Complete game notes available in Adobe PDF format at the bottom of the page

Top Story - The Robert Morris University football team opens its 2006 Northeast Conference schedule with a two-game road swing, the first of which is a short trip east up Route 22 to Loretto, Pa., Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. contest @ in-state rival Saint Francis that will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh. The Colonials are coming off a 21-0 victory over Rowan (9/23) in their last contest and are winners of two straight, having posted back-to-back wins for the first time since 2004. The pair of victories have pushed the Colonials to No. 9 in the latest I-AA Mid-Major rankings according toThe Sports Network. The Red Flash wrap up a two-game homestand Saturday by hosting RMU and are coming off a 24-21 loss to La Salle (9/23). After Saturday's contest, Robert Morris will travel to Staten Island, N.Y., for a 1:00 p.m. league game against Wagner to close out its two-game road trip.

Quick Stat of the Afternoon - Robert Morris enters Saturday's game against the Red Flash with a record of6-4 all-time in Northeast Conference openers but are looking to snap a three-game losing streak in league lidlifters. RMU's last victory in an NEC opener came in 2002 with a 14-0 victory over Central Connecticut State (9/21/02). However, Robert Morris owns a record of3-1 in conference openers on the road, with the only defeat a 17-10 loss @ Monmouth (9/13/03). Saturday's tilt marks just the second time RMU has opened its NEC schedule with a road game since the 2000 campaign.

Saturday's Opponent - Saint Francis is one of just four opponents Robert Morris has faced in each of the first 12 years the Colonials have fielded an intercollegiate program, joining fellow Northeast Conference foes Central Connecticut State and Wagner. The Colonials own a 9-2-1 advantage in the all-time series but dropped a 35-28 decision to the Red Flash in last year's meeting at Joe Walton Stadium (10/1/05).

Saint Francis Series Quick Outs - Robert Morris has averaged 31.0 points per game against the Red Flash in the all-time series while allowing just 9.8 points a contest ... The 35 points scored by Saint Francis in last year's victory for the Red Flash were two points shy of the total points the club scored in the previous six games in the all-time series ... In last year's 35-28 win for Saint Francis at Joe Walton Stadium (10/1/05) quarterback Anthony Doria established a Saint Francis single-game school record for touchdown passes (4) on 22-of-37 passing for 272 yards.

Head Coach Joe Walton (Pittsburgh '57) - If there has been one constant associated with Robert Morris University football through the program's first 13 years, it has been Joe Walton. He was named head coach on July 27, 1993. He started the program from scratch, including everything from hiring assistant coaches to purchasing equipment to recruiting student-athletes. His fingerprints are all over the program, and to prove that, he had the University's first on-campus football stadium named in his honor. Joe Walton Stadium hosted its first football game in 2005 to rousing success, as the Colonials defeated Butler, 49-13, on Sept. 17, 2005.

"I've said this many times before, and I mean it when I say that this situation is one of the best things that has happened to me in my life," Walton said. "It happened at the right time. Before this position became available, I felt I was too young to quit coaching, but I wasn't anxious to get back into pro football. When this came along, it was the perfect fit. This situation was the perfect opportunity for me to continue to do what I like to do, and I've loved every minute of it."

Under Walton's tutelage, the Colonials have claimed five Northeast Conference titles and a pair of mid-major national crowns in the program's first 13 years of existence. Robert Morris is one of just two programs to claim a pair of victories in the ECAC Classic, having won it in back-to-back seasons in 1996 and 1997. The success has done nothing to dampen Walton's enthusiasm for coaching football at Robert Morris, and with him on the sideline RMU wins nearly 70 percent of the time.

Walton is RMU's only head coach ever, and he is 77-47-1 (all at Robert Morris) at the collegiate level (.620). Walton was the head coach of the New York Jets from 1983-89, when he went 53-57-1 (.482). Also included among Walton's 35 NFL seasons is two (1990-91) as offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A two-time All-America tight end at Pittsburgh, Walton played eight years in the NFL with the Washington Redskins and New York Giants.

Rowan Game Notes - Robert Morris posted a season-low 160 yards of total offense against the Profs as sophomore quarterbackErik Cwalinski was sacked a season-high five times ... RMU's top receiver entering the game, junior flanker Alvin Hill, was held without a reception on the afternoon ... Hill was thrown to just twice on the game, as he just missed what would have been a 48-yard touchdown reception near the end of the third quarter, but the pass was just out of his reach ... Sophomore wide receiver Sherrod Evers made three catches for a team-high 44 yards ... RMU dominated time of possession in the contest, 36:27 to 23:33.

Defense Wins Championships - The Robert Morris defense has seen a resurgence so far in 2006 and has been a key reason the club has posted back-to-back wins for the first time since 2004 with victories over Butler (9/16) and Rowan (9/23). The Colonials are yielding just47.25 yards rushing and159.25 yards of total offense per game, with both totals leading all of I-AA football. RMU is coming off a 21-0 victory over Rowan (9/23) in which it established new school records for fewest first downs allowed (1), fewest rushing yards allowed (-44), fewest offensive plays by an opponent (43) and fewest yards of total offense allowed (-19) against the Profs.

Run and Done - To illustrate the dominance on defense thus far in 2006 for Robert Morris, look no further than the opposing backfield. The Colonials have not allowed an opposing running back to rush for more than 65 yards in a game so far this year. After holding former Sacred Heart running back Ed Pricolo to just 68 yards in the club's 2005 season finale, RMU hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher for five straight games. That marks the longest stretch for Robert Morris since opening the 2004 season by not allowing a 100-yard rusher in its firsteight games. That run defense will be tested Saturday, as Red Flash running back Todd Harris leads the Northeast Conference in rushing (122.8 yards per game) and rushing touchdowns (6). In last year's meeting between RMU and SFU, Harris rushed for 128 yards on 16 carries (8.0 yards per carry).

Lockdown - RMU's 21-0 victory over Rowan (9/23) at Joe Walton Stadium marked the club's first shutout since a14-0 victory over Central Connecticut State (9/21/02), a span of 41 games. The shutout for the Colonials against the Profs pushed the club's streak of quarters without allowing a touchdown to 11. Since allowing two touchdown passes in the first quarter of a 27-7 loss to Duquesne (9/9), the Robert Morris defense has allowed just two field goals in the last 11 quarters. It's the best stretch by an RMU defense since opening the 1996 season with three straight shutouts before allowing its first touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter of a 35-13 win over Central Connecticut State (9/28/96), a span of 15 shutout quarters.

Third Rock From the Sun - As well as the Colonial defense putting together complete performances in victories over Butler (9/16) and Rowan (9/23), Robert Morris has clamped down in third-down situations. The Profs finished 0-for-14 in third-down conversions against RMU in its 21-0 loss, which followed a performance by the Bulldogs in which they finished 0-for-10 on third-down. The 0-for-14 performance by Rowan is the most third-down opportunities an opponent has had and failed to convert in school history, eclipsing an 0-for-12 performance by Saint Francis (9/30/00) in a 63-0 win for Robert Morris. The Colonial defense has been extremely efficient in third-down situations this year, holding their opponents to a success rate of just 16 percent (8-for-50).

Sack Attack - While the Robert Morris defense has supplied the club with the ability to effectively stop the run, they have also produced consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Through the first four contests of the 2006 season RMU has tallied 19 sacks, including an NEC-best nine from senior defensive lineman Ray Gensler. The 19 sacks is the most tallied by a Robert Morris team through the first four games of a season in school history, and all 19 have come from the club's front seven. The team record for sacks in a season is 33, set during the 1996 campaign. Robert Morris will have its work cut out for itself Saturday @ Saint Francis, as the Red Flash offensive line has allowed just one sack through their first four games of the 2006 season.

On A Mission - Entering the 2006 campaign, it looked as if former Colonial defensive lineman Jason Spencer's (1994-97) career record for sacks was safe. Spencer notched 17 on his four-year career, and his closest challenger was senior defensive linemanRay Gensler, who entered 2006 with eight career sacks. Yet just four games into this season, Gensler already has tied Spencer's career record for sacks thanks to solid showings @ Dayton (three sacks) and against Rowan (four and-a-half sacks) and a total of nine on the season. Gensler is just a half a sack away from establishing a new school record, and he is also just two sacks short of Spencer's single-season mark, which he set in 1997 with 11. A look at RMU's top sack artists in school history:

Mr. Versatility - Needing to fill the shoes of Mr. Do-It-All in former wide receiver and kick returner Tyjuan Massey (2002-05), Robert Morris didn't have to look far to find his replacement. Junior Mario Hines has gotten off to a stellar start through the first four games of the 2006 season, racking up 606 all-purpose yards, an average of 151.5 per game that currently ranks 12th in I-AA. Currently second on the team in receptions with 11 (for 263 yards), Hines has made his mark on special teams. He is averaging 26.5 yards per kickoff return so far this season, a total that ranks him 20th in I-AA, and 8.1 yards per punt return, which ranks 49th.

Three's Company - A big reason that junior Mario Hines is averaging 8.1 yards per punt return thus far in 2006 is due in large part to his contributions in a 21-0 victory over Rowan (9/23). Hines established new single-game records for punt returns (7) and punt return yardage (112) and became just the second Colonial in school history to return a punt for a touchdown, scrambling 48 yards for the eventual final score of the afternoon. Hines joins former Colonial Dante Settles (2000-04) as the only players in the program's first 13 years to return a punt for a touchdown, and he also joins an elite group of players to score a touchdown three different ways in a Robert Morris uniform. Hines joins former Colonials Devin Wilson (2002-05), Tyjuan Massey (2002-05), Settles and Archie Wannamaker (1996-98) to score touchdowns rushing, receiving and on special teams.

Captain Crunch - Possibly the hardest-hitting Colonial to ever wear a Robert Morris uniform in school history, senior outside linebacker Jeff Rommes is another player that has been key to the club's resurgence on defense. Rommes enters Saturday's contest leading the club in tackles with 30 and already has established career highs in tackles for a loss (eight for -27 yards) and sacks (two and-a-half). With 169 career stops, Rommes is just five takedowns shy of moving into the top 15 all-time at Robert Morris for career tackles. Currently ranked 15th is former defensive lineman Will Weathers, who posted 174 tackles from 2000-03. Barring injury, Rommes should also become the 13th Colonial in school history to eclipse 200 career tackles.

Speedy Delivery - The fact thatMario Hines has gotten off to a fast start this season both as a receiver and on special teams has him nearing a distinct milestone. Hines enters Saturday's game @ Saint Francis already having wracked up 985 career all-purpose yards in 14 games. He is just 15 yards shy of breaking 1,000 career all-purpose yards and would become the third fastest Colonial to reach the plateau in school history as well as the quickest wide receiver. Inaugural RMU running back Tim Hall (1994-95) needed just the first six games in the program's history to eclipse 1,000 career all-purpose yards, while the program's all-time leading rusher, Sam Dorsett (1999-2003), needed 14 games.

Welcome Back - Senior cornerbackMike Niklos was welcomed back with open arms to the Robert Morris secondary in 2006 after missing the 2005 campaign due to injury. Named the 2003 Northeast Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year after establishing a league freshman record for interceptions (6), Niklos notched his first interception of the 2006 season in a 21-0 victory over Rowan (9/23). The pick pushed his career total for interceptions to nine, which ties him for fifth all-time at Robert Morris with former defensive back John Rochford (1994-97). The school record is owned by former defensive back Brian Dunn (1994-97), who registered 19 interceptions on his career.

Lost in the Shuffle - Without question the story of the 2006 season thus far for RMU has been its defense, especially the play of the club's front seven. Yet lost in the shuffle has been the solid play of the Colonial secondary, which is yielding just 112.0 passing yards per game by their opponents, a total that leads the Northeast Conference. Last season, Robert Morris ranked seventh in the conference in passing defense, allowing an average of 260.7 yards passing per game.