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

Top Story - The Robert Morris University football team returns home this Saturday, Nov. 21, as it hosts Bryant in Northeast Conference (NEC) action at Noon at Joe Walton Stadium in each team's season finale. RMU fell behind early and was unable to catch up last week at Saint Francis while Bryant, the 2015 NEC preseason favorite, dropped its home finale a week ago to Sacred Heart. A number of noteworthy marks are in reach Saturday for individual Colonials and the team as a whole. Redshirt freshman Kyle Buss needs five catches to become just the third Colonial ever to reach 50 in a season. Furthermore, with 89 receiving yards, Buss would move into third in single-season program history in that category. With a big day, the Colonial defense could top RMU single-season records in tackles for loss and/or sacks. It needs 10.0 TFL and 5.0 sacks to break each of those marks. Forrest Mason needs 1.5 sacks to move into sole possession of third place all-time at RMU entering his final game. As is the custom, Robert Morris will take a moment to honor each of its seniors, 11 total, in a brief ceremony prior to kickoff.

Quick Stat of the Afternoon - Five of Robert Morris' projected starters will be playing their final collegiate games Saturday. Linebackers Mike Stojkovic and Jake Tkach have anchored the center of the Colonial defense for the past two seasons. Stojkovic owns 184 stops as a Colonial, including 21.0 tackles for loss, while his classmate has collected 172 career hits, including 14.0 tackles for loss. Opposing coaches certainly won't be sad to see defensive end Forrest Mason play his last game as he has amassed 144 tackles on the line, including 23.5 tackles for loss and 16.0 sacks. On the other side of the ball, center Nick Faraci and left tackle Max Robertson enter Saturday having combined for 83 starts in their careers. Other Colonial seniors being honored Saturday include Kenny Davis (272 all-purpose yards), Warren Fields (543 kick return yards), Corey Garry (1 rushing TD) and Sean Gavin (439 receiving yards).

Saturday's Opponent - Bryant is the current conference foe that RMU has played the least with the Bulldogs joining the league in 2009. The Bulldogs have had the Colonials' number, winning six of the first seven games in the series. However, RMU did come away victorious the last time these teams met in Pennsylvania as it claimed a 24-3 decision behind three touchdown catches by Duane Mitchell and two interceptions from Antwan Eddie. Four of RMU's past five losses to Bryant have been one-possession games.

All-Time Series vs. Bryant
Bryant leads series, 6-1

10/18/08 - L, 7-20; Away
9/26/09; L, 13-20; Home
11/13/10 - L, 21-27; Away
10/22/11 - L, 27-34; Home
10/13/12 - L, 35-38; Away
11/2/13 - W, 24-3; Home
10/25/14 - L, 9-42; Away

@ Moon Township, Pa. - Bryant, 2-1
@ Smithfield, R.I. - Bryant, 4-0

Bryant Series Quick Outs - RMU's tilt against Bryant in 2010 marked the first time the program played a game as a ranked team, as the Colonials entered the game #25 in the Nov. 8, 2010, NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) rankings according to The Sports Network … Last year's game marked the first time that Bryant played Robert Morris with the Bulldogs being nationally ranked … Robert Morris has had a lead over Bryant in four of their past five losses to the Bulldogs, including leading in the second half three of those times … Robert Morris has had a higher red zone conversion percentage in six of the seven previous meetings, while the teams had an equal percentage in the other game ... This year's meeting will be the first time that RMU has played the Bulldogs in its home finale although the Colonials did close the 2010 regular season at Bryant.

On This Date (Nov. 21) in Robert Morris Football History - Robert Morris has competed on two prior occasions on this date, claiming one victory and one defeat. Unlike this week, both of those matchups were road games. The most recent time RMU played on this date came in its 2009 season finale against Monmouth. The Colonials took a lead with a first quarter rushing TD, and that proved to be the only score of the first half. After a RMU field goal in the third, Jeff Sinclair (2009-12) threw for two scores in a span of 73 seconds in the fourth quarter. The Hawks did not score a touchdown until more than 55 minutes had elapsed, and the guests came away with a 23-9 victory. RMU held Monmouth to 192 total yards of offense and forced four turnovers, including three interceptions. Sinclair was 13-of-17 passing while his defense set a single-game program record by tallying 13 pass breakups. Chris Roberts (2008-10) contributed 2.0 sacks and a pass breakup while Rolf Bathold (2007-10) led the team with three pass breakups.

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 fell behind early and never recovered as it dropped a 21-0 affair at Saint Francis in its road finale … The Colonials did not allow a sack to a Saint Francis team that came into the game among the top 20 in that category at the FCS level … RMU limited the hosts to just 116 passing yards, the Red Flash's second-lowest output of 2015 … Redshirt junior cornerback Marcelis Branch and junior weak safety Andy Smigiera each tallied an interception, the fifth and sixth of their career, respectively … Sophomore cornerback Drew Allen and Smigiera tied for the team lead with eight tackles … Redshirt senior captain Mike Stojkovic tallied 2.0 tackles for loss.

Going the Other Way - The Robert Morris defense has excelled at turning its opponents over on downs when they go for it on fourth down. Each of the past five fourth-down attempts by a RMU opponent has failed. For the season, Colonial foes have been successful only 30.8% (4-for-13) of the time on fourth down. That would be the best such mark by a RMU team in a season since 2006.

Homegrown - One week after finding the end zone with a rush for the first time, Cole Blake surpassed the century mark again. The sophomore ran for 119 yards last week at Saint Francis, marking the third time he's reached 100 yards rushing this season. In doing so, he became the eighth Colonial in program history to rush for 100 yards at least three times in a season.

At a Loss - Robert Morris enters its 2015 season finale with 79 tackles for loss on the season. RMU is 10 TFL away from breaking the program single-season record. Reaching that figure might not be as unlikely as it seems as the Colonials have hit double digits in this category three times in the past six games.

No Passing Zone - The Robert Morris defense did well in keeping opposing offenses from moving the ball through the air near the end zone last year. The Colonials grabbed eight interceptions in 2014 within 20 yards of the end zone they were defending. RMU has tallied seven such picks in the first 10 games of 2015, giving it 15 grabs inside its own 20 in its past 21 games. Eight Colonials have contributed to that mark with Andy Smigiera leading the way with six.

The Full Length - The 84-yard touchdown pass caught by Kyle Buss in the last home game stands as the fourth-longest in RMU history and the longest ever in a non-conference contest. It also gave RMU two 70+ yard touchdowns in a season for the first time in 10 years.

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