Week seven in the Patriot League was highlighted by Holy Cross’s non-conference win over 20th ranked Harvard. It was the Crimson’s first loss outside of the Ivy League since 2011. Fordham also took care of an Ancient 8 opponent, Yale, on their way to a 4-2 record. Ram quarterback Kevin Anderson had a big day in the victory over the Eli. The third out of conference game of the weekend did not go nearly as well for the Patriot League. Lafayette was blown out by an Army team that seems destined to reach their first bowl in 20 years.
In league action, Colgate rebounded from their loss to Lehigh with an impressive 27-7 road win over Bucknell. The Colgate defense had their best game of the year in the win. Finally, Lehigh continued their dominance of Georgetown with a 35-3 win over the Hoyas in Washington D.C. Sophomore QB Brad Mayes once again saw significant playing time in relief for an injured Nick Shafnisky.
Army 62 Lafayette 7
Army (4-2) outrushed Lafayette (1-5) 537 yards to 10 on their way to a dominating 55 point win Saturday afternoon. This was the second straight game in which the Leopards gave up over 500 yards (516 to Fordham) on the ground. Not surprisingly both games resulted in blowout losses for Lafayette. Army racked up 671 total yards of offense which is the second highest total in school history (record came against Montana in 1984). The Black Knights have now won two straight games against the Patriot League since opening the 2015 season with a loss to Fordham.
The loss was the Leopards 5th straight since their season opening win over Central Connecticut State. Going back to the start of last season Lafayette is 2-16 overall. To say they’re stuck in a funk would be a drastic understatement at this point. Thankfully for Lafayette there won’t be another FBS opponent for two more years. The bad news is, it’s against Army again.
It did not take long for the Black Knights to get rolling on offense. Following a punt on Lafayette’s opening possession, Army briskly marched 88 yards in 4 plays to take a 7-0 lead on QB Ahmad Bradshaw’s (6 carries 109 yards 1 TD) 60 yard TD with a little over 12 minutes left in the 1st quarter. After the Leopards were forced to punt for the second straight drive the Black Knights put together a time consuming 8 play 50 yard drive that ended with Jordan Asberry’s 20 yards TD run.
Lafayette’s offensive struggles continued on their next drive with a 3 and out. The Black Knights offense on the other hand kept humming along. Army used a 7 play, 64 yard drive to push their lead to 21-0. The Leopards went 3 and out again on their next drive. The weary Lafayette defense would prove to be no match for the now rolling Army “O”. Ahmad Bradshaw’s touchdown pass to Jeff Ejakem from 7 yards out with 2:02 left in the first half made it 28-0. The first half fireworks weren’t over. Following Lafayette’s 5th punt of the first half, Jordan Asberry ripped off a 59 yard TD on first down to really blow the game open. Now down 35, QB Drew Reed (21-36 205 yards 2 INTs) and the Leopards offense would finally get things going. The senior would go 3-5 throwing the ball and finish off the drive with a 7 yard TD scramble to get Lafayette on the board late in the first half.
Unfortunately for the Leopards, they would not be able to carry the momentum from the late drive over to the second half. The Black Knights received the second half kickoff and proceeded to go on a grueling 12 play 75 yard TD drive that took nearly 6 minutes off the clock. Sophomore RB Cole Macek capped the drive with a short 4 yard TD run to push the lead back to 35. Army would tack on threee more second half touchdown drives to put the exclamation point on the route.
Up Next: Lafayette hits the road for a Patriot League battle with Bucknell in Lewisburg. The Leopards fell to the Bison 35-24 last year.
Fordham 44 Yale 37
Fordham (4-2, 1-0) learned this weekend they can win a game when Chase Edmonds (18 carries 121 yards) fails to hit his per game average (188 ypg) for yards and doesn’t reach reach the end zone. QB Kevin Anderson (18-27 270 yards 5 TDs) picked up the slack by tossing 5 touchdown passes to propel the Rams to victory over Yale (1-4) on a beautiful afternoon for football in the Bronx. It was the third time this season the Yale defense gave up five or more touchdown passes to a Patriot League quarterback. Not surprisingly Yale went 0-3 in those contests.
Anderson and Co. got things going for Fordham early on. Jihaad Pretlow returned the opening kickoff 62 yards to set the Rams offense up at Eli 33 yard line. Four plays later Anderson hit senior WR Robbie Contelli (3 rec 91 yards 2 TDs) from 15 yards out to give the Rams an early 7-0 lead. The Yale offense would immediately respond on their next drive. Eli QB Tre Moore’s (13-34 103 yards 1 INT) QB sneak finished off an 8 play 55 yard TD drive. Yale’s successfully converted a 2 point conversion gave them an 8-7 lead with 9:49 left in the 1st quarter. After the early fireworks both defenses would settle in and force each team to punt on consecutive drives. Following Yale’s second punt of the day the Ram offense got things rolling again. After Edmonds went 16 yards on first down, Anderson found Corey Caddle downfield for a 55 yard TD connection to put Fordham back in the lead with 1:12 left in the opening quarter.
The Eli would retake the lead 15-14 on their first possession of the second quarter when Yale RB Dale Harris (24 carries 136 yards 4 TDs) found pay dirt from 4 yards out. Fordham’s offense would once again have an answer. Anderson notched his third TD pass of the game when he found the diminutive Austin Longi for a 15 yard TD with 5:32 left in the 2nd quarter. The Ram “O” would get another opportunity to put up points before half after a quick Yale 3 in out. Like good teams do, they did not waste their chance to tack on points before intermission. Anderson connected with Caddle (4 rec 74 yards 2 TDs) for their second TD connection of day to extend the Ram lead to 27-15 (2pt attempt failed) after 30 minutes of play.
After a lot of offense in the first half, both defenses would set the tone early on in the second half. The highlight for the Ram defense during that time came on Caleb Ham’s 63 yard pick six to extend the lead to 34-15. However, the Yale offense would not be deterred by their early second half mistake. On their next possession the Eli put together their most impressive scoring drive (12 play, 64 yards) of the day. Dale Harris finished it off with a 1 yard TD plunge and a 2 point conversion to cut the Fordham lead to 11 (34-23) with 1:48 left in the 3rd quarter. The Yale momentum would turn out to be very short lived. 17 seconds later Anderson found Cantelli behind the Eli secondary for an electric 69 yard TD strike to push the Fordham lead to 18 points.
Yale would show great character by responding with a 9 play 73 yard TD drive to once again close the deficit to 11 with 12:21 left in the 4th quarter. The Eli would get the ball back again and had things going before the Ram defense would finally stiffen on 4th down to end drive at the 36 yard line with a little over 5 minutes left in the game. The 4th down stop effectively ended Yale’s chances at a comeback. Fordham would tack on a late FG while Yale would get a TD with 21 seconds left to close out the scoring.
Up Next: Fordham welcomes Georgetown to the Bronx for a key league contest Saturday. The Rams have won 4 straight over the Hoyas.
Colgate 27 Bucknell 7
Colgate (2-4, 1-1) ended their three game losing streak with an impressive 20 point road win over league foe Bucknell (2-4, 1-1). The Raiders used a stifling rushing defense (27 yards) to make life miserable for the Bison offense. Colgate held the second leading rusher in the PL, RB Joey DeFloria, to a mere 40 yards on 11 carries. To make matters worse, Bucknell QB Matt Muh had to leave the due to injury in second half with the game still in reach. He was replaced by freshman John Chiarolanzio (11-19 139 yards 1 TD) who made his varsity debut in the loss. The Bison have been without usual starter R.J. Nitti since the second game of the year.
Both defenses would control play for most of the first 20 plus minutes of the game. Bucknell’s first four possessions of the contest resulted in punts. Three of those drives resulted ended with 3 and outs. Colgate was able to move the ball slightly better over that time. Their second possession of the game showed promise but fizzled out when Jonah Bowman missed a 45 yard FG. Bowman would redeem himself on the next drive with a 36 yard FG to give the Raiders a 3-0 lead with 1:33 left in the 1st quarter. The senior kicker extended the Colgate lead to 6-0 when he knocked through a 22 yard chippy at the 4:35 mark of the 2nd quarter. On the ensuing Bucknell possession Matt Muh was picked off by Colgate’s Tyler Castillo. Castillo returned the interception 31 yards to the Bison 18. Two plays later Jake Melville hit Owen Rockett for a 16 yard touchdown to give Colgate a 13-0 lead with 1:27 left in the first half.
Bucknell opened the second half with their best drive of the game but it would be all for not as Jack Chambers doinked a 30 yard FG off the upright. The Bison finally got on the board on their next drive. Bucknell backup QB John Chiarolanzio found Andrew Owers for a short 2 yard TD pass to cap an impressive 11 play 71 yard drive that 5:44 off the clock.
With Colgate clinging to a 13-7 lead early in the 4th quarter, the Raiders offense put together a much needed scoring drive. Melville finished off an 11 play 57 drive that took nearly 6 minutes off the clock with an 8 yard quarterback keeper to give Colgate a two score lead with 5:08 left in the game. Bucknell’s last ditch attempt to comeback ended on downs. Following the defensive stop, Melville added his second 8 yard TD to close out the scoring.
Colgate RB James Holland missed his second straight game due to injury. Kenyon Washington had his second straight 100 yard game (25 carries 159 yards) filling in.
Up Next: Bucknell will look to get back over .500 in league play when Lafayette invades Christy Mathewson Stadium next week. After hitting the road 5 times in 6 weeks to start the year, Colgate gets to enjoy a much needed bye week.
Holy Cross 27 #20 Harvard 17
Holy Cross (3-4, 1-1) shocked their rivals from Cambridge 27-17 Saturday afternoon for a head turning non-conference win. Harvard (4-1) entered the game having won their previous 16 out of conference games. Their last loss outside of the Ivy League ironically came at the hands of the Crusaders (2011). The Crimson were also riding a 16 game road winning streak before suffering the 10 point setback. With a huge game against Lehigh looming next week, this is the type of victory that could propel the Crusaders the rest of the season. Their defense should enter next week’s game confident after holding Harvard to 245 total yards.
It didn’t start out particularly well for the Holy Cross “D”. After punting on their opening possession of the game, the Crimson put together a 7 play 44 yard TD drive the second time they touched the ball. Noah Reimers finished the drive with a 14 yard TD run to give Harvard an early 7-0 lead. Holy Cross would then awaken for the rest of the quarter. All League WR Brandon Flaherty (8 rec 96 yards 1 TD) got things started with a 32 yard TD catch to conclude an 8 play 51 yard drive. The Crusaders would take a 14-7 lead on their next possession thanks to Geoff Wade’s second TD pass of the game. This time Wade (23-35 244 yards 2 TDs) connected with WR Jake Wieczorek (3 rec 69 yards 1 TD) for a short 3 yard TD. The Crusader defense got in on the points blitz when Kyle Young strip sacked Tom Stewart in the end zone and Brett Laurie fell on the ball for a TD to extend the lead to 21-7 lead with 1:22 left in the opening quarter. The 14 point deficit was Harvard’s largest of the year. The Crimson made sure the 14 point hole did not last long. The Crimson immediately responded with a 7 play 84 yard TD drive. Tom Stewart redeemed himself with a 12 yard TD pass to Brian Dunlap to draw Harvard within 7 points early in the 2nd quarter. Harvard would add a 37 yard FG in the final seconds of the first half to cut the Holy Cross lead to 21-17.
Holy Cross would match Harvard’s 3 points on their opening possession of the second half. Zane Wasp drilled a 44 yard FG to push the Crusader lead back to a 7 early in the 3rd quarter. From that point on Holy Cross’s defense took over. Harvard managed a dismal 21 total yards in the second half. The Crusaders forced three 3 and outs and created two turnovers in five of the six Harvard second half possessions. The other Crimson drive netted 0 yards on 9 plays due to penalties and sacks.
It’s rumored that senior Holy Cross QB Peter Pujals will sit out the rest of the year and apply for a 5th year via a medical redshirt. The first team all-Patriot League QB was injured in first half of the third game of the season (Dartmouth).
Harvard played without several starters due to injury/precautionary reasons. Those players that sat out include starting QB Joe Viviano, RB Semar Smith and WR Justice Shelton-Mosley.
Up Next: Holy Cross will be at home for the third straight week. This time Lehigh visits Worcester for a pivotal game in the race for the league championship. Holy Cross trailed 41-10 at half to Lehigh last season before ultimately losing 51-38.
Lehigh 35 Georgetown 3
Death, taxes and Lehigh beating Georgetown? It sure has to feel that way if you’re a fan of either team. Lehigh’s Brad Mayes (19-26 247 yards 2 TDs 1 INT) once again put forth an impressive performance in relief of starting QB Nick Shafnisky as the Mountain Hawks beat the Hoyas for the 16th straight time. Lehigh (5-2, 2-0) remains the only Patriot League school Georgetown (3-3, 0-1) has not defeated since joining the league for the 2001 season. The 3 points given up by the Lehigh defense were the fewest allowed since the Mountain Hawks shutout Georgetown 27-0 in 2009.
The Lehigh defense did their job early on by stopping the Hoya’s opening possession after one first down. Lehigh’s offense rewarded the defense’s effort by putting together an efficient 5 play 80 yard TD drive in just over 2 minutes. The score came on a 42 yard Shafnisky (7-12 101 yards 1 TD 1 INT) to Gatlin Casey TD pass. The Lehigh defense would force two more Georgetown punts to close out the first quarter. On Lehigh’s fourth possession of the game Shafnisky injured his ankle and left the game. Mayes entered and proceeded to march the Lehigh “O” down the field for their second TD of the day. The sophomore QB connected with Troy Pelletier (7 rec 68 yards 1 TD) from 11 yards out to give Lehigh a 14-0 lead with 9:07 left in the 2nd quarter.
The Hoya’s biggest offensive threat came late in the first half. Michael Dareus’s 27 yard punt return set Georgetown’s offense up at the Lehigh 25 yard line with 3:05 left in the half. The Hoya’s would get the ball down inside the 10 yard line but couldn’t find the end zone and had to settle for a 24 yard FG with 1:41 to go in the 2nd quarter. Lehigh drove the ball the down to the Georgetown 14 yard line but Hunter Kiselick intercepted a tipped Mayes pass to thwart the scoring opportunity.
Georgetown put together an impressive drive to start the second half. Unfortunately for the Hoya’s it would be all for not as Henry Darmstadter missed a 42 yard FG. The Mountain Hawks offense would once against get things going. Mayes directed his second TD drive (9 plays 75 yards) of the day. This time he handed off to RB Dominic Bragalone (19 carries 61 yards 2 TDs) for a 1 yard TD plunge with 7:52 remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Lehigh offense would strike again the next time they saw the ball. This time Mayes hit a streaking Gatlin Casey (6 rec 164 yards 2 TDs) down the middle for a 57 yard TD to push the Lehigh lead to 28-3 with 5:16 on the clock in the 3rd quarter. Dominic Bragalone added one more short TD run to close out the scoring.
Georgetown QB Clay Norris (15-25 79 yards) made his second straight start for the injured Tim Barnes. The Hoya offense continued to struggle (177 total yards) against better competition without Barnes under center. The lack of a running game (74 yards) has been an issue all year.
Up Next: Lehigh puts their 5 game winning streak on the line against Holy Cross in Worcester. The Mountain Hawks lost the last time (2012) they played at Fitton Field. Georgetown travels to the Bronx to face Fordham. The Hoyas most recent win over the Rams came in 2011.
Power Rankings
- Lehigh
- Fordham
- Colgate
- Holy Cross
- Bucknell
- Georgetown
- Lafayette
