Sept. 18, 2009
Center Valley, Pa. - It's the only Saturday of the season without any League games, but the Patriot League Football schedule still brings intriguing matchups as Holy Cross and Lafayette face ranked opponents and the League squares off with five Ivy League foes.
The matchups against nationally-ranked competition both come at the home of a Patriot League school, as No. 23 Holy Cross welcomes No. 25 Harvard and Lafayette hosts No. 24 Liberty. The Leopards are the only team that is not playing an opponent from the Ivy League. The other matchups on the schedule include Bucknell visiting Cornell, Colgate at Dartmouth, Georgetown hosting Yale and Fordham playing host to Columbia. Lehigh has its bye on Saturday.
Holy Cross moved up to No. 23 in this week's Sports Network top 25, while Colgate and Lafayette are each receiving votes in the poll. The three teams are the remaining unbeaten squads in the Patriot League, with Holy Cross and Colgate at 2-0 and Lafayette winning its season opener last week against Georgetown. The Crusaders and Leopards are each 1-0 in Patriot League play.
Fordham (0-1) and Georgetown (0-2) will each look for their first victory of the season on Saturday, while Bucknell (1-1) tries to go over the .500 mark.
Saturday's slate marks the first five of 18 matchups against Ivy League opposition in 2009. The teams have split the season series, 9-9, in each of the past two years.
To follow the Patriot League Football action on Saturday, go to the Patriot League Gameday Blog for updates following the afternoon and evening contests, and the Patriot League Twitter page for score updates throughout the day. Also, get all of the live stat, audio and video links through the Patriot League composite schedule. For a complete recap of the day's action, including box scores and school recaps, come back to www.patriotleague.org at the end of the night.
For previews of each of Saturday's games, including game notes and any live stat, audio or video links from the institutions, see the game capsules below.
This Week in the Patriot League
Bucknell (1-1, 0-0) at Cornell (0-0, 0-0 Ivy)
Schoellkopf Field; Ithaca, N.Y. - Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Series Cornell, 37-11
Streak Cornell, Two Wins Last Meeting Cornell, 21-20 (9.20.2008)
Last Bucknell Win 20-5 (9.16.2006) Last Five Meetings Cornell, 3-2
Bucknell Head Coach Tim Landis, Randolph-Macon, 1986
Career Record 82-92-1 (17th Season) Overall/29-40 (Seventh Season) at Bucknell; 14-23 Patriot League
Cornell Head Coach Jim Knowles, Cornell, 1987
Career Record 24-26 (Sixth Season) Overall/Cornell
Bucknell goes for its second consecutive win when it visits Cornell on Saturday afternoon in the season opener for the Big Red...The Bison will also try to post their first victory at Cornell since 1995 and break a four-game losing streak in Ithaca...The home team had won the last eight games in the series until Cornell won at Bucknell, 21-20, last season...Cornell has a 37-11 edge in the all-time series, but the Bison are 10-11 against the Big Red since 1979...Patriot League teams are 29-30-1 all-time against Cornell.
Bucknell The Bison used a pair of interception returns for touchdowns to notch their first win of the season, 26-23 at home over Robert Morris on Saturday...The defense scored all 16 points in the second half, with the INT returns by Brigham Farrand and Greg Jones and a safety late in the game to seal the win...The Bison had five interceptions in the game, marking the first time they forced five turnovers since facing Duquesne in 2004...Farrand's INT return for a touchdown was the first for a Bison since 2005...Bucknell defeated Robert Morris by three points for the second straight year...A.J. Kizekai had 199 all-purpose yards, and moved into ninth in Patriot League annals with 4,747 career all-purpose yards...The mark is second in Bucknell history...Bucknell has won two consecutive home games for the first time since 2006...The Bison return home to face Marist (Sept. 26) and Georgetown (Oct. 3) after playing Cornell.
Bucknell Game Notes
Live Stats
Video
Audio
No. 25/25 Harvard (0-0, 0-0 Ivy) at No. 23 Holy Cross (2-0, 1-0)
Fitton Field; Worcester, Mass. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Series Harvard, 38-22-2 TV WCTR-TV 3
Streak Harvard, One Win Last Meeting Harvard, 25-24 (9.19.2008)
Last Holy Cross Win 31-28 (9.15.2007) Last Five Meetings Harvard, 4-1
Harvard Head Coach Tim Murphy, Springfield, 1978
Career Record 129-97-1 (22nd Season) Overall/97-52 (17th Season) at Harvard
Holy Cross Head Coach Tom Gilmore, Penn, 1986
Career Record 32-25 (Sixth Season) Overall/Holy Cross; 18-13 Patriot League
Holy Cross tries to move to 3-0 for the first time since 2000 when it hosts Harvard on Saturday at Fitton Field...The Crusaders have lost six of the last seven meetings with the Crimson, though they did earn a 31-28 win in the last meeting in Worcester in 2007...Harvard came from 12 points down for a 25-24 win at home over Holy Cross last year...Harvard spoiled Holy Cross' chance at a 3-0 start in 2002 and 2005, and has won 12 of the last 15 in the series...Patriot League teams are 24-30 all-time against Harvard.
Holy Cross Holy Cross is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2005 after knocking off Sacred Heart, 52-21, on Saturday...The Crusaders built a 28-0 lead in the second quarter and led by at least 14 points the rest of the way...Dominic Randolph had 338 yards of total offense and accounted for four touchdowns, with 274 passing yards and two scores and 64 rushing yards and a career-high two rushing touchdowns..Randolph became the all-time Patriot League leader in touchdowns responsible for with 98, breaking the tie with Ryan Vena (Colgate, 1996-99) coming into the day...Anthony DiMichele tallied a career-high 10 tackles and an interception in the game...Eddie Houghton led the team in rushing with 80 yards, and the freshman scored his first career touchdown...The 2-0 start in 2005 also came in home games against Sacred Heart and Georgetown...Holy Cross won its fifth consecutive home game overall...The Crusaders have their bye week coming up next Saturday.
Holy Cross Game Notes
Live Stats
Video
Audio
Yale (0-0, 0-0 Ivy) at Georgetown (0-2, 0-2)
Multi-Sport Field; Washington, D.C. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Series Yale, 2-0
Streak Yale, Two Wins Last Meeting Yale, 47-7 (9.20.2008)
Yale Head Coach Tom Williams, Stanford, 1995
Career Record 0-0 (First Season) Overall/Yale
Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Kelly, Springfield, 1982
Career Record 5-29 (Fourth Season) Overall/Georgetown; 1-18 Patriot League
Georgetown takes on Yale for the third consecutive year after the teams started the series in 2007...Yale owns both of the victories to date, with a 47-7 triumph at home last year and a 28-14 win in Washington in 2007...Georgetown is playing its first non-League game after falling in a pair of Patriot League contests to start the season...Yale Head Coach Tom Williams is coaching his first collegiate game...Patriot League teams are 11-29 all-time against Yale.
Georgetown The Hoyas drew a crowd of nearly 3,000 people for the first night game at Multi-Sport Field on Saturday, but could not send them home happy in a 28-3 loss to Lafayette...The Hoyas fell to 0-2 in Patriot League action for the fourth straight year...Andrew Schaetzke had a big game on defense, recording 10 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks...Wayne Heimuli notched 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss...The Hoyas are in the midst of a three-game homestand, which concludes with a matchup with D.C. rival Howard on Sept. 26.
Georgetown Game Notes
Gametracker
Video
Colgate (2-0, 0-0) at Dartmouth (0-0, 0-0 Ivy)
Memorial Field; Hanover, N.H. - Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Series Colgate, 17-5-1
Streak Colgate, Three Wins Last Meeting Colgate, 34-20 (9.20.2008)
Last Dartmouth Win 26-21 (9.17.2005) Last Five Meetings Colgate, 4-1
Colgate Head Coach Dick Biddle, Duke, 1971
Career Record 106-49 (14th Season) Overall/Colgate; 62-16 Patriot League
Dartmouth Head Coach Buddy Teevens, Dartmouth, 1979
Career Record 67-132-2 (20th Season) Overall/33-55-2 (10th Season) at Dartmouth
Off to its best start since opening 15-0 in 2003, Colgate will try to move to 3-0 with a win at Dartmouth on Saturday at Memorial Field...The Raiders have owned the series with the Big Green, winning the last three meetings and nine of the 10 under Head Coach Dick Biddle...The one loss in that span came at Dartmouth in 2005...The last matchup in Hanover was memorable, as Colgate rallied from a 28-0 deficit to score a 31-28 victory in overtime in 2007...The Raiders won last year's game by a 34-20 score at home...Colgate has won 15 of the last 17 games against Dartmouth since 1953, and is 8-2 on the road during that span...Patriot League teams are 29-21 all-time against the Big Green, with Colgate and Holy Cross combining for seven straight victories.
Colgate Colgate opened 2-0 for the first time since 2003 by knocking off Stony Brook, 23-13, at home on Saturday...It is the second 2-0 start in Head Coach Dick Biddle's 14 seasons, with the other coming when the Raiders opened 15-0 and went to the national championship game in 2003...Colgate got a big performance from quarterback Greg Sullivan, who led the team with 113 rushing yards while throwing for 148 yards and two touchdowns to wide receiver Pat Simonds...It was Sullivan's third career game with more than 100 rushing and passing yards, and he now leads the Patriot League with 98.0 rushing yards per game this season...He is the 27th Colgate player to go over 1,000 career rushing yards...Garrington Spence sealed the win on a 15-yard interception return for a touchdown with 3:56 remaining in the game...He was the first Raider to return an interception for a touchdown since 2005...Simonds had seven catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns...He became the sixth player in Colgate history to go over 1,900 yards receiving in his career...The Raiders open up another two-game homestand next week, taking on Fordham (Sept. 26) and Cornell (Oct. 3).
No. 24 Liberty (1-1, 0-0 Big South) at Lafayette (1-0, 1-0)
Fisher Stadium; Easton, Pa. - Saturday, 6 p.m.
Series Lafayette, 1-0 TV Lafayette Sports Network
Streak Lafayette, One Win Last Meeting Lafayette, 35-21 (10.18.2008)
Liberty Head Coach Danny Rocco, Wake Forest, 1984
Career Record 25-11 (Fourth Season) Overall/Liberty
Lafayette Head Coach Frank Tavani, Lebanon Valley, 1976
Career Record 53-50 (10th Season) Overall/Lafayette; 32-26 Patriot League
Lafayette opens its home schedule by taking on No. 24 Liberty at 6 p.m. at Fisher Stadium on Saturday...Lafayette is trying to start the season at 2-0 for the sixth consecutive year...The Leopards won the only all-time meeting between the schools last year, posting a 35-21 victory at then No. 14 Liberty on Oct. 18...That was the first victory for a Patriot League team against a non-League ranked opponent since 2005...Liberty is the defending Big South champion...Patriot League teams are 2-0 all-time against Liberty, with Lehigh earning the other win in 2004.
Lafayette The Leopards began their overall and Patriot League schedule with a 28-3 win at Georgetown on Saturday night...It marked the eighth consecutive season that Lafayette has opened with a win, and also the sixth straight year that the Leopards have won their first Patriot League game...In addition, Lafayette beat Georgetown for the sixth consecutive meeting...Rob Curley went 20-of-34 for a career-high 259 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in the game...Mark Layton had seven receptions for 107 yards and two scores...The Leopards opened up a 21-0 lead by halftime...Lafayette held a 205-19 edge in rushing yardage, with three running backs each gaining over 50 yards...The opening-game performance puts Lafayette first in the nation in scoring defense and third in rushing defense...Michael Phillips had two tackles for loss and two forced fumbles...Lafayette begins a stretch of four straight games against Ivy League opponents when it hosts Penn next week.
Lafayette Game Notes
Gametracker
Video
Columbia (0-0, 0-0 Ivy) at Fordham (0-1, 0-0)
Jack Coffey Field; Bronx, N.Y. - Saturday, 6 p.m.
Series Columbia, 11-6
Streak Fordham, Two Wins Last Meeting Fordham, 29-22 (9.20.2008)
Last Columbia Win 37-7 (9.16.2006) Last Five Meetings Fordham, 3-2
Columbia Head Coach Norries Wilson, Minnesota, 1989
Career Record 6-14 (Third Season) Overall/Columbia
Fordham Head Coach Tom Masella, Wagner, 1981
Career Record 33-45 (Eighth Season) Overall/16-19 (Fourth Season) at Fordham; 7-11 PL
Fordham and Columbia meet in the annual matchup for New York City bragging rights on Saturday at Jack Coffey Field...The Rams have won the last two meetings, with a 29-22 victory at Columbia last season and a 27-10 triumph at home in 2007...Fordham running back Xavier Martin had four touchdowns in last year's matchup, and has 312 yards and seven touchdowns in two career games against the Lions...Fordham has won four of the last six meetings, and five of the past eight after Columbia started the series with a 10-1 mark...The winner of the game claims the Liberty Cup, which was first awarded in 2002 as a way to honor the alumni of both schools who were lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks...Patriot League teams are 42-17-2 all-time against Columbia.
Fordham The Rams are coming off of a bye week after dropping their season opener at Rhode Island, 41-28, on Sept. 5...Fordham scored the last three touchdowns in the game after falling behind 41-7...Fordham quarterback John Skelton threw for 302 yards and ran for 54 in the game, and ranks in the top 10 nationally in passing yards and total offense per game this season...Fordham has started the year at 1-1 in each of Head Coach Tom Masella's first three seasons, and is trying to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2005...Fordham has dropped its last six games coming off of a bye week.
Fordham Game Notes
Gametracker
Video
Audio
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