FULL NOTES PACKAGE (PDF)
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania -- Robert Morris kicks off the home portion of its 2018 schedule this Saturday, Sept. 8, when it hosts Virginia State in a Noon kickoff at Joe Walton Stadium. The Colonials opened the season on the road for the first time since 2013, falling 49-28 at Dayton last weekend. Virginia State, an NCAA Playoff team in 2017, lost in its season opener to Norfolk State, 34-13. RMU is 15-9 in home openers, including a 13-10 victory against Dayton last season.
All-Time vs. Virginia State
- This is the inaugural meeting between the Colonials and Trojans
- RMU has three first time opponents on its slate in 2018
- The Colonials have never played Virginia State, James Madison or Central State
- Bernard Clark Jr. makes his head coaching debut in 2018
- RMU is 15-9 all-time in home openers
- RMU had 416 yards of offense at Dayton, the team's first 400-yard game since 2013
- The team's 26 first downs vs. Dayton were their most since 10/22/11 (27; Bryant)
- RMU leads the nation in third down conversion percentage (.722, 13-of-18)
- DL Amir Fenwick and LB Adam Wollet were named to the Preseason All-NEC Team
- Fenwick was the Colonials only All-NEC First Team pick last season
- Wollet led the NEC with 108 tackles
- Finished 18th in nation averaging 9.8 tackles per game
- Was named to the 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America team
- Junior WR Tim Vecchio has been the team's offensive MVP each of the last two seasons
- Sophomore C Eric McAllister was a Hero Sports Freshmen All-America pick in 2017
- Of active FCS players, Warren Robinson is eighth with a 12.2 yard punt return average
- 2018 marks the 25th season of football at Robert Morris
- RMU has won six NEC Championships — 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2010
- The 2018 roster features 30 former WPIAL players representing 23 schools
- Virginia State went undefeated through the regular season in 2017, falling in the NCAA Division II First Round
- The Trojans were picked second in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
- VSU lost at Norfolk State, 34-13, to open the year
- QB Cordelral Cook was 14-26 for 170 yards, a TD and 2 INT
- RB Demetrius Strickland rushed for 40 yards on 14 carries
- WR Tre'Quan Reed led the team with 61 yards on three receptions and a TD
- RB Dazmine Palmer corralled four passes for 44 yards out of the backfield
- Alexander Williams and Patrick Prosser led the squad with eight tackles
- Prosser added 3.5 tackles for loss
25th Season of RMU Football
- 2018 marks the 25th season of football at Robert Morris
- The program debuted in 1994, going 7-1-1
- RMU has won six NEC Championships — 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2010
- Bernard Clark Jr. makes his head coaching debut in 2018
- He served as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at UAlbany for four years
- Won two national championships with Miami, including the 1988 Orange Bowl MVP
- Made 10 previous coaching stops before arriving in Moon Township
- RMU President Dr. Chris Howard is serving a three-year term on the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee
- He is also on the planning committee to commemorate the 150th birthday of college football
- Howard was a running back at Air Force
- He won the NFF Campbell Trophy, the highest academic award for a football player
- Coach Clark has named a six-player leadership committee in 2018
- Offensive Leadership Committe Members:
- Junior WR DeLano Madison
- R-Sophomore OL Eric McAllister
- Senior QB Jimmy Walker
- Defensive Leadership Committe Members:
- R-Junior DB Tevaul Brown
- Senior DL Amir Fenwick
- Senior LB Adam Wollet
- A pair of Colonials hail from the Florida town of Delray Beach on the Atlantic Coast
- Warren Robinson and Thomas Neal list Delray Beach as their hometown
- They all attended different high schools
- Dylan Young lists Coral Springs as his hometown, just a short drive from Delray Beach
- Since the inception of RMU football in 1994, RMU is 72-5 (.935) when scoring 30 or more points
- The Colonials are 29-0 when tallying 40 or more points
- RMU has five players players currently taking graduate level classes
- DE Cameron Darley, QB Caleb Lewis and RB Kendall Rodgers Jr. are all graduate transfers
- QB Jimmy Walker finished his undergraduate work last year and is in grad school now
- LB Adam Wollet is in the integrated five-year finance and data analytics program at RMU
- The 2018 roster features 30 former WPIAL players
- They represent 23 different schools
- Gateway, Montour, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Thomas Jefferson, Woodland Hills and West Allegheny each have two alums on the RMU roster
- Thirteen states and two countries are represented on the RMU roster
- Three dozen players from the Keystone State, Pennsylvania, lead the list
- Ohio (11) and Florida (10) also have double-digit representatives
- Two players came to RMU from Ontario
- RMU had only one coach in its first 20 seasons of existence, Joe Walton
- Walton was a former NFL tight end and head coach (see sidebar)
- He was a four-time NEC Coach of the Year
- Under his guidance, RMU won two NCAA I-AA mid-major national titles
- Walton was inducted into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013
National Rankings - Team
- RMU ranks in the top-30 in these categories:
- Fourth Down Pct. (1st, .000)
- DL Amir Fenwick and LB Adam Wollet were named to the Preseason All-NEC Team
- Fenwick was an All-NEC selection following the 2017 season
- Wollet also garnered all-league plaudits as a junior as well
National Rankings - Team
- RMU ranks in the top-30 in these categories:
- 3rd Down Conv. Pct. (1st, .722)
- First Downs (11th, 26)
- Fumbles Lost (1st, 0)
- Passing Offense (25th, 257.0)
- Red Zone Offense (1st, 1.000)
- Sacks Allowed (1st, 0)
- Time of Possession (29th, 32:32)
- Turnovers Lost (20th, 1)
- RMU ranks in the top-40 in these categories:
- Passing Yards (Jimmy Walker, 37th, 219)
- Passing Yds/Gm. (Walker, 36th, 219.0)
- Passing Yds/Gm. (Walker, 27th, 13.69)
- Pts. Responsible For (Walker, 16th, 18)
- Pts. Responsible For/Gm. (Walker, 14th, 18.0)
- Receptions/Gm. (Chase Bodeman, 30th, 6.0; Tim Vecchio, 30th, 6.0)
- Total Offense (Walker, 28th, 252.0)
ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
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