It was truly a mixed bag for the league to open the season. Half of the teams emerged victorious (Holy Cross, Georgetown, Lafayette) while the other half (Colgate, Fordham, Lehigh) saw their dream of an undefeated season go out the window.
- Colgate
- The defending Patriot League champions took one on the chin against their long time Central New York rival Syracuse to open the season. The offense struggled mightily after a solid first quarter while the defense was carved up by the Orange’s up tempo passing attack. The Raiders have this week off before heading to the Yale Bowl on 9/17
- Holy Cross
- The Crusaders easily posted the most impressive performance of the week. Senior QB Peter Pujals led a balanced offense (258 yards passing/240 yards rushing) that put up 54 points against an overmatched Morgan State squad. The task figures to get quite a bit taller this week as Holy Cross heads north to visit New Hampshire.
- Fordham
- When the opposing team starts pulling people out of the stands to play you know it’s not your day. The Fordham defense was pillaged early and often by Navy’s dynamic option offense in a 52-16 loss. Luckily for the Rams, D2 Elizabeth City State’s trip to the Bronx this week should help repair moral.
- Bucknell
- The Bison nailed down their sixth straight season opening win by taking out Marist 26-10. A strong running game (Joe DeFloria, 145 yards on 27 carries) on offense and stingy rush defense were key in Saturday night’s victory. Bucknell will look to make it 2-0 against fellow Keystone Stater Duquesne Saturday.
- Lehigh
- The much heralded Lehigh offense got off to a terrible start (59 first half yards) in a disappointing 23-21 loss to Monmouth to open the year. Conversely, the notoriously shaky defense was able to keep Lehigh within striking during the offense’s first half struggles. Lehigh will need all aspects to be at their best this week when they visit the Main Line to battle Villanova.
- Lafayette
- The Leopards matched their 2015 win total by taking down Central Connecticut State 24-10. The win was aided by 5 CCSU turnovers and a strong performance by senior QB Drew Reed. Lafayette will likely get a much stiffer test Saturday as the Delaware Blue Hens visit Easton for the Leopards home opener.
- Georgetown
- The Hoyas were able to pile on Davidson’s recent FCS misery by rolling the Wildcats 38-14 in Washington D.C. Tim Barnes two second quarter touchdowns (4 total) helped the Hoyas blow the game open before half. Georgetown will face their second straight Pioneer Football League member this week when they venture to the Hudson Valley to face Marist.