Joe Walton Stadium (3,000) - Moon Township, Pa.Top Story - The Robert Morris University football team returns to action after a bye this Saturday, Oct. 24, as it continues Northeast Conference play by facing local rival Duquesne at 6:00 p.m. at Joe Walton Stadium. RMU suffered its first league setback of the season last time out as it committed too many turnovers to keep up with Sacred Heart. Duquesne was also dealt its first conference loss in its last game as it fell to preseason favorite Bryant on the road one week ago. Robert Morris scored its third touchdown on special teams in 2015 last time out, breaking the single-season program record in that category. It has scored via a blocked punt, a punt return and a kickoff return. RMU has claimed a league-leading eight weekly awards thus far and has won at least one in every week in which it has competed. There are 27 Colonials on the roster that have a hometown within 50 miles of Pittsburgh in advance of this Steel City clash. RMU will hit the road next weekend for the first time in nearly a month as it continues league play with a Halloween date at Central Connecticut State that will air on ESPN3.
Quick Stat of the Evening - Robert Morris is coming off of its lone bye of the 2015 season, and if history is any indication, this should bode well for the Colonials. RMU is 16-9-1 (.635) all-time when playing after an off week, including 16-8-1 (.660) in the regular season. Last season was the first since 2007 in which RMU had a bye but did not win at least once following an off week. The Colonials are 11-4 (.733) all-time when playing at home following a bye. Robert Morris is 2-1 (.667) all-time against Duquesne following a bye with all three of those contests occurring at home. The last time these teams meet in Moon the Dukes claimed a 21-20 victory after RMU had a bye. The Colonial victories in the series when coming off a bye came in 2010 and the first year the teams ever met, 1994. Robert Morris won those contests by scores of 34-11 and 28-6, respectively. Duquesne has never played RMU when the Dukes were coming off a bye.
Saturday's Opponent - This will be the 17th overall meeting between Robert Morris and Duquesne and the 13th consecutive year that the schools have met. The Dukes have won back-to-back games in the series to take the all-time lead, 9-7. Two of the past three games have come down to the final minutes with the Colonials claiming a come-from-behind win in 2012 and the Dukes eking out a one-point win in 2013. Three of the past four meetings in the series at Joe Walton Stadium have been one-possession contests.
All-Time Series vs. Duquesne
Duquesne leads series, 9-710/8/94 - W, 28-6; Home
9/16/95 - W, 38-20; Away
11/23/96 - W, 28-26; Away *
11/21/98 - L, 22-24; Away
11/15/03 - L, 28-33; Away
9/11/04 - W, 34-14; Home
9/3/05 - L, 12-23; Away
9/9/06 - L, 7-27; Home
10/20/07 - L, 14-17; Away
10/11/08 - W, 34-27; Home
10/3/09 - L, 20-34; Away
10/30/10 - W, 34-11; Home
11/19/11 - L, 10-45; Away
11/3/12 - W, 17-13; Home
10/19/13 - L, 20-21; Home
11/22/14 - L, 0-22; Away
* ECAC Bowl
@ Moon Township, Pa. - Robert Morris, 5-2
@ Pittsburgh, Pa. - Duquesne, 7-2Duquesne Series Quick Outs - Saturday's contest will mark the eighth time RMU and the Dukes will square off as conference foes … Duquesne leads the series, 4-3, since it became an associate member of the Northeast Conference in football … Duquesne holds a slim edge in points scored, 363-346, in the all-time series … The home team is 12-4 (.750) all-time in the series and has won 11 of the past 13 matchups … The RMU single-game school records for both completions (33) and passing yards (444) were set against Duquesne by former Colonial Rich Demaio (2000-03) in the 2003 season finale … Neither team has had a 100-yard rusher or a 100-yard receiver in the past three meetings after the series had produced one every year from 2005-11.
On This Date (Oct. 24) in Robert Morris Football History - Robert Morris has played only once previously on October 24, and it dropped a tough, one-point decision. Like this weekend, that game was also a home, league contest. It represented the Colonials' lone NEC loss en route to a conference title in 1998. RMU scored in the game's first minute, but Monmouth tallied three of the four remaining scores in the half to take a 20-13 lead into intermission. The Hawks tried to pull away by tacking on another touchdown midway through the third, but the Colonials rushed for two touchdowns to respond. However, RMU missed the extra point on the game's final score and dropped a 27-26 affair. The game was quite even statistically with the Hawks holding a slim edge in total yards, 423-416. Monmouth did not commit a turnover, though, while the hosts coughed the ball up twice. Archie Wannamaker (1996-98) rushed for 107 yards and one touchdown on just 12 carries. John O'Connell (1995-98) led all players with 12 tackles.
Head Coach John Banaszak (second 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 and final as assistant head coach for Robert Morris. Among his numerous duties with the program before becoming head coach, 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 11 years and ranked among the top four nine times in the past 12 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 helped five distinct Colonials win an award at return specialist within the span of one 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 couldn't get out of its own way as Sacred Heart took advantage of a mistake-prone Colonial team to claim a 26-13 victory … Junior linebacker
Jimmy Masson and true freshman running back
Dante Satcher each found the end zone for the first time in their respective careers … Redshirt senior linebacker
Jake Tkach posted a game-high and career-best 16 tackles in the setback, the first time a Colonial hit 15+ tackles in a contest since September 2013 … Redshirt senior captain
Forrest Mason added eight tackles, including a career-high-tying 2.5 tackles for loss … Redshirt freshman
Kyle Buss contributed six receptions for 91 yards.
Dante's Peak - True freshman
Dante Satcher claimed Special Teams Player of the Week honors from the NEC Oct. 12 after returning a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against Sacred Heart. It was the fourth kickoff return for a touchdown in program history, but it was the longest one of the quartet. It also stands as the second-longest touchdown of any type in RMU history and the longest since 1996. With his award, RMU became the first school in league history to win the special teams honor in four straight releases.
Just For Kicks - RMU has done well at covering its kickoffs thus far in 2015. Junior
Connor Shennan has tallied 14 touchbacks on 24 attempts, the highest percentage in the NEC. However, even when his kicks have not resulted in touchbacks, RMU is holding its opponents to just 14.3 yards per return, the best mark in the FCS.
D-Fence - The Robert Morris defense limited two-time defending champion Sacred Heart in its last game. RMU, which allowed only one scoring drive over 45 yards, kept the Pioneers under 300 yards of offense, which has happened only twice in SHU's past 22 games. The Colonials also held SHU to 1.6 yards per carry and 70 rushing yards. It is one of only two times in the Pioneers' past 33 games they have not reached 100 yards in the rushing department.
Making the Grade - Current redshirt senior offensive lineman
Nick Faraci and recently graduated wide receiver
Duane Mitchell were both named Capital One Academic All-District First Team last November. It was the second straight year Faraci earned this honor and the first such award for Mitchell, as they continued the trend of academic successes in the football program. These two accolades gave the Colonial program at least one Academic All-District honoree in each of the past 12 seasons, a span in which Robert Morris has taken home 23 overall selections. To put that in perspective, no other NEC school has an active streak of football Academic All-District selections longer than three years. Mitchell, a finance major, became the first RMU wide receiver to ever claim this honor.
Times Two - One of the mainstays that returned to the RMU defense in 2015 is redshirt senior
Forrest Mason. Mason earned his second straight All-NEC honor in 2014, making him just one of five Colonials ever to claim multiple all-league honors as a defensive lineman. What made that accolade even more impressive is that the league's coaches voted him to the team despite the fact that he was only able to appear in seven games. Mason is second in the NEC in tackles per game among defensive linemen (5.7) and is tied for the team lead with 8.0 TFL. He returned his first career INT for a TD Sept. 19.
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