GAME 2
Howard (0-3) vs. RMU (0-1)
Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 • Noon
Joe Walton Stadium (3,000) • Moon Township, Pa.
 
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
TV: ESPN+
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Ray "Smoke" Thomas (color)
Twitter: @RMU_Football • Instagram: RMU_Football
 
Slant Routes
 
- The RMU football team opens the home portion of its 2021 fall schedule Saturday by welcoming Howard to Joe Walton Stadium for a Noon kickoff. It marks the first home game for the Colonials since Nov. 23, 2019, a 16-14 win over Sacred Heart, a span of 671 days.
 
- In home openers, RMU has posted an overall record of 16-10 (.615), including a mark of 6-9 (.400) in games at Joe Walton Stadium. The Colonials are also 1-1 (.500) in home openers under fourth-year head coach Bernard Clark, Jr.
 
- Clark is in his first head coaching position as the top man for RMU. He was named the 2019 Northeast Conference (NEC) Co-Coach of the Year and owns an overall record of 9-18 (.333).
 
- 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.
 
- The Colonials opened their 2021 fall season with a 45-0 loss @ Central Michigan (9/11) in just their second game against a team from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in program history.
 
- Redshirt senior quarterback George Martin finished 5-for-8 passing for 13 yards against the Chippewas, while freshman wide receiver Jaylon Brown carried three times for 37 yards on the jet sweep to pace the ground game.
 
- Pacing the defense at Central Michigan (9/11) was redshirt sophomore linebacker Jamar Shegog, who recorded a game and career-high 18 tackles. Of his 18 stops were seven solo takedowns, including a sack.
 
- Also recording a double-digit tackle effort for the Colonials against the Chippewas was freshman defensive back William Barber, who earned the start in his NCAA Division I debut. He registered 10 tackles, including five solo stops.
 
- The RMU secondary that included Barber also featured redshirt senior Miles Hayes making his debut as a member of the Colonials. He finished with nine tackles, while graduate student defensive back Tavin Harville notched five stops and a pair of pass breakups.
 
- The Colonials open up Big South action after hosting Howard Saturday, traveling to Greensboro, N.C., to take on North Carolina A&T Saturday, Oct. 2, at BB&T Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.

HOWARD LINKS
- Two-Deep
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameaday App
 
The All-Time Series (Howard) – The Colonials and Bison meet for the first time on the gridiron Saturday, as Howard is one of seven programs RMU is facing for the first time this fall. The Colonials will also be squaring off with North Carolina A&T (10/2), North Alabama (10/16), Gardner-Webb (10/23), Hampton (10/30) and Campbell (11/20) for the first time in 2021.
 
Quotable (Bernard Clark, Jr. – Howard Preview) – "Jamar (Shegog) has been all over the field on defense since he's gotten here. He's shown us what he's been able to do since he was a freshman, and him having four more years, we're excited about that. When you have 18 tackles, that's a pretty good Saturday. Him and Buzz (Aniello Buzzacco) are starting to mesh well together, so those are two big leaders we have on defense."  
 
Speaking Of – Redshirt sophomore Jamar Shegog finished second for the Colonials in tackles during the 2021 spring season, racking up 28 tackles in three games, including 12 solo takedowns. In the season opener @ Central Michigan (9/11), Shegog, who was named to the 2020-21 HERO Sports Freshman All-America Team, recorded a career-high 18 stops. He became the 10th student-athlete in program history to finish with at least 18 tackles in a game and the first since teammate Aniello Buzzacco notched 18 takedowns in a 24-20 win over Bryant (10/26/19) at Joe Walton Stadium.
 
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 will host a memorial service for Walton after Saturday's game against Howard in the stadium named in his honor. The event will take place on the field and will feature the Voice of the Colonials, Chris Shovlin, as well as various guest speakers.
 
Quotable (Bernard Clark, Jr. – Howard Preview) – "What Coach Walton did here was outstanding. The stadium he built. The team he built. The tradition he built. He was the catalyst. I'm humbled to be representing him on the field Saturday. He built the team from scratch. The one thing I learned when talking with guys who played for Coach Walton, especially since I was lucky enough to win two national championships at the University of Miami, is that the attitude is always the same on championship teams. The players run the team and the players hold each other accountable. That's what Coach Walton did here. This is a player's game, and I think Coach Walton helped me understand that even more with his six championships. He laid the groundwork, and it's an honor to represent him Saturday."
 
Quotable (Chris Shovlin, The Voice of the Colonials – Howard Preview) – "I can tell you first and foremost that Coach Walton had the utmost respect for Coach Clark. He loved the fact that Coach Clark continued building on to the tradition that has been set here at Robert Morris. It was amazing how quickly the program got jump started because of Coach Walton. When he came to Robert Morris, on day one I knew something special was about to happen. He was so appreciative of Coach Clark and the love shown from him and his staff, and he really respected what Coach Clark and what the Colonials are doing these days."
 
Smoke On The Water – Saturday's game will mark the debut of new color commentator Ray "Smoke" Thomas, who replaces former offensive lineman Brian Cleary (1994-97). Thomas was a four-year starter at strong safety for the Colonials from 1997 to 2000, helping lead the Colonials a victory in the 1997 ECAC Bowl over Georgetown (11/22/97) as well as two I-AA Mid-Major National Championships (1999, 2000) according to Don Hansen's National Weekly FootbalL Gazette. In 38 career games, Thomas finished with 240 tackles, which ranks fourth among defensive backs in the RMU career record book at 12th overall. He was inducted into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
 
Quotable (Ray "Smoke" Thomas, RMU Color Commentator – Howard Preview) – "(Joe Walton) was an extended father for me. The diversity of our team incorporated something that I had not been a part of. The atmosphere was welcoming, and it was a family-type style that I was able to adapt. I was rough around the edges. It's not about what I could do per se, it was what I could do to help the team. That's what helped my game develop, and with his leadership and direction at that age, it helped me out. I never had a college coach call my parents. He was one of those people. He was professional and always well-organized. It always taught us to prepare for what is to come, and those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail. He was always encouraging and supportive of all of our teammates, wherever you came from, and ultimately it created an environment of thriving."
 
Student-Athlete – Not only is the credentials for Aniello Buzzacco impressive on the field, he's no slouch off of it, either. Buzzacco, who owns 186 career tackles entering Saturday's home opener against Howard, 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.
 
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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