GAME 5
RMU (2-2 / 1-1 Big South) @ North Alabama (0-6 / 0-2 Big South)
Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021 • 7:00 p.m.
Braly Stadium (14,215) • Florence, Ala.
 
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Benjamin Ray (pxp) & Brian Neece (color)
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp)
Twitter: @RMU_Football • Instagram: RMU_Football
 
Slant Routes
 
- The RMU football team looks for back-to-back wins for the first time on the 2021 season Saturday when it travels to North Alabama for a 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff against North Alabama at Braly Stadium in Florence, Ala.
 
- The Colonials garnered their first Big South victory in program history last week with a 31-24 triumph over Charleston Southern (10/9) at Joe Walton Stadium as part of the University's Homecoming festivities. It marked the sixth consecutive win at home for RMU dating back to the 2019 season.
 
- Quarterback George Martin hit wide receiver James Westry for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 6:43 remaining to push RMU in front for good against the Buccaneers, and safety Lorenzo Euline capped it with a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown with 3:13 to go.
 
- Martin finished 28-for-41 passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Charleston Southern. In addition to hitting Westry with a 19-yard touchdown pass, Martin connected with wide receiver D'Andre Hicks for a 13-yard score at the 8:14 mark of the first quarter that opened the game's scoring.
 
- Hicks and Westry combined for 14 receptions for 177 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Buccaneers, with Hicks leading the Colonials in receptions (9) and Westry in yards (98). Westry added two punt returns for 10 yards to finish the game with 108 all-purpose yards.
 
- RMU is led by fourth-year head coach Bernard Clark, Jr., who is in his first head coaching position. He was named the 2019 Northeast Conference (NEC) Co-Coach of the Year and owns an overall record of 11-19 (.367).
 
- According to a poll of Big South head coaches and a media panel, the Colonials were picked to finish eighth in the league for the 2021 fall season. Senior linebacker Aniello Buzzacco was named to the 2021 Big South Football Preseason All-Conference Team.
 
- In addition to his pick six, Euline registered five tackles and a pair of pass breakups in the victory over Charleston Southern and in three games during the 2021 season has compiled 17 tackles, including nine solo stops and a sack, two interceptions, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
 
- RMU remains on the road after taking on the Lions Saturday, visiting Gardner-Webb Saturday, Oct. 23, for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff before returning home to host Hampton Saturday, Oct. 30, at Joe Walton Stadium.

NORTH ALABAMA LINKS
- Two-Deep
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- Weekly Availability (North Alabama Preview)
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (North Alabama) – The Colonials and Lions meet for the first time on the gridiron Saturday, as North Alabama is one of seven programs RMU is facing for the first time this fall. The Colonials will also be squaring off with Gardner-Webb (10/23), Hampton (10/30) and Campbell (11/20) for the first time in 2021.
 
Engineering – For the second consecutive home game, the Colonials posted a come-from-behind victory in the fourth quarter in their 31-24 victory over Charleston Southern (10/9). Quarterback George Martin engineered an 11-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver James Westry. During his career as the starting quarterback, Martin has now engineered four game-winning drives in the fourth quarter, each of which have come at Joe Walton Stadium. Only former quarterbacks Erik Cwalinski (2005-08) and Jeff Sinclair (2009-12) own more. Cwalinski owns five, while Sinclair owns the school record with seven, including four during the 2012 season.
 
Lightning – One of Martin's favorite targets during the 2021 calendar year has been wide receiver D'Andre Hicks. In six career games with the Colonials dating back to the 2021 spring season, Hicks owns 36 receptions for 353 yards, an average of 9.8 yards per catch. More importantly, six of those receptions have gone for touchdowns. Hicks enters Saturday's game @ North Alabama having caught a score in four consecutive games. The only other wide receiver in program history to do that? J.T. Kirk (1998-99) during his final season with the Colonials in 1999. Former tight end Brent Hockenberry (2000-01) also caught touchdown passes in four consecutive games in 2000, while the school record of five consecutive games with a touchdown reception came in the first season for Bernard Clark, Jr., on the sideline. Former tight end Matthew Gonzalez (2016-19) caught nine touchdown passes over a five-game span midway through the 2018 campaign.
 
Capitalizing – Kicker Nick Bisceglia racked up 11 points in RMU's 31-24 win over Charleston Southern (10/9), converting three field goals while also going 2-for-2 in point after attempts. Bisceglia connected on field goals of 25, 39 and 42 yards in the win over the Buccaneers, matching a career high that he originally established in a 16-14 win over Sacred Heart (11/23/19) at Joe Walton Stadium, when he hit for 28, 21 and 35 yards. The 42-yard field goal in the victory over Charleston Southern also marked the longest of his career, eclipsing a 40-yard field goal that he hit @ Eastern Kentucky (11/10/18). During his career, Bisceglia has compiled 167 career points, which ranks fifth all-time at RMU, including third among kickers. Former kicker Jeff Carlo (1998-2001) owns the RMU career mark for points with 250, while Nathan DiLorenzo scored 180 points on 96 point after attempts and 28 field goals from 2003 to 2006.
 
Did You Know? Kicker Nick Bisceglia has converted 45 consecutive point after attempts dating back to the 2018 season. He converted each of his final three opportunities of 2018, finished 33-for-33 in 2019 and was 3-for-3 in the abbreviated 2021 spring season. So far during the 2021 fall campaign, Bisceglia is 6-for-6 in point after attempts.
 
Joining The Club – Senior Aniello Buzzacco finished with seven tackles in RMU's Big South opener @ North Carolina A&T (10/2), helping him become the 23rd student-athlete in program history to eclipse 200 career stops. Buzzacco owns 212 career takedowns and is the 14th linebacker to wear an RMU uniform to compile at least 200 career tackles since the program began in 1994. He'll look to climb the chart for career tackles, as just three more tackles and Buzzacco will rank 15th on the all-time list. To crack the top 10 in school history, Buzzacco needs 44 takedowns.
 
Up Front – The Colonials entered the 2021 season having returned four of their five starters on the offensive line, including graduate student Trevor Hicks and redshirt sophomore Bussy Remaley at left and right tackle, respectively, and graduate student Dylan Young and sophomore Hayden Baron at left and right guard, respectively. Hicks, named to the 2020-21 Big South All-Academic Team, owns 38 career starts for RMU, including 31 consecutive entering Saturday's games @ North Alabama. Hicks is two starts shy of establishing the school record for consecutive starts at left tackle, which is owned by former Colonial Gus Alonso (2003-06) with 32 straight.
 
The Next Development – While Buzzacco anchors the linebacker corps for RMU, redshirt sophomore Jamar Shegog looks to be the next breakout candidate at the position for the Colonials. En route to being named to the 2020-21 HERO Sports Freshman All-America Team, Shegog finished second for the Colonials in the abbreviated 2021 spring campaign, finishing with 28 tackles, including 12 solo stops. Through four games of the fall season, Shegog is averaging 9.3 tackles per game, which ranks second in the Big South behind William McRainey (9.8) of Gardner-Webb. That average is bolstered by a career-high 18 stops @ Central Michigan (9/11), which helped Shegog become the 10th student-athlete in program history to finish with at least 18 tackles in a game.
 
Swarm & Smash – The RMU defense recorded six sacks in a 22-16 triumph over Howard (9/25), the most sacks in a game in the Bernard Clark, Jr., era. In addition, the six sacks are the most for the Colonials since recording seven @ Albany (11/3/07). Leading the way for RMU in the department was redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Ricardo Watson, who posted a pair of sacks. Redshirt senior defensive end Matthew Holmes, meanwhile, notched a sack and two quarterback hurries in the win while also blocking an extra point attempt by Howard in the third quarter that kept the Colonials on top, 14-13.
 
Student-Athlete – Not only is the credentials for Aniello Buzzacco impressive on the field, he's no slouch off of it, either. Buzzacco was named to the 2020-21 Academic All-District 2 Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and was also one of 54 student-athletes named to the 23rd Annual Academic All-Star Team by the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA). A finance major, Buzzacco has compiled a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.46.
 
A Memorial – The RMU Department of Athletics was saddened to learn of the passing of the program's first coach, Joe Walton, who died Sunday, August 15, 2021, at the age of 85. Walton spent 20 years as head coach of the Colonials, claiming six Northeast Conference (NEC) titles during his tenure and helping RMU earn the first automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs from the NEC in 2010. RMU hosted a memorial service for Walton after its 22-16 win over Howard (9/25) against Howard in the stadium named in his honor. The event took place on the field, featured a number of guest speakers and can be viewed in its entirety by using the following link.
 
Still On Top – The program's first running back, Tim Hall (1994-95), spent two seasons with the Colonials and during his career rushed for 2,908 yards. He accomplished the feat on 393 carries, an average of 7.40 yards per attempt. That total remains No. 1 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) record book entering the 2021 season, a span that hits 26 years this fall.

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