Nov. 24, 2008
Center Valley, Pa - Colgate heads to the NCAA Division I Football Championship for the first time since 2005, where the No. 16 Raiders will travel to No. 6/7 Villanova in the first round. Colgate earned the Patriot League's automatic berth in the field with a 28-27 victory over Holy Cross on Saturday to complete the first undefeated Patriot League season since 2003. The Raiders' are making their sixth postseason appearance as a Patriot League member, and their eighth overall. Colgate is 3-5 in the postseason as a League member.
Patriot League Football Release - 11.24.08 
Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week
Greg Sullivan, Colgate So., QB, 6'1, 204, Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury
Sullivan earns his first Offensive Player of the Week honor after leading Colgate to the Patriot League Championship with a 28-27 win over Holy Cross on Saturday. Sullivan completed 8-of-12 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 76 yards as the Raiders rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to earn the victory. He threw touchdown passes of 50 and 10 yards to Pat Simonds, with the latter score bringing Colgate within three in the third quarter. Sullivan set a Colgate record for rushing yardage by a quarterback with 865 yards on the ground this season.
Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week
Greg Jones, Bucknell Jr., LB, 5'11, 226, Springfield, Va./Lee
Jones recorded a career-high 17 tackles, including nine solo stops, as Bucknell rallied for a 24-21 win over Fordham on Saturday. Jones receives his first Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honor, and the second for a Bucknell player this season.
Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week
Will Carney, Bucknell Sr., PK, 5'10, 178, Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional
Carney ended his Bucknell career in style, nailing a 36-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Bison past Fordham, 24-21, on Saturday. Carney also connected on all three of his extra-point attempts in the game. Carney concludes his career with 159 points, good for 14th place in Patriot League annals. It is the second Special Teams Player of the Week award of his career, and first since the 2006 season.
Patriot League Rookie of the Week
Nate Eachus, Colgate Fr., RB, 5'10, 195, Drums, Pa./Hazleton
Eachus receives his fifth Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor of the season for an outstanding performance late in the game in Colgate's 28-27 victory over Holy Cross on Saturday. He carried 21 times for 118 yards and a touchdown in the contest, with the touchdown coming on a five-yard carry with 13:05 left to give Colgate the 28-27 advantage. Eachus also caught a key 14-yard pass for a first down to keep Colgate's game-winning drive alive. He recorded a nine-yard run on a 3rd-and-5 play at the Holy Cross 10 that allowed Colgate to run out the clock and seal the Patriot League Championship. Eachus was named Rookie of the Week after the last five games that Colgate played.
Patriot League Notebook
Colgate Wins First Patriot League Title Since 2005
Colgate won its first Patriot League title since 2005 with a 28-27 victory over Holy Cross on Saturday. The Raiders' title was their sixth in League annals, with the five previous titles coming in 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2005. The Raiders' previous undefeated campaigns came in 1997 and 2003. Colgate's 5-0 Patriot League record was the first perfect mark for a League squad since the Raiders finished at 7-0 on their way to the national title game in 2003. The Raiders are only the second team in the last seven seasons to complete a perfect record in League play. Colgate's six titles are tied with Lafayette for the second-most in League history, behind only the eight of Lehigh. The Raiders' crowns have come under 13th-year Head Coach Dick Biddle.
Raiders Back in the Postseason
The No. 16 Raiders are in the FCS postseason for the eighth time overall, and the sixth as a Patriot League member when they face off with No. 6/7 Villanova on Saturday. They previously made the field as a Patriot League member in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2005, while they also went in 1982 and 1983 before the formation of the League. Colgate's six playoff appearances as a Patriot League member are more than any other program in the League.
Deja Vu For Raiders and Wildcats
Colgate will play a first-round game at Villanova for the second time, and this contest will come 11 years to the day of the first postseason meeting between the schools. The first matchup came in the first postseason appearance for a Patriot League team, as No. 1 Villanova scored 22 consecutive fourth-quarter points to defeat the Raiders, 49-28, in a first-round matchup on Nov. 29, 1997. Oddly enough, Colgate also made that postseason after winning the Patriot League title on the final weekend in a matchup of undefeated squads. That year, Colgate beat Bucknell, 48-14, in Hamilton to claim the Patriot League title.
Raiders Rolling Into Postseason
Colgate enters the postseason on an eight-game winning streak, behind only No. 1 seed James Madison and No. 2 seed Appalachian State for the longest stretch in the nation. The Raiders have not lost since falling at home to Furman on Sept. 13.
Destiny's Darlings?
Colgate had to rally for a win and surive late in the game against Holy Cross, but that was nothing new for the Raiders. The Raiders had to rally in the second half in four of their five Patriot League victories this season. Colgate came back from an early 14-0 deficit and scored the winning points with nine seconds left in a 31-24 triumph at Fordham on Sept. 27. The Raiders' comeback ability has been on display throughout the month of November. Colgate was down, 10-0, at halftime against Lafayette before coming back for a 21-13 win. The Raiders rallied from a 33-21 second-half deficit for a 34-33 victory at Lehigh on Nov. 8. Finally, they trailed Holy Cross, 24-14, at halftime before rallying for the 28-27 victory. Colgate also came back in the second half for non-League victories against Coastal Carolina, Princeton and Dartmouth.
Colgate's Patriot League Postseason History
Colgate has a 3-5 record in postseason games as a Patriot League member, with all of the wins coming in its march to the national championship game in 2003. In addition to the contest with Villanova in 1997, the Raiders also faced a team from the Colonial Athletic Association in the first round in 2003 and 2005. Colgate knocked off Massachusetts, 19-7, in the first round in 2003, and fell to New Hampshire, 55-21, in its last appearance in the first round in 2005. The Raiders are 1-3 as a Patriot League member against CAA opponents in the postseason, a mark that also includes the loss to Delaware in the 2003 national title game.
Patriot League versus Villanova in the Playoffs
Patriot League teams are 0-2 all-time against Villanova in the postseason. In addition to Colgate's 1997 game, Fordham lost at Villanova, 24-10, in the quarterfinals in 2002. The Wildcats join Delaware with the second-most matchups against Patriot League teams in the postseason with three, behind only the four with Massachusetts.
Patriot League In the First Round
Patriot League teams have a 7-15 all-time record in the postseason, and a 5-10 mark in first-round action. Saturday's game will add another chapter in the long playoff history against the Colonial Athletic Association. The Patriot League has a 4-11 record against CAA teams, and has faced at least one CAA opponent in every season since first entering the playoffs in 1997. The League's success against the CAA has all come in the first round, with a 4-7 all-time record in opening matchups.
Raiders, Wildcats Both Like To Run
Rushing yardage and time of possession could both prove crucial to Saturday's matchup, as Colgate and Villanova have each excelled in both categories throughout the season. The Raiders are fourth in the nation with 273.4 rushing yards per game, while the Wildcats are 13th with 210.2 yards per contest. Colgate is up to No. 1 in the country in time of possession after controlling the ball for more than 42 minutes against Holy Cross, but Villanova is not far behind at 13th in the country in time of possession. Colgate will have to maintain its rushing dominance against a tough Villanova defense that ranks sixth nationally against the run and allows just 2.8 yards per carry.
Colgate's Scott Sets Another Record; One More To Go
Colgate running back Jordan Scott rushed for 82 yards before exiting with an injury against Holy Cross on Saturday, and it was enough to make him the eighth player in FCS annals and first Patriot Leaguer with four 1,000-yard seasons in his career. Scott has 1,054 yards on the ground this season. He is just two carries away from tying the Division I record of 1,215 (Steve Bartalo, Colorado State 1983-86). Earlier in the year, Scott broke the Patriot League career record for rushing yardage, rushing touchdowns, 100-yard games, consecutive 100-yard games, carries and scoring earlier in the year. He is the active FCS leader in rushing yardage, all-purpose yardage, carries and touchdowns. Scott also did damage in his lone FCS playoff appearance, rushing for 205 yards and three touchdowns in Colgate's loss to New Hampshire in 2005.
Every Team Has Its Own Spot
For the first time since 2001, there were no ties for any of the positions in the final Patriot League standings. After Colgate and Holy Cross, Lehigh earned third place with a 31-15 win over rival Lafayette on Saturday. That gave the Mountain Hawks a 4-2 record, and left them one game ahead of the fourth-place Leopards. Bucknell finished at 2-4 with a 24-21 win in overtime against Fordham on Saturday, a contest that dropped the Rams to sixth place at 1-5. Georgetown finished seventh in the Patriot League with an 0-5 mark.
Six Squads Win Five
Six of the seven Patriot League teams won at least five games in 2008, marking the first time that six teams posted five victories or more since the League went back to seven teams in 2004. Colgate led the way in overall record at 9-2, followed by Holy Cross and Lafayette at 7-4. Lehigh, Bucknell and Fordham all finished 5-6.
Patriot League Records 20 Non-League Wins
The Patriot League heads into the postseason with a 20-16 non-League record.
Patriot League teams have clinched the League's first winning mark in non-League games since 2004, when they combined for a 21-16 record. The 20 wins are the most since that campaign.
Georgetown/Colgate Matchup Cancelled
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. The decision was endorsed by a 7-0 vote of the football athletic directors.
This Week in the Patriot League
No. 16 Colgate (9-2, 5-0) at No. 6/7 Villanova (9-2, 7-1 CAA)
Villanova Stadium; Villanova, Pa. - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Series Villanova, 3-1
Streak Villanova, Three Wins Last Meeting Villanova 20-0 (2002)
Last Playoff Meeting Villanova, 49-28 (11.29.97 - First Round)
Colgate Head Coach Dick Biddle, Duke, 1971
Career Record 104-48 (13th Season) Overall/Colgate; 62-16 Patriot League
Villanova Head Coach Andy Talley, Southern Connecticut, 1967
Career Record 192-118-1 Overall/164-100-1 (24th Season) at Villanova
No. 16 Colgate travels to No. 6/7 Villanova in first-round action of the NCAA Division I Football Championship...The Raiders are in the postseason for the first time since 2005 after winning their first Patriot League title and automatic playoff bid since that season with a 28-27 victory over Holy Cross on Saturday...Villanova is in its first postseason since 2002...The Raiders enter the postseason on an eight-game winning streak, behind only James Madison and No. 2 seed Appalachian State for the longest stretch in the nation...Colgate is in the postseason for the eighth time overall....The Raiders made the field as a Patriot League member in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2005, while they also went in 1982 and 1983 before the formation of the League....Colgate's six playoff appearances as a Patriot League member are more than any other program in the League...Colgate will travel to Villanova for a playoff contest for the second time...The first matchup came in the first postseason appearance for a Patriot League team, as No. 1 Villanova scored 22 consecutive fourth-quarter points to defeat the Raiders, 49-28, in a first-round matchup on Nov. 29, 1997...Villanova holds a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series...The Wildcats also beat the Raiders in a home-and-home series in 2001 and 2002...Colgate has a 3-5 record in postseason games as a Patriot League member, with all of the wins coming in its march to the national championship game in 2003..Patriot League teams are 0-2 all-time against Villanova in the postseason...Fordham lost at Villanova, 24-10, in the quarterfinals in 2002...The Wildcats will join Delaware with the second-most matchups against Patriot League teams in the postseason with three, behind only the four with Massachusetts...Patriot League teams have a 7-15 all-time record in the postseason, and a 5-10 mark in first-round action...The Patriot League has a 4-11 record against CAA teams, with a 4-7 mark against the League in first round games...Patriot League teams are 3-18 all-time against Villanova, including a 33-14 loss for Lehigh this season. ..The winner of Saturday's game will face the winner of the Wofford/James Madison contest.
Colgate Notebook No. 16 Colgate heads into the postseason after winning its sixth Patriot League title with a 28-27 triumph over Holy Cross on Saturday...The Raiders won their first outright crown since 2003, and completed the first undefeated campaign for any Patriot League team since they went 7-0 that season... Colgate earns its sixth Patriot League title and postseason berth under Head Coach Dick Biddle...Colgate's six titles tie Lafayette for the second-most in League history...The Raiders won four of their five League games by eight points or loss, with one-point wins over both Lehigh and Holy Cross...It was the first matchup between two undefeated teams on the final weekend of the regular season since Colgate beat Bucknell in 1997...The Raiders also won their eighth consecutive game overall....Colgate has won seven of the last eight and 10 of the last 12 in the series with the Crusaders...The Raiders have won the last four contests with Holy Cross at home, with one-point wins in the last two matchups in Hamilton....Colgate rallied from a 24-14 halftime deficit to defeat the Crusaders...The Raiders came within three on a 10-minute drive to start the third quarter, and scored the game-winning points on a five-yard run by Nate Eachus with 13:05 to play...Colgate halted Holy Cross' next drive on an interception by Wayne Moten at the Holy Cross 11....The Raiders ran out the final 4:37, with Eachus picking up nine yards on a 3rd-and-5 play at the Holy Cross 10 to seal the victory...Eachus slid down at the one to run out the clock...Jordan Scott had 22 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown in the game...Scott became the eighth player in FCS history and first Patriot Leaguer with four 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his career...He also pulled within two carries of tying the all-time Division I record of 1,215...Colgate held a 283-19 advantage in rushing yardage, and a 42:27 to 17:33 edge in time of possession...Eachus had 118 rushing yards and a touchdown..Quarterback Greg Sullivan ran for 76 yards and completed 8-of-12 passes for 129 yards with two touchdowns.
Team Notebooks
Bucknell (5-6, 2-4 Patriot League)
Bucknell Notebook Bucknell won its season finale in dramatic fashion, scoring a touchdown to tie the game with four seconds left and going on to beat Fordham, 24-21, in overtime at home on Saturday...The Bison conclude the year with a 5-6 record, and a 2-4 mark in Patriot League play...Bucknell won its final game of the season for the third consecutive year and for the fifth time in six years under Tim Landis...The Bison tied the game at 21-21 on a nine-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Hopson to Justin Pulgrano with four seconds left in regulation, and won it on a 36-yard field goal by Will Carney in overtime...Shaun Pasternak had nine catches for 156 yards and a touchdown in the win...It was his fifth 100-yard game of the season, which tied a Bucknell record...He broke the Bucknell mark for single-season receiving yards (1,083) and extended his own single-season receiving touchdowns record to 12...His 72 receptions were one shy of a Bucknell record...He is just the second Bison receiver to record 1,000 yards in a year...Greg Jones made a career-high 17 tackles in the win...Hopson had a stellar day with 18-of-28 passing for 229 yards and two touchdowns and 23 rushes for 58 yards and a score...He completed 8-of-9 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown on Bucknell's game-tying drive in the final two minutes.
Fordham (5-6, 1-5 Patriot League)
Fordham Notebook Fordham finished its year 5-6 overall and 1-5 in the Patriot League with a 24-21 loss at Bucknell in overtime on Saturday...The Rams held a 21-7 fourth-quarter lead, but saw Bucknell score twice in the final seven minutes...John Skelton went 16-of-31 for 141 yards in the game, making him the all-time passing yardage leader in Fordham annals and tying for the school's completion record...His 6,215 career yards broke the previous record set by Kevin Eakin (2000-03), and his 502 completions tie the mark of Joe Moorhead (1992-95)...Skelton has 43 passing touchdowns, two away from Eakin's Fordham record...Fordham had a pair of fumble recoveries for touchdowns, with Nick Magiera scoring in the first quarter and Ryan Darcey in the second...Xavier Martin had 147 yards on the ground, giving him six 100-yard games this season and eight for his career...He leads the Patriot League with 1,237 rushing yards this season.
Georgetown (2-8, 0-5 Patriot League)
Georgetown Notebook The Hoyas finished 0-5 in Patriot League action, with their game against Colgate on Oct. 4 cancelled due to the outbreak of norovirus on the Georgetown campus...It is Georgetown's second winless Patriot League campaign in the last three seasons...Quarterback Keerome Lawrence led the Hoyas with 392 rushing yards and three touchdowns this season, and also threw for 481 yards and three scores in 2008...Freshman quarterback James Brady led the team with 690 passing yards and three touchdowns...Nick Parrish led the team in both tackles (73) and interceptions (2)...Ataefiok Etukeren led the way with 13 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks on the season.
Holy Cross (7-4, 5-1 Patriot League)
Holy Cross Notebook Holy Cross finished its season at 7-4 overall and 5-1 in the Patriot League after a heartbreaking 28-27 loss to Colgate on Saturday with the League Championship on the line...The Crusaders won seven games overall for the third year in a row, and finished with five wins in League play for the first time since 1991...Holy Cross' four losses this season came by a combined total of eight points...The Crusaders lost by one point for the second consecutive trip to Hamilton, after falling 29-28 in their season finale in 2006...Holy Cross has not won in Hamilton since 2000...The loss snapped their six-game winning streak...Holy Cross senior quarterback Dominic Randolph completed 16-of-27 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns in the loss...Randolph set the Patriot League career record for completions (821), breaking the mark of 820 held by Lafayette's Marko Glavic (2000-03)...Randolph also set a Patriot League record with eight 300-yard games this season, and extended his League record to 18 career 300-yard efforts...Randolph tied the League mark of 34 touchdown passes in a season, and extended his career touchdown passes record to 83...Ryan Stewart had a career-high 13 tackles in the loss to Colgate...Matt Partain made a pair of field goals, tying the school single-season record with 12 field goals.
Lafayette (7-4, 3-3 Patriot League)
Lafayette Notebook Lafayette saw its four-game win streak aganst rival Lehigh come to an end with a 31-15 loss at home on Saturday...The Leopards had not lost to the Mountain Hawks since 2003, and had won three consecutive home contests in the series...Lafayette still holds a 76-63-5 edge in the all-time series, and has won four of the last five and five of the last seven meetings...Lafayette finishes the season 7-4 overall, and 3-3 in Patriot League action...The Leopards won at least seven games for the fourth time in the last five years, and finished .500 or better in the Patriot League for the fifth consecutive season...Lafayette was 5-1 on the road in 2008, but just 2-3 at home...Shaun Adair had a 62-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against Lehigh...Adair finished his career as one of the top receivers in Lafayette history...His 2,190 yards rank third on the career receiving yards list and his 148 career receptions ranks fourth...Andy Romans led the Leopards with nine tackles.
Lehigh (5-6, 4-2 Patriot League)
Lehigh Notebook Lehigh snapped a four-game losing streak to rival Lafayette with a 31-15 victory in Easton on Saturday...The Mountain Hawks finish their season at 5-6 overall and 4-2 in the Patriot League, claiming third place in the League standings...Lehigh won its first game against Lafayette since 2003, and its first in Easton since 2000...The Mountain Hawks have also now won five games or more for 11 consecutive seasons, and have finished with a winning Patriot League record in 10 of the last 11 years...It was the 144th meeting of the most-played rivalry in college football...J.B. Clark completed 12-of-22 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns to earn game MVP honors...He became the first Lehigh sophomore quarterback to earn MVP honors since 1983...John Kennedy sealed the win with a 94-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter...The Lehigh defense registered a season-best eight sacks, led by Brian Jackson who sacked the Leopard quarterbacks three-and-a-half times...The 3.5 sacks were a career high for Jackson, who recorded a sack for the first time since Nov. 8, 1997...Two of his sacks came on consecutive plays in the first half...He finishes his career with nine sacks...Mike Fitzgerald caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown...It was his second-career 100-yard receiving game...His 11 touchdown receptions this year were the most for a Mountain Hawk since 2001...Jason Leo averaged 42.9 yards on seven punts in the game...Leo ranks seventh nationally with a 43.0 punting average, while the Mountain Hawks are third in net punting...Tim Diamond finished with a game-high 11 tackles, pushing him over 100 for the second consecutive season...It marks the first time a Lehigh player registered back-to-back 100 tackle seasons since Ian Eason in 1996 and 1997.
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