All-Time Series vs. Liberty
RMU leads, 1-0
2010 (W, 30-23), Home
@ Moon Township: 1-0
@ Lynchburg: 0-0

Liberty Series Quick Outs - Last year’s victory helped Robert Morris improve to to 13-4 (.765) in home openers, a record that now stands at 13-5 (.722) after last week’s 19-13 setback to Dayton (9/3) at Joe Walton Stadium ... The Colonials also moved to 2-0 all-time at home against ranked opponents with last year’s win over the Flames … RMU defeated Central Connecticut State, 23-17 in two overtimes, in 2006 when the Blue Devils were ranked No. 19 according to The Sports Network … All-time the Colonials own a record of 2-1 (.667) against ranked opponents after dropping a 43-17 decision @ No. 25 North Dakota State in the 2010 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs ... Robert Morris improved to 18-9-1 (.661) all-time when facing off with an opponent for the first time with its win over the Flames … Sinclair established a career high in passing yards for the second straight week with 271 against Liberty, completing 13 of his 21 attempts for two touchdowns and no interceptions … The Colonials posted 417 yards of total offense against the Flames.

On This Date (Sept. 10) in Robert Morris Football History - Just a week after playing the first game in program history, Robert Morris played its first home game at Moon Stadium by posting a 26-19 victory over Monmouth Sept. 10, 1994. Just as defense helped the Colonials secure a 24-19 win @ Waynesburg (9/3/94) a week prior, the unit came up big again in the victory over the Hawks. Monmouth had drove to the RMU two-yard line, but the Hawks were turned away from securing a game-tying touchdown as time ran out. The Colonials had taken the final lead of the afternoon with 4:31 to play when former quarterback Jake Newman (1994-97) hit inaugural running back Tim Hall (1994-95) with a short pass, with Hall bursting 70 yards for the eventual game-winning touchdown. Newman finished 22-for-29 passing on the afternoon for 298 yards and three touchdowns, with Hall catching seven of those passes for 114 yards and a score despite being held to 32 yards rushing on the afternoon.

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 103-71-1 (.591).

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.

Dayton Game Notes - The Colonials dipped to 9-9 (.500) all-time in season openers with the setback, including 6-2 (.750) in season openers at home ... Both of RMU's losses in season-opening home games have come to the Flyers ... Dayton owns a 12-2 (.857) edge in the all-time series and has won nine straight over Robert Morris ... RMU dropped its third straight season opener, with its last season-opening victory coming in a 27-13 victory over Morehead State (9/6/08) at Joe Walton Stadium ... Robert Morris finished with 235 yards of total offense compared to 233 for Dayton ... Robert Morris suffered 10 penalties for 65 yards ... Freshman punter Tony LaMancusa averaged an even 40 yards on five punts in his collegiate debut, including a long of 48.

At The Drive In - While Robert Morris held Dayton to just 233 yards of total offense in its 2011 season opener at Joe Walton Stadium, including a paltry 21 yards rushing on 26 attempts (0.8 yards per carry), the Colonials did a solid job on the afternoon not allowing the Flyers to put together a sustained drive. Each of the four times that Dayton scored on the afternoon were drives that lasted less than 50 yards. The two touchdown drives Dayton put together were 43 and 45 yards, respectively, while the two drives that ended in field goals were 47 and 10 yards, respectively. The difference in game, in fact, could be based on that the Flyers scored 10 points off of Robert Morris turnovers, while the Colonials failed to score on Dayton’s only fumble of the contest.

Fresh Faces - The freshman duo of Duane Mitchell and Justin Brooks put forth a solid effort at halfback in RMU’s 2011 season opener against Dayton, combining to rush for 119 yards on 23 carries, an average of 5.17 yards per rush. Mitchell finished the afternoon with 71 yards rushing on 14 attempts, while Brooks added nine carries for 48 yards, including a 26-yard scamper. Mitchell is just the second true freshman in school history to start a season opener at halfback, joining former Colonial Brian Harden in 2006. In addition, Mitchell and Brooks are the first pair of true freshmen in school history to start the season as the top two options at halfback.

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 in the 2011 season opener against Dayton (9/3), the other four members of the offensive line have combined for 63 career starting assignments. The leader of the group is senior right guard Brad Rodgers, who owns 23 career starts on the line, including 21 straight. Seniors Brian Bevilacqua (LG) and Logan Miles (C) own 17 and 16 career starts, respectively, while sophomore A.J. Dalton (LT) has been in the starting lineup seven times.

Dr. Dre - Senior tight end Shadrae King paced the Robert Morris receiving corps in its 2011 season opener with five catches for 35 yards. The performance marked the 20th straight game dating back to the 2009 campaign that King has recorded at least one reception, a 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 is two games shy of the overall record. 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.

Many Happy Returns - Senior Anthony Coleman has been a rock for Robert Morris on special teams throughout his career, as the wide receiver enters Saturday’s game @ Liberty owning Robert Morris career records for kickoff returns (72) and kickoff return yards (1,527). Thanks to his consistency on special teams, Coleman owns 2,356 career all-purpose yards, which ranks 10th all-time at Robert Morris. He finished with 91 all-purpose yards in the 2011 season opener against Dayton (9/3) and has a chance to become just the sixth player in school history to eclipse 3,000 career all-purpose yards in his final season of eligibility.

Start Me Up - Seniors Anthony Coleman and Brad Rodgers each enter Saturday’s game @ Liberty as RMU’s active leader in career starting assignments with 23. Coleman has started 23 straight at wide receiver, the longest active streak for consecutive starts, while Rodgers owns 21 straight starts on the offensive line and 23 overall.

Foot Joy - One of the most important aspects that junior Jeff Sinclair brings to the quarterback position at Robert Morris is his versatility. In RMU’s season opener against Dayton (9/3) at Joe Walton Stadium, Sinclair scored the first touchdown of the year for the Colonials with a five-yard run with 10:43 to play in the second quarter that gave RMU a 7-6 advantage. In 19 career games, Sinclair has already rushed for nine touchdowns. To put that in perspective, prior to Sinclair becoming the starter under center at RMU, quarterbacks combined for 16 rushing touchdowns in the first 156 games of the program’s history..

Saturday Night Lights - Robert Morris travels to Lynchburg, Va., Saturday to take on Liberty at Williams Stadium in a game that will kickoff at 7:00 p.m. It marks just the sixth time in the 18-year history of the program the Colonials will play in a game with a kickoff after 5:00 p.m. RMU owns a record of 1-4 (.200) all-time in night games, with all five of the previous contests coming on the road. The tilt against Liberty is one of two games on the 2011 Robert Morris schedule that is a night game, as the Colonials will host their first night game in school history when they take on Saint Francis at Joe Walton Stadium in a 7:00 p.m. kickoff Saturday, Oct. 8, as part of the University’s Homecoming festivities.