Dayton (1-1) @ Robert Morris (1-1)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, at Noon
Joe Walton Stadium (3,000) - Moon Township, Pa.
Top Story - The Robert Morris University football team plays its second straight home game, and 200th game in program history, this Saturday, Sept. 14, at Noon as the Colonials welcome longtime nemesis Dayton to Joe Walton Stadium in a non-conference matchup. The Colonials are coming off of their first win of 2013 as they topped Morgan State 31-14 a week ago, receiving solid contributions from offense, defense and special teams. Junior cornerback Antwan Eddie was named Northeast Conference (NEC) Special Teams Co-Player of the Week after he finished with 96 punt return yards against the Bears. He also intercepted a pass, one of three turnovers that the Colonial defense forced a week ago. Five distinct Colonials put points on the board in last week's win. Robert Morris senior wide receiver Donte Jeter, who has caught a pass in 12 straight games, needs just one catch to move into a tie for 10th place in school history in career receptions. RMU will enjoy its first bye of the season next week before embarking on back-to-back road trips to face VMI and Monmouth Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, respectively.
Quick Stat of the Afternoon - After its game at home last Saturday against Morgan State, Robert Morris remains at home this weekend to take on Dayton. Throughout its history, the recipe of back-to-back home games has often been a successful one for the Colonials. RMU is 19-11 (.633) all-time when playing at home following a home game (within the same season). The Colonials have won four of their past five such contests. RMU has actually won four straight such games when it has already won the first game of the back-to-back stretch, a situation that the Colonials find themselves in this Saturday after they dispatched Morgan State 31-14 last weekend. However, that is not the longest such streak in school history. From 1999 to 2004, Robert Morris won the latter end of a back-to-back home game stretch seven straight times after it previously won the first game of the stretch.
Saturday's Opponent - RMU continues its longest running rivalry with a non-conference opponent when it takes on Dayton. RMU will meet the Flyers for the 16th time with Dayton holding a 13-2 (.867) advantage and carrying a 10-game winning streak in the all-time series. In last year's meeting at Welcome Stadium (9/15/12), the hosts pulled out to a 14-0 lead, and RMU's comeback attempt came up short as it fell, 20-14. Dayton is the only program RMU has played at least 10 times without winning at least six games. For more information on the all-time series against Dayton, including the last game recap, please see page four of today's game notes.
All-Time Series vs. Dayton
Dayton leads, 13-2
10/12/96 - L, 21-31; Away
9/20/97 -Â L, 13-16) - Home
9/12/98 -Â L, 22-31) - Away
9/11/99 -Â W, 34-7; Home
10/1400 -Â W, 17-13; Away
9/8/01 -Â L, 9-37; Home
9/14/02 -Â L, 10-24; Away
10/16/04 -Â L, 12-29; Home
9/2/06 -Â L, 14-21; Away
9/1/07 -Â L, 12-23; Home
9/20/08;Â L, 14-31; Away
9/19/09 -Â L, 14-21; Home
9/4/10 -Â L, 14-28; Away
9/3/11 - L, 13-19; Home
9/15/12 - L, 14-20; Away
@ Moon Township, Pa. - Dayton, 6-1
@ Dayton, Ohio - Dayton, 7-1
Dayton Quick Outs - Eight of RMU's 13 losses against the Flyers have been decided by 10 points or fewer … RMU's 17-13 victory over Dayton @ Welcome Stadium (10/14/00), the last victory for the Colonials in the all-time series, marked head coach Joe Walton's 100th victory as head coach (combined professional and collegiate victories) … Former cornerback Joe Austin (1998-2001) helped the Colonials seal their last win over Dayton by intercepting former Flyers quarterback Kelly Spiker at the RMU 5-yard line with 1:23 to play to preserve a 17-13 victory … Former linebacker Nate List's (1994-97) 97-yard interception return @ Welcome Stadium in 1996 is the longest touchdown in school history … In the last five years, the Colonials have had two touchdown passes of more than 75 yards against Dayton … RMU has outgained Dayton in total offense in six of the past nine meetings.
On This Date (Sept. 14) in Robert Morris Football History - In its first game on September 14, and its only prior home game on this date, Robert Morris put together a complete performance in a win over Butler. RMU jumped out to a 10-0 lead fewer than 11 minutes in, led 17-0 at the break and cruised to a 38-0 triumph over the Bulldogs. The victory is one of 12 shutouts in history by Colonials. It was also the second outing of an amazing three-game stretch in which RMU notched three straight shutouts. RMU racked up 282 rushing yards, its seventh-highest total in single-game school history, and finished with 466 yards of total offense compared to 132 for the visitors. Archie Wannamaker (1996-98) tallied a game-high 104 rushing yards on just seven carries, averaging nearly 15 yards per rush. RMU just missed having two 100-yard rushers as Myles Davis (1996) posted 99 yards. John O'Connell (1995-98), nine tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble, and Nate List (1994-97), eight tackles and one sack, led the defensive effort.
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 110-87-1 (.558).
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 notched 210 rushing yards in its win over Morgan State, its most in a non-conference game since Sept. 17, 2005, the first game at Joe Walton Stadium … Junior linebacker Mike Stojkovic finished with a half-dozen tackles, including a half-sack, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup in his first start in a Colonial uniform … Redshirt senior A.J. Holderman posted a career-high 1.5 tackles for loss … Marcelis Branch blocked a Bears' field goal attempt in the third quarter …  RMU did not allow a point until the fourth quarter … Robert Morris improved to 14-6 (.700) in home openers and is now 8-4 (.667) when opening at home after playing on the road.
Player of the Week - Junior Antwan Eddie earned the squad's first NEC weekly honor of 2013 Monday as he was selected as Special Teams Co-Player of the Week. Serving as a punt returner for the first time in his career in 2013, Eddie broke out against Morgan State. He amassed 96 yards on four punt returns, marking the second highest single-game total of punt return yards in school history. He tallied three punt returns longer than 20 yards, two of which gave the RMU offense the ball inside the Bears' 40-yard line. Eddie, who also intercepted a pass last week, notched the first award of his career.
D-Fense - The Robert Morris defense really turned up the heat in its victory last weekend as it forced three turnovers, tallied six sacks and held the Bears to 14 points (seven on the game's final play). It marked the first time since September 2010, a span of 31 games, that a RMU defense posted at least nine combined sacks and turnovers. On that occasion, the Colonials had five sacks and forced five turnovers in a 30-9 victory @ Wagner (9/25). Robert Morris also held the Bears to just 62 rushing yards, the fewest it had allowed in a game since the 2011 season opener against Dayton (9/3).
Pick Your Poison - In topping Morgan State last week, one area of strength for RMU was its rushing balance as Deonate Howard amassed 76 yards and Ryan Thermil contributed 75. The last time RMU had two rushers reach 75 yards was in its victory last year over Lafayette. However, quarterback Jeff Sinclair (2009-12) helped achieved the feat that night. The last time RMU had two non-quarterbacks each rush for 75 yards came Oct. 8, 2005 when Devin Wilson (2002-05)and Vince Magnone (2002-06) pulled the trick.
Moving On Up - Donte Jeter led Robert Morris in both receptions (37) and receiving yards (631) in 2012. He needs just 58 more yards to become only the 11th Colonial to hit 1,000 receiving yards. He is also just one catch shy of moving into the top 10 in career receptions. Jeter enters Saturday's action having caught a pass in 12 consecutive games.
Six Get Sacks – The RMU defense played a big role in last week's win by racking up six sacks. Six different Colonials notched at least a half sack as the group was led by junior Forrest Mason who had two. Senior safety D.J. Myers tallied his first career sack. Both Chris Thompkins and Mike Cook tallied sacks that also forced fumbles.
