Oct. 27, 2008
Center Valley, Pa. - The three-way tie in the Patriot League Football standings will be reduced to at least a two-way tie when Saturday's action is over. Lafayette, ranked No. 21 in the country, will travel to Colgate in a matchup of teams with perfect 2-0 League marks. Holy Cross will try to stay in a first-place tie with the winner of that contest, as the 2-0 Crusaders host 1-1 Bucknell. Lehigh attempts to move back above .500 in League action when it visits Georgetown. Fordham hosts a non-League affair against Marist.
Patriot League Football Release - 10.27.08 
Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week
Dominic Randolph, Holy Cross Sr., QB, 6'3, 223, Amelia, Ohio/St. Xavier
Randolph receives Offensive Player of the Week recognition for the second time in the last three weeks, and ninth in his career, after leading Holy Cross past Lehigh, 35-21, on Saturday. Randolph completed 28-of-39 passes for 330 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in the game, and came up huge as the Crusaders scored 14 fourth-quarter points to earn the victory. He completed 13-of-15 passes in the second half, and hit on 12-of-13 passes and two touchdowns after Lehigh had tied the score at 21 in the third quarter. Randolph set a Patriot League and Holy Cross record with his 14th-career 300-yard effort, as he topped the 300-yard mark for the fourth consecutive game.
Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week
Quadir Carter, Lehigh Sr., DB, 5'10, 200, Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom
Carter had a huge day in Lehigh's 35-21 loss to Holy Cross, recording a career-high 13 tackles and also notching a career-high two interceptions. Both of the interceptions came in Lehigh territory in the second quarter to keep the Mountain Hawks within a touchdown at halftime. Nine of Carter's 13 stops were solo efforts. Carter earns the first Defensive Player of the Week honor of his career.
Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week
Greg Stripe, Lafayette Fr., WR, 5'9, 170, Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah
Stripe receives his first Patriot League weekly honor after recording an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Lafayette's 48-13 victory at Fordham. The return came after Fordham cut the Lafayette lead to 34-13 in the third quarter, and was the first for a Lafayette player since 2006. Stripe also had five carries for 43 yards and finished with 136 all-purpose yards.
Patriot League Rookie of the Week
Nate Eachus, Colgate Fr., RB, 5'11, 195, Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area
Eachus earns his second consecutive Rookie of the Week award after carrying 36 times for 214 yards and three touchdowns in Colgate's 52-28 victory at Bucknell. He scored on runs of 9, 1 and 48 yards. Eachus had over 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns for the second consecutive week, and now has 73 carries for 455 yards and six touchdowns in the last two games.
Patriot League Notebook
Lafayette, Colgate and Holy Cross Move to 2-0 in League
Lafayette, Colgate and Holy Cross earned key victories in Patriot League matchups on Saturday to remain in a first-place tie in the League standings with 2-0 records. Colgate and Holy Cross both won a battle of teams that came into the game with a 1-0 Patriot League mark, as the Raiders won at Bucknell, 52-28, and the Crusaders triumphed at home against Lehigh, 35-21. Lafayette went on the road and scored an impressive 48-13 victory at Fordham. Lehigh and Bucknell trail the leaders with 1-1 League records, while Fordham and Georgetown have been eliminated from the race at 0-3.
Lafayette Moves Up One Poll, Into Another
Lafayette posted a 48-13 victory at Fordham on Saturday, and voters in each of the top 25 polls were convinced of the Leopards' resume when they submitted weekly ballots. Lafayette moved up to No. 21 in the country in The Sports Network top 25 after holding the No. 24 ranking last week, and moved into the FCS Coaches top 25 at No. 22 in the nation. The Leopards are the only Patriot League squad to earn a top 25 ranking this season, but Colgate and Holy Cross moved up in the receiving votes category of both polls this week.
Lafayette and Colgate Ranked In ECAC Lambert FCS Poll
Lafayette and Colgate represent the Patriot League once again in the ECAC Lambert Meadowlands FCS poll released on Monday, with the Leopards at No. 8 overall with 33 points and the Raiders at No. 9 with 19 points. Both teams are in the poll for the third week in a row after the initial rankings were released on Oct. 13.
Raiders, Leopards Boast Impressive Winning Streaks
Colgate's triumph at Bucknell on Saturday was its fifth consecutive win, a streak that ties the Raiders for the second-longest stretch in the Football Championship Subdivision. No. 1 James Madison is the only school with a longer winning streak at seven games. Nobody in the country has a longer road winning streak than Lafayette, which has won six consecutive road contests after its 48-13 win at Fordham on Saturday. One of the streaks will end on Saturday as the Leopards travel to Hamilton.
Randolph Sets Patriot League Record for 300-Yard Games
Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph set a Patriot League and Holy Cross record with his 14th-career 300-yard passing game on Saturday against Lehigh. Randolph broke the mark held by former Crusader Jeff Wiley (1986-88). Randolph is in the top six in Patriot League history in five different statistical categories, and leads all active FCS players in total offense per game for his career with 311.8 yards.
Colgate's Scott Chasing Records
Colgate senior running back Jordan Scott missed the Raiders' victory over Buckenll on Saturday with an injury, but he'll continue his record chase when he returns to the field. Scott needs 27 carries to break the all-time Division I record of 1,215 (Steve Bartalo, Colorado State 1983-86). He is 83 away from breaking the all Divisions carries mark of 1,271. Scott has 971 rushing yards for the season, and is very close to becoming the eighth player in FCS history and first Patriot Leaguer to record four 1,000-yard campaigns in his career. Scott has 5,444 career rushing yards, and the all-time Patriot League and Colgate rushing leader is now sixth on the FCS career rushing list. He leads all active FCS players in career rushing yardage, touchdowns and all-purpose yardage.
Close Calls in Non-League Action, But Not League Play
After competitive games in the non-League portion of the schedule, the Patriot League part of the slate has featured a few blowouts. Patriot League teams are 10-8 in non-League games decided by seven points or less, and hold a 3-8 record in games decided by three points or less. More than half of the 34 non-League games have been decided by seven points or less. But those close games are not translating to League play, with just two of the first eight contests decided by seven points or less, and only Bucknell's 27-24 win at Georgetown coming within three points.
Scott and Randolph Maintain No. 1 Spots In NCAA Stats
Colgate's Jordan Scott and Holy Cross' Dominic Randolph, both candidates for the Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding player in the FCS, are showing why they are so highly regarded. Randolph leads the nation with 336 yards of total offense and 31.9 completions per contest, and is second in the FCS in passing yards per game. Scott's 161.8 rushing average is currently second in the country. The superstars are producing big numbers for their teams, with Holy Cross third in the nation in passing offense and sixth in total offense and Colgate placing third in the nation in rushing offense and ninth in total offense
Patriot Leaguers Claiming National Honors
Another week, another impressive showing for Patriot League players in nationalhonors. All three Patriot League Players of the Week from Oct. 20 followed up their award with a national honor, as Colgate freshman running back Nate Eachus and Lafayette senior linebacker Andy Romans were named National All-Stars by College Sporting News, and Holy Cross senior running back Mike Kielt received ECAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. They add their names to a long list of national weekly awards winners from the Patriot League, which includes: Holy Cross senior quarterback Dominic Randolph (The Sports Network, ECAC Offensive Player of the Week), Colgate senior running back Jordan Scott (College Sporting News (twice), ECAC (twice), The Sports Network) and Georgetown sophomore linebacker Nick Parrish (ECAC). Romans, Scott and Bucknell junior linebacker Sam Nana-Sinkam have all received a weekly honor as the top player at their position from SME Network.
Georgetown/Colgate Matchup Will Not Be Rescheduled
The Patriot League office, in consultation with the League's football athletic directors, determined that the Georgetown at Colgate football game that was postponed on Oct. 4 due to a norovirus outbreak on Georgetown's campus will not be rescheduled this season. It was agreed that the game will be listed as an un-played game in the League standings and overall school records for the 2008 season. A tie in the season-ending standings will exist if teams have the same number of losses. The decision was endorsed by a 7-0 vote of the football athletic directors. Tiebreaker formulas can be found at www.patriotleague.com and at page seven in the Patriot League Football release.
This Week in the Patriot League
No. 21/22 Lafayette (6-1, 2-0) at Colgate (6-2, 2-0)
Andy Kerr Stadium; Hamilton, N.Y. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Series Colgate, 37-10-4 TV LSN, MASN, TW
Streak Colgate, One Win Last Meeting Colgate 36-27 (10.27.07)
Last Lafayette Win 27-10 (10-28.06) Last Five Meetings Colgate, 4-1
Lafayette Head Coach Frank Tavani, Lebanon Valley, 1976
Career Record 51-47 (9th Season) Overall/Lafayette; 30-23 Patriot League
Colgate Head Coach Dick Biddle, Duke, 1971
Career Record 101-48 (13th Season) Overall/Colgate; 59-16 Patriot League
Colgate and Lafayette meet in Hamilton with at least a share of first place in the Patriot League on the line...The Raiders and Leopards are both tied for the lead with 2-0 League records along with Holy Cross...Colgate has dominated the series, with wins in 11 of the 12 matchups under Head Coach Dick Biddle...However, Lafayette did snap a 10-game Raider series winning streak with a 27-10 triumph in the last meeting in Hamilton in 2006...The road team has won the last three contests in the series...Colgate is playing its first League contest at home after their Oct. 4 game against Georgetown was cancelled...The Leopards are trying to move to 4-0 on their season-long five-game road trip...Lafayette Head Coach Frank Tavani is 1-7 in his career against Colgate, while Dick Biddle has the 11-1 mark against the Leopards...Colgate has a 14-7-1 advantage in Patriot League matchups between the schools...The Raiders are 19-5-1 in matchups played in Hamilton, with a 7-4 mark in League contests at home...Colgate is trying to start 3-0 in League play for the first time since 2003, and win six consecutive games for the first time since claiming their first 15 and making the national title game that season...Lafayette goes for its first 3-0 League record since 2005, and tries to post a 7-1 overall record for the first time since 1981.
Lafayette Notebook Lafayette remained in a tie for first place in the
Patriot League with a 48-13 victory at Fordham on Saturday...Lafayette is 2-0 in League action for the first time since 2005, and 6-1 overall for the first time since 1988...The Leopards have won in their last three trips to the Bronx, and have claimed four of the last five against the Rams overall...Lafayette is 3-0 on the first three games of its five-game road trip, the longest for the Leopards since 1986...Lafayette's 48 points were the most the Leopards have put up since a 49-10 season-opening win over Marist in 2007...The Leopards held a commanding 322-98 advantage in rushing yardage, and jumped out early with 14 first-quarter points on the way to a 28-6 lead at halftime...The 322 rushing yards were the most for the Leopards since Nov. 13, 2004 against Holy Cross...Lafayette had three second-half touchdowns against Fordham on Saturday, snapping a streak of eight quarters without a second-half touchdown...Greg Stripe became the first Lafayette player to return a kick for a touchdown since 2006, going 80 yards for a score in the third quarter...Freshman Jerome Rudolph carried 16 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns and also pulled in three receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown...Lafayette is ranked second in the nation in scoring defense with 13.3 ppg allowed.
Colgate Notebook Colgate recorded its fifth consecutive victory and improved to 2-0 in the Patriot League with a 52-28 win at Bucknell on Saturday...It was the most points for the Raiders in the 57-game series history between the teams, and the highest output for Colgate since scoring 52 against Yale in 2003...The Raiders won in Lewisburg for the first time since 2002, and snapped a five-game winning streak for the home team in the series...Colgate has a 2-0 record in League play for the fifth time in the last six years...The Raiders have also clinched a winning season, the 12th in 13 years at the helm for Head Coach Dick Biddle...Colgate won both contests on a two-game road trip, and has taken four straight away from home after losing the opener at Stony Brook...Colgate's 421 rushing yards was the 10th highest game in school history...The Raiders scored 35 consecutive points after trailing, 21-17...Jacob Stein kicked a career-long 40-yard field goal while also making all seven of his extra points...Greg Sullivan completed 7-of-12 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for 79 yards and a score...The Raiders are third in the nation with 290 rushing yards per game, and ninth in the FCS in total offense.
Bucknell (4-3, 1-1) at Holy Cross (4-3, 2-0)
Fitton Field; Worcester, Mass. - Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Series Holy Cross, 15-9
Streak Holy Cross, Three Wins Last Meeting Holy Cross, 45-21 (10.27.07)
Last Bucknell Win 42-27 (10.30.04) Last Five Meetings Holy Cross, 3-2
Bucknell Head Coach Tim Landis, Randolph Macon, 1986
Career Record 80-88-1 (16th Season) Overall/27-36 (6th Season) at Bucknell; 13-20 PL
Holy Cross Head Coach Tom Gilmore, Penn, 1986
Career Record 27-24 (5th Season) Overall/Holy Cross; 14-12 Patriot League
Holy Cross tries to maintain a share of first place in the Patriot League standings when it hosts Bucknell on Saturday...The Crusaders are tied with Lafayette and Colgate at 2-0 in League action, with the Leopards and Raiders facing off on Saturday...Holy Cross will also try to win its fourth consecutive game overall, which would be its third straight year with at least a four-game winning streak...The Crusaders have won three consecutive games against Bucknell, taking each contest by at least 17 points...Bucknell's last win in the series came in Worcester in 2004...The Bison are trying to win their first four road games for the first time since 1997...Holy Cross is 15-9 all-time against Bucknell, and 13-9 in the Patriot League...The Crusaders are 8-3 against the Bison in Patriot League matchups in Worcester...Holy Cross Head Coach Tom Gilmore has a 3-1 mark against Bucknell counterpart Tim Landis, who is 2-3 against the Crusaders...Holy Cross will try to start 3-0 in League play for the third straight year...Bucknell goes for its first 2-1 League mark since 2003...The Crusaders are playing the second of three consecutive home League contests.
Bucknell Notebook Bucknell fell to 1-1 in Patriot League play with a 52-28 loss at home against Colgate on Saturday...The Bison had won the last two meetings between the teams in Lewisburg...Bucknell dropped to 1-3 at home this season, but has a 3-0 record on the road...The Bison took a 21-17 lead in the second quarter against the Raiders, but saw Colgate run off the next 35 points...A.J. Kizekai had a career-high 178 kickoff return yards on five returns, and finished with 250 all-purpose yards...He had two kickoff returns and one rush over 50 yards...The 178 kickoff return yards are the second-highest total in Bucknell history...Kizekai is 133 kickoff return yards shy of the Bucknell career record, and is fourth in school history with 3,729 all-purpose yards...Kizekai is ninth in the FCS in all-purpose yardage per game in the 2008 season and in the same position among active players in career statistics...Brigham Farrand had a career-high 18 tackles in the game, including 13 in the first half alone...Marcello Trigg matched a career-high with two touchdown passes...Shaun Pasternak caught eight passes for 150 yards and a touchdown for the Bison...He now has 983 yards in his career, and is in the top 20 in the FCS in receptions and receiving yardage per game this year.
Holy Cross Notebook Holy Cross won for the third consecutive time and moved to 2-0 in the Patriot League with a 35-21 victory over Lehigh on Saturday...The Crusaders are 2-0 in League play for the fourth consecutive season...The victory was the third in the last four meetings against the Mountain Hawks, and also snapped a seven-game Lehigh winning streak in games played in Worcester...It also ended a four-game win streak for the road team in the series...The Crusaders had a 21-0 lead early in the game, then scored the final two touchdowns of the contest in the fourth quarter after Lehigh had tied it up at 21...Dominic Randolph threw for 330 yards in the contest, his Patriot League record 14th career 300-yard game...The Crusaders have scored 35 points or more in each of their last three wins...Mike Kielt had 105 rushing yards and a touchdown and Jon Brock recorded six catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns...Holy Cross held a 489-375 edge in total offense...Kielt became the first Crusader to go over 100 yards rushing in consecutive games since Steve Silva in 2005...Brock now has eight receiving touchdowns this season...Drew Volkmann scored on his first career carry in the first quarter...The Crusaders are third in the nation in passing offense, and sixth in total offense.
Lehigh (2-5, 1-1) at Georgetown (1-6, 0-3)
Multi-Sport Field; Washington, D.C. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Series Lehigh, 8-5
Streak Lehigh, Seven Wins Last Meeting Lehigh 45-0 (10.27.07)
Last Georgetown Win 40-0 (1925) Last Five Meetings Lehigh, 5-0
Lehigh Head Coach Andy Coen, Gettysburg, 1986
Career Record 13-16 (3rd Season) Overall/Lehigh; 8-6 Patriot League
Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Kelly, Springfield, 1982
Career Record 4-25 (3rd Season) Overall/Georgetown; 1-14 Patriot League
Lehigh and Georgetown meet in Washington, D.C. on Saturday at 1 p.m...The Mountain Hawks are trying to stay close in the Patriot League race by moving to 2-1 in the League, while the Hoyas are in search of their first League triumph...Lehigh has won all seven Patriot League matchups between the schools, including a 45-0 triumph in Bethlehem last season...The Mountain Hawks have won all of the games by at least 21 points...Georgetown claimed five of the six meetings when the schools met from 1901-1925, with the teams resuming the series when the Hoyas began Patriot League play in 2001...The Mountain Hawks earned a 28-3 victory in the last meeting at Georgetown in 2006, and are 4-0 in Patriot League contests played in Washington...Lehigh Head Coach Andy Coen is 2-0 against counterpart Kevin Kelly of Georgetown...The Mountain Hawks are trying to start 2-1 or better in League action for the 10th time in the last 11 years...The Hoyas will attempt to avoid an 0-4 start for the second time in three years.
Lehigh Notebook Lehigh dropped to 1-1 in the Patriot League with a 35-21 defeat at Holy Cross on Saturday...The loss snapped a seven-game Mountain Hawk winning streak at Fitton Field, and a four-game win streak for the road team in the series...The Mountain Hawks have dropped the first two contests of a three-game road trip, and are 0-4 on the road this season...Lehigh rallied from a 21-0 deficit to tie the score at 21 before Holy Cross tallied the final two touchdowns of the contest...Matt McGowan had a huge day for the Mountain Hawks, rushing for 178 yards and a touchdown and also scoring on a 66-yard touchdown reception...The rushing yardage total was a career high, and the best mark for a Lehigh running back since Jermaine Pugh in 2003...The touchdown reception was also the longest for a Mountain Hawk running back since Pugh in 2003...McGowan tallied a career-long 46-yard rush in the second quarter...McGowan's 244 yards of total offense were the most for a Lehigh player since Pugh in 2003...Jason Leo moved into the Patriot League top 10 with 178 career kicking points...Leo is 16th in the nation with a 42.1 net punting average, while the Mountain Hawks are eighth nationally in net punting...Lehigh is in the top 10 in the FCS in rushing defense.
Georgetown Notebook Georgetown fell at No. 9 Richmond, 48-0, on Saturday...It was the first meeting between the schools since 1935...The Hoyas faced a top 25 opponent for the first time this season...Anthony DiTommaso led the Hoyas with a game-high 10 tackles...Philip Oladeji paced the offense with 35 yards on the ground...Georgetown is fourth nationally in fewest yards penalized per game.
Marist (3-5) at Fordham (3-4, 0-3)
Jack Coffey Field; Bronx, N.Y. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Series Fordham, 5-0
Streak Fordham, Five Wins Last Meeting Fordham 33-0 (10.27.07)
Marist Head Coach Jim Parady, Maine, 1983
Career Record 88-76-1 (16th Season) Overall/Marist
Fordham Head Coach Tom Masella, Wagner, 1981
Career Record 31-42 (7th Season) Overall/14-16 (3rd Season) at Fordham; 6-9 PL
Fordham looks to stay perfect in its series history against Marist...The Rams have won all five meetings, with victories in each of the last two seasons...Fordham scored a 33-0 win at Marist in 2007, and a 13-9 triumph at home in 2006...Lafayette and Bucknell have already knocked off Marist this season, and Patriot League teams are 16-2 all-time against the Red Foxes.
Fordham Notebook Fordham dropped to 0-3 in Patriot League play with a 48-13 home loss against Lafayette on Saturday...The Rams have been eliminated from contention to defend their Patriot League title...Fordham has dropped three straight to Lafayette in the Bronx, and four of the last five against the Leopards overall...The Rams are 0-3 in League action for the third time in the last four years, and have dropped four consecutive League contests overall...John Skelton threw for 264 yards and a touchdown in the game...He is in the top 20 in the FCS in completions, passing yardage and total offense per game, and in the top 20 among active career leaders in each of the categories.
