A quarterback takes the snap, drops back, and before he can even look to make a pass down field to one of his receivers, he sees No. 54 of the defensive line charging at him for the sack.

The defensive end is not the infamous 54 of the Chicago Bears, Brian Urlacher, but rather Robert Morris's Ray Gensler, a senior defensive end on his way to having a memorable season.

"He's unquestionably one of the hardest-working defensive linemen I've ever had the pleasure of coaching," said RMU defensive line coach John Banaszak.

"He is not the biggest or the fastest ... but he makes up for his [lack of] size with preparation and knowing his game plan and knowing the assignments and doing everything technically right as a football player."

Gensler, a senior defensive end out of Keystone Oaks High School and Green Tree, has recorded 9¹/₂ sacks this season, including 4¹/₂ in a game against Rowan University earlier this season.

With 17¹/₂ career sacks, Gensler passed former RMU lineman Jason Spencer (1994-1997), who had 17, for the school record.

For the season Gensler is fourth on the team in total tackles with 52, including 20 solos and 18 tackles for loss yardage.

Gensler said he's proud of his statistics, but learning about the game from his coaches is what he appreciates the most.

"The stats are always a good accomplishment, especially for a defensive player," said Gensler. "But it's more about the knowledge I've gotten from my coaches. If I ever had to coach a younger team, I'd be able to pass on my experience and knowledge."

Despite the physical strength and commanding presence that he brings to the game, Gensler knows how to keep his composure after making a big play.

"I was always taught as a kid to pretend like you've been there," said Gensler. "I personally don't like showboating. I mean, I'll get excited with my teammates, but I try not to say anything to the opposing quarterbacks."

"Everybody always looks at the NFL players, and that's where the bigger guys will technically showboat or do a little dance afterward," said Gensler.

Banaszak, however, said he believes that Gensler's calm and quiet demeanor is a source of motivation to his teammates on game day.

"I don't think I've ever heard Ray say anything on game day," Banaszak said. "He's a real quiet kid who gets his team jacked up and pumped up by the way he plays the game.

"He'll just make play after play and show no emotion whatsoever, but you know by looking at him that he's having a great time playing the game and he's having fun out there."

Being one of the top defensive players on the team requires hard work, but Gensler has managed to maintain a 3.9 grade point average, a notable achievement for a manufacturing engineer.

Banaszak said Gensler is a good example of "being a tremendous student-athlete," showing his ability to succeed both on the field and in the classroom.

Gensler said he is able to keep football and academics separate in his life, making sure that issues from one won't affect his performance in the other.

"When you step on the football field, it's a completely different story," said Gensler. "When I'm between the lines on the football field, that's the only thing going through my mind.

"If there's anything else, I just kind of block it out [of my mind] and figure I'll take care of that later."

Having passed the midway point of the season, Gensler and his teammates won five consecutive games before last Saturday's tough 16-7 Northeast Conference loss to Monmouth.

At 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the Northeast Conference, the Colonials have three conference games remaining. They are currently in a three-way tie for second place with Monmouth and Albany, a game behind Stony Brook (4-4, 4-0), who they play Saturday.

Gensler and his team know that winning an NEC championship will be far from easy, but Banaszak knows that having him on the defensive side of the ball will certainly help their chances.

"I don't know what I would do if he wasn't," Banaszak said. "I'd hate to try and block the kid."