Dayton (0-0) vs. Robert Morris (0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011, at Noon
Joe Walton Stadium (3,000) - Moon Township, Pa.
Top Story - The Robert Morris University football team opens its 2011 campaign and 18th season of intercollegiate football Saturday, Sept. 3, when it welcomes the University of Dayton to Joe Walton Stadium for a Noon kickoff. Dating back to the program's first season in 1994, the Colonials own a record of 9-8 (.529) in season openers. However, when opening its season at home, Robert Morris owns a record 6-1 (.857), with its only setback a 23-12 loss to Dayton (9/1/07) to open the 2007 campaign. Under the direction of Joe Walton, the only head coach in the history of the program, RMU returns nine starters from last season, each of which will be in the starting lineup Saturday against the Flyers. On the flipside, a total of 11 Colonials will be making their first career start, including seven on defense. Robert Morris takes to the road for three straight games after hosting Dayton Saturday, beginning with a 7 p.m. tilt against Liberty in Lynchburg, Va., Sept. 10. The Colonials will also visit Morgan State (9/17) and Monmouth (10/1) before returning to Joe Walton Stadium, Oct. 8, to host in-state rival Saint Francis.
Quick Stat of the Afternoon - One Colonial to keep an eye on this season is senior tight end Shadrae King. A reliable and capable receiver throughout his Robert Morris career, King led RMU last season in receptions (43), receiving yards (531) and touchdown catches (7) in helping the Colonials finish with an overall record of 8-3 (.727) and claim their first NEC regular-season championship since 2000 with a record of 7-1 (.875). Named to the 2011 FCS Preseason All-America Second Team by both The Sports Network and Phil Steele, King enters his final season of eligibility just 19 receptions shy of establishing a new career school record in the category. Former wide receiver Tyjuan Massey owns the record of 112, which was set from 2002 to 2005. King is also six touchdown catches shy of breaking Massey's all-time record of 21 entering the 2011 season. On his career, King owns 94 receptions for 1,174 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Saturday's Opponent - The longest running rivalry with a non-conference opponent in program history, Robert Morris and Dayton will meet for the 14th time Saturday. The Flyers own an 11-2 (.846) advantage and carry an eight-game winning in the all-time series into the contest. In last year's game at Welcome Stadium (9/4/10), the Flyers posted a 28-14 victory over the Colonials as Dayton quarterback Steve Valentino passed for two touchdowns in the second quarter to give the Flyers a 21-0 lead at halftime en route to the win. For more information on the all-time series against Dayton, including last year's game recap, please see page four of today's game notes.
All-Time Series vs. Dayton
Dayton leads, 11-2
1996 (L, 21-31), Away
1997 (L, 13-16), Home
1998 (L, 22-31), Away
1999 (W, 34-7), Home
2000 (W, 17-13), Away
2001 (L, 9-37), Home
2002 (L, 10-24), Away
2004 (L, 12-29), Home
2006 (L, 14-21), Away
2007 (L, 12-23), Home
2008 (L, 14-31), Away
2009 (L, 14-21), Home
2010 (L, 14-28), Away
@ Moon Township: 1-5
@ Dayton: 1-6
Dayton Series Quick Outs - Robert Morris has averaged just 12.4 points per game during its eight-game losing streak to Dayton, not scoring more than 14 points during that span ... Six of RMU's 11 losses against the Flyers have been decided by 10 points or less ... RMU's 17-13 victory over Dayton @ Welcome Stadium (10/14/00), the last victory for the Colonials in the all-time series, marked head coach Joe Walton's 100th victory as head coach (combined professional and collegiate victories) ... In RMU's last victory over the Flyers, a total of 9,615 patrons were in the stands at Welcome Stadium, the second largest crowd to witness an RMU football game in school history ... Former cornerback Joe Austin (1998-2001) helped the Colonials seal their last win over Dayton by intercepting former Flyers quarterback Kelly Spiker at the RMU 5-yard line with 1:23 to play to preserve a 17-13 victory ... Former linebacker Nate List's (1994-97) 97-yard interception return @ Welcome Stadium in 1996 is the longest touchdown in school history ... In his first career game against Dayton last season, quarterback Jeff Sinclair finished 14-for-29 passing for 146 yards, a touchdown and an interception while also rushing another score ... Wide receiver Anthony Coleman finished with three catches for 61 yards and a touchdown in last year's meeting.
On This Date (Sept. 3) in Robert Morris Football History - While Robert Morris will kickoff its 18th season of intercollegiate football Saturday afternoon against Dayton, on this date in football history exactly 17 years ago the Colonials played their first football game. Just 23 days after the beginning of its first training camp, Robert Morris stopped Waynesburg eight times inside its own 10-yard line in the last five minutes to preserve a 24-19 victory. The game-winning touchdown came courtesy of inaugural running back Tim Hall (1994-95), who scampered 62 yards to paydirt at the 7:22 mark of the third quarter to give the Colonials the final margin of victory. Hall finished the afternoon with 86 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while quarterback Jake Newman (1994-97) completed 13 of his 21 passing attempts for 216 yards and three touchdowns, including a nine-yard strike to split end Robert Frazier (1994-96) at the 14:53 mark of the second quarter that marked RMU's first touchdown in program history.
Head Coach Joe Walton (18th Season; Pittsburgh '57) - At the forefront of the football renaissance at Robert Morris University throughout its 17-year history is Joe Walton, who has built the Colonials from a fledgling program into one of the top Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams in the region.
The one constant associated with the program, Walton was named the first head coach July 27, 1993. He started the program from scratch, completing everything from hiring assistant coaches to purchasing equipment to recruiting student-athletes for the team's inaugural season in 1994.
Walton's fingerprints are all over the football program, and to prove that, RMU has played its home games since 2005 in a stadium that bears his name. During his tenure, Walton has led Robert Morris to the first Northeast Conference championship in 1996, guided RMU to a perfect 10-0 season in 2000 and in 2010 helped lead the Colonials to the NEC's inaugural bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs with their league-high sixth regular-season championship.
“It's hard to believe,” Walton speaks on how fast time has elapsed. “I've said this many times before, and I mean it when I say that this situation is one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my life. It happened at the right time. Before this position became available, I felt I was too young to quit coaching, but I wasn't anxious to get back into pro football. When this came along, it was the perfect fit. This situation was the perfect opportunity for me to continue to do what I like to do, and I've loved every minute of it.”
Under Walton's tutelage, the Colonials have claimed outright NEC regular-season titles three times (1997, 1999, 2000) while sharing three others (1996, 1998, 2010). Walton led Robert Morris to back-to-back ECAC Bowl victories in 1996 and 1997, and in 1999 and 2000 he guided RMU to a pair of NCAA I-AA mid-major national crowns according to Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette.
In 2010, Walton added to his legacy by engineering the Colonials on an eight-game winning streak for a share of the NEC regular-season title and the NEC's first bid in the NCAA FCS Playoffs. In the process he picked up his 100th career victory in the collegiate ranks..
Fresh Faces - The 2010 version of the Colonials featured one of the best senior classes in school history, and while the loss of those seniors has created openings in the starting lineup in 2011, the time is now for some at Robert Morris. A total of 11 Colonials will make their first career start Saturday against Dayton, including eight on defense. Included in that group is freshman Duane Mitchell, who earns the start at halfback. Mitchell is just the second true freshman in school history to receive the starting assignment at halfback in the 17-year history of the program. Former Colonial Brian Harden started in the backfield in a 21-14 setback @ Dayton (9/2) to open the 2006 campaign. Mitchell's backup at the position, Justin Brooks, is also a true freshman.
Experience Counts - Freshmen Duane Mitchell and Justin Brooks will each have a veteran offensive line to work with in 2011, which could help aid in the development of the duo. Despite sophomore Jon Hill earning his first career start at right tackle Saturday against Dayton, the other four members of the offensive line have combined for 59 career starting assignments. The leader of the group is senior right guard Brad Rodgers, who owns 22 career starts on the line, including 20 straight. Seniors Brian Bevilacqua (LG) and Logan Miles (C) own 16 and 15 career starts, respectively, while sophomore A.J. Dalton (LT) has been in the starting lineup six times.
Dr. Dre - Senior tight end Shadrae King enters his final season of eligibility in 2011 looking to keep a streak intact. King closed out the 2010 season in the first round of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs @ North Dakota State by leading the receiving corps with five catches for 68 yards. The performance marked the 19th straight game dating back to the 2009 campaign that King has recorded at least one reception, a new school record by a tight end. Former Colonial Brent Hockenberry (2000-01) finished with at least one catch in 17 straight games over the course of the 2000 and 2001 seasons. One of seven players in school history to record at least one catch in 15 straight games, King will look to break the overall school record in 2011, which is held by former wide receiver Opio Gary (1998-2000). Gary closed out his Robert Morris career by posting at least one reception in each of his final 22 games.
In The Groove - Sophomore quarterback Jeff Sinclair developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the Northeast Conference in just his second year of Division I football, and the proof is in the numbers. During RMU's eight-game wining streak that clinched a share of the 2010 NEC regular-season title, Sinclair completed 53.9 percent (90-for-167) of his passes for 1,469 yards, 19 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Sinclair finished the 2010 campaign as the Northeast Conference leader in touchdown passes (22) while ranking fifth in the league in passing yards per game (174.5). In addition, his pass efficiency of 133.03 ranked second in the NEC.
Many Happy Returns - Senior Anthony Coleman has been a rock for Robert Morris on special teams over the last three years, as the wide receiver enters the 2011 campaign owning Robert Morris career records for kickoff returns (69) and kickoff return yards (1,470). Thanks to his consistency on special teams, Coleman enters his final season of eligibility in 2011 with 2,265 career all-purpose yards, which ranks 10th all-time at Robert Morris, and an opportunity to become just the sixth player in school history to eclipse 3,000 career all-purpose yards.
Those Issues Are Secondary - A key area that Robert Morris was hurt by graduation from 2010 is the secondary. The four starters during RMU's championship run in 2010 were all seniors and concluded their careers with combined totals of 575 tackles and 27 interceptions. Each of RMU's four starters Saturday against Dayton will be making their first career collegiate start and features a senior (Alex Tarr), a junior (Ben Ridgeley), a junior college transfer (Antwan Smith) and a sophomore (D.J. Myers). The quartet enters Saturday's game with combined career totals of 23 tackles and three interceptions.
Start Me Up - Seniors Anthony Coleman and Brad Rodgers each enter the 2011 campaign as RMU's active leader in career starting assignments with 22. Coleman has started 22 straight at wide receiver, the longest active streak for consecutive starts, while Rodgers owns 20 straight starts on the offensive line and 22 overall.
