Top Story - The Robert Morris University football team takes to the road to open Northeast Conference action Saturday by traveling to West Long Branch, N.J., for a 1:00 p.m. contest against defending league champion Monmouth. The Colonials opened their 2007 campaign with a 23-12 setback to Dayton (9/1) at Joe Walton Stadium, their third straight season-opening loss, and have dropped to 10th in the latest FCS Mid-Major Poll according to The Sports Network. Saturday's game is the start of two straight conference tilts for RMU, as the club welcomes Saint Francis to “The Joe” Saturday, Sept. 15, for a 1:00 p.m. contest.

Quick Stat of the Afternoon - Robert Morris enters Saturday's game against Monmouth owning a record of 7-4 all-time in Northeast Conference openers, including a 45-13 victory over Saint Francis (9/30) in the club's 2006 league lidlifter. Saturday's game also marks the third time in school history RMU has had an NEC opener as early as the second week of the season, and each of the previous two times it occured also came against the Hawks. The Colonials garnered a 23-7 victory (9/16) over Monmouth in its undefeated 2000 season while dropping a 17-10 decision @ Monmouth (9/13) in week two of the 2003 campaign. 

Saturday's Opponent - The Colonials and Hawks will square off for the 13th time Saturday, and thanks to four straight wins for Monmouth over Robert Morris the all-time series is knotted at 6-6. RMU dropped a 16-7 (10/21/06) decision to the Hawks in last year's meeting at Joe Walton Stadium.

Monmouth Series Quick Outs - Robert Morris and Monmouth are tied with five Northeast Conference titles each, with the Colonials owning three outright championships and two co-championships (both with Monmouth) and the Hawks owning one outright title (2006) and four co-championships (two with RMU, one with Albany and one with Central Conn. State) ... In RMU's last visit to Kessler Field, the Colonials dropped a 14-0 decision to the Hawks, the last time RMU was shut out and just the third time overall in school history ... In that contest quarterback Erik Cwalinski finished 6-for-14 passing for 73 yards in just his second collegiate start ... Cwalinski completed 14 of his 30 passing attempts for 189 yards and a touchdown in last year's matchup but was intercepted twice ... The Colonials have been outscored, 76-44, during Monmouth's four-game winning streak over RMU ... Senior linebacker Chad Wengert finished with 12 tackles in last year's game against Monmouth, which tied a career high.

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 14 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 82-50-1 (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 seven years in the NFL with the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. 

Dayton Game Notes - Robert Morris finished with 280 yards of total offense, compared to 285 for Dayton ... RMU's 15-play, 88-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a two-yard plunge from senior fullback Rion Listhrop matched the longest drive by the Colonials in 2006, which came against Central Connecticut State (10/14/06) ... Robert Morris committed three turnovers on the game (two fumbles, one interception), while Dayton did not have a miscue ... Freshman punter Nick Schirtzinger finished with seven punts for 296 yards, an average of 42.3 yards per punt ... RMU mustered only 44 yards rushing on 33 attempts, an average of 1.3 yards per carry ... Flyers quarterback Kevin Hoyng accounted for 193 (120 passing, 73 rushing) of Dayton's 285 total yards.

No Rust - Senior flanker Mario Hines, who paced the Colonials with six touchdowns in 2006, doesn't like to waste time in scoring his first touchdown of the season. Thanks to his 62-yard touchdown reception against Dayton (9/1), Hines has now scored a touchdown in each of his three Opening Day games. To break it down even further, each of those three scores have come with less than three minutes in the first quarter. In a 47-10 win over Buffalo State (9/4/04), Hines hauled in a career-long 80-yard touchdown reception with 2:46 to play in the first quarter. Last season @ Dayton (9/2/06) Hines caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Erik Cwalinski at the 1:36 mark of the first quarter, and his score against the Flyers in the 2007 season opener came with 1:44 to go in the opening quarter. Hines is the second Colonial in school history to have scored a touchdown in at least three season openers. All-time leading rusher Sam Dorsett scored a touchdown in four straight openers from 2000-03.

Fast Start - Speaking of senior flanker Mario Hines, it didn't take long for him to get off to a good start to the 2007 campaign in Saturday's season opener against Dayton (9/1). Hines finished with three catches for a career-high 85 yards while racking up 189 all-purpose yards thanks to four kickoff returns for 99 yards and two punt returns for five yards. The 189 all-purpose yards was the 19th highest total this past weekend in the FCS ranks, and it also pushed his career total to 1,602 yards, which cracks the top 10 all-time at Robert Morris. Hines is now just five yards behind former receiver Opio Gary (1997-2000), who ranks ninth at RMU with 1,609 all-purpose yards. 

Smashing Secondary - RMU's starting secondary that consists of seniors James Kazil, Mike Niklos, Toheeb Akinola and Jonathan Robinson got off to a solid start in the club's season opener against Dayton (9/1). Robinson and Akinola each posted career highs in tackles, with Robinson finishing with 11 while Akinola tallied seven. In fact, the Colonial secondary recorded 37 of RMU's 76 tackles (48.7 percent) on the afternoon, including three of the top four totals. As well as Robinson and Akinola finishing with 11 and seven stops, respectively, Kazil added nine tackles. Meanwhile, a pair of backups, sophomores Nathan Argenta and Michael Landers, each recorded four takedowns. 

Get Into the Groove - With the graduation of Jarvis Powers and Michael Rogers as well as the extended absence of junior wide receiver Sherrod Evers due to injury, the Colonials are in search of other receivers to step up and make plays. In RMU's season opener against Dayton (9/1), three Colonials recorded their first career receptions, as junior tight end Regis Flowers finished with a team-high four catches for 49 yards, senior Julian Ellison finished with two receptions for 29 yards and junior Chris Kozak caught one pass for seven yards.

The Road Less Traveled - Most coaches will point out the fact that in order to be a successful team its important to protect your home field while trying to steal a few victories on the road. For the 2006 Colonials, the opposite played out. RMU ended the 2006 campaign on a five-game road winning streak due in large part to the fact the club averaged 345.2 yards of total offense per game away from home, including 223.5 yards per game passing. However, in five games at home in Joe Walton Stadium, where Robert Morris posted a record of 2-3, the club averaged just 205.4 yards of total offense. The five road victories for RMU in 2006 tied the single-season school record, as the club also posted five road wins in its undefeated, 10-0 campaign in 2000.