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

Top Story - The Robert Morris University football team continues Northeast Conference play this Saturday, Oct. 10, as it returns home for the first time in three weeks to face defending co-champion Sacred Heart at Noon at Joe Walton Stadium. RMU is coming off a last-second victory in its league opener at Wagner as the Colonials claimed a battle of field goals. Sacred Heart will be opening the defense of its NEC crown this Saturday as it had a bye last weekend. RMU linebacker Mike Stojkovic and placekicker Connor Shennan collected defensive and special teams honors, respectively, in the league's weekly release Monday, giving the Colonials a NEC-best seven awards this season. Tyler Brown became just the second true freshman quarterback at RMU, and the first since 1994, to lead a Colonial team on a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter in last week's win. Brown came on in relief when classmate Reid McCoy was forced from the game due to injury. RMU will enjoy its lone bye of the season next weekend before remaining at home Saturday, Oct. 24, for the annual clash with county rival Duquesne.

Quick Stat of the Afternoon - Saturday's contest is part of the conference's broadcast package and will be featured on ESPN3. That fact should bode well for the Colonials based on recent history. Robert Morris is 7-3 (.700) in its last 10 games that have been broadcast by the NEC, including 5-1 (.833) at home. The Colonials have averaged 21.40 points per game in these 10 affairs while allowing 15.60 points per game over this span, including yielding only 12.33 at home. Since the 2005 season, Robert Morris is 9-6 (.600) when featured on a NEC broadcast, including 6-3 (.667) at Joe Walton Stadium. Robert Morris has faced eight different opponents in this time. In fact, Sacred Heart is the only current NEC member that RMU has not faced in a game broadcast by the league. Duquesne is the most frequent opponent that Robert Morris has matched up with on league broadcasts, with five games between the teams put on air since 2006.

Saturday's Opponent - Robert Morris has faced Sacred Heart in each of the past 17 seasons, and the series is quite even with the Pioneers holding a slim 9-8 edge. In each of the past two matchups, Sacred Heart has jumped out to a first-quarter lead and never trailed en route to a victory. In the last two Colonial victories in the series (2010, 2012), RMU scored in the final minute to turn a deficit into a lead. In the last three meetings, RMU has scored 41 of its 59 points against the Pioneers in the fourth quarter.

All-Time Series vs. Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart leads series, 9-8

10/17/98 - W, 44-7; Home
10/16/99 - W, 48-0; Home
11/4/00 - W, 31-20; Away
9/22/01 - L, 31-44; Home
10/5/02 - L, 0-34; Away
10/18/03 - L, 20-24; Home
11/13/04 - L, 3-24; Away
11/12/05 - L, 20-27; Home
11/11/06 - W, 41-21; Away
11/10/07 - W, 41-31; Home
10/4/08 - L, 28-31; Away
10/31/09 - W, 9-7; Home
9/11/10 - W, 35-31; Away
10/29/11 - L, 15-27; Home
11/10/12 - W, 21-17; Away
11/16/13 - L, 25-42; Home
10/11/14 - L, 13-52; Away

@ Moon Township, Pa. - Sacred Heart, 5-4
@ Fairfield, Conn. - Tied, 4-4

Sacred Heart Series Quick Outs - The home team is only 8-9 (.471) in the all-time series and has lost four of the last five meetings … Four of the past seven games have been decided by four points or fewer, three of which were won by Robert Morris. The three games in that stretch decided by more than four points were each won by Sacred Heart … RMU's 9-7 victory in 2009 (10/31) is one of just four occurrences in school history in which the Colonials failed to score 10 points but still garnered a victory … Tyjuan Massey (2002-05) set RMU school records for receptions (10), receiving yards (272) and all-purpose yards (349) in the 2005 meeting between these programs … The longest fumble return in school history came in a 41-21 victory @ Sacred Heart (11/11/06), as former defensive back James Kazil (2004-07) posted a 94-yard return for a TD.

On This Date (Oct. 10) in Robert Morris Football History - Robert Morris has played twice before on October 10 and came up short on both occasions. The first time the Colonials competed on this date came in 1998 at home as RMU met Valparaiso for the first time in program history. After a scoreless first quarter, the Crusaders used two touchdown passes, sandwiched around the first rushing touchdown of Tim Levcik's (1998-2001) career to take a 13-7 lead into the break. A touchdown pass by Levcik and a Jeff Carlo (1998-2001) field goal in the third quarter put the Colonials on top after three. Valparaiso would have the last laugh as a 14-play touchdown drive in the fourth quarter gave the Crusaders a 19-17 victory. Robert Morris outgained Valparaiso but was done in by three turnovers. Archie Wannamaker (1996-98) had a game-high 122 rushing yards on just 18 carries, averaging nearly 7.0 yards per rush. Murray Poole (1996-98, 2000) led all players with 12 tackles while Matt Grayson (1998-2001) forced two fumbles.

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 - Connor Shennan connected on a 19-yard field goal with 24 seconds left to lift Robert Morris to a come-from-behind, 9-6, win over Wagner in each team's Northeast Conference opener … Linebackers Kimani Smith and Jake Tkach both contributed 10 tackles with the former notching a career high in that category … Sophomore Cole Blake registered a career-long 52-yard rush … Sophomore linebacker Joseph Uhatafe recovered the first fumble of his career … Redshirt senior Forrest Mason tallied 2.0 sacks while redshirt junior Austin Trgovcich posted a career-best 2.5 tackles for loss … Robert Morris had advantages in both rushing and passing yards.

Stock Watch - Mike Stojkovic was named Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in 2015 Monday. He led RMU with 11 stops in its win at Wagner last week. He earned his first honor after helping limit nationally ranked Youngstown State Sept. 12 as he posted 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble against the Penguins. He has hit double digits in stops in four of five games this season and totaled 4.5 tackles for loss. Stojkovic currently leads the league in tackles per game (9.6).

The Third Phase - Connor Shennan has earned Northeast Conference Special Teams Player of the Week accolades in two straight weeks. The junior was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals last week at Wagner, including connecting on the game-winner in the final minute. He is the only NEC athlete to hit three field goals in a game in 2015 and became the fifth Colonial ever to achieve that feat. Shennan had reset his career-long with a 46-yarder the week prior while drilling two of his three kickoffs for touchbacks.