Monmouth (1-3 / 1-0 NEC) vs. Robert Morris (4-1 / 3-0 NEC)
Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010 at Noon
Joe Walton Stadium (3,000) - Moon Township, Pa.
Top Story - The Robert Morris University football team opens its longest homestand in school history Saturday afternoon when it hosts Monmouth for a Noon kickoff at Joe Walton Stadium. RMU's tilt against the Hawks begins a stretch in which the Colonials will play their next four games at home. Robert Morris, winners of four straight and nine of its last 10 dating back to the 2009 campaign, is coming off a 35-14 victory @ Saint Francis (10/2). In that contest five different Colonials scored touchdowns to propel RMU to the win, including one-yard touchdown runs from senior running backs Josh Keil and Raphael Johnson and touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Jeff Sinclair to wide receivers T.J. Green and Anthony Coleman and tight end Paul Evans. Senior halfback Myles Russ also posted his third 100-yard rushing effort of the 2010 season and 13th of his career with 139 yards on just 18 attempts. Russ enters Saturday's game against Monmouth 367 yards shy of becoming RMU's all-time leading rusher. RMU continues its homestand after hosting the Hawks Saturday, Oct. 16, with a Noon kickoff against Albany as part of the University's Homecoming festivities.
Quick Stat of the Afternoon - Robert Morris notched its 100th victory as a Division I program last week, and it's only fitting the win came against in-state rival Saint Francis. RMU's 35-14 victory over the Red Flash at DeGol Field helped the Colonials improve to 14-2-1 (.853) against Saint Francis, their best record against any opponent in school history. Robert Morris enters Saturday's game against Monmouth having posted an all-time record of 100-68-1 (.595), including a record of 62-32 (.660) against Northeast Conference opponents. Saturday against the Hawks, Robert Morris will look to give head coach Joe Walton his 100th career collegiate victory. Ironically, the Colonials will be going up against Monmouth, the opponent when Walton missed his only game in the program's 17 years three seasons ago. Walton did not travel to West Long Branch, N.J., for RMU's 20-17 win over the Hawks at Kessler Field Sept. 8, 2007, due to the passing of his wife, Ginger, earlier that week. Former defensive coordinator Dan Radakovich (1994, 1996-2007) served as head coach that afternoon in Walton's absence.
Saturday's Opponent - Monmouth and Robert Morris will meet for the 16th time Saturday afternoon, with the Colonials holding an 8-7 (.533) edge in the all-time series. RMU earned a 23-9 victory over the Hawks in last year's meeting at Kessler Field in West Long Branch, N.J..
The All-Time Series
RMU vs. Monmouth
(Robert Morris leads, 8-7)
9/10/94 W (26-19), Home
9/9/95 L (13-16), Away
10/26/96 W (43-6), Home
10/25/97 W (41-20), Away
10/24/98 L (26-27), Home
10/23/99 W (34-16), Away
9/16/00 W (23-7), Home
9/28/02 W (15-10), Home
9/13/03 L (10-17), Away
9/18/04 L (27-29), Home
10/22/05 L (0-14), Away
10/21/06 L (7-16), Home
9/8/07 W (20-17), Away
9/27/08 L (26-34), Home
11/21/09 W (23-9), Away
The Monmouth Series
All-Time: RMU, 8-7
At Robert Morris: Tied, 4-4
At Moon Stadium: RMU, 4-2
At Joe Walton Stadium: MU, 2-0
At Monmouth: RMU, 4-3
Current Streak: RMU, 1
Current Streak at RMU: MU, 3
Current Streak at Monmouth: RMU, 2
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 and the Hawks owning one outright title (2006) and four co-championships ... RMU and Monmouth have split the last four games, with each program earning victories on the other's home field ... Last season the Colonials closed out their 2009 season with their fifth straight win thanks to a 23-9 victory over the Hawks at Kessler Field (11/21/09) ... In that contest RMU jumped out to a 23-2 lead ... In the last meeting between the two programs at Joe Walton Stadium (9/27/08), halfback Myles Russ rushed 25 times for 205 yards and a touchdown but the Hawks posted a 34-26 win over the Colonials ... In three career games against Monmouth, Russ has compiled 365 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 72 carries, an average of 5.1 yards per rush and 121.7 yards per contest ... Quarterback Jeff Sinclair completed 13 of his 17 passing attempts for 128 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in last year's meeting ... Sinclair's completion percentage last season against the Hawks (76.5%) is the third highest all-time in RMU single-game history.
Robert Morris 2010 Quick Outs - RMU was picked second in the 2010 Northeast Conference preseason coaches poll, trailing only preseason favorite and defending champion Central Connecticut State ... The Blue Devils earned four first-place votes in the NEC preseason coaches poll, while RMU garnered three ... Senior running back Myles Russ is the active leading rusher in the Northeast Conference with a career total of 3,481 yards rushing ... Russ ranks second all-time at RMU in career rushing yards ... Russ was one of four Colonials named to the 2010 All-NEC Preseason Team, joining senior cornerback Rolf Bathold, senior linebacker Alex DiMichele and senior kicker Garrett Clawson ... DiMichele ranks fourth all-time at Robert Morris with 278 career tackles..
Head Coach Joe Walton (17th Season; Pittsburgh '57) - If there has been one constant associated with Robert Morris University football through the program's first 16 years, it has been Joe Walton. He was named head coach on July 27, 1993. He started the program from scratch, completing 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. 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 15 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 almost 60 percent of the time.
Walton is RMU's only head coach ever, and he is 99-68-1 (all at Robert Morris) at the collegiate level (.592). 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.s.
Saint Francis Notes - Robert Morris earned its fifth straight victory over Saint Francis to improve to 14-2-1 (.853) all-time against the Red Flash ... The Colonials have scored at least 28 points against Saint Francis in each of their last eight games, averaging 32.9 points per contest over that span ... RMU finished with 356 yards of total offense against the Red Flash while Saint Francis compiled 300 total yards ... Robert Morris posted 193 yards rushing against the Red Flash, a season high ... Saint Francis dominated in time of possession, holding the ball for 36:31 compared to 23:29 for the Colonials ... The Red Flash suffered 10 penalties for 91 yards compared to five infractions for 34 yards for RMU ... Through five games opponents are averaging 73.6 yards in penalties against Robert Morris, the highest in the Northeast Conference ... Combined the Colonials and Red Flash were 7-for-25 on third-down conversions.
Balanced Offense - Anyone who has followed Robert Morris football in the 17 years the program has been in existence knows how important having a balanced offense is for head coach Joe Walton. In RMU's 35-14 victory @ Saint Francis (10/2), five different Colonials scored touchdowns, as senior running backs Josh Keil and Raphael Johnson each produced one-yard touchdown runs, while wide receivers T.J. Green and Anthony Coleman and tight end Paul Evans each hauled in touchdown receptions from sophomore quarterback Jeff Sinclair. Amazingly, it marks the 22nd time in school history five different Colonials have scored a touchdown in a game and the first time since a 41-31 win over Sacred Heart (11/10/07) at Joe Walton Stadium. On three occasions, a total of six different Colonials have scored a touchdown in a game for Robert Morris.
Fourth Quarter Fireworks - Robert Morris continued its penchant for putting points on the board in the final 15 minutes of play in a 35-14 victory @ Saint Francis (10/2), as the Colonials scored 21 points in the fourth quarter against the Red Flash to break open a tight game. Through five games of the 2010 campaign, the Robert Morris offense has put 144 points on the scoreboard, an average of 28.8 per game that ranks third in the Northeast Conference. Amazingly, 57.6 percent of those points have come in the fourth quarter. The Colonials have scored more points in the fourth quarter (83) than in the previous three quarters (61) combined. The school record for points scored in the fourth quarter is 105, which was set in 1996. That point total is also tied for the most points scored by RMU in a quarter during a season, as RMU also scored 105 points during the third quarter in 1998 and 105 points during the second quarter in 2004.
Run, Forrest, Run - Robert Morris has been absolutely fantastic so far this season in stopping the run, as the Colonials enter Saturday's game against Monmouth leading the Northeast Conference in rushing defense, allowing an average of just 99.8 yards per game. That total is good enough to rank 16th in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). RMU has been especially stingy against league foes, as through three games the Colonials have allowed just 184 yards rushing, an average of 61.3 yards per contest. The school record for rushing defense is held by the 2006 Robert Morris defense, which allowed just 99.8 yards rushing per contest, an average where the 2010 RMU defense stands right now.
30-for-30 - Thanks to a 35-14 victory @ Saint Francis (10/2), Robert Morris stretched its streak of consecutive games scoring at least 30 points to four. It marks the longest stretch of consecutive games scoring 30 points since RMU closed out the 2001 season by averaging 43.5 points over its final four games of the year. The school record for consecutive games scoring at least 30 points is five, which has happened twice. In both 1999 and 2000, Robert Morris closed out its respective seasons by averaging 42.2 and 37.8 points over its final five games. In the 17-year history of the program, Robert Morris owns an all-time record of 61-4 (.938) when scoring at least 30 points in a contest.
Turkey Turnover - Another area that Robert Morris has excelled so far this season is creating turnovers. Through five games the Colonials own a turnover margin of +8, an average of 1.60 per game that ranks fourth in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The current FCS leader is Bethune-Cookman, which owns a turnover margin of 2.75. So far this season Robert Morris has posted nine interceptions and recovered three fumbles while suffering just three picks and one fumble..
Breaking The Barrier - Thanks to 116 yards rushing on 24 carries in a 35-31 victory @ Sacred Heart (9/11), senior running back Myles Russ became the second player in school history and eighth in Northeast Conference history to eclipse 3,000 career rushing yards. Russ enters Saturday's game having compiled 3,481 yards rushing over the last four years, which ranks second among active players in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), trailing only Chris Evans (3,888) of Samford.
In The Groove - The four-game winning streak that Robert Morris carries into its game Saturday against Monmouth coincides with what has been the best stretch of football sophomore quarterback Jeff Sinclair has played in his young career. Over the last four games, Sinclair has completed 53.7 percent (50-for-93) of his passes for 925 yards, 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Entering Saturday's tilt with the Hawks, Sinclair leads the Northeast Conference in touchdown passes (13) while ranking second in the league in passing yards per game (214.2). In addition, his pass efficiency of 156.45 leads the NEC for quarterbacks with a minimum of 15 pass attempts per game while ranking ninth in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Shipment Received - RMU's passing game has flourished under sophomore quarterback Jeff Sinclair, and to prove it, look no further than the Northeast Conference leaderboard for average yards per catch. Robert Morris boasts three receivers in the top 10 in the category, with senior wide receiver T.J. Green tops in the NEC with an average of 24.8 yards per catch. Ranking fourth is junior wide receiver Anthony Coleman (19.5 yards per catch), while junior wide receiver Jamie Cobb ranks seventh (14.8 yards per catch).
Return to Sender - Robert Morris received a boost on special teams when freshman Evan Taylor moved into the starting role at punt return specialist in a 35-14 win @ Saint Francis (10/2). Taylor returned his first career punt 37 yards in the third quarter, and his average of 24.7 yards on three returns is good enough to rank sixth all-time in RMU's single-game record book. Taylor, a backup cornerback, has not seen any action on the field other than his role as return specialist for the Colonials.
