Quick Stat of the Afternoon - Robert Morris gets a fresh start Saturday by opening Northeast Conference play @ Monmouth, as the Colonials are winners of 12 of their last 13 games against league foes dating back to the 2009 campaign. One area RMU has excelled so far this season on offense has been time of possession. Robert Morris enters Saturday's game leading the NEC in the category, holding the ball for an average of 33:39 per game. Despite leading the league in time of possession, the Colonials enter Saturday's game having scored just 32 points in their first three games this season, a scoring offense of 10.7 points per game that ranks ninth in the circuit. Putting together sustained drives that end in touchdowns could help lead RMU to its first victory of the 2011 campaign.
Saturday's Opponent - Monmouth and Robert Morris will meet for the 17th time Saturday afternoon, with the Colonials holding a 9-7 (.563) edge in the all-time series. RMU has posted two straight victories over the Hawks, including a 17-16 win in last season's meeting at Joe Walton Stadium (10/9/10). In that contest defensive lineman Cory Nolton partially blocked a 28-yard field goal attempt by Eric Spillane with six seconds to play to help lift the Colonials to the victory. For more information on the all-time series against Monmouth, including last year's game recap, please see page four of RMU's game notes.
All-Time Series vs. Monmouth
RMU leads, 9-7
9/10/94 - W, 26-19; Home
9/9/95 - L, 13-16; Away
10/26/96 - W, 43-6; Home
10/25/97 - W, 41-20; Away
10/24/98 - L, 26-27; Home
10/23/99 - W, 34-16; Away
9/16/00 - W, 23-7; Home
9/28/02 - W, 15-10; Home
9/13/03 - L, 10-17; Away
9/18/04 - L, 27-29; Home
10/22/05 - L, 0-14; Away
10/21/06 - L, 7-16; Home
9/8/07 - W, 20-17; Away
9/27/08 - L, 26-34; Home
11/21/09 - W, 23-9; Away
10/9/10 - W, 17-16; Home
@ Moon Township, Pa. - RMU, 5-4
@ West Long Branch, N.J. - RMU, 4-3
Robert Morris 2011 Quick Outs - ARMU was picked third in the 2011 Northeast Conference preseason coaches poll, trailing only preseason favorite Central Connecticut State and Duquesne ... The Blue Devils earned five first-place votes in the NEC preseason coaches poll, the Dukes garnered two while RMU and Bryant each finished with one ... Senior tight end Shadrae King has caught at least one pass in 22 straight games dating back to the 2009 campaign, tied for the school record with former wide receiver Opio Gary (1998-2000) ... Junior defensive lineman Nolan Nearhoof is RMU's active leader in tackles (95), tackles for loss (16) and sacks (11) ... Nearhoof is just five tackles shy of 100 for his career and needs just half a sack to move into the top 10 all-time at Robert Morris ... A total of 16 Colonials have earned their first career start through the first three games of the 2011 campaign.
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. He owns an overall record of 103-73-1 (.585).
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.
Morgan State Game Notes - Robert Morris dipped to 0-3 to start a season for just the third time in school history (2001, 2009) ... The Colonials also fell to 17-11-1 (.603) all-time when facing off with an opponent for the first time ... During RMU's five-game losing streak dating back to 2010, the Colonials own a turnover margin of -7 ... Robert Morris outgained Morgan State in total yards, 254 to 208 ... The Colonials held a 32:00 to 28:00 edge in time of possession ... Combined the two teams finished just 4-for-25 (16%) in third-down conversions, including a 1-for-12 (8.3%) performance by the Bears.
We're Streaking - For Robert Morris, the last 25 games have literally been a roller coaster. The Colonials are coming off a 13-12 loss @ Morgan State (9/17) in their last contest, which marked their fifth straight loss back to the 2010 season. Over the last 25 games, RMU owns a six-game losing streak (first six to start 2009 campaign), a five-game winning streak (to close out 2009 season), an eight-game winning streak (2010) and now a five-game slide (over 2010 and 2011 seasons).
Near and Far - Junior defensive lineman Nolan Nearhoof, a member of the 2011 All-NEC Preseason Team, put together arguably his best game in a Robert Morris uniform @ Morgan State (9/17). Nearhoof compiled a career-high 11 tackles to tie for game-high honors, including four tackles for losses that totaled 20 yards. Included among those tackle totals were two and-a-half sacks, his first of the 2011 campaign. Nearhoof enters Saturday's game @ Monmouth tied for second in the NEC in sacks (2.5) and fifth in the circuit in tackles for loss (5.5). He also enters the contest just a half a sack away from cracking the top 10 all-time at Robert Morris in the category, as he has compiled 11 so far in 23 career games.
Joining the Party - While junior defensive lineman Nolan Nearhoof tied for game-high honors with 11 tackles @ Morgan State (9/17), he was joined by a pair of other Colonials to ring up that many takedowns. Junior linebackers Kyle Cooper and Andrew Douglass also contributed a career-high 11 stops against the Bears, and the performance marked the first double-digit tackle games of the respective careers for the trio.
Stuffing The Run - Just three games into the 2011 season, and the Robert Morris defense is again proving to be stingy in regard to the opposing running game. Opponents have averaged just 86 yards rushing against the Colonials so far this year, which leads the Northeasat Conference while ranking 10th in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The school record for rushing defense is held by the 2006 Colonials, which allowed an average of 99.8 yards per game. Overall, RMU enters Saturday's game @ Monmouth ranked second in the NEC and sixth in the country in total defense, yielding an average of just 265.3 yards per contest.
New Balance - The starting lineup in RMU's last game @ Morgan State (9/17) featured a pair of student-athletes making their first career start in a Colonial uniform, as sophomore Donte Jeter started at split end, while junior Nate Hargraves got the nod at right tackle. The duo pushed the number of Colonials to make their first career start through three games of the 2011 season to 16.
Action Jackson - Junior wide receiver Rickeem Jackson established himself as a possible go-to receiver for Robert Morris in the third game of the season @ Morgan State (9/17), hauling in four catches for a team-high 54 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter. So far this season Jackson has seven receptions for 92 yards, an average of 13.1 yards per catch that ranks second for RMU and trails only sophomore wide receiver Donte Jeter (18.8 ypc).
Keep It Cookin - With senior linebacker Jon Krepps missing the last two games due to a hamstring injury, junior linebacker Mike Cook has earned the first two starts of his career and has responded. Over the last two games Cook owns nine tackles, including a career-high seven takedowns @ Morgan State (9/17). He also produced the lone takeaway of the contest against the Bears, intercepting MSU quarterback Robert Council in the fourth quarter with 5:03 to play. The pick set up the Robert Morris offense at its own 40-yard line and eventually led to the lone touchdown of the afternoon for the Colonials.
Dr. Dre - Senior tight end Shadrae King led the RMU receiving corps @ Morgan State (9/17) with five receptions, compiling 36 yards, marking the 22nd straight game dating back to the 2009 campaign that King has recorded at least one reception. His performance against the Bears tied a school record, as former wide receiver Opio Gary (1998-2000) closed out his Robert Morris career by posting at least one reception in each of his final 22 games.
