2019 Schedule / Results Game Information Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM w/ Adam Gusky (pxp) & Brian Cleary (color) AUGUST Video: ESPN+ w/ Drae Smith (pxp) & Chris Sammarone (color) 29 @ Buffalo (ESPN3) L, 10-38 Twitter: @RMUFootball • Instagram: @RMU_Football Buffalo, N.Y. / UB Stadium SEPTEMBER Slant Routes 7 KENTUCKY STATE L, 7-13 • The Robert Morris University football team closes out the non-conference portion of its Moon Township, Pa. / Joe Walton Stadium 2019 schedule Saturday with a 6:00 p.m. kickoff against Youngstown State at Stam- 14 DAYTON (Homecoming) L, 31-34 baugh Stadium in a game that can be seen live on ESPN+. Moon Township, Pa. / Joe Walton Stadium • The Colonials picked up their first win of the 2019 campaign as well as their first road 21 @ VMI W, 31-21 victory since 2015 with a 31-21 win @ VMI (9/21). The victory snapped a 21-game Lexington, Va. / Alumni Memorial Field road losing slide. 28 @ Youngstown State 6:00 p.m. • Redshirt sophomore running back Alijah Jackson gave RMU a 7-0 lead @ VMI with a Youngstown, Ohio / Stambaugh Stadium OCTOBER 47-yard touchdown run and eclipsed the 100-yard plateau for the second consecutive 12 @ Saint Francis * Noon game as well as the fifth time on his career. He finished with 125 yards rushing on 20 Loretto, Pa. / DeGol Field attempts, an average of 6.2 yards per carry. 19 @ Wagner * Noon • Quarterback Caleb Lewis earned his first career start against the Keydets, completing Staten Island, N.Y. / Wagner College Stadium 12 of his 17 passing attempts for 214 yards and a touchdown. He connected with senior 26 BRYANT * (ESPN3) Noon tight end Matthew Gonzalez three times for 126 yards while hitting redshirt freshman Moon Township, Pa. / Joe Walton Stadium Garrett Houser for a 15-yard touchdown. NOVEMBER • The performances from Alijah Jackson and Matthew Gonzalez against the Keydets 2 LONG ISLAND * Noon mark the second consecutive game the RMU duo eclipsed the 100-yard plateau for Moon Township, Pa. / Joe Walton Stadium rushing and receiving, respectively, in the same game. 9 DUQUESNE * 1:00 p.m. • Sophomore linebacker Aniello Buzzacco registered his first career double-digit tackle Moon Township, Pa. / Joe Walton Stadium game @ VMI with a game-high 13 stops, including three solo takedowns. He also reg- 16 @ Central Connecticut Noon istered one and-a-half tackles for losses that totaled seven yards. New Britain, Conn. / Arute Field • Alijah Jackson enters Saturday’s game ranked second in the NEC in rushing yards 23 SACRED HEART * Noon (361) and third in rushing yards per game (90.2). Over his last eight games dating Moon Township, Pa. / Joe Walton Stadium back to the 2018 campaign, Jackson is averaging 98.6 yards per contest on the ground # Homecoming; * NEC game with eight touchdowns and five 100-yard rushing performances • Redshirt senior safety Mason Gray leads the NEC in tackles with 38, an average of 9.5 2019 Coaching Staff per contest. Of his 38 stops, 24 are of the solo variety, and Gray also has compiled five two HEAD COACH pass breakups and a forced fumble in the last games. Bernard Clark, Jr. (second season @ RMU; Miami ’89) • RMU leads the Northeast Conference in conversion rate on fourth down. The Colonials ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH / OFFENSIVE LINE have successfully converted six of their eight opportunities when going for it, a success Rod Holder (second season @ RMU; Miami ’90) rate of 75 percent. OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR • Robert Morris concluded a two-game homestand at Joe Walton Stadium with a 34-31 Gave Luvara (second season @ RMU; IUP ’01) loss to Dayton (9/14). The Colonials compiled a season-high 447 yards of total offense, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR the sixth time in two seasons under head coach Bernard Clark, Jr., RMU has eclipsed Dave Plungas (second season @ RMU; Albany ’13) 400 yards of total offense in a game. • Redshirt sophomore quarterback George Martin finished 25-for-42 passing for a ca- RB: Nick Alaimalo (New Mexico Highlands ’09) reer-high 282 yards against the Flyers. He tossed a pair of touchdowns against one in- WR: Greg Hardin (North Dakota ’14) terception. His favorite target was senior tight end Matthew Gonzalez, who finished TE/ST: Jacob Bronowski (New Mexico ’16) with eight receptions for a career-high 124 yards and a touchdown. DL: John Faircloth (Mars Hill ’12) • RMU is led by Bernard Clark, Jr., who is in his second season as head coach. He was Asst. LB/Recruiting: Delbert Tyler (Hampton ’14) named the third head coach in program history at a press conference at Joe Walton S: Bart Tanski (Bowling Green ’13) Stadium Dec. 19, 2017. CB: Glenn Davis (South Florida ’01) Asst. To The Head Coach: Brian Kos (Brockport ’17) • Robert Morris was picked seventh in the 2019 Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Data Analyst: Mason Werner (West Liberty ’14) Poll, which was unveiled at the fifth annual NEC Social Media Day at MetLife Stadium DQC: Donnie Militzer (Robert Morris ’04) in East Rutherford, N.J., July 24. Tabbed the preseason favorite was Duquesne, which OQC: Nick Militzer (Duquesne ’09) earned seven first-place votes. Rounding out the top five is Sacred Heart, Central Con- S&C: Rob Day (Lynchburg ’12) necticut, Wagner and Bryant. • Senior tight end Matthew Gonzalez earned a spot on the 2019 Preseason All-NEC Team. In 11 games last year, Gonzalez paced the RMU receiving corps with 40 recep- tions for 642 yards and 12 touchdowns. In addition to establishing a Robert Morris sin- gle-season record for touchdown catches, Gonzalez paced the NEC in the category and ranked 10th in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Head Coach Bernard Clark, Jr. Second Season • Miami, 1989 • @80sCane57 A new era has begun for Robert Morris University football, and the latest chapter to be written will be authored by Bernard Clark, Jr., who is in his second season leading the Colonials. Clark, a native of Tampa, Fla., was named the third head coach in program history at a press conference at Joe Walton Stadium Dec. 19, 2017. “One of the things that is important about working with the young men at Robert Morris is helping them grow in more ways than just as football players,” Clark said. “We’re trying to build better men, better husbands, better fathers.” In his first season on the sidelines with the Colonials, Clark helped RMU takes its first steps in making a return to the top of the Northeast Conference. The offense averaged over two touchdowns more per contest in 2018, with tight end Matthew Gonzalez being one of the focal points of the attack. Gonzalez established an RMU single-season record for touchdown receptions in 2018 with 12, which paced the NEC in the category and also ranked 10th in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Gonzalez earned a spot on the 2018 Associated Press FCS All-America Second Team, becoming just the fourth student-athlete in program to garner the honor and the first since 2010. “The greatest information I’ve learned in leading up to being a head coach is stay the course,” Clark said. “Even if it’s not going your way, whatever you believe in, you make sure you stay the course. I believe in discipline and enthusiasm. I’m going to stay the course with that.” Clark in his first head coaching position after spending four years at the University of Albany, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). In 2014, Clark served as the assistant head coach and linebackers coach for the Great Danes before being promoted to associate head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2015. While at Albany, Clark’s defense ranked ninth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision The Clark, Jr. File (FCS) in 2017, holding opponents to an average of just 282.1 yards game. That number was bol- Birthdate: Jan. 12, 1967 stered by a run defense (107.0) that ranked 15th in the country and a pass defense (175.1) that Hometown: Tampa, Fla. ranked 20th. Age: 52 The Great Danes allowed an average of just 17.7 points per game in 2017, which ranked 17th Alma Mater / Year: Miami / 1989 in the NCAA FCS ranks. Led by Clark, the Albany defense finished in the top 20 in eight different Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration categories, while three players earned All-CAA for the defense. High School: A.P. Leto High School “We’re close friends, and we’ve been doing this together for a long time,” Albany head coach Greg Gattuso said. “He’s a talented coach and definitely ready to be a head coach. I’m excited COLLEGIATE COACHING EXPERIENCE: for him that he’s getting this opportunity. He’s going to do a great job at Robert Morris.” Robert Morris University; Moon Township, Pa. In 2016, Clark’s defense at Albany ranked first in the CAA with a +1.45 turnover margin and - Head Coach (2018- ) 32 forced fumbles, leading to a scoring defense of 18.8 points per game, which ranked second in University at Albany; Albany, N.Y. the league. Three Great Danes earned All-CAA honors on the defensive side of the ball, including - Associate Head Coach (2015-17) University at Albany; Albany, N.Y. Michael Nicastro, who garnered All-CAA First Team accolades after compiling 126 tackles and - Assistant Head Coach (2014) three fumble recoveries. Both of those individual totals ranked in the top four in the NCAA FCS. Hampton University; Hampton, Va. In his first season at Albany, Clark’s defense led the nation in turnover margin (+1.25) and fumble - Associate Head Coach / DC (2012-13) recoveries (20), while Nicastro earned All-CAA Third Team plaudits.