Capsule
Robert Morris opens Northeast Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 22, when it travels to Smithfield, R.I., for a 1:00 p.m. game on ESPN3 against the Bryant Bulldogs at Beirne Stadium Complex. The Colonials sit 1-2 overall while the Bulldogs stand 2-1 through three weeks. RMU has not won at Beirne Complex in five tries.
 
All-Time vs. Bryant
> Robert Morris trails the all-time series, 2-8
> These teams have played every season dating back to 2008
> The Colonials are 0-5 in Smithfield, R.I.
> Five of the 10 games have been decided by seven points or less
 
Musket Shots
> Matthew Gonzalez is fourth among FCS tight ends with 208 receiving yards
> Tim Vecchio is 8th at RMU with 76 career receptions
> RMU is 26th in the nation in third down conversion percentage (.435, 20-of-46)
> The Colonials have allowed just two sacks this season, ranking 14th nationally (0.67)
> RMU had 416 yards of offense at Dayton, the team's first 400-yard game since 2013
> The team's 26 first downs vs. Dayton were their most since 10/22/11 (27; Bryant)
> Bernard Clark Jr. makes his head coaching debut in 2018
> DL Amir Fenwick and LB Adam Wollet were named to the Preseason All-NEC Team
> Fenwick was the Colonials only All-NEC First Team pick last season
> Wollet led the NEC with 108 tackles
> Finished 18th in nation averaging 9.8 tackles per game
> Was named to the 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America team
> Junior WR Tim Vecchio has been the team's offensive MVP each of the last two seasons
> Sophomore C Eric McAllister was a Hero Sports Freshmen All-America pick in 2017
> Of active FCS players, Warren Robinson is eighth with a 12.2 yard punt return average
> 2018 marks the 25th season of football at Robert Morris
> RMU has won six NEC Championships — 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2010
> The 2018 roster features 30 former WPIAL players representing 23 schools
 
About the Bulldogs
> Bryant is 2-1 this season with wins over New Haven and Marist and a loss at #24/24 Stony Brook
> Average 33.0 points and 442.7 yards (144.7 rush, 298.0 pass) offensively
> Defensively, allow 36.0 points and 408.3 yards (166.3 rush, 242.0 avg.)
> QB Price Wilson is 89-131 throwing for 894 yards, 4 INT and 9 TDs
> Wilson leads the NEC at 283.0 passing yards per game
> Favorite target is WR Jean Constant with 18 catches for 221 yards and 5 TD
> Constant averages 57.7 yards per kickoff return, including a 100-yard TD
> RB Brenden Femiano tops the team with 236 yards on 47 carries (5.0 avg./carry)
> LB Thomas Costigan tops the squad in nearly all defensive categories
> Costigan has 25 tackles (16 solo), 3.0 TFL, a sack, an intercepion and a forced fumble
> FS Zahir Williams has picked off two passes
 
{ TEAM NOTES }
 
25th Season of RMU Football
> 2018 marks the 25th season of football at Robert Morris
> The program debuted in 1994, going 7-1-1
> RMU has won six NEC Championships — 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2010
 
Clark Makes Coaching Debut
> Bernard Clark Jr. makes his head coaching debut in 2018
> He served as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at UAlbany for four years
> Won two national championships with Miami, including the 1988 Orange Bowl MVP
> Made 10 previous coaching stops before arriving in Moon Township
 
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
 
RMU Football Leadership Committee
> Coach Clark has named a six-player leadership committee in 2018
> Offensive Leadership Committe Members:
   > Junior WR DeLano Madison
   > R-Sophomore OL Eric McAllister
   > Senior QB Jimmy Walker
> Defensive Leadership Committe Members:
   > R-Junior DB Tevaul Brown
   > Senior DL Amir Fenwick
   > Senior LB Adam Wollet
 
Delray Beach Connection
> A pair of Colonials hail from the Florida town of Delray Beach on the Atlantic Coast
> Warren Robinson and Thomas 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
 
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

Gridiron Graduates
> RMU has four players players currently taking graduate level classes
> DE Cameron Darley and QB Caleb Lewis are graduate transfers
> QB Jimmy Walker finished his undergraduate work last year and is in grad school now
> LB Adam Wollet is in the integrated five-year finance and data analytics program at RMU
 
WPIAL Representation
> The 2018 roster features 30 former WPIAL players
> They represent 23 different schools
> Gateway, Montour, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Thomas Jefferson, Woodland Hills and West Allegheny each have two alums on the RMU roster
 
State of the Colonials
> Thirteen states and two countries are represented on the RMU roster
> Three dozen (36) players from the Keystone State, Pennsylvania, lead the list
> Ohio (11) and Florida (10) also have double-digit representatives
> Two players came to RMU from Ontario
 
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
 
{ DEFENSIVE NOTES }
 
National Rankings - Team
> RMU ranks in the top-30 in these categories:
   > Red Zone Defense (24th, .722)
 
National Rankings - Individual
> RMU ranks in the top-50 in these categories:
   > Fumbles Recovered (Devon Dickerson, 14th, 1)
 
Triple-Double
> Three Colonials - Jon Muehlbauer, Adam Wollet and Amir Fenwick - had double-digit tackles against Virginia State
> Muehlbauer had 12 tackles, a career high
> Fenwick's 10 stops were also a career best
> Wollet tacked on 11 tackles
> Joe Uhatafe (14), Adam Wollet (12) and Ryan Lewis (11) were the last trio to record 10-plus tackles (at Sacred Heart; 10/22/16)
 
Preseason All-NEC Picks
> DL Amir Fenwick and LB Adam Wollet were named to the Preseason All-NEC Team
> Fenwick was an All-NEC selection following the 2017 season
> Wollet also garnered all-league plaudits as a junior as well
 
Brains and Braun
> ILB Adam Wollet is third in the NEC and leads RMU with 22 tackles
> Last season, led the league and finished 18th in nation averaging 9.8 tackles per game
> Was named to the 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America team
> Was the NEC Fall Scholar-Athlete for football
> Had 16 tackles, a career-best, against Sacred Heart (10/21/17)
> Tallied 10+ tackles in seven games
> He led RMU with 89 tackles in 2016
> Is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District II Team selection (2016, 2017)
 
Amir, Amir on the Line
> Senior DL Amir Fenwick was the Colonials only All-NEC First Team pick last season
> Garnered Preseason All-NEC plaudits
> Is second on the team with 17 stops
> Recorded a career-high 10 tackles against Virginia State (9/8)
> Finished 2017 with 35 tackles, 23 in NEC games
> Had 4.5 TFL in NEC games, six overall
> Totalled 14 tackles in the final three games of 2017
 
Lamica's Line
> Junior LB Tyler Lamica is tied for second on the squad with 17 tackles
> Posted 8 tackles in win against Virginia State
> Has team's only interception of the year
> Second on the squad with 12 solo stops
 
Neal Now Tackling Thomas
> Thomas Neal, who used to go by TJ Neal, is now at linebacker
> The OLB has 15 tackles this season
> The athletic Neal started his career at RMU as a defensive back
> He was moved to running back late in his freshman campaign due to injuries
 
{ OFFENSIVE NOTES }
 
National Rankings - Team
> RMU ranks in the top-30 in these categories:
   > 3rd Down Conv. Pct. (26th, .435 (20-46))
   > Sacks Allowed (14th, 0.67)
 
National Rankings - Individual
> RMU ranks in the top-50 in these categories:
   > Yards/Completion (Jimmy Walker, 7th, 16.15)
   > Yards/Reception (Gonzalez, 22nd, 23.11)
   > Receiving TDs (Matthew Gonzalez, 33rd, 3)
   > Passing TDs (Walker, 41st, 4)
   > Yards/Attempt (Walker, 48th, 7.27)
 
Keeping Them Clean
> The Colonials offensive line has allowed just two sacks this season
> They rank 14th in FCS in sacks allowed (0.67)
> RMU allowed 41 sacks in 2017
 
First Time In a Long Time
> The offense put up numbers at Dayton that it hasn't seen in a long time:
   > 416 yards; 448 @ VMI, 9/28/13
   > 26 1st Downs; 27 vs. Bryant, 10/22/11
   > 28 points; 35 vs. Notre Dame (Ohio), 9/19/15
 
Walker On Air
> QB Jimmy Walker is 27-of-60 for 436 yards and 4 touchdowns
> He ranks in the top-48 nationally in three different stat categories
> His 175.4 yards passing per game rank fourth all-time at RMU
> Threw 272 times in 2017, tied for third most in team history
> His 162 career completions are sixth all-time at RMU, the most by a non four-year player in team history
 
Going, Going Gonzo
> Junior TE Matthew Gonzalez caught four passes for 113 yards and a TD vs. Virginia State
> He is the team's first 100-yard receiver since 2015
> His 81-yard touchdown reception is tied for fifth-longest passing score in team history
> His nine receptions, 208 yards, and two TDs lead the team
> Is fourth among nation's TE with 208 yards
> He is 22nd nationally averaging 23.11 yards per reception
 
Transfer-vania
> An entourage of transfers will likely spend plenty of time toting the pigskin on offense
> QB Jimmy Walker is a transfer from San Diego State
> RB Terence Stephens previously played at Bowling Green
> TE Steve Petrick was at Temple University
> QB Caleb Lewis comes to RMU from LSU
> WR Tavin Allison spent one season at Eastern Michigan
 
Valuable Vecchio
> Junior WR Tim Vecchio has been the team's offensive MVP each of the last two seasons
> He has 76 career receptions for 741 yards
> Ranks 8th all-time at RMU in receptions
> Another 30 catch season will put him into the RMU career top-five for receptions
> In 2017, he led the team with 32 catches, 321 receiving yards and two receiving TDs
> He led the team with 35 receptions and 308 yards as a freshman in 2016
 
Mentioning McAllister
> Sophomore C Eric McAllister was a Hero Sports Freshmen All-America pick in 2017
> Named to the RMU Football Leadership Committee
> Preseason All-NEC Pick according to Phil Steele
 
Matching With Wanat
> Junior RB Jonathan Wanat donated bone marrow to a anonymous recipient last spring
> Wanat was put on the donor list through The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation
> In two seasons working the Andy Talley Foundation, RMU has added 260 donor names to the list
 
Returning Experience
> RMU returns nine starters on offense in 2018
> The only voids left from 2017 were at running back and tight end
> Those spots will be filled by transfers and upperclassmen:
   > RB - Terence Stephens
   > TE - Steve Petrick and Matthew Gonzalez
> Nine different offensive linemen return with at least one start to their credit
 
{ SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES }
 
National Rankings - Team
> RMU ranks in the top-30 in these categories:
   > Blocked Kicks (10th, 1)
 
Check Marks
> Sr. P Adam Check in RMU career records:
   > Punts (3rd, 228)
   > Yards (3rd, 8,444)
   > Punt Average (5th, 37.04)
> Check in the RMU single season records
   > Punts (1st, 85, 2016; 3rd, 67, 2017)
   > Punt Yards (1st, 3,150, 2016; 5th, 2,489, 2017)
> Check in the RMU game records:
   > Punts - 12 vs. Youngstown State
   > Punt Yards - 455 vs. Youngstown State
 
Block Party
> Frank Antuono blocked a last second FG try against Virginia State making this the seventh consecutive season RMU has at least one blocked kick
> The Colonials have 14 blocked kicks in the last four seasons
> RMU has blocked 17 kicks since 2012
 
Robinson Returns
> Senior WR Warren Robinson is the only player in team history with two punt return TDs
> Of active FCS players, he is eighth with a 12.2 yard punt return average
> He had an 81-yard return for a TD vs. Malone in 2016
> Has 645 career punt return yards, 2nd at RMU (699, Brian Dunn '94-'97)
> His 12.17 career punt return avg. is second 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
> His 53 punt returns rank third in team history
> He has three of the four longest punt returns in team history - 81(T), 66(T) and 58
 
Diablo
> Sophomore K Nick Bisceglia connected on 7-of-17 field goals last season
> 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