GAME 4
UVA-Lynchburg (0-3) vs. RMU (1-2)
Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 • 3:00 p.m.
Joe Walton Stadium (3,000) • Moon Township, Pa.
 
TV: ESPN+
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Dr. Ray "Smoke" Thomas (color)
Twitter: @RMU_Football • Instagram: RMU_Football
 
Slant Routes
 
- The RMU football team returns home for the first of two consecutive games to close out its 2023 non-conference schedule. The Colonials welcome UVA-Lynchburg to Joe Walton Stadium Saturday in a 3:00 p.m. kickoff that serves as part of the University's Homecoming festivities.
 
- The Colonials are led by Bernard Clark, Jr., who is in his sixth season at the helm of the program. 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 14-36 (.280).
 
- Clark was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame presented by AutoNation, joining Dewey Selmon (Oklahoma) and Grant Wistrom (Nebraska) as part of the Class of 2022. The trio were honored at the annual AvMed Orange Bowl Coaches Luncheon presented by AutoNation Dec. 29, 2022, at Jungle Island and were recognized in an on-field ceremony at the 89th Capital One Orange Bowl Dec. 30, 2022, at Hard Rock Stadium.
 
- RMU is coming off a 48-28 setback @ Youngstown State (9/16) in its final non-conference road game of the year. The Penguins scored 28 straight points to turn a 14-13 deficit in the second quarter into a 41-14 edge en route to the win.
 
- Quarterback Anthony Chiccitt finished 19-for-31 passing for 171 yards and a pair of touchdowns @ Youngstown State, connecting with eight different receivers. Through three games of the 2023 campaign, including two starts, Chiccitt has thrown 76 passing attempts without an interception.
 
- Wide receiver Noah Robinson caught nine passes for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Penguins, including a 29-yard scoring reception from Chiccitt in the first quarter and an eight-yard touchdown catch from tight end Chaese Jackson in the second quarter that gave RMU a 14-13 advantage.
 
- Defensively @ Youngstown State, defensive back Dee Pierce led the Colonials with 10 tackles, including four solo stops. Linebacker Jamar Shegog added six takedowns and an interception that he returned 30 yards to the 10-yard line of Youngstown State that set up RMU's second touchdown of the afternoon.
 
- RMU was victorious in its 2023 home opener at Joe Walton Stadium, posting a 31-21 victory over in-state rival Saint Francis (9/9) in front of a sold out crowd of 3,412. The Colonials scored 21 consecutive points to turn a 14-10 deficit into a 31-14 lead early in the fourth quarter en route to the win.
 
- Quarterback Anthony Chiccitt had his most productive day under center in his career against the Red Flash, finishing 21-for-27 passing for 281 yards and three touchdowns. He also scored the first touchdown of the year at home for RMU, hauling in a 25-yard reception from wide receiver Connor Becker that capped a nine-play, 64-yard drive.
 
- A total of 11 different Colonials registered at least one reception in the win over SFU (9/9), including wide receiver Noah Robinson, who caught eight balls for 138 yards and a touchdown. Also hauling in touchdown passes from Anthony Chiccitt were tight ends Landon Lucas (6 yards) and Chaz Middleton (12 yards).
 
- A total of three Colonials were named to the 2023 Big South-OVC Association Watch List, which came as part of Big South-OVC Association Media Day in Nashville, Tenn., at the Sheraton Music City Hotel. Garnering the plaudits for RMU were senior linebackers Joe Casale and Jamar Shegog and fifth-year punter George Souders III. Casale was named to the 2022 All-Big South Second Team, while Shegog earned a spot on the 2021 All-Big South Second Team as well as the HERO Sports 2020-21 Freshman All-America Team.
 
- The Big South and Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) announced Feb. 20, 2022, the creation of an association of their football member institutions to begin with the 2023 NCAA Division I season and have an initial term of four years. The unique agreement combines the football membership of the two conferences to ensure NCAA championship access and stability. Selected as the 2023 preseason favorite for the inaugural Big South-OVC Association in a vote of league head coaches was Southeast Missouri State.
 
- RMU closes out the month of September with a Noon kickoff against Howard at the Joe Saturday, Sept. 30 before opening Big South-OVC Association play Saturday, Oct. 7, @ Gardner-Webb.

UVA-LYNCHBURG LINKS
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- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
                           
The All-Time Series (UVA-Lynchburg) – The Colonials and Dragons have never squared off on the gridiron, with UVA-Lynchburg one of five programs on the 2023 schedule RMU has never faced. The Colonials also never took on Air Force prior to this year, while RMU has never faced Tennessee Tech (10/28), Southeast Missouri (11/4) and Eastern Illinois (11/18).
 
Impact – Few have had an impact offensively for the Colonials in the first three weeks of the 2023 season than wide receiver Noah Robinson. In posting consecutive 100-yard receiving efforts the last two weeks, Robinson is the first RMU receiver to post back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since tight end Matthew Gonzalez (2016-19) turned the trick in 2019. Through three games, Robinson has hauled in 20 balls for 274 yards (13.7 yards per catch) and three touchdowns. His 20 receptions are the most through the first three games of a season in RMU's 30-year NCAA Division I history. Former wide receiver Sherrod Evers (2006-09) owned the mark of 19 catches through the first three games of the 2009 campaign, a number that was matched by wide receiver D'Andre Hicks (2020-22) in the 2021 spring season for the Colonials.
 
Did You Know? Wide receiver Noah Robinson leads the Big South-OVC Association in receiving yards this season while ranking second in touchdown catches (3) and tied for second in receptions (20) with Ryan Flournoy of Southeast Missouri.
 
Stabilizer – Quarterback Anthony Chiccitt has settled into his role as the starting quarterback for the Colonials, and one only needs to look at the Big South-OVC Association leaderboard for proof. Entering Saturday's game against UVA-Lynchburg, Chiccitt leads the association in completion percentage at 71.1 percent (54-for-76), while his efficiency rating of 158.0 ranks second to Cole Dugger (158.3) of Lindenwood. In addition to having thrown 76 attempts without an interception, Chiccitt has thrown six touchdown passes to four different receivers.
 
Seal The Deal – In a 31-21 victory over Saint Francis (9/9) to open the 2023 home slate, the Colonials produced three takeaways, including a pair of interceptions. Late in the third quarter, defensive back Robert Carter, Jr., came up with an interception, setting up the RMU offense at the 16-yard line of the Red Flash. The offense capitalized, with quarterback Anthony Chiccitt connecting with tight end Chaz Middleton for a 12-yard touchdown pass that gave the Colonials a 31-14 cushion and helped seal the victory.
 
Firecracker – To get ready for the 2023 season, redshirt senior linebacker Jamar Shegog entered the Brentwood Firecracker 5K in Pittsburgh, Pa., on the Fourth of July. Shegog navigated the 40th annual 3.1 mile jaunt in a time of 27:03 to finish in the top half of the 1,686 participants. Shegog has compiled career totals of 155 career tackles in 22 games in an RMU uniform, the most by a student-athlete that has spent his entire career with the Colonials. Included among his career numbers are 78 solo stops, two-and-a-half sacks and two forced fumbles.
 
The Third – Returning for the Colonials as the starting punter is grad student George Souders III, who has anchored the RMU special teams for years. Also serving as the holder for kicker Jayson Jenkins, Souders has amassed 8,112 career yards punting on 210 attempts, an average of 38.6 yards per punt. In RMU's last game @ Youngstown State (9/16), Souders punted six times for 252 yards (42.0 yards per punt) with a long of 51. He also pinned a pair inside the 20-yard line of the Penguins. Entering Saturday's game as part of Homecoming festivities, Souders ranks fourth in the RMU career record book for punting yards.
 
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 (minimum 350 rushes) entering the 2023 season, a span that hits 27 years this fall. Matt Cannon of Southern Utah sits second with an average of 7.25 yards per carry thanks to 5,489 yards on 757 attempts.

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