Robert Morris drops season finale to Eastern Illinois

Pierce Holley threw for three touchdowns and MJ Flowers ran for 179 and a score as Eastern Illinois beat Robert Morris, 28-14, on Saturday.

Eastern Illinois (8-3, 4-2 Big South, OVC Association) won its eighth game in a season for the first time since 2013.

Holley threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Eli Mirza for the game’s first score with 4:12 left in the first quarter. Chaese Jackson knotted it for Robert Morris (4-7, 2-4) early in the second when he ran into the end zone from 3 yards out.

Holley threw an 18-yard score to DeAirious Smith with 6:18 left before halftime, and found Justin Thomas on a 14-yard scoring pass with 11 seconds before intermission for a 21-7 advantage. After a scoreless third, MJ Flowers dashed 38 yards with 7:27 remaining for a three-touchdown lead.

The Colonials’ Robert Tanner threw a 14-yard touchdown to Noah Robinson for the final score. Tanner threw for 156 yards.

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Colonials.