GAME 1
Dayton (0-0) vs. RMU (0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022 • Noon
Joe Walton Stadium (3,000) • Moon Township, Pa.
 
TV: ESPN+
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Adam Gusky (pxp) & Ray "Smoke" Thomas (color)
Twitter: @RMU_Football • Instagram: RMU_Football
 
Slant Routes
 
- The RMU football team kicks off its 2022 campaign and 29th year of NCAA Division I football Saturday be welcoming Dayton to Joe Walton Stadium for a Noon kickoff.
 
- The Colonials are led by Bernard Clark, Jr., who is in his fifth season. In his first head coach position, Clark was named the 2019 Northeast Conference (NEC) Co-Coach of the Year and owns an overall record of 13-23 (.361).
 
- RMU returns 14 starters from its 2021 fall season, including six that sit atop the depth chart as the Colonials get set to host the Flyers Saturday. RMU also returns 41 letterwinners from last year.
 
- A total of five Colonials were named to the 2022 Big South Preseason All-Conference Team, which came as part of Big South Media Day presented by Buy1.com, held at the Charlotte Marriott SouthPark Hotel. Named to the 2022 Preseason All-Big South First Team was defensive back Sydney Audiger, offensive lineman Hayden Baron, running back Alijah Jackson and defensive lineman Rico Watson. In addition, linebacker Jamar Shegog was tabbed 2022 Preseason All-Big South Honorable Mention.
 
- As part of Big South Media Day presented by Buy1.com, RMU was picked to finish sixth in the league in 2022. The Colonials posted an overall record of 4-6 (.400) in 2022, including a 4-1 (.800) mark at Joe Walton Stadium, and tied for third in the league standings. North Carolina A&T was selected as the 2022 preseason favorite in the Big South.
 
- Junior Anthony Chiccitt will earn his first career start under center for the Colonials Saturday against Dayton. The junior from Bethel Park, Pa., saw action in one game last season, finishing 3-for-5 passing for 18 yards and a touchdown @ North Alabama (10/16).
 
- Chiccitt will have some weapons at his disposal in his first career start, as fifth-year student-athletes Alijah Jackson (running back) and D'Andre Hicks (wide receiver) return for the Colonials. Combined, the duo racked up 1,339 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns.
 
- Returning for the Colonials on defense and earning the start Saturday against the Flyers are fifth-year student-athletes Jacob White and Sydney Audiger in the secondary and redshirt senior Garret Fairman on the defensive line. White enters the 2022 campaign as RMU's active leader in career tackles (117) and also owns four career interceptions, while Audiger finished third for the Colonials last year in stops with 55. Fairman, meanwhile, has racked up 57 career tackles in 21 games.
 
- RMU takes to the road for its next tilt after opening its 2022 season against Dayton. The Colonials will travel to Oxford, Ohio, for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff against Miami (Ohio) in a game that can be seen live on ESPN3.

DAYTON LINKS
- RMU Two-Deep
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
- Tickets
 
The All-Time Series (Dayton) – The longest running non-conference rivalry in program history, RMU and Dayton square off for the 23rd time Saturday, with the Flyers owning a 19-3 (.864) edge in the all-time series. In the last meeting between the two programs, Dayton held on for a 34-31 win over the Colonials at Joe Walton Stadium (9/14) as part of the University's Homecoming festivities. In that contest, former quarterback George Martin finished 25-for-42 passing for 282 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Alijah Jackson finished with 135 yards rushing and a touchdown on 24 carries. The two programs were slated to open the 2021 fall season in Dayton, Ohio, at Welcome Stadium, but the game was canceled due to health and safety concerns relating to COVID-19.
 
Rico Suave – Defensive lineman Rico Watson has been a consistent presence for the Colonials on the defensive line during his time at RMU, and he'll be an anchor for the defense in 2022. Named to the 2022 Preseason All-Big South First Team, Watson finished third in the Big South in sacks with eight, including seven solo. He also finished with 36 tackles, including 26 of the solo variety, while notching a forced fumble and an interception. In 13 career games with the Colonials, Watson owns an even 50 stops, including nine sacks.
 
The Backfield – Fifth-year Alijah Jackson will be a key component for the offense in 2022 as well as a veteran presence for the unit. In 31 career games, Jackson has amassed 2,369 yards rushing on 530 attempts, an average of 4.47 yards per carry. He ranks fifth all-time in rushing yards and is looking to become just the third student-athlete in program history to eclipse 3,000 yards on the ground. All-time leading rusher Myles Russ (2007-10) posted 4,271 yards, while Sam Dorsett (1999-2003) finished with 3,847. Jackson owns eight career 100-yard rushing efforts, with each of his three from the 2021 campaign coming at Joe Walton Stadium. In RMU's season finale last year, a 20-17 overtime triumph over Campbell (11/20) at the Joe, Jackson finished with a season-high 132 yards on 23 attempts.
 
Seven – During the 2021 campaign, a total of seven different receivers caught a touchdown pass for RMU, four of which return for the Colonials in 2022. Fifth-year D'Andre Hicks will be the top target for junior Anthony Chiccitt, as he paced RMU last season in receptions (38) and touchdown catches (5). Hicks finished with 362 yards receiving, including nine catches for 79 yards and a touchdown in a 31-24 win over Charleston Southern (10/9) at Joe Walton Stadium.
 
In The Trenches – Slated to earn their first career starts on the offensive line for RMU Saturday against the Flyers is junior Diego Turcios at left tackle and sophomore Dante Thompson at left guard. On the flipside, redshirt senior Daunte Boudy and sophomore Parker Jacobs will start at defensive tackle against Dayton, marking the first career starts for the duo. The front seven on defense will also feature three new starters at linebacker, with sophomore Amauri Floyd and redshirt juniors Tony Brown and Joe Casale also earning their first career starts with the Colonials. Brown posted 23 tackles last season in appearing in all 10 games, while Floyd recorded seven stops. Casale is a transfer from UAlbany who notched 64 tackles in 31 career games with the Great Danes, including 38 solo stops.
 
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 27 years this fall.

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