Week 2 of the Patriot League season saw all seven teams in action. The big winner of the weekend was Holy Cross who notched a key league road victory over Bucknell. Georgetown also has to feel good about how the weekend went. The Hoya’s escaped North Carolina with a narrow win over future Big South member Campbell. Fordham overcame several key injuries in a comeback win over Central Connecticut State.  All-American RB Chase Edmonds was one of the Rams that went down in the “W”. Meanwhile, Colgate, Lafayette and Lehigh all came up short in their out of conference games. The Raiders put forth an excellent performance against #10 Richmond before falling by a FG.  The same can’t be said for Lafayette and Lehigh who were run over and around in their double digit defeats.

Holy Cross 20 Bucknell 0

The Crusaders (1-1, 1-0) got off to a 1-0 start in Patriot League play by using a dominant defensive performance last Saturday against the Bucknell Bison (1-1, 0-1). Overall, Holy Cross’s defense has looked very good to start the year. The Crusaders held FBS UConn in check for most of the game prior to notching their first shutout in nearly two years (10/15 against Lafayette) in the win over the Bison. While Bucknell’s offensive troubles have been well documented, Holy Cross head coach Tom Gilmore and his staff have to be happy with what they’ve seen from the defense so far this season. On the other hand, Bucknell head coach Joe Susan has to be concerned about the offense, espically the offensive line. The O-line must develop some sort of consistency if the Bison want to post a winning season in 2017. Their talented running back duo of DeFloria and Freshnock were held under a 100 combined yards (58 against HC) for the second straight game to start the season.

Bucknell’s troubles started early in their loss to Holy Cross. The Bison fumbled the opening kickoff which led to a Diquan Walker (10 rushes 72 yards 2 TDs) touchdown run a few plays later. The Crusaders extended their lead to 10-0 late in the 1st quarter when A.J. Well knocked through a 26 yard FG. Following another Bison fumble, Wells tacked on 3 more points to extend the lead to 13-0. Diquan Walker’s second TD of the day in the 3rd quarter closed out the scoring for the game.

Bucknell had 8 first half possessions; 3 ended via fumbles, 3 with punts, 1 on downs and 1 on a missed FG. The Bison managed just 214 total yards for the game.

Up Next: Both teams take on opponents from the CAA this week. Holy Cross welcomes New England rival New Hampshire to Worcester while Bucknell heads to Williamsburg, VA to take on William & Mary.

Fordham 38 Central Connecticut State 31

Fordham (1-1, 0-0) might have lost the war of attrition but the Rams managed to escape with the ultimate victory against a game Central Connecticut State (0-2) team Saturday afternoon. The Rams lost All-American running back Chase Edmonds in the 2nd quarter with an ankle injury and his backup Jarred Brevard had to be taken off the field on a stretcher in the 3rd quarter after suffering an apparent broken leg. The Rams were also without starting WR Austin Longi on offense. Given the numerous injuries, Fordham showed tremendous resiliency in the victory over the Blue Devils after putting forth a very lackluster performance against Army the week prior.

The Rams had to battle from the start against Central Connecticut after the Blue Devil’s Tajik Bagley returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a TD. CCSU tacked on a FG and a defensive TD in the opening 5 minutes of the game to take a 17-0 lead before everyone was settled in their seat. Fordham would get on the board late in 1st quarter when Kevin Anderson (17-29 265 yards 3 TD 1 INT, 37 yards rushing 1 TD) scrambled for a 7 yard TD. Anderson added two 2nd quarter touchdown passes to give Fordham a 21-17 lead. However, CCSU would retake the lead 24-21 right before half. The Blue Devils extended their lead to 31-21 following an 8 play 78 yard drive that ended in a Cameron Nash TD run. Now down 10 Fordham would once again pick themselves off of the canvas. Anderson tossed his 3rd pass of the game and Kyle Facibene converted a 40 yard FG to even the score at 31. Then with 1:27 left in regulation Lawrenc Menyah intercepted a Jake Dolegala pass and turned it 29 yards for the game winning score.

Up Next: Fordham welcomes FCS power Eastern Washington to the Bronx for an enticing out conference matchup between the Patriot League and Big Sky.

Monmouth 46 #19 Lehigh 27

For the second straight season Lehigh (0-2, 0-0) opened their season with losses to Villanova and Monmouth (2-0). While the Mountain Hawks were able to reel off 9 straight wins last season on the way to the Patriot League title, the odds of Lehigh duplicating the feat two years in a row are certainly stacked against them. The biggest issue for Lehigh remains their defense, more specifically their rush defense. The Monmouth Hawks were able to rack up 351 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground in the win. Freshman Monmouth RB Peter Guerriero led the way with 189 yards and 2 TDs on 25 carries.

Guerriero got Monmouth off to a blazing start when he returned the opening kickoff 70 yards. The Hawks were able to take advantage of the excellent field position thanks to Devell Jones 6 yard TD run. Monmouth’s defense also rose to the occasion early in in the game. The Hawks “D” was able to turn Lehigh over on downs on the Mountain Hawk’s first possession. Following the change of possession Guerriero struck again. This time the freshman raced untouched up the middle for a 71 yard TD to push the Monmouth lead to 14-0. Lehigh would finally wake up and respond with 2 Brad Mayes (23-38 334 yards 3 TD 1 INT) TD passes to tie the game at 14. The Mountain Hawks would eventually grab a 21-20 half time lead. On the second play from scrimmage in the 3rd quarter Lehigh extended their cushion to 27-20 when Mayes hit slot receiver Luke Christiano for a 54 yard TD. From that point on it would be all Monmouth. The Hawks scored two 3rd quarter touchdowns to take a 33-27 lead heading into the final 15 minutes. They added 2 more scores in the 4th quarter to win going away. It was Monmouth’s 3rd straight win over Lehigh after losing the first 5 games in the series.

Lehigh suffered two key injuries in the loss. Leading WR Luke Christiano (13 rec 247 yards 2 TDs) is likely lost for the year with a broken bone in his hand and starting RB Dominic Bragalone suffered a shoulder injury that will possibly sideline him for a few weeks.

Up Next: Lehigh returns home to face Yale. The Mountain Hawks flew past Yale 63-35 last year in New Haven. The Eli will be playing their first game of the year.

#10 Richmond 20 #21 Colgate 17

Richmond (1-1) needed a late FG to sneak past Colgate(1-1, 0-0) in a battle of ranked teams in Hamilton, NY. The Raiders defense proved once again it was one of the top units in FCS by holding the high flying Spider attack in check for 60 minutes. Colgate’s “D” held Richmond to 62 total rushing yards and stopped the Spiders twice on downs inside the Raider 10 yard line in the 1st half to keep the game within reach. Unfortunately for Colgate, the offense continues to search for a passing attack. Starting QB Carmine Scarfone was replaced by Grant Brenamen early in the game but the results didn’t change much. Despite the lack of balance the Raider ground attack performed well (201 yards).

After a scoreless opening 15 minutes Colgate took a 7-0 lead in the 2nd quarter when Brenamen (10-21 99 yards 1 TD 1 INT) connected with Alex Greenawalt for a 7 yard TD pass. Richmond tied the game on their next possession when Deontez Thompson found paydirt from 5 yards away. Colgate was able to reclaim the lead early in the second half. RB James Holland plunged into the end zone from a yard out to push the Raiders ahead 14-7 with 8:06 left in the 3rd quarter. The Spiders would score the games next 10 points to take a 17-14 lead midway through the 4th quarter. Chris Puzzi’s 25 yard FG tied the game up with 3:58 left in regulation. Richmond’s offense was able to respond on their ensuing possession. Spider QB Kyle Lauletta led a 9 play 64 yard drive that culminated in Trau Griffin’s go-ahead 27 yard FG. The Raiders had one last chance but Grant Breneman was intercepted on 1st down with 1:23 left in the game.

Up Next: Colgate heads to Western New York to face FBS Buffalo. The Raiders defeated the Bulls in 2003 on their to the national title game.

Georgetown 16 Campbell 10

After an opening week bye, the extra wait to start the 2017 season was worth it for Georgetown (1-0, 0-0).  The Hoyas used a strong defensive performance to sneak past Campbell (1-1). Georgetown forced 4 turnovers (including one scoop and score) and 10 Camel punts in the Hoya’s 6 point win. Campbell’s offense was coming off a 70 point effort in their season opener so the Hoya’s have to be feeling good about how the defense performed in game 1. Meanwhile, the veteran offense struggled at times (8 1st downs, 294 yards) in Tim Barnes’s return under center. One positive on offense was the 114 rushing yards. Georgetown struggled mightily to establish any semblance of a ground attack in 2016 so to start the year by going over the century mark has to make Coach Sgarlata pleased.

The 1st half was an uphill battle for both teams on offense. Georgetown’s Brad Hurst booted a 42 yard FG for the only points during the first 30 minutes of play. The Camels took their first lead of the game thanks to a 9 play, 67 yard TD drive on their opening possession of the 2nd half.  The Hoyas would immediately respond with a touchdown march of their own. Tim Barnes (14-28 180 yards 1 TD 2 INT) hit Michael Dereus for a 32 yard strike to put the Hoyas back in front at 10-7. Campbell would tie the game at 10 early in the 4th quarter. Georgetown’s winning TD came on Jelani Williamson’s scoop and score fumble recovery with 1:27 left in the game. The Hoya defense came up with one more big play to secure the win. CB David Akere intercepted Campbell’s Anthony Robbins with 34 seconds left to end the game.

Up next: Georgetown hosts Marist Saturday afternoon. The Hoyas defeated the Red Foxes 20-17 last year.

Sacred Heart 38 Lafayette 24

The Lafayette (0-2, 0-0) defense could not slow down the Pioneers rushing attack (287 yards) Saturday evening as the Leopards failed get John Garrett his first career win. In total, Sacred Heart (2-0) rolled up 504 yards in the 14 point win over Lafayette in Easton.  Not only couldn’t Lafayette stop the Pioneers rushing attack, they couldn’t establish one of their own. The Leopards tallied a scant 40 rushing yards against the Pioneer defense. This is after posting -1 yards rushing against Monmouth to open the year. One bright spot for Lafayette in the loss was the performance of freshman quarterback Sean O’Malley (25-44 287 yards 3 TD 1 INT). Until the Leopards have some semblance of a rushing attack O’Malley will be forced to carry the offense.

Lafayette got off to strong start in their home opener. The Leopard’s tallied a FG on their second possession of the game and a touchdown the next time they touched the ball to take a 10-0 lead with 9:09 remaining in the opening quarter. Sacred Heart would even the score at 10 in the second quarter with a FG and touched of their own. The Pioneers put together two 9 play touchdown drives in the 3rd quarter to take 24-10 lead into the final stanza. Ose Imeokpari’s 2 yard touchdown plunge with 10:44 left in the game effectively put the game out of reach at 31-10. The Leopards would tack on 2 late touchdowns while the Pioneers added 1 to close out the scoring.

Up Next: Lafayette heads to suburban Philadelphia to take on #7 Villanova. The Wildcats defeated the Leopads 31-14 last year in Easton.

Power Rankings

  1. Colgate – The Raiders defense has been spectacular to start the year. If the offense can get it going they’re the league favorite.
  2. Holy Cross – Like Colgate, the Crusader’s defense has been impressive to start the year. They still need to take some of the pressure off of Pujals on offense.
  3. Lehigh – The defense is incapable of stopping the run and the offense is battling injuries. Their backs are against the wall against Yale this week.
  4. Fordham – The status of Chase Edmonds has to be the primary concern. After Edmonds health the defense remains a major issue moving forward.
  5. Georgetown – It wasn’t pretty but the Hoyas are 1-0. Sgarlate has to hope the offense improves quite a bit from game 1 to game 2.
  6. Bucknell – Without an effective offensive line the “O” will be a no go. The defense can only hang in for so long
  7. Lafayette – 39 total rushing yards in 2 games won’t win many games. Garrett has to figure out a way to get some production on the ground if the Leopards want to win more than a game or two.