GAME 1
Robert Morris (0-0) @ Buffalo (0-0)
Thursday, August 29, 2019 • 7:00 p.m.
UB Stadium (29,103) • Buffalo, N.Y.

Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Talent: Adam Gusky (pxp) & Brian Cleary (color)
TV: ESPN3
Talent: Robert Lee (pxp) & Jerrod Cherry (color)
Twitter: @RMUFootball • Instagram: @RMU_Football
 
Slant Routes
 
- The Robert Morris University football team opens its 2019 season and 26th season of NCAA Division I football Thursday with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff against the University at Buffalo at UB Stadium.
 
- The Colonials are taking on an opponent from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the first time in program history Thursday night when it takes on the Bulls.
 
- RMU is led by Bernard Clark, Jr., who is in his second season as head coach. He was named the third head coach in program history at a press conference at Joe Walton Stadium Dec. 19, 2017.
 
- In his first season on the sidelines, Clark helped the Colonials more than double their offensive output. Robert Morris averaged 24.6 points per game in 2018 after scoring at a 10.2 points per game clip in 2017.
 
- Robert Morris was picked seventh in the 2019 Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, which was unveiled at the fifth annual NEC Social Media Day at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., July 24. Tabbed the preseason favorite was Duquesne, which earned seven first-place votes. Rounding out the top five is Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut, Wagner and Bryant.
 
- Senior tight end Matthew Gonzalez earned a spot on the 2019 Preseason All-NEC Team. In 11 games last year, Gonzalez paced the RMU receiving corps with 40 receptions for 642 yards and 12 touchdowns. In addition to establishing a Robert Morris single-season record for touchdown catches, Gonzalez paced the NEC in the category and ranked 10th in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
 
- Among FCS tight ends, Gonzalez finished third in the country with an average of 16.1 yards per catch. For his efforts, Gonzalez was named to the 2018 Associated Press FCS All-America Second Team.
 
 - Gonzalez is just the fourth student-athlete in program history to earn AP All-American accolades, joining inaugural running back Tim Hall (1995) and a pair from RMU's 2010 team that was the first in NEC history to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs, offensive lineman Corey Konycki and tight end Shadrae King.
 
- Entering the 2019 campaign, Gonzalez owns career totals of 62 receptions for 910 yards and 13 touchdowns. He is 11 catches shy of cracking the top 10 all-time at Robert Morris and needs 208 receiving yards to move into the top 10 in the category.
 
- Senior wide receiver Tim Vecchio is tied for fifth all-time at Robert Morris with 94 career receptions and owns career totals of 905 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
 
- The Colonials tied a single-season school record with 22 touchdown passes in 2018, tying the mark originally established in 2001 and matched again in 2010. A total of nine different student-athletes hauled in a touchdown pass for RMU last year.
 
- Robert Morris returns both of its top two rushers from last season, as senior Terence Stephens, Jr., and redshirt sophomore Alijah Jackson combined for 1,361 yards and nine touchdowns on 274 attempts, an average of 5.0 yards per carry. 
 
- Stephens finished with a team-high 793 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 169 attempts, an average of 4.7 yards per carry. He recorded a trio of 100-yard rushing games in 2018, including a career-high 135 yards in a 49-45 win over Central State (10/20).
 
- Jackson, a three-time NEC Rookie of the Week last season, also eclipsed the 100-yard plateau on three occasions last year. He appeared in eight games on the season and finished with 568 yards on 105 attempts, an average of 5.4 yards per rush. Jackson posted a career-high 153 yards and a touchdown in a 49-45 victory over Central State (10/20).
 
- Junior safety Myles Canton finished with 57 tackles in 2018, the highest returning total for Robert Morris this season. He also notched a sack, a pair of interceptions and four pass breakups.

BUFFALO LINKS
- Game Notes
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- Live Stats
 
The Elder Statesman - Senior wide receiver Tim Vecchio is slated to make his 30th career start Thursday @ Buffalo, which is tops among active Colonials entering the 2019 season. Vecchio is six receptions shy of becoming the fifth player in program history to accumulate 100 career receptions. He is currently tied for fifth all-time with former wide receiver Sherrod Evers, who finished with 94 career receptions from 2006 to 2008. Last season, Vecchio finished second for Robert Morris in receptions (27) and third in receiving yards (276).
 
The First Start - While senior Tim Vecchio is RMU's active leader in career starts (29) entering the 2019 season opener Thursday, redshirt sophomore George Martin will make his first career start under center against the Bulls. Martin saw spot duty for the Colonials last year and completed 51.4 percent (18-for-35) of his passes, throwing two touchdowns against one interception. In a 49-45 win over Central State (10/20), Martin finished 5-for-7 for 88 yards and a touchdown, including a 56-yard strike to former tight end Mathew Barr that set up RMU's sixth touchdown of the game.  
 
Completing The Triumvirate - Despite making his first start at quarterback Thursday @ Buffalo, redshirt sophomore George Martin has plenty of veteran receivers at his disposal. In addition to seniors Matthew Gonzalez and Tim Vecchio, Martin can also rely on senior wide receiver DeLano Madison. In nine games last season, Madison finished third for the Colonials in receptions (25) and second in receiving yards (326), averaging 13.0 yards per catch. Combined last season, the trio of Gonzalez, Vecchio and Madison accumulated 92 catches for 1,244 yards and 14 touchdowns.
 
Up Front - In addition to capable receivers, redshirt sophomore quarterback George Martin also owns an offensive line that brings veteran presence in 2019. The slated starting five for RMU Thursday that consists of Trevor Hicks, Dylan Young, Eric McAllister, Alex Minford and Bussy Remaley has combined for 63 career starts entering the 2019 campaign. Leading the way is McAllister, who has started 22 career games at center for Robert Morris.      
 
Big Play Ray - Robert Morris finished with 55 plays from scrimmage last year that were 20 yards or longer. Of those, 42 came via the pass and 13 via the rush. Tight end Matthew Gonzalez, a 2019 Preseason All-NEC selection, paced the Colonials last season with 14 plays of 20 yards or longer. Including a pair of kickoff returns, RMU finished with eight plays of 50 yards or longer last season.
 
Dual Threat - Senior running back Terence Stephens, Jr., became just the second student-athlete in program history to eclipse 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in the same game @ Duquesne (10/13). Stephens finished with 112 yards rushing on 16 attempts (7.0 yards per rush) while hauling in six catches for 110 yards (18.3 yards per reception). Stephens joined inaugural running back Tim Hall (1994-95), who accomplished the feat in the program's sixth game @ Wagner (10/15/94).
 
Still On Top - Inaugural RMU running back Tim Hall (1994-95) finished with 2,908 yards in two seasons as a member of the Colonials. He accomplished the feat in 393 carries, an average of 7.40 yards per attempt. That yards per rush remains No. 1 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) record book entering the 2019 campaign, a span of 23 years.

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