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By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The Tennessee Tech football team has seen its fair share of new foes this season. Saturday's game marks the third time in the 2023 campaign that the Golden Eagles will see an opponent for the first time as Tech heads to the Pittsburgh area to take on Robert Morris.
Kickoff Saturday is set for an 11 a.m. Central time start. Roger Ealey and Dylan Vazzano will have the call on 98.5 KISS FM, while the game will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
While Saturday's game will not be the first one against an opponent from Pennsylvania – the Golden Eagles played Lock Haven University for five games in Cookeville between 1989 and 1994 – this will be Tech first trip to The Keystone State and the furthest northeast the Golden Eagles have traveled for a game, much less in a conference contest as Robert Morris is a member of the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association.
Both teams enter this weekend's contest with identical 2-5 records, both 0-2 in the Big South-OVC.
Robert Morris is coached by Bernard Clark, a member of two national championship teams at Miami in 1987 and 1989 and was the Orange Bowl MVP in 1988. Following a three-season run in the National Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys, Clark joined the coaching ranks at James Madison, Liberty, Florida International, South Florida, Hampton, Pittsburgh, Colorado State and Albany before taking the head post for the Colonials in 2018.
He led the Colonials to a 6-1 mark and second-place finish in the Northeast Conference in his second season in 2019 before the team made the move to the Big South Conference. Since 2020, the Colonials have gone 4-25, 3-14 in conference play.
That includes RMU's two outings in league play this season. On Oct. 7, the Colonials traveled down to Gardner-Webb for a 31-16 loss with a field goal, a one-yard touchdown run and fumble recovery for a touchdown standing to their credit. On Oct. 14, RMU went over to Rhode Island to take on Bryant and fell 43-23. Quarterback Anthony Chiccitt had a passing and rushing touchdown in the game, while Michael Velasco had a 34-yard field goal and Tyler Szalkowski threw a touchdown pass to Landen Lucas in the fourth quarter.
Robert Morris was idle last week.
As a team, the Colonials are averaging 23.1 points per game and allowing 31.4. On offense, RMU is averaging 305.1 yards with 94.7 on the ground and 210.4 through the air, while allowing 161.0 on the ground and 183.9 passing.
Chiccitt, in seven games this season, has 1,286 yards on 129-of-196 passing with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions, averaging 183.7 yards per game. Four other players – Szalkowski, Zin'tayvious Smith, Connor Becker and Chaese Jackson – have combined for 17-of-24 passing with one interception and 187 yards and each one has thrown a touchdown pass.
Noah Robinson has caught the most passes, hauling in 39 for 482 yards, while Jackson has 28 catches for 261 yards with both collecting a team-best four touchdowns. Twenty-one different players have caught at least one pass.
On the ground, Cyrus Bonsu leads in yardage with 207 total yards on 53 carries, while Smith has 130 yards on 15 carries and two of the Colonials' four total rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, Dee Pierce leads the way with 37 total tackles, followed by Joe Casale with 34, Tyler King with 29 and Tony Brown with 27. RMU has five interceptions and seven forced fumbles. Opponents have created three interceptions and eight fumble recoveries.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Tech defense held its fourth opponent of the season to under 100 rushing yards last week in a 28-3 loss to defending OVC champ Southeast Missouri – all in four consecutive games with Kennesaw State rushing for a program-low 96 yards, Lindenwood for 71, South Carolina State for 50 and the Redhawks for 68. The Golden Eagles rank third in rushing defense, allowing 136.1 yards per game, while leading the league in total defense, yielding a 331.6-yard pace.
Tech opened OVC play with a 23-0 loss at Lindenwood, followed by last week's 28-3 defeat to Southeast Missouri, as the Golden Eagles see this week's contest as a way to break out of a Big South-OVC slump to try to end the campaign on a high note. Through the two league games, Tech is averaging 97 rushing yards and 134 passing yards.
The Golden Eagles' last game on the road, however, was a 28-7 non-conference victory over South Carolina State as Tech pulled together 401 yards of offense, including 199 on the ground and 202 through the air.
For the season, the Golden Eagles are averaging 297.6 yards of offense, 126.4 rushing and 171.1 passing. Tech is allowing 331.6 yards of offense, 195.4 passing and 136.1 rushing.
True freshman Jordyn Potts has thrown for 402 yards on 34-of-68 passing on the season, taking over as the starter in the last two games and needs 35 yards to become the season leader for the Golden Eagles. Justin Pegues leads Tech on the ground with 347 yards on 69 carries with two scores, while Marcus Knight, who had three rushing touchdowns against South Carolina State, has 300 yards on 65 carries with four total TDs.
Brad Clark leads Tech with 27 catches and 341 yards, while Jalal Dean is second in yardage with 225 yards and Metrius Fleming with 15 receptions is second in catches.
On the defensive side, Aaron Swafford has 48 total tackles with 4.5 for-loss for 12 yards and 1.5 sacks for five yards, while also recovering and forcing a fumble. Jacquez McGowan has 41 tackles and an 85-yard interception return for a touchdown. Tim Coutras and Jackson Price each have 32 tackles, with Countras also picking off a team-best two passes among the Golden Eagles' six interceptions. Daniel Rickert leads the team in tackles-for-loss (9.5 for 29 yards) and sacks (5.0 for 19 yards).
Tech's next home game is Nov. 4 as the Golden Eagles welcome in UT Martin for Homecoming.
Tickets for the remaining home contests are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Craig Delk
