Top Story - The Robert Morris University football team opens its 2007 campaign and 14th season of intercollegiate football Saturday, Sept. 1, when it welcomes Dayton to Joe Walton Stadium for a 1:00 p.m. contest. Dating back to the program's first season in 1994, the Colonials own a record of 8-5 all-time in season openers. Under the tutelage of of 14th-year head coach Joe Walton, the only head coach in the history of the program, the Colonials return a total of 11 starters in 2007. After Saturday's season lidlifter against the Flyers, the Colonials take to the road to open Northeast Conference play with a 1:00 p.m. game at defending NEC champion Monmouth Saturday, Sept. 8.
Quick Stat of the Afternoon - Saturday's game against the Flyers marks just the sixth time in the program's history the Colonials have opened a season with a home game, and it also marks the first season opener for RMU at Joe Walton Stadium, which opened in 2005. In the five previous season openers at home for Robert Morris, the club has posted a perfect 5-0 record, including four victories over Buffalo State (1997, 2000, 2002, 2004) and a win over Waynesburg (1995). Offense hasn't been a problem for the Colonials in season-opening games either, as in its previous 13 lidlifters RMU has averaged 28.0 points per contest.
Saturday's Opponent - Robert Morris and Dayton will meet for the 10th time Saturday, with the Flyers owning a 7-2 advantage and carrying a four-game winning streak in the all-time series into the contest. Dayton climbed out of a 14-0 deficit in last year's tilt at Welcome Stadium (9/2/06), scoring three second-half touchdowns to pull out a 21-14 win in the 2006 season opener for both clubs.
Dayton Series Quick Outs - Dayton is one of just two programs (Sacred Heart being the other) that Robert Morris owns a losing record against in the all-time series with a minimum of five games played ... In last year's season opener against the Flyers quarterback Erik Cwalinski finished 18-for-25 passing for 278 yards and two touchdowns as RMU racked up 374 yards of total offense on the afternoon, the third highest total of the 2006 campaign for the Colonials ... Since the inception of I-AA (now FCS) mid-major football in 1993, Dayton owns the best winning percentage (.789) of the 20 programs at that classification, while Robert Morris ranks fourth (.625) ... RMU's 17-13 victory at Welcome Stadium (10/14/00) marked head coach Joe Walton's 100th victory as head coach (combined professional and collegiate victories).
Head Coach Joe Walton (14th Season; 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, the University named its on-campus football stadium 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 Bowl, 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 over 60 percent of the time.
Walton is RMU's only head coach ever, and he is 82-49-1 (all at Robert Morris) at the collegiate level (.625). 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 seven years in the NFL with the Washington Redskins and New York Giants.
Back in the Saddle - Robert Morris welcomes back 11 starters as the Colonials get set to open the 2007 campaign against Dayton Saturday at Joe Walton Stadium. Of the 11 starters, five are on offense, five on defense and one on special teams. In order to get a better feel for what is returning for the Colonials in 2007, take a deeper look ... In the backfield, the Colonials return just 9.1 percent of its rushing back from 2006, as the leading returning rusher is senior fullback Rion Listhrop. Listhrop finished with 52 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries a year ago, an average of 3.2 yards per rush ... From the wide receiving corps, Robert Morris returns 36 percent of its receptions (58-of-161) and 44.3 percent of its receiving yards (932-of-2,105). Seniors Mario Hines and Alvin Hill, who will start at flanker and split end, respectively, combined for 44 catches for 696 yards and seven touchdowns ... On defense, RMU returns 48.4 percent (363-of-750) of its tackles and 32.4 percent (11-of-34) of its sacks. Senior linebacker Chad Wengert is the club's leading returning tackler thanks to 73 stops a year ago, while senior defensive lineman Kelvern Grant, who moves from right end to left tackle in 2007, is the top returning player in regard to sacks with four ... In all, Robert Morris will have a total of 10 players make their first collegiate starts Saturday against Dayton, the same number as a year ago in the 2006 lidlifter.
Six Pack - A total of six Colonials were named to the 2007 All-Northeast Conference Preseason Team, including a pair on offense, three on defense and one on special teams. Junior Erik Cwalinski got the nod at quarterback, while senior center John Steilner garnered the accolade on the offensive line. On defense, senior linebacker Chad Wengert, senior safety James Kazil and senior cornerback Mike Niklos were named to the All-NEC Preseason Team, while senior Mario Hines was named at return specialist. The six players named to the team for Robert Morris were the second most of any school in the NEC, behind only Monmouth, which had seven All-NEC preseason nods. Of the six named to the preseason squad, Steilner, Wengert, Kazil, Niklos and Hines each garnered All-NEC postseason honors in 2006.
Third Time a Charm? For the third straight season the Colonials will feature a different starter at halfback, as sophomore Raphael Johnson gets the nod Saturday against Dayton in the club's 2007 season opener. Johnson, who sat out the 2006 campaign to concentrate on academics, ran neck-in-neck with true freshman Myles Russ throughout training camp. Johnson and Russ should each see plenty of action in 2007 and will look to replace the departed Brian Harden, who rushed for 399 yards on 126 carries as a freshman a year ago.
Snap the Streak - If sophomore Raphael Johnson or freshman Myles Russ can step up and provide a spark in the backfield in 2007, it should help compliment the RMU offense quite nicely. For the first time in school history last season, no Colonial running back was able to eclipse the 100-yard rushing plateau in a game. In fact, Robert Morris enters Saturday's season opener against Dayton without a 100-yard rusher in its last 12 games, the longest drought in school history. The last Colonial to eclipse the barrier was former halfback Devin Wilson (2002-05), who rushed for 137 yards on 20 carries @ Albany (11/5/05).
Walk the Line - One area Robert Morris recruited heavily in the offseason was on the offensive line, and one look at the two-deep for Saturday's season opener against Dayton reveals two things: The Colonials seem to have acquired quality and quantity for the position. A pair of freshman will start on the offensive line against the Flyers, as 6'5”, 305-pound Corey Konycki gets the nod at right guard, while 6'5”, 290-pound Carlos Andrade will settle in at right tackle. Meanwhile, 6'6”, 285-pound Dave Coleman will serve as the backup at both left guard and center should an injury occur. Konycki and Andrade are the first pair of offensive linemen to start as freshman in their first collegiate game since the program's inaugural season in 1994, when DeWayne Smith (LT), Pat Lines (LG) and Aaron Doolittle (C) each started as freshmen in a 24-19 victory @ Waynesburg (9/3/94), the program's inaugural game.
Linebacker U: Penn State or RMU? One can point to assistant head coach Dan Radakovich as the mastermind of the Robert Morris defense. Radakovich, the grandfather of “Linebacker U” at alma mater Penn State, has slowly turned RMU into Pennsylvania's Western version of the same name. Of the players ranked in top 10 all-time at Robert Morris for career tackles, six are linebackers, including each of the top four. Former linebacker Jeff Rommes (2003-06) wrapped up his career ranked ninth all-time at RMU for career takedowns with 214, and following in his footsteps very well could be senior outside linebacker Chad Wengert. Wengert has started 21 straight games for Robert Morris, the longest active streak by a Colonial, and enters the season with 148 career tackles. That total is just 11 stops shy of cracking the top 20 all-time at RMU, and barring injury, he should become the 14th player in school history to eclipse 200 career tackles.
Carry It Over - Junior Erik Cwalinski enters his second full season as the starting quarterback in 2007 and will look to grow into his position as a leader with the club. Last season Cwalinski completed 58.1 percent (157-for-270) of his passes for 2,066 yards and 19 touchdowns, with his season total for yards ranking third in the Colonial single-season record book. Despite an up-and-down year, Cwalinski saved his best game for last in 2006, as he completed 20 of his 28 passing attempts for 270 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-21 victory @ Sacred Heart (11/11/06) in the club's season finale.
Flower Power - With the graduation of Jarvis Powers, Robert Morris enters the 2007 campaign looking to fill a void at tight end. Powers paced the Colonials in 2006 in both receptions (31) and receiving yards (421) while also hauling in five touchdowns, the most of any receiver on the roster. Getting the first crack at replacing Powers is junior Regis Flowers, who draws his first starting assignment Saturday against Dayton. Flowers switched his number in training to No. 86, which last season was worn by Powers.
Pick Pocket - Heading into the 2007 season, senior cornerback Mike Niklos is tops among active players in FCS (formerly I-AA) for career interceptions with 13. Niklos, a preseason All-Northeast Conference selection, is tied with Morehead State's Noel Williams and Bethune-Cookman's Bobbie Williams, who also enter the 2007 campaign with 13 career picks to their credit. Niklos, who also posted 42 tackles a year ago, currently ranks third all-time at RMU as well as fourth all-time in NEC annals for career interceptions.
