GAME 6
RMU (2-3 / 1-2 Big South) @ Gardner-Webb (2-4 / 0-2 Big South)
Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 • 1:30 p.m.
Spangler Stadium (9,000) • Boiling Springs, N.C.
 
TV: ESPN+ & Nexstar Networks
Talent: David Jackson (pxp) & Jay Sonnhalter (color)
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp)
Twitter: @RMU_Football • Instagram: RMU_Football
 
Slant Routes
 
- The RMU football team searches for its first road win of the 2021 season Saturday when it travels to Boiling Springs, N.C., for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff against Gardner-Webb at Spangler Stadium.
 
- The Colonials are coming off a 42-31 setback @ North Alabama (10/16). RMU fell behind in the second quarter, 35-7, before scoring 17 unanswered points to close to within 35-24 late in the third quarter. The Lions used a seven-play, 72-yard drive early in the fourth quarter to take a 42-24 lead en route to the win.
 
- Quarterback George Martin finished 17-for-40 passing for 252 yards and two touchdowns @ North Alabama (10/16), connecting with wide receiver James Westry for an 18-yard score and running back Alijah Jackson for a 22-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Martin also rushed for a two-yard touchdown that opened the scoring for RMU.
 
- Freshman James Westry recorded the first 100-yard receiving game of his career against the Lions with eight catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Running back Alijah Jackson finished with 137 all-purpose yards thanks to 86 yards on the ground and three catches for 51 yards and a score.
 
- Sophomore quarterback Anthony Chiccitt saw his first action at the NCAA Division I level late @ North Alabama (10/16), engineering seven-play, 81-yard drive that was capped with a one-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Charles. It marked the first career touchdown pass for Chiccitt and the first career touchdown reception for Charles.
 
- Defensively, linebacker Jamar Shegog and defensive back Sydney Audiger tied for game-high honors in tackles @ North Alabama (10/16) with eight each. Shegog recorded one and-a-half sacks among his two and-a-half tackles for loss against the Lions, while Audiger posted six solo stops.
 
- 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 11-20 (.355).
 
- 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.
 
- RMU returns to Joe Walton Stadium for consecutive home games after taking on the Bulldogs, welcoming Hampton Saturday, Oct. 30, and Kennesaw State Saturday, Nov. 6.

GARDNER-WEBB LINKS
- Two-Deep
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- Weekly Availability (Gardner-Webb Preview)
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (Gardner-Webb) – Saturday's tilt between the Colonials and Bulldogs is the first between the two programs in the all-time series, as Gardner-Webb is one of seven programs RMU is facing for the first time this fall. The Colonials will also be squaring off with 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.
 
Developing – Wide receiver James Westry has developed into a top target for the Colonials in 2021, as the redshirt freshman leads RMU in receiving yards (224) while ranking second in receptions (16) and touchdown catches (2). Westry enters Saturday's game @ Gardner-Webb having compiled 13 catches for 201 yards and two touchdowns in the last games, including his first 100-yard receiving effort @ North Alabama (10/16).
 
Capitalizing – Kicker Nick Bisceglia enters Saturday's game @ Gardner-Webb ranked second for the Colonials in scoring with 22 points. In a 31-24 victory over Charleston Southern (10/9) at Joe Walton Stadium, Bisceglia connected on field goals of 25, 39 and 42 yards, matching a career high for trifectas 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 174 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 49 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 10-for-10 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.
 
The Next Development – While Buzzacco anchors the linebacker corps for RMU, redshirt sophomore Jamar Shegog has been the breakout candidate at the position during the 2021 calendar year. 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 five games of the fall season, Shegog is averaging 9.0 tackles per game, which ranks third in the Big South. 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. As a team in 2021 the Colonials own 14 sacks, with 11 different student-athletes registering at least half a sack. RMU ranks third in the Big South in sacks, trailing Monmouth (20) and Campbell (18).
 
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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