Arute Field (5,500) - New Britain, Conn.
Top Story -
 The
Robert Morris University football team heads to New England for its fourth Northeast Conference (NEC) contest this Saturday, Nov. 9, at Noon as the Colonials take on Central Connecticut State at Arute Field. RMU posted its second straight league win last week as it led from start to finish and cruised to a 24-3 victory over Bryant. In addition to a strong effort by the RMU defense, junior
Duane Mitchell caught three touchdowns.
Antwan Eddie contributed two interceptions and bottled up the NEC's top receiving threat en route to weekly defensive honors from the league, his fourth NEC award of 2013. The win helped keep Robert Morris within the thick of the NEC race. Central Connecticut State currently controls its own destiny in the conference and will claim the league's automatic playoff berth if it wins out. Eddie remains second in the nation at the FCS level in punt return average (17.7). RMU has two tilts remaining after the Blue Devils, each against league foes, and will return home next Saturday, Nov. 16, as it hosts Sacred Heart in what will be Joe Walton's final regular-season home game.
Quick Stat of the Afternoon - One of the key factors that has helped Robert Morris to victories in each of the past two weeks has been its ability to force turnovers. RMU notched three (all interceptions) in a victory at defending NEC champion Wagner Oct. 26 and then forced four more (three interceptions, one fumble recovery) in a win over Bryant last weekend. With these two wins, Robert Morris is now 8-1 (.889) in its past nine games in which it forces at least three turnovers, including 3-0 (1.000) this season. Over this stretch of games, the Colonials have averaged 29 points per game while allowing a mere 12.78 points per contest. RMU has also won nine of its last 10 NEC games in which it forces at least three turnovers. On the other end of the spectrum, Robert Morris' ball security was important to last week's win as RMU did not commit a single turnover. RMU has now won seven straight games when it does not have a turnover.
Saturday's Opponent - Central Connecticut State is one of just three opponents Robert Morris faced in each of the first 19 years the Colonials fielded an intercollegiate program, joining fellow NEC foes Saint Francis and Wagner. All-time the Colonials are 14-5 (.737) against the Blue Devils, but the home team has won each of the past eight games in the series. RMU scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes in last year's meeting with CCSU to come from behind and claim a 37-31 victory in Pennsylvania.
All-Time Series vs. Central Connecticut State
Robert Morris leads, 14-5
9/17/94 -Â W, 24-17; Away
9/30/95 -Â W, 45-3; Home
9/28/96 -Â W, 35-13; Away
9/27/97 -Â W, 44-21; Away
9/26/98 -Â W, 42-17; Home
9/25/99 -Â W, 27-24; Away
10/21/00 -Â W, 41-3; Home
10/20/01 -Â W, 38-18; Away
9/21/02 -Â W, 14-0; Home
10/11/03 -Â W, 27-17; Away
10/9/04 -Â L, 21-34; Home
10/15/05 -Â L, 14-21; Away
10/14/06 -Â W, 23-17 (OT); Home
10/13/07 -Â L, 10-16; Away
11/1/08 -Â W, 27-14; Home
10/10/09 -Â L, 20-34; Away
11/6/10 -Â W, 42-24; Home
11/5/11 -Â L, 24-31; Away
10/20/12
-Â W, 37-31;
Home
@ Moon Township, Pa. - Robert Morris, 8-1
@ New Britatin, Conn. - Robert Morris, 6-4
CCSU Quick Outs - Robert Morris and CCSU own 10 NEC championships between the two programs, with the Colonials having produced six and the Blue Devils four … RMU won its first 10 games over CCSU, its longest winning streak against one opponent in school history … The home team has won each of the last eight meetings in the series … Twelve of the prior 19 meetings have been decided by more than 10 points … The winning score has been at least 31 each of the last four years after averaging under 22 points the four years prior to that … RMU's victory over the Blue Devils in 2006 doubled as the program's first-ever game against a nationally ranked opponent.
On This Date (Nov. 9) in Robert Morris Football History - Robert Morris has played twice before on November 9, and both contests have been road conference games. RMU won its first-ever game on Nov. 9 at Saint Francis. The contest was RMU's final NEC game in the league's inaugural season and helped the Colonials claim a share of the conference championship. Robert Morris almost missed out on the title, though, as it trailed the Red Flash by 12 points in the fourth quarter on a cold afternoon in Loretto, Pa. After an early field goal put RMU on top, Saint Francis scored 15 straight points to take control. A
Tai Alli (1995-97) rush with just over 10 minutes left pulled the Colonials within one possession, but they still trailed entering the final five minutes.
Jake Newman (1994-97) would direct his second career game-winning drive, which was capped off when he hit
DeLonte Perkins (1995-97) with a 15-yard scoring strike.
Chris Longo's (1995-98) extra point proved to be the difference in a 16-15 victory.
Head Coach Joe Walton (20th season; Pittsburgh '57) - 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 113-90-1 (.556).
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 cruised to a 24-3 victory over first-place Bryant … Duane Mitchell became the first Colonial to score three TD in a game since current assistant coach Myles Russ (2007-10) did it in his senior year … Paul Jones' 67-yard pass to Mitchell was the longest pass and longest catch of their respective careers … Redshirt senior safety Eric Lowry contributed a game-high and career-high 11 tackles and a pass breakup … Redshirt senior defensive lineman R.J. Cook made his first-career sack … Senior Chris Thompkins moved into eighth in career sacks at RMU … RMU improved to 7-1 in its last eight games that have been part of the NEC's broadcast package.
No Passing Zone - Antwan Eddie was named NEC Defensive Co-Player of the Week Monday after a strong effort in last week's win. This was Eddie's fourth honor of the season, but his first of the defensive variety. Eddie had a career-best two interceptions against Bryant along with five tackles and a pass breakup. His greatest contribution may have been shutting down Bryant star Jordan Harris. He held the NEC's all-time leading receiver, who was averaging nearly 100 receiving yards per game, to just two catches for 22 yards, the receiver's second-lowest yardage total in his last 27 games. Eddie returned his second pick of the day 24 yards to launch a RMU scoring drive.
On Target - Duane Mitchell was the only man to find the end zone in last week's win as he caught three touchdown passes. He became only the sixth Colonial to catch three scores in a game. That came one week after he posted a career-high eight catches for a career-high 141 yards. He has now caught a pass in 19 straight games. Mitchell needs 99 more yards to become only the second Colonial to have 700 receiving yards in a season.
Experience Counts - When taking a look down the Robert Morris roster, the Colonials seem to have a bevy of experience at the offensive line position. RMU returns six players that started on the O-line a season ago. The five projected starters for Saturday's game have combined for 108 starts in their careers. Three of those five – A.J. Dalton, Jon Hill and Vince Mongelluzzo – have shown their versatility by starting at multiple positions along the line during their time at RMU.
No Gains - As part of RMU's stifling defensive effort in last week's win, the Colonials made a habit of tackling the Bulldogs' ballcarrier behind the line of scrimmage. RMU racked up 13 tackles for loss, its second-highest figure against a Division I foe. Eight different Colonials notched at least a half-tackle for loss. A.J. Holderman led the way with three while Chris Thompkins and Forrest Mason added 2.5 each. Mason's mark was a new career high.
2 for 200 - Senior safety D.J. Myers (10 tackles) and redshirt senior linebacker Mike Cook (nine tackles) each contributed to the defensive cause in last week's win against Bryant. In doing so, both surpassed 200 career tackles, becoming the 19th and 20th Colonials in school history to do that. Myers is the fifth defensive back to achieve the feat while Cook is the 12th linebacker.
