GAME 3
RMU (1-1 / 0-0 Big South) @ North Carolina A&T (1-2 / 0-0 Big South)
Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021 • 1:00 p.m.
Truist Stadium (21,500) • Greensboro, N.C.
 
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp)
TV: ESPN3
Talent: Spencer Turkin (pxp) & Stan Lewter (color)
Twitter: @RMU_Football • Instagram: RMU_Football
 
Slant Routes
 
- The RMU football team opens its 2021 Big South schedule Saturday by traveling to Greensboro, N.C., for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff against North Carolina A&T at Truist Stadium.
 
- The Colonials improved to 17-10 (.630) all-time in home openers, including 2-1 (.667) under fourth-year head coach Bernard Clark, Jr., with a 22-16 victory over Howard (9/25) at Joe Walton Stadium.
 
- Redshirt senior wide receiver D'Andre Hicks took a shovel pass from quarterback George Martin and scampered 17 yards for a touchdown with 3:01 to play to help lift RMU to the win over the Bison. Hicks finished with four receptions for 68 yards and two touchdowns while also racking up 92 all-purpose yards.
 
- Martin finished 11-for-21 passing for 146 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for RMU's first score of the contest in the win over Howard. He was responsible for all 22 points scored, as in addition to his five-yard touchdown carry that opened the game's scoring, Martin rushed for a two-point conversion that settled the final score at 22-16.
 
- 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 10-18 (.357).
 
- 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.
 
- Buzzacco finished with a game-high 12 tackles in the victory over Howard (9/25), including seven solo takedowns. He teamed with redshirt junior defensive lineman Garret Fairman for one of RMU's six sacks on the afternoon in the second quarter.
 
- 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.
 
- Pacing the defense against the Chippewas 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. Shegog owns a team-high 24 tackles in 2021, including 12 solo stops.
 
- RMU returns home to Joe Walton Stadium after taking on the Aggies Saturday, welcoming Charleston Southern for a 3:00 p.m. kickoff as part of the University's Homecoming festivities.

NORTH CAROLINA A&T LINKS
- Two-Deep
- Audio
- Video
- Weekly Availability (NC A&T Preview)
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (North Carolina A&T) – The Colonials and Aggies meet for the first time on the gridiron Saturday, as North Carolina A&T is one of seven programs RMU is facing for the first time this fall. The Colonials will also be squaring off with North Alabama (10/16), Gardner-Webb (10/23), Hampton (10/30) and Campbell (11/20) for the first time in 2021.
 
No Line On The Horizon – Sophomore safety Lorenzo Euline returned to his starting role in the secondary in a 22-16 win over Howard (9/25) and put together arguably the finest game of his young career. In the win over the Bison, Euline finished with seven tackles, forced a fumble and recorded the first interception of his career. Of his seven takedowns, four were of the solo variety, and he also notched one of six sacks of Bison signal caller Quinton Williams on the afternoon. In four career games in an RMU uniform, Euline owns 31 tackles, including 11 solo stops.
 
Swarm & Smash – Euline was part of an RMU defense that 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.
 
Action – Redshirt senior running back Alijah Jackson was a key contributor for RMU in its win over Howard (9/25), notching his first 100-yard rushing effort of the year with 107 yards on 26 carries, an average of 4.1 yards per attempt. Jackson picked up his ninth career 100-yard rushing game against the Bison and enters Saturday's game @ North Carolina A&T with 1,820 career rushing yards and a 4.9 per attempt average. His effort in the victory over Howard allowed Jackson to surpass former running back Devin Wilson (2002-05) into fifth place all-time at RMU for career rushing yards. Jackson also ranks 10th in program history in career rushing touchdowns (10).
 
Up Front – A key reason running back Alijah Jackson has posted the career numbers he owns is due to a veteran offensive line for RMU. The Colonials return four of their five starters this fall, 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 36 career starts for RMU, including 29 consecutive entering Saturday's Big South opener @ North Carolina A&T. Hicks is four 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.
 
Too Short – Senior linebacker Aniello Buzzacco, who has posted double figures in tackles in seven of his last eight games dating back to the 2019 season, is two tackles shy of 200 for his career entering Saturday's game @ North Carolina A&T. He is also nine stops short of cracking the top 20 all-time for the Colonials for career tackles, as former linebackers Justin Marino (2001-04) and Adam Lawrence (2006-09) each posted 207 takedowns during their respective careers and are tied for 20th. Buzzacco owns a career average of 7.6 tackles per contest as well as 11 career double-digit tackle contests, including a career-high 18 in a 24-20 win over Bryant (10/26/19) at the Joe.
 
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 in three games, including 12 solo stops. Through two games of the fall season, Shegog is averaging 12.0 tackles per game, which tops 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.
 
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 198 career tackles entering Saturday's Big South opener @ North Carolina A&T, 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, which is sporting "JW" stickers on its helmets in 2021 in honor of the program's first head coach, 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 attempts. 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.

Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | RMU Athletics Gameday App

Tweet #BobbyMo