GAME 2
RMU (0-1 / 0-0 Big South) @ No. 7 Kennesaw State (3-0 / 1-0 Big South)
Saturday, April 3, 2021 • 1:00 p.m.
Fifth Third Bank Stadium (8,318) • Kennesaw, Ga.

Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Brian Cleary (color)
Video: ESPN+
Talent: Brian Katrek (pxp) & Nathan McCreary (color)
Twitter: @RMUAthletics • Instagram: RMU_Football
  
Slant Routes
 
- The RMU football team returns to game action for the first time in over a month Saturday when it travels to Georgia for its first Big South tilt in program history. The Colonials will square off with No. 7 Kennesaw State at 1:00 p.m. at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
 
- Coming off a bye week as part of its 2021 spring schedule, RMU had a home game against Monmouth (3/13) and a road game against Charleston Southern (3/20) postponed due to safety concerns related to positive tests of the coronavirus within the program.
 
- The Colonials christened their 2021 spring schedule at No. 2 James Madison (2/27), dropping a 36-16 decision. Tied, 16-16, at halftime, the Dukes scored 20 unanswered points in the second half.
 
- RMU notched three interceptions in the first half at James Madison, as coming up with picks were linebackers Tiheem Crocker and Aaron Green and safety Jacob White. The Colonials scored 10 points off those turnovers.
 
- Redshirt junior quarterback George Martin finished 15-for-30 passing for 165 yards and a touchdown against the Dukes. He connected with redshirt senior wide receiver Jerry Hanks, Jr., for a 37-yard scoring strike in the second quarter that gave the Colonials a 16-9 advantage.
 
- In 21 career games, Martin has completed 51.7 percent (135-for-261) of his passes for 1,738 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has thrown at least one touchdown in six consecutive games dating back to the 2019 season, having completed nine scores through the air to seven different receivers during that stretch.
 
- The Colonials return 42 letterwinners and 14 starters from a 2019 squad that posted an overall record of 7-5 (.583), including a mark of 6-1 (.857) in the Northeast Conference (NEC). Included among RMU's returning starters are six on offense, six on defense and two on special teams.
 
- Among RMU's starters on offense are four on the offensive line, including seniors Trevor Hicks, Dylan Young and Eric McAllister II as well as redshirt junior Bussy Remaley. Hicks and Remaley were each named to the 2019 All-NEC Second Team. Hicks owns 32 career starts for the Colonials on the offensive line, including 25 consecutive entering Saturday's game at Kennesaw State.
 
- Redshirt junior running back Alijah Jackson rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown in RMU's spring opener @ James Madison. A 2019 All-NEC First Team selection, Jackson ranked second in the conference in rushing yards per game (88.3) and third in all-purpose yards per contest (103.5).
 
- Junior linebacker Aniello Buzzacco paced the RMU defense in its spring opener against the Dukes, racking up 10 solo tackles en route to a 15-tackle performance. Buzzacco is coming off a 2019 season in which he established an RMU single-season record for tackles, with his 131 takedowns ranking fifth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
 
- Saturday's game against Kennesaw State marks the first of three games in consecutive weekends for the Colonials in the Big South. RMU is slated to makeup its game @ Charleston Southern Saturday, April 10, before hosting Monmouth Saturday, April 17, at Joe Walton Stadium.

KENNESAW STATE LINKS
- Video Preview (3/31/21)
- RMU Two-Deep
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (Kennesaw State) – The Colonials and Owls meet for the first time on the gridiron Saturday. Kennesaw State is one of two opponents RMU will square off against in the spring that it is facing for the first time in school history. The Colonials have also also never played Charleston Southern.
 
Consistency – Linebacker Aniello Buzzacco picked up right where he left off from the 2019 campaign in RMU's 2021 spring opener @ James Madison (2/27), pacing the defense for the Colonials with 15 tackles. Buzzacco enters Saturday's game @ Kennesaw State having reached double figures in tackles in four consecutive games dating back to 2019 as well as eight times in the last 10 games. He established a career high with 10 solo stops against the Dukes, and his performance @ JMU also marked the third time in a game Buzzacco has reached the 15-tackle plateau.
 
Welcome Aboard – Joining linebacker Aniello Buzzacco in posting a double-digit effort in tackles @ James Madison was freshman safety Lorenzo Euline, who finished with 12 stops, including a sack, in his first career start for the Colonials. Euline was one of five Colonials to earn their first start on defense against the Dukes and one of nine overall. On defense, the five RMU student-athletes to earn their first start combined for 40 takedowns, including five tackles for loss that totaled 18 yards lost.
 
The New Corps – Redshirt junior quarterback George Martin completed a pass to six different receivers in RMU's 2021 spring opener @ James Madison (2/27), with redshirt junior D'Andre Hicks leading the way with eight catches for 67 yards. Of the six receivers to record a catch against the Dukes, four were making their first appearance as a member of the Colonials.
 
Moving On Up – Senior kicker Nick Bisceglia eclipsed 150 career points in RMU's 2021 spring opener @ James Madison (2/27), becoming the fifth student-athlete in program history to reach the threshold. Bisceglia, who has scored 151 career points, has converted each of his last 37 point after attempts dating back to the 2018 season and overall on his career is 78-for-80 (97.5%) in PATs. He ranks third among kickers in program history in scoring, trailing only Jeff Carlo (1998-2001) and Nathan DiLorenzo (2003-06). Carlo owns the school record for points (250), while DiLorenzo ranks fourth (180).
 
Still On Top – The first starting running back in program history, Tim Hall (1994-95), finished his two seasons with the Colonials with 2,908 rushing yards. 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 spring 2021 campaign, a span that eclipsed 25 years last fall.

Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Tweet #RMUnite