Moon Township, Pa. – Senior linebacker Aniello Buzzacco of the RMU football team was named to the 2021 Big South Football Preseason All-Conference Team Tuesday. The announcement was made as part of Big South Media Day, held at the Charlotte Marriott SouthPark Hotel in Charlotte, N.C.

In addition to Buzzacco earning preseason accolades from the Big South, the Colonials were picked to finish eighth in the conference this fall. Selected as the preseason favorite was Monmouth, which earned 16 out of a possible 18 first-place votes and compiled 141 points. Points are based on a weighted system, with first-place votes receiving eight points, followed by seven points for second place, and so on.

Also earning first-place tallies as part of the poll were Kennesaw State (117), picked to finish second, and Charleston Southern (85), which was slotted fourth. North Carolina A&T (100) was picked to finish third in the 2021 Big South Preseason Poll, and following the Buccaneers are Campbell (82), Gardner-Webb (59) and Hampton (35). The Colonials compiled 29 points.

Buzzacco led the Big South in tackles per game in 2020-21, compiling an average of 13.0 per game. He finished with 23 solo tackles among his 39 total tackles, which ranked second in the league to Cody Cline (40) of Charleston Southern.

In the 2021 spring opener at No. 2 James Madison (2/27), Buzzacco posted a game-high 15 tackles, including 10 solo takedowns. He added 10 tackles at Kennesaw State (4/3) in RMU's Big South debut before concluding the year with 14 stops at Charleston Southern (4/10). Entering the 2021 fall season, Buzzacco has registered double digits in tackles in six consecutive games as well as 10 of his last 12 contests dating back to the 2019 season.

Led by head coach Bernard Clark, Jr., the Colonials return 21 starters this fall, including each of their 11 on defense. Season tickets and cost-effective group experiences for the 2021 season are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the RMU Ticket Office at (412) 397-4949.

RMU opens its 2021 season Saturday, Sept. 4, with a Noon kickoff against Dayton at Welcome Stadium in Dayton, Ohio. The Colonials will also travel to Central Michigan Saturday, Sept. 11, before hosting Howard at Joe Walton Stadium Saturday, Sept. 25, in their home opener. Big South home games for RMU in 2021 include Charleston Southern (Oct. 9), Hampton (Oct. 30), Kennesaw State (Nov. 6) and Campbell (Nov. 20).

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