To put it mildly, Robert Morris quarterback Erik Cwalinski's relationship with coach Joe Walton can be described as bumpy with a lot of potholes during the past three seasons.

When it was suggested to Walton that it has been 'love-hate,' he answered, with a smile, "It's more love now."

Walton loved what he saw of Cwalinski, the catalyst for Robert Morris' 27-13 victory against visiting Morehead State at Joe Walton Stadium yesterday. Cwalinski, a strong-armed senior, completed 16 of 23 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown.

"He was in control of the game, control of his team," Walton said. "He's matured a lot. He had a good day."

Cwalinski's favorite target was Sherrod Evers, who tied a school record with 10 catches. Those were good for 159 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown, in his return after missing 2007 with a wrist injury.

"I was anxious with anticipation," Evers said. "Cwalinski and I got good chemistry going during workouts in the summer."

Walton said of Evers, the only veteran receiver on the team: "He can be very special. He's something else."

With Evers on the receiving end of his throws and Myles Russ rushing for 148 yards and 16 carries, Cwalinski's job was made a lot easier.

Evers has seen a change in Cwalinski's development over the years.

"He's more relaxed, more confident than he was," Evers said. "He's more sure of what he's going to do."

Cwalinski agreed.

"It's been a long journey," he said. "He [Walton] has been rough on me ... he still is. We've grown a lot together in four years."

He added, with a grin, "I just want to stay on his good side."

Cwalinski called more audibles than usual and had a lot of success fooling the Morehead State defense.

"I checked out of a lot of plays, having the guts to call an audible," he said. "They better work."

Robert Morris (1-0) had its offense and defense working to near-perfection as the Colonials built a 27-0 lead midway through the third quarter.

The Colonials put together an eight-play, 57-yard drive that ended with fullback Jesse Kastelic's 1-yard touchdown plunge at 4:34 of the first quarter. Garrett Clawson's 22-yard field goal made it 10-0 early in the second quarter and his 35-yard field goal stretched the lead to 13-0.

Cwalinski's 31-yard touchdown pass to Evers 29 seconds before intermission gave the Colonials a 20-0 advantage at halftime.

"We got our running game going, and our defense was outstanding," Walton said. "When you can run the ball, that helps the quarterback and keeps the defense off the field."

Kastelic's 1-yard touchdown plunge made it 27-0 at 6:57 of the third quarter. Morehead State scored on Michael Kearns' 1-yard touchdown run and Evan Sawyer's 51-yard pass to Nick Feldman.

Morehead State (1-1) never got its offense untracked as Robert Morris stuffed the run and Sawyer was 14 of 29 for 205 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted twice.