Gameday Week 09/23/2006 - Game #2 Robert Morris

Colonials Blank Profs 21-0 By Tom Wilson JT@rowanfootball.com The Robert Morris University football team held Division III Rowan to -44 yards rushing, -19 yards of total offense and just one first down on the afternoon, all new school records, in pitching its first shutout since 2002 with a 21-0 win over the Profs in front of 1,642 Saturday afternoon at Joe Walton Stadium. The victory improves the Colonials to 2-2 overall on the 2006 campaign, while Rowan fell to 1-1. RMU continually pressured Profs signal caller Mike Orihel all afternoon, sacking him eight times, while superback Davon Edwards was held in check, gaining just 20 yards on 10 carries. Senior defensive lineman Ray Gensler posted four and-a-half sacks of Orihel he Colonials received inspired special teams play against Rowan, turning two punt return fumbles by the Profs into scores while junior Mario Hines capped the day’s scoring with a 48-yard punt return for a touchdown to give RMU a 21-0 lead. Robert Morris opened its scoring with a 12-play, 51-yard drive that was capped by a two-yard touchdown run from sophomore quarterback Erik Cwalinski on a naked bootleg. The drive was set up by a Rowan fumble on a punt return, as Kelvin Bellamy fumbled at the RMU-49 yard line on a force by sophomore Scott Schade. Senior Jarvis Powers came up with the loose ball to give possession back to the Colonials. The score remained 7-0 entering halftime as Rowan was held to -18 yards of total offense in the first half, and the Colonials received some breathing room in the third quarter when Jabrill Joseph fumbled a punt return at the Prof 11-yard line. This time senior Jason Davis pounced on the ball, giving the Colonials back the ball deep in Rowan territory. Three plays later senior halfback Kevin Drakeford Jr. scored from a yard out to give Robert Morris a 14-0 lead. After holding the Profs to three-and-out on their next possession, Hines became just the second Colonial in school history to return a punt for a touchdown, scampering 48 yards to give RMU a 21-0 lead. Cwalinski, pressured all day by Rowan and sacked five times, completed 13 of his 24 passing attempts for 112 yards, while senior fullback Moises Hernandez finished with four catches for 21 yards to lead the receiving corps. Freshman halfback Brian Harden paced the running game with 38 yards on 14 attempts. The Profs return home to start the NJAC block of their schedule. Rowan hosts Western Connecticut at 1 pm this Saturday.

Robert Morris Seeking Revenge Against Rowan By Tom Wilson JT@rowanfootball.com Last year at home Rowan overcame a 28-7 3rd quarter deficit and scored 28 unanswered points in little more than a quarter. The winning touchdown came on a 3-yard run from Ulysses Encarnacion in the first overtime, giving the Profs perhaps their biggest come from behind victory in Rowan football history. It helped set tone for the season that fell one game short of Salem, VA. Mike Orihel completed 22 of 38 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns. Super back Ulysses Encarnacion had 93 yards on 21 carries and one touchdown. Wide receiver Sakeen Wright caught seven passes for 117 yards, while Phil Silva had four grabs for 43 yards and two touchdowns. Linebackers Randy Tosh and Todd Trout totaled 10 tackles apiece. Tosh added two sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass deflection. Defensive end Brian Bond contributed with nine tackles, including two for a loss, and one sack. Linebacker Zach Garren posted eight stops, one interception and one pass deflection, while safety Eric Bailey had one pick. D1-AA Robert Morris (1-2) is coached Joe Walton. Walton is a former NFL player and head coach. He is the only head coach that RMU has had since their football program began in 1994. The Northeast Conference, of which the Colonials is a member, now (2006) offers athletic scholarships for football. Robert Morris can offer up 30 full-time scholarships in any form (full, half, quarter). It is unknown how many players are receiving full or partial scholarships at this writing. Most D-1AA schools offer up to 63 scholarships. The NEC plans to evaluate and add more scholarships periodically. The primary reason the NEC started offering scholarships is because no non-scholarship D-1AA school has ever received an at-large bid to the NCAA playoffs. RMU returns only four starters on offense, wide receiver Michael Rogers, offensive lineman Gus Alonzo, fullback Vince Magnone and quarterback Erik Cwalinski. The defense brings back linebackers Jeff Rommes, Chad Wengert and Brunck, safeties Brian Pruitt and James Kazil and Gensler at defensive end. Last year, Rommes made 53 tackles, Wengert had 61 stops and Brunck added 27 tackles. Pruitt totaled 34 tackles and two interceptions, while Kazil was second on the team with 65 stops and had three interceptionsand seven pass deflections. Gensler posted 60 tackles, including eight for a loss. Last Saturday, Robert Morris defeated Butler University, 35-14 for its first win of the season. Erik Cwalinski completed 18 of 26 passes for 240 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Alvin Hill had six grabs for 98 yards and one TD, while Mario Hines made three catches for 71 yards and two scores. Running back Moises Hernandez totaled 50 yards on nine carries and one TD. Defensive end Ray Gensler led the defense with six tackles, including a sack. This year the Profs head to Joe Walton Stadium near Pittsburg in Moon Township. RMU was picked to finished tied for 7th in the NEC. Central Connecticut State is currently first and ranked 23rd in D-1AA Sports Network poll. Last year in Glassboro, Joe Walton seethed in the media that he felt the referees did a poor job in the second half, costing his team the win. He felt that the Rowan offensive line was holding “every play” and it wasn’t being called. Expect Robert Morris to be up for this one, especially since it could very well be the last meeting between the two squads. It has been rumored that Wilkes and Widener have been added to the Profs schedule for 2007, giving Rowan a full ten game schedule for the first time since 2004. Since I’ve never seen RMU in person, it is hard to pinpoint the talent level of this team. Coach Accorsi seemed quite impressed with the Colonials last year. Rowan returns far more starters this year than Robert Morris and the Profs have had essentially two camps with three weeks of practice since their last game. Rowan should be itching to hit someone in another jersey. Hopefully, the Profs are even more in synch offensively. I’d expect the defense to perform better than last year. Rowan has high expectations this year, and staying on track requires winning in Moon Township on Saturday. Will the Profs leave with a lifetime 2-0 record against Robert Morris or finish .500 and 1-1?