Duquesne @ Robert Morris Game Notes
Game Notes
Duquesne (3-2 / 1-0) @ Robert Morris (2-3 / 0-0)
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013 at 6:00 p.m.
Joe Walton Stadium (3,000) - Moon Township, Pa.
Top Story -Â The
Robert Morris University football team returns home after an absence of more than a month this Saturday, Oct. 19, at 6:00 p.m. as the Colonials host local rival Duquesne in their Northeast Conference (NEC) opener at Joe Walton Stadium. After finishing their non-conference slate two weeks ago at Monmouth with a setback, RMU enjoyed its final bye week of the season leading up to its meeting with the Dukes. Saturday's game comes on Homecoming weekend at Robert Morris and will be the third home night game in school history with the first two coming each of the last two years. Junior cornerback
Antwan Eddie missed the Monmouth game due to injury but his 22.4 punt return average continues to lead the nation at the FCS level. Redshirt senior linebacker
Mike Cook paces the NEC and sits third nationally in tackles per game, averaging 11.8 stops per outing. RMU will close the season by alternating home games with road contests beginning with Saturday's matchup with the Dukes. It will be in action next Saturday, Oct. 26, when it travels to defending NEC champion Wagner.
Quick Stat of the Evening - When Robert Morris takes the field Saturday against Duquesne, it will be doing so as part of the University's Homecoming festivities. That fact should bode well for RMU as the Colonials have won 14 of their past 18 games played as a part of Homecoming. In each of the past two years, Robert Morris has hosted a night game on Homecoming, resulting in two successful evenings for a pair of standing-room-only home crowds. In the 2011 Homecoming game (10/8), the Colonials put on a show for their fans, running out to a big halftime lead en route to a 45-14 victory over Saint Francis. The second go-round of a home night game (9/29/12) was much closer but just as rewarding for Robert Morris.
Greg Langer (2009-12) hit a 33-yard field goal in the final half-minute to give the hosts a 31-28 victory. RMU has come out of the gates fired up in these two previous night games as it scored a combined 63 points in the first half.
All-Time Series vs. Duquesne
Series tied, 7-7
10/8/94 -Â W, 28-6;Â Home
9/16/95 -Â W, 38-20;Â Away
11/23/96 -Â W, 28-26;Â Away *
11/21/98 -Â L, 22-24;Â Away
11/15/03 -Â L, 28-33;Â Away
9/11/04 -Â W, 34-14;Â Home
9/3/05 -Â L, 12-23;Â Away
9/9/06 -Â L, 7-27;Â Home
10/20/07 -Â L, 14-17;Â Away
10/11/08 -Â W, 34-27;Â Home
10/3/09 -Â L, 20-34;Â Away
10/30/10 -Â W, 34-11;Â Home
11/19/11 -Â L, 10-45;Â Away
11/3/12 -Â W, 17-13;Â Home
* ECAC Bowl
@ Moon Township, Pa. - Robert Morrs, 5-1
@ Pittsburgh, Pa. - Duquesne, 6-2
Duquesne Quick Outs - Saturday's contest marks the sixth time the Colonials and Dukes will square off as conference opponents ... RMU leads the series, 3-2, since Duquesne became an associate member of the Northeast Conference in football … Robert Morris has a very slim edge in points scored, 326-320, in the all-time series … Last year's 17-13 RMU win produced the lowest combined point total (30) between the two rivals in series history … The home team has won 11 of the prior 14 meetings, including 10 of the past 11 matchups … The RMU single-game school records for both completions (33) and passing yards (444) were set against Duquesne by former Colonial
Rich Demaio (2000-2003) in the 2003 season finale … Saturday's game will mark the first time that Robert Morris has opened conference play by taking on the Dukes.
On This Date (Oct. 19) in Robert Morris Football History - Robert Morris has never played on October 19 in its previous 19 seasons. However, recent history bodes well for RMU as the Colonials have won eight of their last 10 home games within the month of October. In these 10 games, the Colonials have scored 284 points while holding their opposition to a combined 167, including posting two shutouts in this time span. Of the eight wins in this stretch, two came over Duquesne. The Colonials topped the Dukes, 34-11, in October 2010 as a stout Colonial defense, led by
Alex DiMichele's (2008-10) game-high 13 tackles, held the visitors to just 191 yards of total offense. Both
Myles Russ (2007-10) and
Jeff Sinclair (2009-12) ran for two touchdowns with the latter also throwing for a score. The other victory over Duquesne in that span came in 2008 when RMU rallied from an early 13-3 deficit. With the score deadlocked late in the contest,
Erik Cwalinski (2005-08) hit
Regis Flowers (2006-08) for the game-winning score.
Head Coach Joe Walton (20th season; Pittsburgh '57) -Â
At the forefront of the football renaissance at Robert Morris University throughout its 20-year history is Joe Walton, who has built the Colonials from a fledgling program into one of the top Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams in the region
The one constant associated with the program, Walton was named the first head coach July 27, 1993. He started the program from scratch, completing everything from hiring assistant coaches to purchasing equipment to recruiting student-athletes for the team's inaugural season in 1994. He owns an overall record of 111-89-1 (.555).
Walton's fingerprints are all over the football program,and to prove that, RMU has played its home games since 2005 in a stadium that bears his name. During his tenure, Walton has led Robert Morris to the first Northeast Conference championship in 1996, guided RMU to a perfect 10-0 season in 2000 and in 2010 helped lead the Colonials to the NEC's inaugural bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs with their league-high sixth regular-season championship.
"It's hard to believe," Walton speaks on how fast time has elapsed. "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 ever happened to me in my life. 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 outright NEC regular-season titles three times (1997, 1999, 2000) while sharing three others (1996, 1998, 2010). Walton led Robert Morris to back-to-back ECAC Bowl victories in 1996 and 1997, and in 1999 and 2000 he guided RMU to a pair of NCAA I-AA mid-major national crowns according to Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette.
In 2010, Walton added to his legacy by engineering the Colonials on an eight-game winning streak for a share of the NEC regular-season title and the NEC's first bid in the NCAA FCS Playoffs. In the process he picked up his 100th career victory in the collegiate ranks.
Last Time Out - Robert Morris took an early lead, but host Monmouth came storming back and pulled away late to claim a win in non-conference action … The setback for RMU ended the Colonials' bid for their fourth consecutive win in West Long Branch … Redshirt senior defensive lineman R.J. Cook corralled his own tipped pass in the third quarter to register his first-career interception … Junior Paul Jones hit senior tight end D.J. Pearson for a 12-yard scoring strike on the team's opening drive … Pearson caught a career-high six passes for a career-best 63 yards … Junior defensive lineman Forrest Mason recovered a fumble for the second time in his career.
Last to the Party - When Robert Morris takes to the field Saturday night, it will become the final NEC team to play a conference game during the 2013 season. Every other league school has played at least one NEC game, and three of them have played multiple such games. Saturday's tilt will not only mark the latest into the calendar year that the Colonials have opened league play, but it also will be the first time in NEC history that the Colonials are the last team to play a conference contest.
Pittsburgh Pride - With RMU set to take on Duquesne in a crosstown rivalry, it's worth noting the large number of Colonials who hail from the Steel City area. A total of 36 Colonials have a hometown within 50 miles of Pittsburgh, including seven of RMU's projected starters for Saturday's game.
NEC Openers - Saturday's game against local rival Duquesne also serves as RMU's Northeast Conference opener in 2013. Robert Morris is 10-7 (.588) all-time in NEC openers and is 11-6 (.647) all-time in home NEC openers. This weekend's game will mark the first time that RMU has opened league play against its crosstown rival as Duquesne will become the seventh distinct school that the Colonials have opened a conference slate against.
Bye-Bye - Robert Morris is coming off of its final bye week of the 2013 season, and if history is any indication, this should bode well for the Colonials. RMU is 16-6-1 (.717) all-time when playing after an off week, including 16-5-1 (.750) in the regular season. RMU has won each of its past five regular-season games when playing after a bye. It is 2-0 all-time against Duquesne following a bye with its most recent such win being a 34-11 victory in the 2010 season.
Block Party - Freshman Jimmy Masson blocked a punt for RMU last time out at Monmouth. It was the first blocked punt by the Colonials since Adrian Perez pulled the trick against Duquesne last November. Both blocks came on the game's opening drive.
