Preview: Colonials seek first win of the season in home opener

Photo credit: David Auth

Nick Hedderick, Contributor

The Bernard Clark era started off with a 49-28 loss to Dayton. Despite this loss, there were some positive takeaways from this game. The offense seemed to click as the Colonials totaled 416 yards of offense. On top of that, they managed to convert on 13-18 third down conversions. If that still isn’t impressive enough, they also controlled the time of possession.

However, the Colonials defense struggled against the Flyers offense. Dayton had 465 yards of offense and dominated the run game by stacking up 272 rushing yards. It was a rough start for this new era of RMU football, but many fans are still optimistic about the future of Colonial football.

The focus this week is now on Virginia State. Last week, the Trojans fell by a final score of 34-13 to Norfolk State. Their defense struggled as they allowed 368 yards of offense, and the offense struggled as well. Quarterback Cordelral Cook tossed 2 INTs during the game and threw for only 170 yards.

Robert Morris will look to take advantage of the Trojans struggling offense come Saturday. This would be a good chance for the defense to start clicking and shake off last weeks rough outing. The Colonials offense can also look to keep up their momentum by exposing the weak opposing defense. Now let’s take a look at what we can expect on Saturday.

Colonials Offense Continues to Impress

As mentioned earlier, the Colonials offense surprised many as they scored 28 points and gained over 400 yards against Dayton. Many were expecting the offense to struggle, but they proved doubters wrong. This week, they will look to prove that last week wasn’t a fluke. Terence Stephens will look to build off of his 70-yard performance last week. Matthew Gonzalez and Tim Vecchio each had great games in terms of receiving, as they each hauled in TD passes last week. Jimmy Walker will also look to build off of the 2 TDs he threw last week.

The offense really seemed to be in a groove last week, and the Colonials will look to continue their offensive success this week. Expect them to pick apart the Virginia State defense this week.

All Eyes on the Defense

Bernard Clark’s specialty is defense. He not only played linebacker at Miami University, but he also coached on the defensive side at various colleges before taking the head coaching job at RMU. Despite giving up 49 points last week, the Colonials defense could turn heads this week.

Virginia State had a tough time moving the ball in their opener last week, so look for RMU to start clicking this week against the Trojans offense. However, the Trojans offense will look to come out swinging after their rocky performance last week. It will be very interesting to see what happens in regards to the Colonial defense.

Can Clark Get His First Win?

Saturday will be Bernard Clark’s first home game as the Colonials head coach. Many fans are expected to show up in support of RMU. Last week might have been a rough start to this era, but many fans still believe that change is coming to RMU football. Clark has renewed interest in Robert Morris football, and fans will show up in full force for the first home game with him at the helm. Can he win his first game in front of the hometown supporters? We will find out this Saturday.

Prediction

Virginia State and Robert Morris are both hungry for their first wins of the season. In this game, expect both offenses to come out swinging and put some points on the board. As the game goes on, the Colonial defense will begin to wear down the Trojan offense. This will allow Robert Morris to build a solid lead and hold on for their first win of the season.

Final Score: 34-20 RMU