Not only are the Robert Morris Colonials geared up for another football season, but they are excited for the opportunity to re-join the Northeast Conference for the 2024 season, a conference they called home from 1996 to 2019.
Following their departure in 2019, the Colonials joined the Big South Conference where they faced their fair share of hardships, even finishing 0-11 in 2022. The Colonials managed to slightly right their ship last season as they finished 4-7, but with a boatload of returning players and a fresh crop of transfers, they are ready to climb to the top of the NEC.
For them to reach that goal, it needed to start in the offseason and for most of the team, it did.
“Our guys did a great job of volunteering this summer and coming in as a group, we had anywhere from 50 to 70 guys all summer, working out, getting together and playing hard,” Colonials head coach Bernard Clark said. “I thought we had a good camp, it was tough on them, probably one of the tougher camps that we’ve had and we pushed real hard.”
Clark is not a stranger to the “new” conference as his first two seasons as the Colonials head coach were spent in the Northeast Conference. In 2019, Clark guided the Colonials to a conference record of 6-1 which led to him being named Co-Coach of the Year that season.
While the move brought in a sense of familiarity, it also brought a wave of excitement for the Colonials.
“We are excited about it,” Clark said. “Bringing back rivalries. The team downtown, we are excited to play them again. We’re excited to play Wagner again. … They are rival teams, and coach Joe Walton did an unbelievable job when he was in the NEC, winning conference championships. We just want to try to get back to that.”
The Colonials are the third-ranked team in the conference’s preseason poll, meaning there are real expectations for the team. The reason behind those lofty expectations is the solid group of players that Clark managed to recruit, bring in and keep over the last few seasons.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Colonials are led by senior quarterback Anthony Chiccitt, transfer running back Tyvon Edmonds Jr. and all-conference wide receiver Noah Robinson.
Chiccitt, a Bethel Park graduate, finished the 2023 season with 16 touchdown passes and four interceptions. With Chiccitt back under center, Robinson, the Colonials’ top receiving target from a year ago, is expected to maintain, if not exceed, his level of play from a season ago.
During Robinson’s first-team all-conference season, he led the Colonials in receptions (70), receiving yards (846) and touchdowns (six). To put it into perspective, Robinson’s 70 receptions broke the school’s and the Big South’s single-season record. Chiccitt expects their connection to stay in top form in 2024.
“With me and Noah, when he got here last spring, from the first time we threw, we had a connection and it translated into the season,” Chiccitt said about his connection with Robinson. “I don’t think much is going to change, he is the go-to guy. … We worked a lot this offseason so I think this year is only going to be better.”
Due to the connection between Chiccitt and Robinson, the Colonials passing attack is poised to be a strong unit again in 2024. What gives the Colonials hope in taking their offense to the next level is the addition of Edmonds, who finished as a first-team All-NEC honoree for Merrimack last season. In comparison, the Colonials rushed for just 97.7 yards per game in 2023.
Last season, Edmonds rushed for 1,247 yards and 10 touchdowns for Merrimack. His 1,247 rushing yards were the most in the Northeast Conference last season as he finished the year as the only 1,000 yard rusher in the entire conference.
“When [Edmonds] went into the portal, I am sure his mindset was FBS because he had 1,200 yards,” Clark said about Edmonds. “It didn’t work out the way he thought it would work out and thank God for us. … The guy’s vision is unbelievable. He has some of the best vision I have seen in a running back, just being able to see the hole and when he hits the hole, he is at top speed.”
Linebacker Jamar Shegog and safety Dee Pierce are slated to do the heavy lifting on the defensive side of the ball this season. The Colonials lost a multitude of defensive starters to either graduation or the transfer portal following last season but managed to retain two of their most consistent guys in Shegog and Pierce.
Shegog, a sixth-year veteran linebacker and Seton LaSalle graduate, is the leader of the defense. Not only is he a do-it-all type of linebacker that can fly around the field, Shegog is a vocal leader on the defense and takes pride in his growth as a player and leader. Last season, Shegog tallied 51 tackles, five for a loss, and one sack.
“I’m going into my fourth year as a starter here, so I’ve grown throughout the years, grown as a leader, grown as a player and just trying to control the defense in spots, trying to make sure people are in the right spots and make the correct checks. It’s a big part of the job,” Shegog said. “When you are able to do a lot of stuff on the field, it just gives you leeway to do a lot of things. I try to pride myself on tackling.”
Pierce, a former Miami of Ohio transfer, is another guy that prides himself on his tackling ability. Pierce led the Colonials with 40 solo tackles and finished second overall on the team with 57 total tackles in 2023.
First up for Chiccitt, Shegog and the rest of the Colonials are the Utah State Aggies at 8 p.m. on Aug. 31. While the Colonials are the underdogs heading into the matchup with the FBS school, win or lose, it serves as an important benchmark for the rest of the season.
While a win against the Aggies would be exciting, Clark just wants to see his team play a fundamentally smart and sound football game against an opponent that won 78-28 the last time they entertained an FCS opponent (Idaho State).
“The importance of this game is to play clean,” Clark said in regard to the season-opening game against Utah State. “We can’t have a ton of penalties. We can’t have a bunch of turnovers or unnecessary penalties. … Turning the ball, fumbles, interceptions, we need to get turnovers, we need to get interceptions so playing a clean game is extremely important to us.”
Following the season opener in Utah, the Colonials will play seven of their 11 remaining games at Joe Walton Stadium. That does not include the game against “the team downtown” as the Colonials will travel to the Bluff on Nov. 9 to renew their intracity rivalry with the Dukes.
Regardless, with the Colonials back where they belong, Clark and the rest of the team are primed to make some noise in the NEC.
