GAME ELEVEN
at Central Connecticut Blue Devils
11.18.17 // NOON
New Britain, Conn. // Arute Field
RADIO: ESPN 970 AM // WBGG 106.3 FM
> Chris Shovlin, Play by Play
STREAMING: ESPN3; ESPNPgh.iHeart.com (audio only)
 
Capsule
The Robert Morris University football team wraps up the 2017 season by traveling to Northeast Conference leader Central Connecticut for a Noon game on Saturday, Nov. 18, at Arute Field in New Britain, Conn. The game will be aired on ESPN3 as CCSU looks to win its eighth straight and RMU seeks its first NEC win of the year.
 
All-Time vs. Central Connecticut
> The Colonials are 17-6 against CCSU
> RMU is 6-5 in New Britain, Conn.
> The Colonials have won four of the last five meetings
> RMU was shutout in its last visit to Arute Field, 34-0, in 2015
> The Blue Devils are tied with Wagner as the Colonials most common opponent (23)
 
Musket Shots
> QB Jimmy Walker threw for a season-high 314 yards against Bryant
> It was the first 300-yard game by an RMU passer since Paul Jones in 2013
> CB Heavon Price had a hand in all four RMU takeaways vs. Bryant
> Price had two INT, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery
> LB Adam Wollet needs three tackles to reach 100 for the season
> Mike Cook was the last Colonial to record 100 tackles with a record 117 in 2013
> TE Dalton Elliott caught his first career TD pass at Wagner, a one-yard pass from Matt Barr
> RB Harrison Dreher tied the RMU record with a 100-yard kickoff return against Sacred Heart
> RB Cole Blake needs 17 yards to reach 1,000 for his career
> CB Drew Allen is third all-time at RMU with 31 starts at CB (he has 4 starts at WS)
> Allen has blocked two FG this season
> Zack Zamiska is third all-time at RMU with 33 starts at defensive tackle
> RMU is 14th nationally with four blocked kicks
> RMU is 17th in the nation holding opponents to 171.1 passing yards per game
> Colonials are 21st averaging 8.0 TFL
> LB Gerald Ferguson is in the top-23 nationally in the following categories:
     > Tackles for Loss, 14th, 1.6
     > Sacks, 20th, 0.85
     > Fumbles Recovered, 23rd, 2

About the Blue Devils
> Central Connecticut has claimed the 2017 NEC Championship
> The Blue Devils are 7-3 overall, 5-0 in the league
> QB Jake Dolegala is 134-250 for 1,771 yards, 10 TD and seven INT
> RB Cameron Nash leads the team with 171 carries for 863 yards and 10 TD
> RB Drew Jean-Guillaume tops the squad with 30 receptions for 324 yards and 4 TD
> Jean-Guillaume also has 86 carries for 424 yards
> WR Courtney Rush averages 23.6 yards per reception with 19 catches for 448 yards
> LB Randal Laguerre is the top tackler with 79 stops
> LB Kenneth Keen has 70 takcles and a team-best 8.0 TFL
>  Jarrod Cann has four interceptions and 8 PBU

TEAM NOTES
 
DiMichelle Joins RMU Hall of Fame
> RMU LB coach Alex DiMichelle was selected to join the RMU Athletics Hall of Fame
> He was the 2010 NEC Defensive Player of the Year, leading RMU to the NCAA Playoffs
> Finished second at RMU with 330 career tackles
> His 113 stops in 2008 set a school record at the time
 
Dr. Howard In College Football
> RMU President Dr. Chris Howard is serving a three-year term on the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee
> He is also on the planning committee to commemorate the 150th birthday of college football
> Howard was a running back at Air Force
> He won the NFF Campbell Trophy, the highest academic award for a football player
 
USMC Sports Hall of Fame
> RMU head coach John Banaszak was inducted into the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in July 2017
> He is one of just 45 members of the exclusive club
> When he separated from the Marine Corps, he was a corporal serving as a supply clerk after a two-year appointment
> Banaszak won three Super Bowls as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers
 
Colonials Marine Corps Members
> WR Janar Walker spent four years in the United States Marine Corps prior to enrolling at RMU
> He is a 2011 graduate of Woodland Hills
> RMU head coach John Banaszak was also a US Marine upon high school graduation
> Banaszak reported to Parris Island in 1969 and served a two-year appointment
 
Delray Beach Connection
> Three Colonials hail from the Florida town of Delray Beach on the Atlantic Coast
> Warren Robinson, Gerald Ferguson and TJ Neal list Delray Beach as their hometown
> They all attended different high schools
> Dylan Young lists Coral Springs as his hometown, just a short drive from Delray Beach
 
NFL Experience for Miller
> Offensive coordinator Mike Miller has spent 12 seasons in the National Football League
> Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals in 2011 and 2012
> He spent six seasons with the Cardinals
> Miller was also an assistant with the Buffalo Bills (2004-05) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (1999-2003)
> He has also spent time in the press box as a public relations assistant with the Steelers, Colts and the Pittsburgh Penguins
> During his tenure as receivers coach with Arizona, he mentored Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston
 
Brother Act
> Freshman kicker Nick Bisceglia joins brother Matt Bisceglia at Robert Morris
> Matt is a goalkeeper on the RMU soccer team
> Both attended Kiski Area High School
 
Branch Lands With Atlanta Falcons
> DB Marcelis Branch '17 signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent
> He was given a spot on the practice squad
> Was fouth on the team with 12 tackles in the preseason
> Branch also plays on the Falcons kickoff return, kickoff coverage and punt coverage teams
> He was an All-NEC first team pick in 2016
> Started 42 games, a record for an RMU player on defense
 
Score 30 or More
> Since the inception of RMU football in 1994, RMU is 72-5 (.935) when scoring 30 or more points
> The Colonials are 29-0 when tallying 40 or more points
 
The Founding Father
> RMU had only one coach in its first 20 seasons of existence, Joe Walton
> Walton was a former NFL tight end and head coach (see sidebar)
> He was a four-time NEC Coach of the Year
> Under his guidance, RMU won two NCAA I-AA mid-major national titles
> Walton was inducted into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013
 
Standing in the Hall of Fame
> Three football players joined the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016
     > DB Jason Hempstead (1999-03)
     > WR Tyjuan Massey (2002-05)
     > RB Myles Russ (2007-10)
> The trio brings the total number of football members in the Hall of Fame to 17
 
DEFENSIVE NOTES
 
National Rankings - Team
> RMU ranks in the top-30 in these categories:
     > Passing Yards Allowed (17th, 171.1)
     > Team Tackles for Loss (21st, 7.4)
 
National Rankings - Individual
> Colonials rank in the top-50 in these categories:
     > Tackles for Loss (Gerald Ferguson, 14th, 1.6)
     > Sacks (Ferguson, 20th, 0.85)
     > Fumbles Recovered (Ferguson, 23rd, 2; Ryan Richards, Jr., 23rd, 2)
     > Total Tackles (Adam Wollet, 20th, 9.7)
 
Positive Negatives
> RMU has 74 tackles for loss this season
> The Colonials take their opponents down for a loss on one of every 8.6 plays
> They have 25 sacks, or one in every 10.4 opponent pass calls
> 19 different players have a tackle for loss
> 11 different players have been credited with at least a partial sack
 
Fantastic Ferguson
> LB Gerald Ferguson has been the NEC Defensive Player of the Week twice this season
> Ranks 14th nationally averaging 1.6 tackles for loss per game
> Is 20th nationally at 0.85 sacks per game
> Is second in the NEC with 15.5 TFL and 8.5 sacks
> 23rd in FCS with two fumble recoveries
> Second on the team with 65 tackles
 
Guess Who's Back?
> CB Heavon Price had a hand in all four RMU takeaways against Bryant
> He recorded two interceptions, the fourth and fifth of the season for RMU
> Price also caused a fumble and recovered a fumble
> He made a career-high 9 tackles in the game
 
Senior Laden
> The Colonials list five seniors on their starting two-deep
> Three of those seniors are in the defensive backfield
     > Ryan Richards, Jr.
     > Andy Smigiera
     > Drew Allen
> Linebackers Joseph Uhatafe and Gerald Ferguson are also seniors
> DT Zack Zamiska is also a senior
 
Brains and Braun
> ILB Adam Wollet leads RMU and the NEC with 97 tackles
> Is 20th in the country averaging 9.7 tackles
> Had 16 tackles, a career-best, against Sacred Heart
> Has tallied 10+ tackles in five games
> He led RMU with 89 tackles in 2016
> He was named to the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-District II Team
 
Keydets Locked Up
> RMU shutout VMI, 23-0, the team's first shutout since 10/16/10 vs. Albany
> They held the Keydets to just 182 yards
> Its the fewest yards since holding Wagner to 170 on 10/3/15
> RMU has held 11 opponents under 260 yards since 2010
> That includes Dayton gaining just 257 yards in the season-opener
> Robert Morris has been a top-30 defense in eight of Farison's 13 seasons as DC
 
D-Line Depth
> Eight players have seen time on the defensive line for the Colonials
> All eight have registered a tackle for RMU
> Zack Zamiska leads that group with 33 stops
> Amir Fenwick, Chris Stanford, Derian Smith, Izon Pulley, Mike Lamb, Greg Rose and Justin Boyette have also played
 
OFFENSIVE NOTES
 
National Rankings - Individual
> Colonials rank in the top-50 in these categories:
     > Yds/Completion (Jimmy Walker, 48th, 12.42)
 
Transfer Impact
> A trio of transfers are listed as starters on the RMU offensive two-deep
> QB Jimmy Walker came to RMU from San Diego State
> Walker is 119-242 for 1,478 yards, 7 TDs and seven interceptions
> TE Reggie Green was once a Pitt Panther
> He has 11 receptions for 161 yards and a TD
> WR Tavin Allison first went to Eastern Michigan before arriving in Moon
> Allison has hauled in 14 passes for a team best 259 yards and a score
> WR Eldin Anu, a transfer from Kent State, has 3 catches for 41 yards and three rushes for 13 yards
 
Two-Point Conversion
> Jimmy Walker hit Tim Vecchio for a two-point conversion against Sacred Heart
> It was the team's first two-point conversion since 2014 against CCSU
> Derik Abbott hit Duane Mitchell with a pass for that conversion
 
Colonials QBs Find 14 Targets
> 14 different players have caught passes for RMU
> Tim Vecchio leads the team with 28 catches
> WR Tavin Allison tops RMU at 18.5 ypg
> Every player who was been targeted this year has a reception
 
Favorite Targets
> RMU quarterbacks are 56-84 (.667) when targeting tight ends and running backs
> 25 of those completions have resulted in first downs and four in touchdowns
> 33-47 (.702) when targeting running backs
 
Dreher's Debut
> RB Harrison Dreher made his long-awaited debut for RMU at Youngstown State
> He rushed 19 times for 84 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry
> He leads RMU with 385 rushing yards
> Scored his first career rushing touchdown against Duquesne
> Is tied for second on the team with 15 receptions
 
Valuable Vecchio
> WR Tim Vecchio leads RMU with 28 receptions
> Is averaging 10.6 yards per catch
> Was the Colonials Offensive MVP in 2016
> He led the team with 35 receptions and 308 yards
 
Cole Train Back on Track
> Cole Blake rushed for 69 yards against Dayton, his first game back since 2015
> Has a career best nine receptions this season
> Blake rushed for 722 yards on 170 carries in 2015
> He averaged 4.2 yards per carry and had two TDs as a sophomore
> Is 11th all-time at RMU with 983 career yards
> Blake missed all of 2016 due to injury
 
Same Players, New Positions
> Former quarterbacks Mathew Barr and Andrew Romanchak have both moved to wide receiver
> Barr was the Colonials starting QB in 2015
> Barr will be available to take snaps under center if necessary
> Romanchak started four games at QB in 2016
 
Freshmen Front Five
> The two-deep lists five first-year players on the offensive line
> Four of those - LT Trevor Hicks, LG John Sheldon, RG Alex Minford, RT Dylan Young - are true freshmen
> C Eric McAllister is a redshirt-freshman
 
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
 
National Rankings - Team
> RMU ranks in the top-30 in these categories:
     > Blocked Kicks (14th, 4)
 
National Rankings - Individual
> Colonials rank in the top-50 in these categories:
     > Blocked Kicks (Drew Allen, 9th, 2)
     > Kickoff Return TDs (Harrison Dreher, 5th, 1)
     > Kickoff Returns (Dreher, 29th, 24.3)
     > Punt Returns (Warren Robinson, 17th, 9.2)
 
Check Marks
> Adam Check was named to the Preseason All-NEC team
> Check owns the following RMU single game records
     > Punts - 12 vs. Youngstown State
     > Punt Yards - 455 vs. Youngstown State
> Check owns the following RMU single season records
     > Punts - 85
     > Punt Yards - 3,150
> Is averaging 37.4 yards per punt this season
> His 37.13 career average is 5th at RMU
 
Robinson Returns
> Warren Robinson is the only player in team history with two punt return TDs
> He had an 81-yard return for a TD vs. Malone
> Has 645 career punt return yards, 2nd at RMU (699, Brian Dunn '94-'97)
> His 12.17 career punt return avg. is third in team history
> In 2015, Warren Robinson set the single-season school record for punt return average (18.2 yds.)
> Robinson ranked second nationally in punt return average in 2015
> He has three of the four longest punt returns in team history - 81(T), 66(T) and 58
 
Freshman Foot
> Freshman kicker Nick Bisceglia won the starting kicking job in camp
> He will handle both kickoffs and field goals
> He is 7-17 on field goals
> His gamewinning FG against Dayton came with :04 left
> Was an all-conference punter and kicker in high school
> Also played soccer for Kiski Area
> His brother, Matt, plays soccer at RMU