Game Preview: Robert Morris Heads to Morgantown to Take on West Virginia

As Robert Morris heads down to Morgantown to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers — the first ever Big-12 opponent in RMU history — it officially signals the start of college football season.

The Colonials suffered massive roster turnover in the offseason and will unleash a new look roster in head coach Bernard Clark Jr.’s ninth season at the helm.

There is no doubt that the Colonials are massive underdog in Saturday’s opener but the Mountaineers face a similar situation as they brought in the most transfers in the entire FBS.

While the Colonials’ football program kept most of the information regarding the two-deep roster under wraps, they finally released it on the lead up to Saturday’s matchup.

Official Robert Morris Football 2-Deep Roster for West Virginia Week@RMUSportsNow @PghSportsNow pic.twitter.com/TASZyHEdPQ

— Adam Borst (@AdamBorstPGH) August 30, 2025

There were many questions regarding starters at many key positions including quarterback, running back and linebacker. The recently uncovered two-deep answered many of those, at least for the first game.

While Robert Morris brought in Harvard transfer quarterback Amber Dudley, it appears that returning junior Zach Tanner has the initial upper hand as he was listed as the team’s starter against West Virginia. Tanner started the season finale last year and displayed some good attributes as he went 13-of-20 with two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions.

The same situation looked like it played out at the running back position as the team brought in UMass transfer Donta Whack but he finds himself behind Ethan Shine on the depth chart. The junior played sparingly last year as he totaled just seven carries for 44 yards and one touchdown.

At receiver, it is going to be hard to replace the three top guys from a season ago but for the first game of the season it looks like the Colonials are going with West Virginia transfer Tyler Evans, Maryland transfer Kai Holloway and Bluefield transfer Thomas Lee.

Additionally, Preseason All-NEC First-Team tight end Chaz Middleton is listed at wide receiver and not at his usual spot.

The defense is in the same boat as it lost two 100-plus tackle linebackers, in which they brought in three transfers to try to replace them.

On the official two-deep, only one transfer claimed a starting job as Austin Peay transfer Jakari Patterson won the team’s starting sam linebacker job. Wake Forest transfer Eldrick Robinson and UMass transfer Jyree Roberts are expected to play in depth roles.

There is no doubt that many of the Colonials’ starters can still change on a week-to-week basis, but at least for one week, there is finally some clarity to some of the biggest camp questions.

While the Colonials likely start the season on the wrong end of a blowout to the Mountaineers, there is a long season ahead for the projected NEC contenders.