Robert Morris 37, Norfolk State 23. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Robert Morris with an 86.5 percent probability to win. Norfolk State had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +3.5. The total score of 64 went under the over/under line of 43.5.