Nov. 9, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. - The Patriot League Football Championship and automatic berth to the FCS playoffs is on the line in Worcester on Saturday, as No. 20/20 Lafayette pays a visit to No. 13/14 Holy Cross. Each team sits at 4-0 in the Patriot League and 8-1 overall. Elsewhere, No. 24/24 Colgate completes its regular-season schedule at home against Bucknell, and Lehigh is at Fordham in League play.

Patriot League Football Release - 11.9.09

Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week

Rob Curley, Lafayette Sr., QB, 6'1, 200, Cinnaminson, N.J./Holy Cross
Curley earns the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honor for the second straight time after a record-setting performance in leading No. 25/24 Lafayette past No. 18/20 Colgate, 56-49, in a key League contest on Saturday. Curley completed 18-of-31 passes for 373 yards and seven touchdowns, tying the mark for passing touchdowns in a game set by Holy Cross' Jeff Wiley on Sept. 26, 1987 against Lehigh. He joined Wiley and Fordham's Kevin Eakin (2003 vs. Rhode Island) as the only Patriot Leaguers with seven touchdowns responsible for in a game. The touchdowns went to five different players, including two in the fourth quarter to break a 42-42 tie. The 373 yards were a career high, the third straight week that Curley has set a personal best for passing yards. Curley has thrown for 2,432 yards with 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions and is completing 68 percent of his passes this year, marks that place him second nationally in passing efficiency. Curley earns his third career Offensive weekly honor.

Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week

Andrew Cialino, Holy Cross Sr., LB, 6'1, 230, Medford, N.J./Shawnee
Cialino tallied 15 tackles, including 12 solo stops, to lead a solid defensive effort at No. 13/14 Holy Cross remained undefeated in the Patriot League with a 24-20 win at Lehigh. The total and solo tackle marks were both career highs, and he now has 68 total tackles this year.

Patriot League Special Teams Player of theWeek

Davis Rodriguez, Lafayette Jr., K, 5'11, 210, St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Petersburg Catholic
Rodriguez sets a Patriot League record with his fifth-career Special Teams Player of the Week honor after scoring 10 points in Lafayette's 56-49 win over Colgate on Saturday. He made field goals of 33 and 34 yards in the first half to give Lafayette a 27-21 lead at the half, and nailed all six of his extra point attempts. Rodriguez wins the award for the second time in the past three weeks and third this season.

Patriot League Rookie of the Week

Eddie Houghton, Holy Cross Fr., RB, 5'11, 220, Toronto, Ontario/St. Michael's
Houghton receives his third Rookie of the Week honor this year, and first since claiming the initial two awards of the season, after carrying seven times for 38 yards and a touchdown in Holy Cross' 24-20 win at Lehigh on Saturday. The 12-yard touchdown run put Holy Cross ahead, 10-7, in the second quarter. He also caught a pass for three yards. Houghton has 281 rushing yards and four touchdowns this season.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Nate Eachus, Colgate So., RB, 5-10, 206, Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area
Eachus carried 45 times for 216 yards and a League and school record-tying five touchdowns in Colgate's 56-49 loss to Lafayette on Saturday. He is the sixth Patriot League player to run for five touchdowns in a game and the first since 2004, and he matches the Colgate record set by Ed Tryon in 1922. The 45 carries are a career high and one off the Patriot League record. Eachus has 820 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in only seven games this season.

John Skelton, Fordham Sr., QB, 6'5, 258, El Paso, Texas/Burges
Skelton completed 28-of-33 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown without an interception in Fordham's 21-7 win over Bucknell on Saturday. He has thrown 100 passes without a pick in the last two games.

Jay Campbell, Lehigh Jr., RB, 5'8, 180, Wilmington, Del./Wilmington Charter
Campbell carried 21 times for a career-high 131 yards and also threw an 18-yard touchdown pass in Lehigh's 24-20 loss to Holy Cross on Saturday.

Scott Darby, Georgetown So., QB, 6'0, 205, Tewksbury, Mass./St. John's Prep
Darby completed 31-of-57 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 79 yards in his first career start, leading Georgetown back from a 13-point deficit before the Hoyas fell to Marist, 23-21, in the final seconds.

Patriot League Notebook

League Title, Automatic Playoff Berth on the Line in Worcester
The Patriot League season now comes down to one game, as the winner of the Lafayette/Holy Cross matchup on Saturday will be crowned Patriot League champion and earn the League's automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision palyoffs. Both teams hold 4-0 marks in the League, with every other team having at least two League losses already. Each squad is also at 8-1 overall, so the loser will still be very much in the mix for an at-large playoff berth along with Colgate, which is 8-2. Holy Cross comes into the game at No. 13 in the Sports Network top 25 and No. 14 in the FCS Coaches poll, while Lafayette is No. 20 in each ranking.

Record-Setting, Dramatic Wins to Set Up Showdown
Lafayette and Holy Cross each needed a big effort from their accomplished senior quarterbacks to set up the winner-take-all matchup. Lafayette's Rob Curley threw for a League record-tying seven touchdowns and a career-high 373 yards overall as the Leopards held off Colgate, 56-49, in a matchup of ranked opponents. Holy Cross nearly fell victim to an upset, but Dominic Randolph tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Santana with 1:02 remaining to lift the Crusaders to a 24-20 win at Lehigh.

Third Time's A Charm?
Holy Cross will hope its third chance is the lucky one as it tries to win its first Patriot League title since 1991, and sixth overall, and make the postseason for the first time since 1983. The Crusaders have lost on the road in a matchup of teams with perfect League records in each of the past two Novembers. They fell at Colgate, 28-27, with the title and playoff berth on the line on the final day of the 2008 season, and lost the previous season at Fordham, 24-21, in a game that sealed the League title and automatic playoff spot for the Rams. The Crusaders will hope the home field will help them avoid the heartbreak this time around: Holy Cross is 5-0 at Fitton Field this season and has won nine straight at home overall.

Recent History Says Lafayette, Too
While the home squad has won the matchup for the Patriot League title lately, the road team has dominated the series between Lafayette and Holy Cross. The road squad has won the last four meetings between the schools, with the matchup happening with just two weeks left in the season in each of the past two years. Holy Cross won at Lafayette, 27-26, on a 37-yard TD pass with six seconds to go last season, but the Leopards earned a 31-21 win in Worcester in 2007. Lafayette has won the last three meetings in Worcester, with Holy Cross last triumphing in a 63-53 game in 2001, the highest-scoring in League history.

Leopards Have Success in Big Games
Lafayette won three straight Patriot League titles from 2004-06, and each time the Leopards defeated rival Lehigh with the League crown at stake for both teams. In 2004 and 2006, Lafayette won at home against the Mountain Hawks to earn a split of the League title with Lehigh and claim the automatic playoff berth. Lafayette's 23-19 victory at Lehigh in 2005 gave the Leopards a share of the League crown with Colgate and kept the Mountain Hawks from the title. Colgate earned the automatic bid that year, but Lafayette made the postseason as an at-large. Lafayette has six titles to its name, with the last in 2006.

Third Top 25 Meeting In Four Weeks
The national FCS outlets are getting used to making the Patriot League one of their "games of the week." It's the third time in four weeks that ranked Patriot League teams are facing off, after both Holy Cross and Lafayette beat Colgate at home in ranked matchups in the past three weeks. The then No. 22 Crusaders beat No. 17 Colgate, 42-28, on Oct. 24, while the No. 25/24 Leopards knocked off No. 18/20 Colgate, 56-49, in Easton on Saturday. Before this season, the last meeting of ranked Patriot League teams came in 2004 when No. 12 Lehigh beat No. 18 Colgate on Oct. 30.

Holy Cross, Lafayette, Colgate in FCS Rankings
Three Patriot League teams once again have a spot in the national FCS top 25 polls. In The Sports Network top 25, Holy Cross is at No. 13 for the second week in a row, Lafayette moved up five spots to No. 20 and Colgate dropped six slots to No. 24. The FCS Coaches poll is almost exactly the same, with Holy Cross at No. 14 and the Leopards and Raiders in the same position in both rankings. Before each team was ranked last week, the last time that three Patriot League teams were ranked in a top 25 poll was after the 2005 FCS playoffs, when Lafayette was No. 20, Colgate came in at No. 22 and Lehigh was No. 25 in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches poll. Holy Cross' No. 13 ranking is the highest for a Patriot League team since Lehigh was at No. 12 heading into its season finale against Lafayette in 2005.

Historical Success for Leopards, Crusaders
Lafayette's 8-1 record, 4-0 Patriot League mark and seven-game winning streak are all significant numbers in the history of the program. Lafayette has its best start through nine games and longest single-season winning streak since a 9-0 year in 1940. The Leopards did win eight games in a row spanning the 1992 and 1993 seasons, which they will try to match on Saturday. Lafayette will try to win nine games in a season for the first time since a 9-2 campaign in 1981. The only seasons since 1940 where the Leopards even won eight games are 1981, 1988, 1992, 2004, 2005 and this year. Lafayette's seven-game winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest in the country. Holy Cross' 8-1 record is its best since a perfect 11-0 season in 1991, its last Patriot League title campaign.

Colgate's Finale Highlights Rest of Slate
There are two other Patriot League games on Saturday, with a potentially important contest as Colgate plays its season finale in Hamilton against Bucknell. The Raiders are out of the Patriot League race, but at 8-2 overall they can stay very much in the picture for an at-large FCS playoff berth. No Patriot League team with a 9-2 record or better has missed the postseason since 1998, with the League garnering four at-large berths during that span. Lehigh is also at Fordham in a League game, while Georgetown goes for its first win of the year in a challenging matchup with No. 4 Richmond.

Randolph Approaching More FCS Records
Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph extended each of his career FCS records in the win over Lehigh on Saturday: he threw a touchdown pass for the 39th straight game and passed for more than 200 yards for the 38th time. Earlier in the year, he matched an FCS record by notching 13 consecutive games with 300 yards of total offense. Randolph is also approaching two FCS career marks in major categories, as his 1,650 attempts are just 30 shy of the record of 1,680 held by Steve McNair (Alcorn State, 1991-94) and Cal St. Northridge's Marcus Brady (1998-01) and his 1,048 completions are 74 off the record of 1,122 held by New Hampshire's Ricky Santos (2004-07). Randolph is in fifth place in FCS history in total offense (13,220) and passing yardage (12,489), and sixth in touchdown passes (111). He leads the Patriot League in nine different career categories: completions, attempts, passing yards, passing touchdowns, total offense, touchdowns responsible for (125), 300-yard passing games (22), 400-yard passing games (seven) and 400-yard games of total offense (nine).

More National Recognition for the Patriot League
After his outstanding seven-touchdown effort against Colgate, Lafayette quarterback Rob Curley earned national player of the week honors from each of the major outlets: College Sporting News and The Sports Network. He is the fifth Patriot Leaguer to earn a national award this season, with Dominic Randolph also earning one from both The Sports Network and College Sporting News, though coming on separate weeks. Bucknell's A.J. Kizekai and Fordham's John Skelton were honored by College Sporting News, and Fordham's Isa Abdul El-Quddus was named by The Sports Network. Patriot Leaguers also won six ECAC honors, including five of the eight Offensive awards. Curley won that award last Tuesday for his performance in Lafayette's win over Bucknell.

Patriot League Teams, Individuals At Top of FCS Stats
Patriot League offenses have put on impressive displays in the 2009 season, and the impact is certainly being felt on the NCAA leaderboard. A pair of senior quarterbacks have carved out spots as the best in the country, with Holy Cross' Dominic Randolph leading the nation in total offense and points responsible for per game and ranking third in passing yards per game. Fordham's John Skelton leads the FCS in passing yards per game, and is in the top three in total offense and completions. Both Holy Cross and Fordham are in the top six in passing and total offense. Lafayette's Rob Curley is second in the country in passing efficiency, leading the Leopards to the same status as a team. Colgate is third in the nation in rushing and leads the FCS in time of possession. Holy Cross is first and Colgate is second in third-down conversion percentage, while the Raiders are second and Fordham is third in first downs per game. For a full list of Patriot League teams and individuals in the top 20 of the FCS statistics, read page 10 of the release.

Keep Track of the Patriot League Through Social Media
In addition to visiting www.patriotleague.org, League fans and followers have plenty of new ways to stay updated and involved during the 2009 season and beyond. The Patriot League has accounts on Facebook and Twitter, and has now started a blog to give more information on the action on the field. All three accounts are accessible through the multimedia link at the right-hand sidebar on the front page of www.patriotleague.org.

This Week in the Patriot League

No. 20/20 Lafayette (8-1, 4-0) at No. 13/14 Holy Cross (8-1, 4-0)
Fitton Field; Worcester, Mass. - Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

Series Lafayette, 14-9 TV WCTR-TV 3, Lafayette Sports Network
Streak Holy Cross, One Win Last Meeting Holy Cross, 27-26 (11.15.2008)
Last Lafayette Win 31-21 (11.10.2005) Last Five Games Lafayette, 3-2

Lafayette Head Coach Frank Tavani, Lebanon Valley, 1976
Career Record 60-51 (10th Season) Overall/Lafayette; 35-26 Patriot League

Holy Cross Head Coach Tom Gilmore, Penn, 1986
Career Record 38-26 (Sixth Season) Overall/Holy Cross; 21-13 Patriot League

No. 20 Lafayette and No. 13/14 Holy Cross square off with the Patriot League title and automatic FCS playoff berth on the line...The teams are no strangers to the big-game stage...Holy Cross fell in a November matchup of undefeated Patriot League teams in 2007 (Fordham) and 2008 (Colgate), while Lafayette defeated Lehigh on the final day of the season from 2004-06 to capture a share of the League title...Lafayette goes for its seventh Patriot League title and first since 2006, while Holy Cross looks for its sixth overall crown and its first since 1991...The Leopards made the FCS postseason from 2004-06, while Holy Cross has not appeared in the FCS playoffs since 1983, and never as a Patriot League member...Lafayette is trying to win nine games in a season for the first time since going 9-2 in 1981, while Holy Cross has not done it since a perfect 11-0 season in 1991...The Crusaders look to get to 5-0 in the League for the second year in a row, a feat the Leopards have not pulled off since finishing with that mark in 1994...Lafayette also goes for an eighth consecutive win, trying to extend its longest in-season streak since a 9-0 season in 1940...The Leopards did win eight straight games spanning the 1992 and 1993 seasons...The road team has dominated the series of late, with four straight wins for the visitors...Holy Cross won at Lafayette, 27-26, last season on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Dominic Randolph to Rob Koster with six seconds to play...Lafayette earned a 31-21 win in the last meeting in Worcester in 2007...The last three mettings have been decided by 10 points or less...Lafayette has won the last three meetings in Worcester, with Holy Cross last triumphing in a 63-53 game in 2001, the highest-scoring in League history...The Leopards have won five of the last seven matchups overall, and hold a 14-9 edge in the overall and League series...Lafayette has a 13-4 record in the series since Holy Cross won five of the first six meetings...The Leopards dealt Holy Cross its only League loss in 1988 and 1992, finishing undefeated and beating out the Crusaders for the title.

Lafayette The 2009 season is now among the most successful in Lafayette history after the Leopards beat Colgate, 56-49, at home on Saturday...The Leopards set up a matchup for the Patriot League title and automatic playoff berth with the victory...Lafayette moved to 4-0 in the Patriot League for the first time since 1994, and has won eight games in a season for the first time since 1995...Lafayette's seven-game winning streak is its longest in a single season since 1940, and the 8-1 start is also the best since the 9-0 campaign in 1940...Lafayette's only other eight-win seasons since that year came in 1981, 1988, 1992, 2004 and 2005...Lafayette beat Colgate at home for the first time since 1995, and beat the Raiders for just the second time overall in 14 seasons...Rob Curley tied a Patriot League record and set a school mark with seven touchdown passes...The only other Patriot Leaguer to pull off the feat was Holy Cross' Jeff Wiley against Lehigh on Sept. 26, 1987...Curley became one of three from the League with seven touchdowns responsible for in a game, joining Wiley and Fordham's Kevin Eakin (2003)...Lafayette's previous mark of five touchdowns had been held by three players...Curley completed 18-of-31 passes for a career-high 373 yards...It was his third straight week with a career high in passing yardage, following 305 against Fordham and 333 versus Bucknell...Curley threw touchdown passes to five different receivers, including two to Michael Bolton and Mark Layton...With the score tied at 42-42, he hit Bolton with a touchdown to go ahead and Layton for a score with 2:21 left to seal the win...Layton and Bolton also combined on a key play before those scores, with Layton stripping the ball and Bolton recovering after an interception just two plays before the go-ahead touchdown...Lafayette notched 373 yards through the air and 102 on the ground for 475 yards of total offense...Five Leopard defenders finished with double-digit tackles, led by Brandon Ellis with 14 and Andrew Poulson, Mark Leggiero and Michael Schmidlein with 12 apiece...Ian Dell had 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced and recovered fumble...The Leopards topped 50 points for the first time since 2004....The teams combined for 105 points, 11 off the League record for total points in a game....Lafayette is up to second nationally in pass efficiency, where Curley is No. 2 in the country at 162.8...The senior quarterback is in the NCAA FCS top 20 in yards, completions, total offense and points responsible for per game....Lafayette is also seventh nationally in time of possession, and 10th in third-down conversion percentage...The Leopards play their remaining games on the road, with the rivalry matchup at Lehigh next week.

Holy Cross The Crusaders are at 4-0 in the Patriot League for the second year in a row after winning at Lehigh, 24-20, on Saturday...Dominic Randolph threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Freddie Santana with just 1:02 to play in the game to bring Holy Cross back...Holy Cross set up the matchup for the League title and automatic playoff berth with the win...They have now won eight games in a season for the first time since a perfect 11-0 campaign in 1991...It was their third straight win over Lehigh, and also the third in a row in Bethlehem...Holy Cross evened up the all-time series with the Mountain Hawks at 12-12-1, including 12-12 in League games...The Crusaders had to rally twice in the game...After falling behind 7-0, they took a 10-7 lead on Eddie Houghton's 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter...Holy Cross led by 17-10 on Randolph's first touchdown pass to Santana...That duo has connected for a touchdown five times in the last two games...Holy Cross' game-winning drive included 32-yard completions to Santana and Rob Koster, and the touchdown came on a third-and-goal play...Randolph completed 23-of-37 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns for the Crusaders, extending his FCS records to 38 consecutive games with at least 200 yards passing and 39 straight games with a touchdown pass...He went over 13,000 career yards of total offense (13, 220) in the game, fifth in FCS history...Bill Edger had five receptions for 61 yards, and Santana had four for 50 yards and the two touchdowns...Matt Bellomo led the Crusader rushing game with 59 yards. Andrew Cialino led the Crusader defense with 15 tackles, while Marcus Rodriguez had 12...Holy Cross ranks in the top 10 in the FCS in passing, total and scoring offense, with Randolph leading the nation in total offense and points responsible for per game...The Crusaders end their regular-season next week at Bucknell.

Bucknell (3-6, 1-3) at No. 24/24 Colgate (8-2, 3-2)
Andy Kerr Stadium; Hamilton, N.Y. - Saturday, 1 p.m.

Series Colgate, 41-16 TV Time Warner Sports
Streak Colgate, Two Wins Last Meeting Colgate, 52-28 (10.25.2008)
Last Bucknell Win 31-28 (11.18.2006) Last Five Games Colgate, 3-2

Bucknell Head Coach Tim Landis, Randolph-Macon, 1986
Career Record 84-97-1 (17th Season) Overall/31-45 (Seventh Season) at Bucknell; 15-26 PL

Colgate Head Coach Dick Biddle, Duke, 1971
Career Record 112-51 (14th Season) Overall/Colgate; 65-18 Patriot League

No. 24 Colgate completes its 2009 regular season at home against Bucknell on Saturday, with the Raiders needing a win to keep alive their hopes of an at-large berth into the NCAA Division I Football Championship...The Raiders have enjoyed good success against Bucknell, winning seven of the last nine meetings including the past two matchups...Colgate scored a 52-28 win at Bucknell last year, and a 28-24 triumph in Hamilton in 2007...Bucknell's last win in the series came by a 31-28 score at home in 2006...Colgate has won the last four games in Hamilton, with Bucknell's last road win coming in 1999...The Raiders are trying to win nine games in a season for the second year in a row and fifth time in Head Coach Dick Biddle's 14-year tenure...They are also going for a 4-2 Patriot League finish or better for the third year in a row and 12th time in the past 13 years...Bucknell plays its last road game of the year...Colgate has a 15-8 advantage in Patriot League matchups between the schools.

Bucknell The Bison dropped their fourth consecutive game and fell to 3-6 overall and 1-3 in the Patriot League with a 21-7 loss to Fordham on Saturday...It snapped Bucknell's three-game win streak over the Rams...The Bison had the early lead on a six-yard touchdown run by Justin Pulgrano in the second quarter, but Fordham came back to tie it at halftime and won the game on two fourth-quarter touchdowns...Bucknell notched 186 rushing yards, with six players gaining 16 yards or more led by Ryan Smith with 70...Casey Williams had a career-high 15 tackles, while Greg Jones had 12 and Travis Nissley notched 11...A.J. Kizekai had 43 kickoff return yards, and is now within 27 yards of the Patriot League career record of 2,752...Bucknell closes its 2009 campaign at home against No. 13/14 Holy Cross next week.

Colgate The Raiders dropped out of contention for the Patriot League title with a 56-49 loss at Lafayette on Saturday...Colgate fell to 8-2 overall and 3-2 in the League with one game left, meaning it is still in the running for an at-large FCS  playoff berth...It was only the second loss to Lafayette in Head Coach Dick Biddle's 14-year tenure, and first in Easton since 1995...Nate Eachus starred for the Raiders, carrying 45 times for 216 yards and a Patriot League and school record-tying five rushing touchdowns...He was the sixth Patriot Leaguer to rush for five touchdowns in a game, and the first since 2004...Colgate scored two consecutive touchdowns to even the score at 42-42 in the fourth quarter, but Lafayette notched the next two scores...Colgate made it 56-49 on Eachus' fifth TD with 42 seconds left, but the ensuing onside kick did not go 10 yards and Lafayette ran out the clock...Colgate's only leads were at 7-0 and 21-17...Eachus' 45 carries were one off the Patriot League single-game record...In addition to Eachus' effort, Greg Sullivan had a strong day for Colgate by going 16-for-21 for 279 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, and also rushing for 48 yards...Colgate went for 279 yards on the ground and through the air for 558 total yards, while controlling the ball for 38:00...The Raiders converted 11-of-16 third-down attempts...The Raiders continue to lead the nation in time of possession, while trailing only Holy Cross in the FCS in third-down conversion percentage and also placing second nationally in first downs per game and third in rushing per game...Pat Simonds caught four passes for 89 yards and the touchdown...Simonds is fifth in Patriot League history with 26 career receiving touchdowns, and his 12 touchdowns this year are seventh in a single season in League annals...Colgate's 49 points were four away from the highest mark for a losing team in League history.

Lehigh (2-7, 2-2) at Fordham (4-5, 1-3)
Jack Coffey Field; Bronx, N.Y. = Saturday, 1 p.m.

Series Lehigh, 19-2
Streak Lehigh, One Win Last Meeting Lehigh, 45-24 (10.11.2008)
Last Fordham Win 28-18 (10.6.2007) Last Five Games Lehigh, 4-1

Lehigh Head Coach Andy Coen, Gettysburg, 1986
Career Record 18-24 (Fourth Season) Overall/Lehigh; 13-9 Patriot League

Fordham Head Coach Tom Masella, Wagner, 1981
Career Record 37-49 (Eighth Season) Overall/20-23 (Fourth Season) at Fordham; 8-14 PL

Lehigh and Fordham meet in a Patriot League contest on Saturday in the Bronx...The Mountain Hawks can still finish above .500 in the Patriot League by winning their last two games, while the Rams are trying to get over .500 overall and to 3-3 in the League with two more wins...The series has been dominated by the Mountain Hawks, who have won 19 of the 21 all-time meetings and 17 of 19 Patriot League games...The Mountain Hawks have won 10 of the last 11 meetings, though Fordham did notch a 28-18 win in the last meeting in the Bronx in 2007...The Rams went on to win the Patriot League title that year...Lehigh gained payback with a 45-24 victory at home last season...The Mountain Hawks have scored 40 points or more in each of their last three wins over the Rams....Fordham is closing out its three-game homestand and overall home schedule, while Lehigh plays its last game on the road.

Lehigh Lehigh fell out of the Patriot League race in heartbreaking fashion, as Holy Cross scored a touchdown on a 3rd and goal play with 1:02 left for a 24-20 final in Bethlehem on Saturday...Lehigh dropped to 2-2 in League action, and 2-7 overall...It was the third straight loss to the Crusaders, and third consecutive time Lehigh has lost the matchup in Bethlehem...Jay Campbell went for a career-high 131 rushing yards on 21 carries, and also threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Alex Wojdowski to tie the score at 17-17 in the third quarter...Wojdowski caught a first-quarter TD pass from JB Clark for an early 7-0 lead...Clark went 16-of-31 for 186 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for 43 yards... Lehigh had 375 yards, with 171 on the ground and 204 through the air...Troy Taylor led the Lehigh defense with nine tackles and a sack, while John Veniero had seven stops and an interception...Lehigh is eighth in the nation in sacks per game and kickoff returns, and 12th in passing defense...The Mountain Hawks finish the season with the annual rivalry game against No. 20 Lafayette on Nov. 21.

Fordham Fordham got back on the winning track with a 21-7 victory at home against Bucknell on Saturday...The Rams got their first Patriot League victory and improved to 4-5 overall...They snapped a two-game losing streak overall, and a three-game skid against Bucknell...Fordham entered the fourth quarter tied at 7-7, but Darryl Whiting scored the game-winning touchdown on a one-yard run with 9:08 left and John Skelton put the game away on a nine-yard touchdown pass to his brother, Stephen, with 5:20 to play in the contest...John Skelton finished 28-of-33 passing for 305 yards and a touchdown, and has not thrown an interception while attempting 100 passes in the last two games...Skelton leads the nation in passing yards per game, and is second in total offense and third in completions...Jason Caldwell had 12 receptions for 135 yards, while Stephen Skelton had six for 65 yards and the touchdown...Caldwell places third in the country with 104.2 receiving yards per game, and 12th in receptions per contest...He leads the Patriot League in each category...Whiting had 72 yards and the score on the ground, while Xavier Martin notched 42 and a touchdown...Nick Magiera led the Ram defense with 10 tackles, while Mike Martin had seven tackles and 1.5 sacks...Fordham is second in the nation in passing offense and third in total offense and first downs...The Rams will finish the season on the road against Georgetown next week.

No. 4/4 Richmond (8-1, 6-1 CAA) at Georgetown (0-9, 0-5)
Multi-Sport Field; Washington, D.C. - Saturday, 1 p.m.

Series Georgetown, 5-2
Streak Richmond, One Win Last Meeting Richmond, 48-0 (10.25.2008)
Last Georgetown Win 7-0 (1935) Last Five Games Georgetown, 3-2

Richmond Head Coach Mike London, Richmond, 1983
Career Record 21-4 (Second Season) Overall/Richmond

Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Kelly, Springfield, 1982
Career Record 5-36 (Fourth Season) Overall/Georgetown; 1-21 Patriot League

Georgetown is still looking for its first win of the year, but it will be difficult with one of the best teams in the nation coming to town...No. 4/4 Richmond is the FCS defending champion, and just suffered its first loss of the season, 21-20, at home against Villanova on Saturday....The teams played for the first time since 1935 last year, with Richmond winning, 48-0, at home...The Hoyas face a top 25 opponent for the third time this season...Patriot League teams are 1-2 against non-League ranked competition, and also have a 1-2 mark against the Colonial Athletic Association...Patriot League teams are 3-6-1 all-time against Richmond.

Georgetown The Hoyas remained winless in heartbreaking fashion, as a late comeback attempt was spoiled when Marist hit the game-winning field goal with one second left for a 23-21 victory on Saturday...Georgetown had rallied from a 20-7 deficit behind two touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Scott Darby, including a 68-yarder to Brandon Floyd with 54 seconds left in the game...Georgetown fell to 0-9 overall with two games left...Darby was 31-of-57 for 289 yards and three touchdowns in the game, and also ran for 79 yards... Georgetown had three big receivers, with Keerome Lawrence catching nine passes for 67 yards, Robert Lane hauling in eight for 56 and a touchdown, and Floyd catching four for 110 and the score...Chris Rau led the Georgetown defense with 11 tackles...The Hoyas will remain at home to finish the season next week against Fordham.