This week’s slate of games is highlighted by the annual Colgate-Lehigh grudge match. The two winningest programs in the Patriot League will be looking to get an early leg up in the chase for the conference title when they meet in Bethlehem. There are two other games this weekend, Bucknell at Holy Cross and Lafayette at Fordham, that figure to factor into the championship race. Both Bucknell and Lafayette will be looking to end 3 game losing skids. Finally, Georgetown faces Princeton for their last non-conference game of the season.
Colgate at Lehigh – 8 Oct. 12:30 P.M. Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA
(Patriot League Network)
The leaves might still be on the trees but the stakes are still very high when Colgate (1-3) travels to Lehigh (3-2). The Raiders enter the game off an emotional loss rival Cornell last weekend. Prior to that, Colgate had a tough set back at Richmond. Lehigh on the other hand is riding a three game winning streak.
The unusually early date (earliest since 1997, Oct. 4th) for the game means one of these conference favorites will start Patriot League play with a loss. With a six game league schedule, losses are a little more difficult to overcome. Lehigh might have an outside shot at an at large bid with a defeat. Given their 10 game schedule, the 1-3 Raiders have no room for error if they want to return to the postseason
The pass defense continues to be a major factor in Colgate’s recent slide. Cornell’s Dalton Banks (454 4 TDs) and Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta (307 yards 4 TDs) torched Colgate the last two weeks. For the season the Raiders are giving up 343 ypg to opposing quarterbacks. They will once again be challenged this week by a Lehigh passing attack that ranks 3rd in the country. Colgate’s ability to at least slow down the Mountain Hawk passing offense will go a long way in determining their fate. The Raiders will have to deal with duel-threat QB Nick Shafnisky who is expected to play this week after sitting out Lehigh’s game at Yale last Saturday.
Lehigh finished out of conference play with 3 straight (@ Penn, Princeton, @ Yale) double digit wins over the Ivy League. The offense averaged 51 ppg in those in those wins. The Mountain Hawks saw back-up quarterback Brad Mayes put up a record setting performance (524 passing yards) against Yale last week. Star WR Troy Pelletier is having a monster season to date. He currently leads the country in total receiving yards and ranks in the Top 5 in ypg and receptions.
It’s a good thing Lehigh’s offense has been racking up the points because the defense continues to struggle. There’s been overall improvement from last year’s debacle but the unit still has glaring weaknesses. The biggest of which is the rush “D” which ranks 113th (243 ypg) in the country. Colgate will test it from the start with QB Jake Mellville, who leads the team in rushing, and the talented RB duo of James Holland and Keyon Washington. This is not one of Colgate’s more powerful rushing attacks (170 ypg) but it’s certainly good enough to give Lehigh trouble. When the Raiders want to pass the ball they’ll first turn to WR John Maddaluna. The senior is coming off a monster (11 rec 261 yards 3 TDs) performance against Cornell.
Colgate won last year’s shootout 49-42 to secure the Patriot League title. A similar score might be in the cards on Saturday as long as the weather cooperates.
Of Note: Colgate and Lehigh are without question the two most dominant football programs in Patriot League history. The two have combined for 18 Patriot League Titles (Lehigh 10, Colgate 8) and 10 out of the leagues 13/FCS 1-AA playoff wins.
Lafayette at Fordham – 8 Oct. 1:00 P.M. Jack Coffey Field Bronx, NY
(Patriot League Network)
The Leopards (1-4 0-1) will try to get their season turned aroung against Fordham (2-2) in an important early season conference game. Both teams enter the game off disappointing losses in which they led in the second half. Fordham controlled the play for much of their game against Monmouth but ultimately saw the Hawks steal the victory on a 2 point conversion in overtime. Lafayette got a great effort from back-up QB Blake Searfoss but a so-so defensive performance led to their demise in a 38-28 loss to Holy Cross. Focus and motivation could be key intangibles in this game. Lafayette’s season is on the brink of going off the cliff while Fordham can’t afford to lose this game if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Ram’s offense continues to roll along behind the play of RB Chase Edmonds (208 yards 4 TDs vs Monmouth). He’ll once again be the centerpiece of Fordham’s offensive attack against a Lafayette rush defense that’s been allowing 191 ypg so far this season. The Leopards will have to provide some level of resistance for Edmonds if they want to pull the upset.
While stopping Edmonds has proven to be a near impossible task for opponents, Lafayette should have some success against Fordham QB Kevin Anderson. The senior signal caller has had a productive season (56% completion, 243 ypg 8 TDs) so far but has failed to really take a game over against FCS competition. With league play starting, now would be a great time to assert himself in the Fordham offense. He will face a pretty solid pass defense (178 ypg) this weekend.
Lafayette will once again turn to Blake Searfoss at QB. Normal starting quarterback Drew Reed is still recovering from a vicious hit he took last week against Holy Cross. Searfoss had an excellent night (280 yards 4 TDs) filling in for the injured Reed. He’ll need another strong performance to offset Lafayette’s anemic rushing attack (63 ypg). The Leopards failed to take advantage of Holy Cross’s shaky rush defense so there’s little reason to think they can exploit Fordham’s (229 ypg). The Rams have been shorthanded along the DL since the start of the year.
Of Note: Lafayette pulled a surprising upset of nationally ranked Fordham in 2013 en route to the Patriot League title. The Leopards currently own 22-11-1 series lead but have lost 4 out 6 meetings against the Rams this decade.
Princeton at Georgetown – 8 Oct. 1:00 P.M. Cooper Field Washington D.C.
(Patriot League Network)
The Hoyas (3-1) face their third straight opponent from the Ancient Eight this week as the Princeton (2-1) Tigers pay a visit to the nation’s capital. Georgetown is coming off a tough 31-17 loss to Harvard in Cambridge. The Hoyas played reasonably well for most of the night but lacked the weapons on offense to seriously challenge the #24 Crimson. Princeton also figures to be a formidable opponent for Georgetown. The Tigers are coming off a 49-18 blowout win over Columbia. Georgetown narrowly defeated the Lions 17-14 two weeks ago.
Georgetown has to find a way to get their offense going if they want to challenge the better teams on their schedule. Tim Barnes has had some moments here and there but overall the Hoyas have been plagued by a lack of consistent production from the passing attack (173 ypg) since the Davidson game to open the season. The running game has also struggled (3.9 ypc, 123 ypg) to gain traction throughout the first half of the season. Princeton might not be the team to get the running game going (91 ypg allowed) but Tim Barnes and Co. should find some holes in their pass defense (345 ypg allowed). The Hoyas will likely need to put up 24+ plus points if they want to have a chance to pull the upset. That should be a reasonable goal since the Tigers are allowing 28 ppg through their first three games of the season.
Another big key for Georgetown will be controlling Princeton’s quirky, up tempo offense. When QB Chad Kanoff has the Tiger “O” rolling it is a brutally difficult unit to contain for 60 minutes. The Hoyas defense must be aware of trick plays. Princeton will often use back-up quarterback John Lovett in the running game (50 ypg) as a receiver (9 receptions 86 yards for season) and in his natural position at QB (13-20 136 yards 1 TD 1 INT). Stopping Princeton on first down and forcing them to get behind he chains will need to be an area the Hoya defense focuses on. Once the Tigers no huddle offense finds its rhythm points often come in bunches.
The last thing Georgetown wants is a shootout. They need to keep the game in the 20’s in order to have a chance to pull the upset. Given their solid defense (19 ppg) that’s not an impossible task. Taking down a talented Princeton team would really give the Hoyas a boost heading into Patriot League play.
Of Note: Georgetown is 1-6 all-time against Princeton. The Hoyas lost their first five meetings in series by a combined score of 79-0 before notching a 21-20 victory against the Tigers in 2012.
Bucknell at Holy Cross – 8 Oct. 1:05 P.M. Fitton Field Worcester, MA
(Patriot League Network)
Fresh off their bye, Bucknell (1-3) heads to New England to face Holy Cross (2-3 1-0) in a key Patriot League contest. Holy Cross will be looking to start conference play 2-0 for the first time since 2011. The Crusaders were able to defeat Lafayette in Easton last week without the services of all-league quarterback Peter Pujals. Geoff Wade put forth an excellent performance (21-27 238 yards 4 TD) in the win. Bucknell has also dealt with an injury at the quarterback position. R.J. Nitti went down in the first half against Duquesne and missed the next two games. Junior Matt Muh started those games for Bucknell (both losses) before the bye. Muh and Wade are once again expected to be under center for their respective teams this weekend.
Like fellow Patriot Leaguer Georgetown, Bucknell needs to find a way to get their offense (19 ppg) going as conference play heats up. Matt Muh (245 ypg 4 TDs) did a solid job replacing Nitti against Cornell and VMI but neither start produced a win. He needs to find a way to get the ball in talented wide receiver Will Carter’s hands more often (24 rec. 78 ypg 3 TDs). Carter is close to breaking the school record for career receptions and career yards. He can really stretch the field if given the opportunity. The other key for Bucknell is getting RB Joey DeFloria some room to run again after a disappointing performance (11 carries 41 yards) in their loss to VMI.
The Holy Cross defense has struggled to keep teams out of the end zone to start the year. The Crusaders are giving up a league worst 34 ppg. Given the amount of points they’re allowing, it shouldn’t be a surprise that opponents are having success through the air (225 ypg) and on the ground (208 ypg) against Holy Cross. The Bison would be wise to hand the ball off to DeFloria early and often Saturday in order to loosen up an average at best Crusader front seven. If the Bison can find success on the ground, passing lanes should open for Muh.
Even without Pujals, the Crusaders offense remains extremely potent. All-league WR Branden Flaherty returned from injury last week and his impact was immediately felt (led team in rushing and receiving). Back-up quarterback Geoff Wade also has Richie DiNicola (36 rec. 72 ypg 3 TDs) and Jake Wieczorek (34 rec 79 ypg 2 TDs) to utilize in the passing attack. Holy Cross’s only real deficiency on offense is the lack of a true featured back. Diquan Walker has gotten most of the carries but is averaging less thank 60 ypg.
The Bison defense is playing well (21 ppg allowed) but it’s not at the level it has been in recent years. Holy Cross should have some success putting up points on it. That means Muh and the rest of the Bucknell skill guys will need to produce if the Bison want to end their 3 game losing streak.
Of Note: Holy Cross leads the all-time series 21-11 and has won 9 out of the last 11 meetings. Holy Cross won last year’s meeting in Lewisburg 23-7.