GAME 9
Long Island (0-7 / 0-6) vs. Robert Morris (4-4 / 3-0)
Saturday, November 2, 2019 • Noon
Joe Walton Stadium (3,000) • Moon Township, Pa.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Adam Gusky (pxp) & Brian Cleary (color)
Video: RMUColonials.com • NECFrontRow.com 
 
Slant Routes
 
- The Robert Morris University football team, winners of three consecutive games and four of its last five, continues a three-game homestand at Joe Walton Stadium Saturday with a Noon kickoff against Long Island. The Sharks are in their first year competing at the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.
 
- RMU is 3-0 in the Northeast Conference for the first time since 2010, and its three-game winning streak is also its longest since winning eight consecutive games, also in 2010.
 
- The Colonials opened their three-game homestand with a come-from-behind victory over Bryant (10/26), earning a 24-20 win. Quarterback George Martin hit wide receiver Garrett Houser on a slant route for a 72-yard touchdown score in the fourth quarter to put the Colonials in front for good.
 
- Martin finished 9-for-20 passing for 163 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Bulldogs. Houser caught two of those passes for 100 yards, his first career 100-yard receiving effort, while tight end Matthew Gonzalez posted two receptions for 26 yards and a score.
 
- Running back Terence Stephens, Jr., posted his first 100-yard rushing effort of the 2019 season in the victory over Bryant and fourth of his career at Robert Morris with 101 yards on 27 attempts, an average of 3.7 yards per carry.
 
- Linebacker Aniello Buzzacco finished with a career-high 18 tackles against the Bulldogs, including eight in the fourth quarter. Buzzacco was one of three Colonials to finish with a double-digit tackle effort against Bryant, joining defensive back Jacob White and defensive lineman Supilani Mailei, who each finished with 10 tackles.
 
- Buzzzacco and Houser were honored by the Northeast Conference for their roles in the win over Bryant, being named NEC Defensive Player of the Week and NEC Rookie of the Week, respectively.

- Buzzacco enters Saturday's game leading the NEC and ranking ninth in NCAA FCS with an average of 10.8 tackles per game. Over his last five contests, a stretch in which Robert Morris is 4-1 (.800), Buzzacco has compiled 67 takedowns, an average of 13.4 per contest.
 
- The Colonials concluded a four-game road trip with a 21-13 victory @ Wagner (10/19). Tiheem Crocker blocked a punt by Eric Silvester of the Seahawks on the first possession of the second half for Wagner and DeJuan Dandridge scooped up the loose ball, racing 25 yards to the end zone for a touchdown to give RMU the lead for good. 
 
- Robert Morris grabbed a 21-10 lead with 14:07 to play in the win over Wagner when Terence Stephens, Jr., scored from a yard out to cap a 12-play, 72-yard drive, the longest of the afternoon by either team.
 
- Running backs Alijah Jackson and Terence Stephens, Jr., combined for 120 yards on the ground on 24 attempts @ Wagner (10/19), an average of 5.0 yards per carry. Jackson finished with 16 carries for 87 yards.
 
- Quarterback Caleb Lewis finished 8-for-14 passing for 88 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Seahawks. Tight end Matthew Gonzalez finished with four catches for 32 yards, while wide receiver Tim Vecchio finished with two catches for 53 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown catch.
 
- Defensive back Jacob White finished with a career-high 12 tackles, including six solo stops, to pace the RMU defense in the victory @ Wagner (10/19). Linebacker Garret Fairman added seven takedowns, including a sack.
 
- RMU improved to 12-12 (.500) all-time in Northeast Conference openers, including a mark of 8-3 (.727) on the road, with a 20-17 victory @ Saint Francis (10/12) that went two overtimes. Junior Nick Bisceglia connected for a 38-yard field goal to help lift the Colonials to their first league road win since 2015.
 
- Junior Nick Bisceglia was tabbed the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week (10/14) for his role in the win @ Saint Francis (10/12). Bisceglia accumulated eight points against the Red Flash.

LONG ISLAND LINKS
- Game Notes
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
 
The Streak Is Alive - Robert Morris began its comeback in a 24-20 win over Bryant (10/26) in the third quarter, as quarterback George Martin connected with senior tight end Matthew Gonzalez for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 7:32 to go in the third quarter. It marked the eighth consecutive home game at Joe Walton Stadium that Gonzalez has played in which he's caught a touchdown pass dating back to the 2017 campaign. During that span, Gonzalez owns 11 touchdown receptions.
 
Gonzo - Senior tight end Matthew Gonzalez moved into sole possession of fifth place all-time for career touchdown catches thanks to his 13-yard score in a 24-20 win over Bryant (10/26). Gonzalez has hauled in 16 career touchdowns, which is one behind former wide receiver Duane Mitchell (2011-14). The school record of 21 is held by former wide receiver Tyjuan Massey (2002-05) and tight end Shadrae King (2008-11). Gonzalez also enters Saturday's game against Long Island ranked seventh all-time in school history for career receptions (85) and eighth in receiving yards (1,298).
 
There When You Need Him - Senior tight end Matthew Gonzalez leads the Colonials in receptions with 23, but did you know that of his 23 catches, 17 of them (73.9%) have either given RMU a first down or a touchdown.
 
Three's Company - A trio of Colonials enter Saturday's game against Long Island ranked in the top 10 in the Northeast Conference in tackles. Linebacker Aniello Buzzacco leads the circuit in stops with 86, an average of 10.8 per contest, while safety Mason Gray sits third in the league with an average of 8.5 per game. Defensive back Jacob White ranks eighth in the NEC with an average of 7.4 stops per game. The trio have combined for 214 tackles, an average of 26.8 per game while accounting for 35.5 percent of the total output of takedowns for Robert Morris.

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