GAME 5
Howard (1-2) vs. RMU (2-2)
Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 • 12:00 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
 
Coming Together
 
- The RMU football team closes out their non-conference slate as they look to end their two game homestand on a high note. The Colonials welcome Howard to Joe Walton Stadium Saturday for the first noon kickoff of the young season.
 
- 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 15-36 (.294).
 
- 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 46-0 victory against UVA-Lynchburg at Joe Walton Stadium (9/23) in their first ever matchup. The Colonials scored 28 straight points in the first quarter and tallied 535 yards of offense en route to a dominant win.
 
- Quarterback Anthony Chiccitt finished 11-for-16 passing for 242 yards and four touchdowns against UVA-Lynchburg, including 80 and 60 yard passing scores. Through four games of the 2023 campaign, including three starts, Chiccitt has thrown 92 passing attempts without an interception.
 
- Wide receiver Noah Robinson caught six passes for 126 yards and one touchdown, including a 60-yard scoring reception from Chiccitt in the first quarter. Four other Colonials caught touchdown passes in the win, including Lucas Landen and Andre Cooper who caught 80 and 69 yard touchdown passes in the victory.
 
- Defensively against UVA-Lynchburg, linebacker Joe Casale led the Colonials with seven tackles, including five solo stops. Tyler King, Bradley Magee, Daunte Boudy, Tizlam Muhammad, and Noah Steverson all recorded a sack to halt any momentum from the Dragons..
 
- RMU fell short in their last away contest against Youngstown State 48-28. The Colonials scored touchdowns on two of their first three possessions but were unable to keep up with the counterattack from the Penguins en route to an early season loss. 
 
- Quarterback Anthony Chiccitt had an efficient day for the Colonials as he was 19 -for- 31 passing with 171 yards and two touchdowns against Youngstown State. RMU's first possession of the game led to a 29 yard passing touchdown from Chiccitt to Robinson that knotted the game at 7-7. 
 
- A total of eight different Colonials registered at least one reception in the loss against YSU (9/16), including wide receiver Noah Robinson, who caught nine balls for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Also, hauling in a touchdown pass from Anthony Chiccitt was tight end Chaese Jackson (16 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 opens up Big South-OVC play next weekend at Gardner Webb which is scheduled for 4:00 pm on ESPN+. The Colonials will play against conference opponents such as Bryant and Tennessee Tech for the month of October.

HOWARD LINKS
- Audio
- Video
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
                           
The All-Time Series (Howard) – The Colonials and Bison last faced off on September 25th, 2021 at Joe Walton Stadium which was their only matchup in the series. RMU came out on top 22-16, led by Colonials quarterback George Martin who threw two touchdown passes to help lead the home team to victory. RMU running back Alijah Jackson led the Colonial rushing attack in that contest rushing for 112 yards on 26 attempts. 
 
FCS Leader – 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 three weeks, Robinson is the first RMU receiver in program history to post three straight 100-yard receiving games. Through four games, Robinson has hauled in 27 balls for 409 yards (15.1 yards per catch) and four touchdowns. His 27 receptions are the most through the first four games of a season in RMU's 30-year NCAA Division I history. Robinson is also second in the FCS with 413 receiving yards this season going into Saturday's contest against Howard.

Did You Know? Wide receiver Noah Robinson leads the Big South-OVC Association in receiving yards this season while tied for second in touchdown catches (4) with Damoriea Vick. Robinson is also second in the conference with 27 receptions through four games.
 
Settling In – Quarterback Anthony Chiccitt is comfortable in 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 Howard, Chiccitt leads in efficiency rating with 179.7. In addition to having thrown 92 attempts without an interception, Chiccitt has thrown six touchdown passes to four different receivers.
  
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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