Top Story - The Robert Morris University football team commences its 2015 slate and 22nd season of intercollegiate football Saturday, Sept. 5, as it hosts Dayton at Noon at Joe Walton Stadium. Head coach John Banaszak enters his second season at the helm for Robert Morris with 38 returning letterwinners. Only three Colonials of the 22 projected starters on offense and defense will be making their first collegiate start Saturday, but included in that group is freshman quarterback Mathew Barr. Barr is part of a group of inexperienced skill position players who will look to spark the RMU offense in 2015. RMU's six projected starters at skill positions have combined for just 13 starts on offense. Dayton is coming off an 8-3 campaign a year ago in which it finished second in the Pioneer League. The Flyers' top returnee might be preseason All-American Connor Kacsor, who already is Dayton's all-time leading rusher. Robert Morris will alternate home and road tilts for the month of September as the Colonials will make the short jaunt across state lines to face nationally ranked Youngstown State next Saturday, Sept. 12.

Quick Stat of the Afternoon - Robert Morris enters its 2015 season opener with an all-time record of 9-12 (.429) in season lidlifters, all of which have come in non-conference play. After opening the season on the road against nationally ranked opponents in both 2012 and 2013, including kicking off 2012 with eventual national champion North Dakota State, RMU will begin a season at home for the second straight year and the 10th time in program history in 2015. Robert Morris has dropped each of its past six season openers, four of which have come on the road … Top performances by RMU in season openers: most points – 47 (9/4/04 vs. Buffalo State); fewest points allowed – 0 (9/7/96 @ Mercyhurst); most rushing yards – 215 (9/6/03 @ Buffalo State); most passing yards – 282 (9/6/03 @ Buffalo State); most total yards – 497 (9/6/03 @ Buffalo State); fewest yards allowed – 167 (9/4/04 vs. Buffalo State)

Saturday's Opponent - RMU continues its longest running rivalry with a non-conference foe when it matches up with Dayton. RMU will meet the Flyers for the 18th time with Dayton holding a 15-2 (.882) advantage and carrying a 12-game winning streak in the all-time series. Dayton scored 14 points in the first six minutes last year and did not look back en route to a 31-7 victory. The Colonials did manage to hold Dayton's strong ground game in check as the Flyers rushed for just 97 yards, almost 100 below their season average.

All-Time Series vs. Dayton
Dayton leads series, 15-2

10/12/96 - L, 21-31; Away
9/20/97 - L, 13-16; Home
9/12/98 - L, 22-31; Away
9/11/99- W, 34-7; Home
10/14/00 - W, 17-13; Away
9/8/01 - L, 9-37; Home
9/14/02 - L, 10-24; Away
10/16/04 - L, 12-29; Home
9/2/06 - L, 14-21; Away
9/1/07 - L, 12-23; Home
9/20/08 - L, 14-31; Away
9/19/09 - L, 14-21; Home
9/4/10 - L, 14-28; Away
9/3/11 - L, 13-19; Home
9/15/12 - L, 14-20; Away
9/14/13 - L, 14-21; Home
9/20/14 - L, 7-31; Away

@ Moon Township, Pa. - Dayton, 7-1
@ Dayton, Ohio - Dayton, 8-1

Dayton Series Quick Outs - This will be the 10th consecutive year that Robert Morris and Dayton have met … Four of RMU's past six losses to the Flyers, including each of the past three games in Pennsylvania, have been decided by seven points or fewer … This will be the fifth time in program history that RMU has opened a campaign against the Flyers and the first time since 2011 … Former linebacker Nate List's (1994-97) 97-yard interception return @ Welcome Stadium in 1996 is the longest touchdown in program history … 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 … RMU has outgained Dayton in total offense in six of the past 11 meetings.

On This Date (Sept. 5) in Robert Morris Football History - Robert Morris has competed twice on September 5 and fell short on both occasions. Both of those contests were also season openers, but each came on the road. The most recent time the Colonials played on this date came in 2009 at VMI. The first half was a defensive slugfest that featured a combined 254 yards of total offense. Although RMU forced the Keydets into three turnovers, the teams went into the intermission scoreless. VMI was gifted the game's first score on a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Robert Morris rallied back with two 70+ yard touchdown drives as both Sherrod Evers (2006; 2008-09) and Jeff Link (2007-10) caught TD passes. However, a blocked extra point would loom large as VMI capped a 79-yard drive in the final 90 seconds to take a 14-13 lead, which would stand as the margin of victory. Myles Russ (2007-10) ran for 145 yards in the setback while Alex DiMichele (2008-10) tallied 15 tackles and recovered a single-game RMU record three 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 - Robert Morris put forth a solid defense effort but could not muster up enough offense on a wet afternoon and fell to Duquesne in its season finale … Duane Mitchell caught a pass for the 33rd consecutive game to end his career, extending his school record in the process … Mitchell contributed seven catches on the day which helped him reset the single-season school record for receptions per game (4.91) … RMU fell to 7-3 (.700) in the last 10 games it has played as part of the NEC's annual broadcast package … Tony LaMancusa posted three punts downed inside the 20-yard line in his final game. It was the seventh time he notched at least three such punts in his career.

Starting Time - There are 33 Colonials on the current roster who have made at least one start in a Robert Morris uniform in advance of the 2015 season opener. To put that in perspective, there were only 16 such Colonials in that position before the 2014 opener.

Ready for a Rookie - True freshman Mathew Barr is set to start under center when RMU opens the season against Dayton. Barr would become the first true freshman to start a season opener at quarterback for the Colonials since 1994. Luke Brumbaugh started last year's season opener as a redshirt freshman and completed 28 passes in the game.

Finish Strong, Start Fast? - A number of Colonial defenders posted admirable efforts in the season finale that they will look to carry over to the beginning of 2015:  Safety Ryan Richards Jr. reset his freshman season bests in both solo stops (7) and tackles for loss (3.0) while tying his season high of nine tackles … Defensive end Ryan Lewis tied his career best with seven tackles, all of the solo variety, and also added a career high 3.0 tackles for loss … Linebacker Zach Cooper posted a career-high seven hits … Linebacker Jimmy Masson tallied a career best 3.0 tackles for loss … Cornerback Drew Allen contributed the first interception of his career.

Home Sweet Home - Robert Morris is set to open its season at home for the second straight year. The Colonials are 14-7 (.667) all-time in home openers and 6-3 (.667) in games where their home opener is also their season opener. RMU has played 13 different programs in its home opener entering 2015. This Saturday's game will be the sixth time RMU hosts Dayton in its home opener.

The Century Mark - Rameses Owens and recently graduated running back Ryan Thermil each reached the 100-yard rushing mark on two occasions in 2014. In doing so, more than one Colonial contributed multiple 100-yard rushing efforts in a season for the first time since 1998 when Donald Dorsey (1998-99) and Archie Wannamaker (1996-98) achieved the feat.

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