Nov. 5, 2009
Center Valley, Pa. - There's no doubt where Patriot League Football fans want to be on Saturday, as the co-leaders and the two teams in closest pursuit square off in contests separated by about a 15-minute drive. No. 13/14 Holy Cross is at Lehigh at 12:30 p.m., while No. 18/20 Colgate goes to No. 25/24 Lafayette in a game that kicks off just a half-hour later. Holy Cross and Lafayette are 3-0 in the League, while Colgate is at 3-1 and Lehigh holds a 2-1 mark.
Patriot League Football Release - 11.2.09 
Also on Saturday, Bucknell is at Fordham in a League matchup and Georgetown goes to Marist in non-League play. Each of those contests begins at 1 p.m. The Bison are 1-2 in the League, while the Rams and Hoyas are both out of the race for the 2009 title.
In addition to competing in a tight Patriot League race, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Colgate are all earning national recognition this season. Each team is ranked in the major FCS top 25 polls this week, with Lafayette debuting at No. 25 in The Sports Network rankings and No. 24 in the FCS Coaches poll. Holy Cross is up to No. 13/14 in the two polls, while Colgate is at No. 18/20. It is the first time since the final poll of the 2005 season that three Patriot League teams are in the rankings, and Holy Cross has the highest spot for a League team since Lehigh was No. 12 entering the final regular-season weekend in 2005.
Multiple top 25 teams has also brought upon games between ranked Patriot League squads, an occurence that is happening for the second time in three weeks on Saturday when No. 18/20 Colgate is at No. 25/24 Lafayette. The Raiders, then ranked No. 17, lost at No. 22 Holy Cross, 42-28, on Oct. 24. That ended nearly a five-year stretch where there were no games between top 25 Patriot League teams.
Lafayette is also trying for some school history on Saturday, as the Leopards attempt to move to 8-1 and win seven consecutive games in a single season for the first time since 1940, when they finished 9-0. The Leopards did win eight games in a row from 1992-93, but have not done it in a single season in nearly 70 years. Since that year, Lafayette has only recorded eight wins or more for an entire season five times: 1981, 1988, 1992, 2004 and 2005. Lafayette's six-game winning streak is tied for the sixth-longest in the country. Senior quarterback Rob Curley is the reigning ECAC Offensive Player of the Week.
Holy Cross will try to win eight games in a season for the first time since a perfect 11-0 season in 1991, while Colgate's 8-1 mark is its best through nine games since Head Coach Dick Biddle led the 2003 team to 15 straight wins to open the season before falling in the national title game to Delaware.
Holy Cross senior quarterback Dominic Randolph enters Saturday's game 67 attempts shy of the FCS career record of 1,680. He is in the top seven in FCS history in career total offense, passing yards and passing touchdowns.
For more coverage of Patriot League Football throughout the weekend, follow the League's Gameday Blog and Twitter page. Look for updates from each of the Patriot League contests on Saturday, featuring a live in-person blog from the Colgate/Lafayette game. Also, view the Patriot League composite schedule for all video, audio and live stat links for the weekend's games, and the interactive scoreboard, which provides in-game score updates for any contest with Gametracker coverage. Contests with Gametracker on Saturday include the Colgate/Lafayette, Bucknell/Fordham and Georgetown/Marist matchups.
Read the synopsis for each of Saturday's matchups below, including any live stat, video and audio links for each contest.
This Week in the Patriot League
No. 13/14 Holy Cross (7-1, 3-0) at Lehigh (2-6, 2-1)
Goodman Stadium; Bethlehem, Pa. - Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Series Lehigh, 12-11-1 TV SE2, FCS (tape-delay)
Streak Holy Cross, Two Wins Last Meeting Holy Cross, 35-21 (10.25.2008)
Last Lehigh Win 28-14 (10.28.2006) Last Five Games Holy Cross, 3-2
Holy Cross Head Coach Tom Gilmore, Penn, 1986
Career Record 37-26 (Sixth Season) Overall/Holy Cross; 20-13 Patriot League
Lehigh Head Coach Andy Coen, Gettysburg, 1986
Career Record 18-23 (Fourth Season) Overall/Lehigh; 13-8 Patriot League
No. 13/14 Holy Cross and Lehigh meet in a key game in the Patriot League standings...The 3-0 Crusaders are trying to stay in at least a tie for first place in the League, while the 2-1 Mountain Hawks desperately need a win to keep their title hopes alive...Holy Cross is trying to get to 4-0 in the Patriot League for the second year in a row, and win eight games overall for the first time since an undefeated 11-0 season in 1991...The Crusaders have won the last two games in the series, with a 35-21 win at home last year and a 59-10 thrashing of Lehigh in the last meeting in Bethlehem...Holy Cross has won three of four against Lehigh, including the last two at Goodman Stadium...Lehigh won seven straight against the Crusaders from 1998-2004 until the recent stretch...Lehigh has a 12-11-1 advantage in the all-time series, including 12-11 in League contests.
Holy Cross The Crusaders improved to 3-0 in the Patriot League and 7-1 overall by leading from start to finish to win a 41-27 shootout at Fordham...Holy Cross is at 3-0 in the League for the fourth consecutive year, and continues its best start overall since an undefeated season in 1991...It was the second straight win over Fordham, and first in the Bronx since 1999...The teams are now tied, 10-10, in League competition...Senior quarterback Dominic Randolph completed 23-of-35 passes for 314 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions, and also ran for 75 yards...He moved up to seventh place in FCS history in total offense (12,957), sixth in passing yardage (12,242), and tied for sixth in touchdown passes (109)...Randolph threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Bill Edger for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, then tossed his next three scoring strikes to Freddie Santana to give Holy Cross leads of 14-3, 24-10 and 34-13...Eddie Houghton scored the final Crusader touchdown on a rush with 7:13 to play for an insurmountable 41-20 advantage...Santana caught seven passes for 82 yards and the three touchdowns, while Luke Chmielinski had six catches for 74 yards...Matt Bellomo led the ground game with 82 yards...Marcus Rodriguez led four players with double-digit tackles, as he recorded 16 stops...Jimmy Thomas had 12 tackles and his first two career sacks...Holy Cross compiled 516 yards of total offense, going over 300 through the air (314) and 200 on the ground (202)...The teams combined for 1,143 yards of total offense...Neither team punted in the game, a first in an FCS contest since Georgia Southern played James Madison on Nov. 15, 1986...Holy Cross is third nationally in passing offense (320.8), fourth in total offense (454.8) and fifth in scoring (36.1)...The Crusader offense also leads the nation in third-down conversion percentage (51.0) after picking up 9-of-13 against the Rams...Holy Cross' 3.0 tackles allowed per game also is the best in the FCS...The Crusaders complete their home schedule next week against Lafayette.
Lehigh Lehigh dropped a Patriot League game for the first time this year, as the Mountain Hawks fell to 2-1 in the League and 2-6 overall with a 27-20 loss at Colgate on Saturday...The Mountain Hawks had a 10-0 lead early in the game, but fell behind as Colgate scored the next three touchdowns...Lehigh closed to 21-20, and had the ball in Colgate territory down by seven points with just over two minutes to go before turning it over on downs...It was Lehigh's third consecutive loss to Colgate...Lehigh took the early 10-0 lead behind a 16-yard touchdown pass from J.B. Clark to Craig Zurn in the first quarter...After Colgate scored the next three touchdowns and took a 21-10 lead into the half, the Mountain Hawks came back to cut it to 21-20 in the third quarter on a 45-yard strike from Clark to James Flynn and 25-yard field goal by Jake Peery...Lehigh marched as far as the Colgate 46 on its final drive, but had its effort stall when Clark's fourth-and-12 pass went incomplete...Clark went 9-for-22 for 151 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, and also ran for 54 yards...Lehigh's top rusher, Jay Campbell, had 55 yards on the ground...Troy Taylor had eight tackles and three tackles for loss for the Mountain Hawk defense...Lehigh gave up 198 yards through the air, and is fifth nationally in passing defense allowing 142.4 yards per game...The Mountain Hawks are also in the top ten in the FCS in kickoff return average and sacks per game...Lehigh plays its final road contest of the year on Nov. 14 at Fordham.
Holy Cross Game Notes
Lehigh Game Notes
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Audio
No. 18/20 Colgate (8-1, 3-1) at No. 25/24 Lafayette (7-1, 3-0)
Fisher Stadium; Easton, Pa. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Series Colgate, 38-10-4 TV Lafayette Sports Network
Streak Colgate, Two Wins Last Meeting Colgate, 21-13 (11.1.2008)
Last Lafayette Win 27-10 (10.28.2006) Last Five Games Colgate, 4-1
Colgate Head Coach Dick Biddle, Duke, 1971
Career Record 112-50 (14th Season) Overall/Colgate; 65-17 Patriot League
Lafayette Head Coach Frank Tavani, Lebanon Valley, 1976
Career Record 59-51 (10th Season) Overall/Lafayette; 34-26 Patriot League
Two teams with designs on the Patriot League Championship or even an at-large berth in the FCS playoffs meet in Easton on Saturday....No. 25/24 Lafayette tries to stay at least tied for first place in the Patriot League by improving on its 3-0 League mark, while No. 18/20 Colgate is at 3-1 in the League and needs a win to stay in the race for the title...The Raiders have dominated the all-time series with the Leopards, holding a 38-10-4 advantage and a 15-7-1 edge in Patriot League games...Most of the Patriot League wins have come under Head Coach Dick Biddle, who is 12-1 all-time against the Leopards...Lafayette's only win over Colgate in the last 13 seasons was a 27-10 triumph on the road in 2006...Colgate won last year's matchup, 21-13, and notched a 36-27 win in the last game in Easton in 2007...Lafayette has not defeated Colgate at home since 1995, as the Raiders have won the last six in Easton...Lafayette is trying to start 4-0 in the Patriot League for the first time since a perfect 5-0 season in 1994...The Leopards are also trying to win their seventh game in a row and start the season at 8-1 or better for the first time since going 9-0 in 1940.
Colgate The Raiders bounced back from their first loss of the season for a 27-20 win at home against Lehigh behind four touchdown passes from quarterback Greg Sullivan...Sullivan threw three of his touchdown strikes to Pat Simonds, who now has 11 receiving touchdowns this year...The Raiders are 8-1 overall and 3-1 in the Patriot League...Colgate is at 3-1 or better through four Patriot League games for the third year in a row...The 8-1 mark is the best since winning their first 15 games in 2003...It was the third straight win for the Raiders over the Mountain Hawks...Colgate fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter, but Sullivan threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to John Schademan to get the Raiders on the board and put Colgate ahead, 21-10, by halftime with second-quarter TD passes of six and 46 yards to Simonds...After Lehigh cut the gap to 21-20 heading to the fourth quarter, Sullivan and Simonds connected from 20 yards out for a 27-20 lead with 11:19 to play...Lehigh got as far as the Colgate 46 on its final chance, but the Raider defense held on downs...Four of Sullivan's 11 completions went for touchdowns, as he finished 11-of-21 for 198 yards and no interceptions...He now has 14 touchdown passes and only three interceptions this year, and nine touchdowns without a pick in Patriot League play...Simonds caught five passes for 85 yards and the three scores...His 11 receiving touchdowns are tied for ninth on the Patriot League single-season list, and his 25 career touchdowns tie him for fifth in League annals...Colgate held a 381-281 edge in total offense, including 183 yards on the ground...Jordan McCord carried 32 times for 159 yards...Colgate is third in the nation in rushing (246.6) and first in time of possession...The Raiders conclude their season at home against Bucknell next week.
Lafayette The Leopards are at 7-1 for the first time since 1981 after knocking off Bucknell, 35-14, at home on Saturday...Lafayette improved to 3-0 in the Patriot League for the first time since 2005, and has won six consecutive games in a single season for the first time since 1992...Lafayette scored 28 second-half points to break open a contest that was tied at 7-7 at halftime...It was Lafayette's eighth-straight win over Bucknell...The Leopards have scored at least 30 points and won by 13 points or more in the last five matchups with the Bison...Rob Curley had a magnificent day at quarterback, completing 30-of-35 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns without an interception or a sack...Curley threw all three of his touchdowns in the second half, with strikes to Michael Bolton and Mitchell Bennett to build a 28-7 lead and to Mark Layton for the final score with 5:38 to play...The 333 passing yards were a career high for Curley, and came one week after he set a career mark with 305 against Fordham...It was the first time since 2006 that a Lafayette quarterback completed 30 passes in a game...Curley is among the FCS top 20 in passing yards, total offense and completions per game, and leads the Patriot League and is seventh nationally in passing efficiency...Curley connected with eight different receivers, including nine times for 70 yards and the score to Layton...Lafayette held a 38:40 to 21:20 edge in time of possession, including 12:26 to 2:34 in the fourth quarter...The Leopards are third nationally in time of possession at 34:29 per game...Lafayette outgained Bucknell, 475-290...Lafayette has two road games left on the slate, beginning with a trip to Holy Cross next week.
Colgate Game Notes
Lafayette Game Notes
Gametracker
Video
Bucknell (3-5, 1-2) at Fordham (3-5, 0-3)
Jack Coffey Field; Bronx, N.Y. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Series Bucknell, 16-8
Streak Bucknell, Three Wins Last Meeting Bucknell, 24-21 (11.22.2008)
Last Fordham Win 28-21 (11.5.2005) Last Five Games Bucknell, 4-1
Bucknell Head Coach Tim Landis, Randolph-Macon, 1986
Career Record 84-96-1 (17th Season) Overall/31-44 (Seventh Season) at Bucknell; 15-25 PL
Fordham Head Coach Tom Masella, Wagner, 1981
Career Record 36-49 (Eighth Season) Overall/19-23 (Fourth Season) at Fordham; 7-14 PL
Bucknell and Fordham meet in the Bronx on Saturday in a Patriot League matchup that has been dominated by the Bison in recent years...Bucknell has won the last three and five of the past six matchups between the schools...The Bison won the matchup on the final Saturday of the regular season in each of the past two years, with a 24-21 win in overtime in Lewisburg last year and a 38-24 triumph at Fordham in 2007...That Bison victory gave Fordham its only League loss in its 2007 Patriot League Championship season...Fordham's last win over Bucknell was a 28-21 triumph in the Bronx in 2005...The Rams are trying to avoid going 0-4 in the Patriot League for the second year in a row and third time in the past four seasons, while Bucknell tries to get to 2-2 for the first time since 2006...Bucknell has a 16-8 lead in the all-time series, and a 14-5 advantage in Patriot League games.
Bucknell The Bison were tied at halftime but could not keep up in the second half of a 35-14 loss at Lafayette on Saturday...Bucknell dropped to 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the Patriot League...It was their eighth straight loss against the Leopards...Bucknell evened the score at 7-7 on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Marcello Trigg to A.J. Kizekai with 14 seconds left in the second quarter, and later used a 70-yard connection between the two to set up the second Bison touchdown of the day in the fourth quarter...Kizekai had seven receptions for 140 yards and the touchdown, and finished with 202 all-purpose yards...He is fifth among all active FCS players with 5,465 career all-purpose yards, a mark that is sixth in the Patriot League record book...Kizekai is also within 70 yards of the Patriot League career kickoff return yardage mark of 2,752...Trigg threw for 195 yards and the touchdown, while Travis Nissley led the defense with a career-high 15 tackles...Bucknell was outgained 475-290 and held the ball for only 21:20...Bucknell completes its three-game road trip and plays its final away game of the season on Nov. 14 at Colgate.
Fordham Fordham fell to 0-3 in the Patriot League with a 41-27 loss at home against Holy Cross on Saturday...They are at 0-3 for the fourth time in the last five years...The Rams lost at home against the Crusaders for the first time since 1999...The teams are now tied, 10-10, in League action...Despite the loss, Fordham and senior quarterback John Skelton left their mark on the Patriot League and FCS record books in the game...Fordham's 112 plays set a Patriot League record, topping the previous single-game mark of 102...Skelton also set a League record with 82 plays (67 passing attempts/15 rushes), besting the mark of 79...He finished 43-of-67 for 427 yards in the loss...The 67 attempts were one shy of the FCS record for most attempts without an interception in a regulation game...Skelton's 39 plays in the fourth quarter set a national record and topped the mark of current Lafayette assistant coach Mickey Fein, who had 33 for Maine in the fourth quarter against Connecticut on Oct. 11, 1997...Skelton's 33 pass attempts in the period also tied an FCS mark...While Skelton did not throw a touchdown pass or interception, he did run for 46 yards and a score...Fordham compiled 627 yards of total offense in the game, as the teams combined for 1,143 yards overall...It was the first time that neither team punted in an FCS game since Georgia Southern played James Madison on Nov. 15, 1986...Fordham played from behind all day...The Rams fell behind 14-3 before Xavier Martin's two-yard touchdown run with 10:11 left in the second quarter cut the gap to 14-10...Holy Cross pushed the lead to 24-13 by halftime, and 34-13 before Fordham got its next touchdown on Martin's 17-yard run with 11:43 left in the game...The Rams had life when they recovered the ensuing onsides kick, but their drive stalled in four plays and Holy Cross pushed the lead back to 21 minutes later...Fordham had four receivers with outstanding games...John's brother, Stephen, had 13 receptions for 102 yards...He tied for the seventh-most receptions in a game for a Patriot League player...David Moore caught 10 passes for 67 yards, Jason Caldwell had nine receptions for 154 yards and Asa Lucas had seven receptions for 75 yards...Xavier Martin had 86 rushing yards and the two touchdowns...The big day solidifed Fordham's lofty status in the FCS offensive statistical leaderboard...The Rams are second in the nation in both passing (326.5) and total offense (484.5) per game...Skelton leads the country in passing yards per game (326.5), and is in the top five in total offense and completions per contest...Caldwell is sixth nationally with 100.4 receiving yards per game, and Stephen Skelton is 19th in receptions per game...Fordham concludes its three-game homestand with its home finale against Lehigh on Nov. 14.
Bucknell Game Notes
Fordham Game Notes
Gametracker
Video
Audio
Georgetown (0-8, 0-5) at Marist (5-3, 4-2 Pioneer)
Leonidoff Field; Poughkeepsie, N.Y. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Series Georgetown, 10-2
Streak Georgetown, One Win Last Meeting Georgetown, 13-12 (11.8.2008)
Last Marist Win 37-34 (3OT) (11.3.2007) Last Five Games Georgetown, 3-2
Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Kelly, Springfield, 1982
Career Record 5-35 (Fourth Season) Overall/Georgetown; 1-21 Patriot League
Marist Head Coach Jim Parady, Maine, 1983
Career Record 94-87-1 (17th Season) Overall/Marist
Georgetown will try to earn its first win of the season when it plays at Marist on Saturday, the last team that the Hoyas claimed a victory over...Georgetown won at home against the Red Foxes, 13-12, on November 8 of last year...The Hoyas have lost their last nine games since that date...The teams have played close contests in the past three years, with Marist earning a 37-34 victory in triple overtime at home in 2007...It still stands as the only triple overtime game played by a Patriot League team...The last three games have been decided by three points or less...Georgetown's only losses in the series came in overtime, on the road in 2001 and 2007...Bucknell defeated Marist, 17-16, on Sept. 26, which was the last loss for the Red Foxes...Patriot League teams are 19-2 all-time against the Red Foxes.
Georgetown The Hoyas fell to 0-8 with a 31-10 loss at Old Dominion on Saturday...Georgetown is at 0-8 for the first time since entering the FCS in 1993...It was the first meeting between the schools...The Hoyas played a strong second half after falling behind, 31-3, at the break...Georgetown scored a fourth-quarter touchdown when Scott Darby hit Brandon Floyd from six yards out...Charlie Houghton had 112 rushing yard on 19 carries for the Hoyas, and also returned five kicks for 122 yards...Georgetown has two home games remaining, beginning with its final non-League game of the year next week against No. 1 Richmond.
Georgetown Game Notes
Gametracker
Audio
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