Joe Walton Stadium (3,000) - Moon Township, Pa.

Top Story - The Robert Morris University football team returns home for the first time in over a month this Saturday, Oct. 4, as it closes its non-conference schedule with former NEC foe Monmouth at Joe Walton Stadium at 3:00 p.m. The Colonials are coming off of a bye and hopeful that the time away will allow them to put forth their best effort of the year thus far as the school welcomes back alumni on Homecoming Weekend. Junior Derik Abbott is slated to make his first-career start at quarterback Saturday and would become the 21st Colonial, and 12th on offense, to earn his first start this season. Abbott would become the 18th distinct Colonial in program history to start a game under center. Senior Duane Mitchell needs five receptions to move into third and 10 catches to move into second in all-time receptions at Robert Morris. With non-conference opponents finished after the Hawks, Robert Morris will play six Northeast Conference games over the final seven weeks of the season, a stretch that will begin next week when RMU travels to defending league champion Sacred Heart.

Quick Stat of the Afternoon - When Robert Morris takes the field Saturday against Monmouth, it will be doing so as part of the University's Homecoming festivities. That fact should bode well for RMU as the Colonials are 15-5 (.750) all-time in games played as a part of Homecoming. This will be the first daytime kickoff on Homecoming for Robert Morris since 2010 after it played at night each of the past three years. A loss on Homecoming last year snapped a three-game Colonial winning streak as part of the event. In 1994, the first year that Robert Morris fielded a football team, the Colonials hosted Monmouth on Homecoming and came away with a 26-19 victory. Robert Morris also played the Hawks on Homecoming in 2002 and won 15-10 that year. After RMU captured blowout victories on Homecoming in 2010 and 2011, the last two years have featured extremely close games as the outcomes were undecided in the final minute.

Saturday's Opponent - Robert Morris has met Monmouth in 19 of its previous 20 seasons of existence, with the lone exception being 2001, but this is the last scheduled meeting between the former conference rivals. The Colonials hold a 10-9 (.526) edge in the all-time series. RMU won six of the first eight meetings before dropping five of the next six to the Hawks. Robert Morris then rebounded by winning three straight games, but the Hawks have claimed the two most recent matchups, one on each team's campus.

All-Time Series vs. Monmouth
Robert Morris leads series, 10-9

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
10/9/10 - W, 17-16; Home
10/1/11 - W, 23-20; Away
11/17/12 - L, 21-26; Home
10/5/13 - L, 9-35; Away

@ Moon Township, Pa. - Tied, 5-5
@ West Long Branch, N.J. - Robert Morris, 5-4

Monmouth Series Quick Outs - This will be the fourth non-conference meeting between these schools … 11 of the 19 meetings between the Colonials and Hawks have been one-possession games, including six games that were decided by three points or fewer … The team that has gained more total yards of offense has actually lost three of the past four meetings … Only twice in the past 13 meetings has either team scored 30 points in a game (Monmouth hit the mark in 2008 and 2013) … Duane Mitchell had a then career-high 116 receiving yards along with two touchdowns the last time these teams met in Pennsylvania … This is the last scheduled game between Robert Morris and Monmouth after having games scheduled every year since 1994.

On This Date (Oct. 4) in Robert Morris Football History - Robert Morris has previously played three times on October 4, but this year will mark the first-ever non-conference contest on this date. RMU won both prior home games in its history on October 4 while dropping its lone road affair. Robert Morris' most recent victory on this date came in the 2003 season against Stony Brook. Tyjuan Massey (2002-05) opened the game with a bang by registering a 94-yard kickoff return for touchdown. The game settled from there as the teams only combined for nine more points before half, giving RMU a three-point edge at intermission. The Seawolves took their only lead early in the third quarter, but RMU responded with a touchdown drive fewer than five minutes later. The teams traded TD's late in the fourth quarter, but the Colonials recovered an onside kick in the final minute to seal it. Sam Dorsett (1999-2003) ran for 102 yards in the victory while three distinct Colonials forced turnovers to help RMU win the turnover battle at +2.

Head Coach John Banaszak (first season; Eastern Michigan '75) - John Banaszak became the second head football coach in Robert Morris University history in December 2013. He served as an assistant coach and assistant head coach for the Colonials for 11 consecutive years prior to taking over the top spot. Banaszak was selected as Coach-In-Waiting in January 2012, allowing for a simple transition following the 2013 campaign.

At the end of the 2013 season, he was named as the Assistant Coach of the Year at the FCS level as selected by the American Football Coaches Association. He was one of five coaches selected for dedication to their teams and communities. He was the first RMU coach, as well as the first from the NEC, to claim this honor.

The 2013 season was Banaszak's sixth as assistant head coach for Robert Morris. Among his numerous duties with the program, he was responsible for tutoring the defensive line and the special teams unit.

Under Banaszak's guidance in 2013, Robert Morris led the NEC in net punting, punt return defense and punt return average. Banaszak was also a key component in instructing a RMU defense that finished second in the NEC in total defense within league play in 2013. Robert Morris finished its regular season ranked among the top 25 nationally in at least seven defensive categories including total defense.

With Banaszak's assistance, RMU has led the NEC in total defense four times in the past 10 years and ranked among the top four nine times in the past 11 seasons.

Banaszak was a key component to a 2010 defense that led the NEC in total defense as the Colonials claimed the NEC's inaugural berth in the FCS Playoffs. In 2006, he helped tutor an RMU defense that led I-AA in total defense, allowing an average of just 228.36 yards per game.

10 of the 13 players in school history to earn All-NEC recognition on the defensive line have come under the tutelage of Banaszak, including Nolan Nearhoof (2009-12), who was named the 2012 NEC Defensive Player of the Year after breaking both the school and league records for career sacks. Nearhoof would go on to earn All-America honors, becoming the third Colonial defensive lineman to claim an All-America nod under Banaszak in a seven-year span.

As much as Banaszak's presence has been felt on the defensive side of the ball, the same can be said on special teams. He has helped five distinct Colonials win an award at return specialist within the past decade.

A graduate of Eastern Michigan, Banaszak signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers prior to the 1975 season and was one of only three rookies to make the defending Super Bowl champion team out of training camp.

Primarily a special teams player on Pittsburgh's Super Bowl X championship team, Banaszak started five games the following season and then started at both right end and inside tackle in 1977 before suffering a knee injury that forced him to the injured reserve list.

Between 1978 and 1980, Banaszak started 45 regular-season games at defensive end as the Steelers won back-to-back Super Bowls. In Super Bowl XIII, Banaszak recorded six tackles, including a pair of sacks, and a fumble recovery in a 35-31 win over the Dallas Cowboys, which garnered him Defensive Player of the Game honors. The following year, Banaszak helped the Steelers to a 31-19 victory over the Rams.

Last Time Out - Robert Morris tallied more first downs than Dayton but was unable to turn those conversions into sufficient points as the Flyers topped the Colonials two weeks ago … In addition to first downs, RMU had statistical advantages in rushing yards, completions and time of possession … Senior Jake Tkach netted a game-high and career-high 11 tackles, including a tackle for loss, to lead the RMU defense, which held the Flyers to under 300 yards of total offense … Senior Duane Mitchell caught eight passes and was one of eight Colonials to post a reception on the day … Sophomore Forrest Barnes ran for 61 yards and a touchdown in his first collegiate game.

Bye Bye - Robert Morris is coming off of its first bye week of the 2014 season, and if history is any indication, this should bode well for the Colonials. RMU is 16-7-1 (.688) all-time when playing after an off week, including 16-6-1 (.717) in the regular season. RMU has won five of its past six regular-season games when playing after a bye, claiming one such win in each of the past five seasons. The Colonials have previously faced Monmouth three times when coming off a bye and pulled out a win in each of those occasions. The most recent such occurrence was 2011, a 23-20 RMU victory.

Double-Take - While players moving from offense to defense, or vice versa, is not that uncommon during the offseason of college football, it is rather rare to see it happen during the year. Sophomore Nic Lamica has not only changed positions but he is poised to start on both sides of the ball in consecutive games. After starting the first four games at linebacker, Lamica is slated to start at wide receiver this weekend. He had tallied 30 tackles, 19 solo, 4.0 tackles for loss, four pass breakups and an interception in 2014 before moving to the other side of the ball.

Thou Shall Not Rush - One of the positives from RMU's most recent game was the way its defense bottled up Dayton's preseason All-Pioneer League First Team running back. Connor Kacsor entered the game ranked as the nation's second-leading rusher, but the Colonials held him to just 47 yards on the ground. He holds the Flyers' career record for yards per carry at 6.5, but Robert Morris yielded just 3.6 yards per rush to the senior.

Taylor's Trio - After entering 2014 without a career start, junior David Taylor has had quite the impact from his cornerback position thus far this season. Taylor has three interceptions in four games—no other FCS player has more interceptions in four or fewer games this season. Taylor also blocked a field goal try at Lafayette as he came roaring off the corner to get a piece.

Who Knew - If fans are trying to determine the success the Colonials are likely to have, one barometer they should surprisingly not use is first downs. Each of the last four times that Robert Morris has accumulated more first downs than its opponent RMU has lost. On the flip side, in their past four wins, the Colonials have only had more first downs than their opponent once.