On a weekend when the Patriot League had an opportunity to cement itself as a top-tier FCS conference it instead struggled mightily. The league posted a very disappointing 0-3 record against the CAA and suffered a double-digit loss to NEC member Duquesne. The two teams (Fordham and Georgetown) that were able to post wins this weekend did so against Division 2 Elizabeth City State and FCS non-scholarship Marist. Weekends like this don’t help the cause of a league that has to scratch and claw for every ounce of respect it gets.

Fordham 83 Elizabeth City State 21

In the Patriot League’s 30 year history no member had broken the 70 point mark in a game. Fordham (1-1) blew right past that figure en-route to an 83-21 destruction of the Vikings (0-2). The 83 outburst by the Rams easily surpassed the old record of 69 points (Lehigh against Georgetown 2002).

Six different Fordham players found pay dirt on a brutally hot day in Bronx. Kevin Anderson was efficient through the air (18/28 225 yards 4 TD 1 INT) while Chase Edmonds 155 yards on a mere 16 carries (9.7 ypr) paced the ground game. The Viking were down 38-0 before getting on the board in the second quarter. ECSU’s Daquan Neal (11-33 101 yards 3 INTs) struggled all game. The Vikings didn’t mount any semblance of an offensive attack until Fordham had the game well in hand. The Rams finished with a whopping 707 total yards while limiting the D2 Vikings to 220.

Up Next: After opening with FBS Navy and Division 2 Elizabeth City State, Fordham is on a bye this week before FCS Penn on 9/24. Fordham snuck pass the Quakers 48-45 last season.

Duquense 30 Bucknell 19

The Bucknell (1-1) offense struggled (87 total yards) in the first half which greatly contributed to a 13-0 halftime deficit. Losing senior quarterback RJ Nitti only added to Bucknell’s offensive woes the first 30 minutes of the game. The defending NEC Champion Duquesne (1-1) didn’t have nearly the struggles moving the ball.

The Dukes were able to get on the board in the first half thanks to the legs of RB A.J. Hines and kicker Austin Crimmins. A.J. Hines scored on a 16 yard TD scamper while Crimmins added two FG’s including a 22 yarder as the first half expired. Junior QB Matt Muh (14/29 154 yards 2 TD’s) and senior RB Joey DeFloria (24 carries 98 yarrds 1 TD) did an admirable job for the Biso but it wasn’t enough to overcome a lackluster start.

Up Next: Bucknell will look to back on track next week when they welcome Cornell to Lewisburg for the home opener. The Bison defeated the Big Red 19-14 last year in Ithaca.

Delaware 24 Lafayette 6

For the second year in a row the Lafayette Leopards (1-1) failed to score a TD against Delaware (1-1). The Blue Hens used a stifling defense and grinding rushing attack on a muggy night in Easton to notch their 13th straight win over Lafayette in the series. The Delaware RB duo of Thomas Jefferson and Jalen Rudolph each rushed for 100 yards as the Blue Hens were able to wear down the Lafayette defense.

The first half featured plenty of field goals and punts but no touchdowns. Finally, with the Hens trailing 6-3 in the third quarter Jefferson found pay dirt from 16 yards out. After capturing the lead the Blue Hen defense shut down Lafayette the rest of the way. Leopard QB Drew Reed struggled to find his groove all night against the aggressive Delaware D. He managed 111 yards passing and 2 picks on the evening. The Lafayette rushing attack was held under 100 yards for the second straight game.

Up Next: Lafayette will play their third straight game under the lights as they make the short bus ride to Central New Jersey to play Princeton. To say Princeton has been a thorn in the Leopards side would be an understatement. Princeton holds 41-4-3 advantage over Lafayette All-Time.

#20 Villanova 26 Lehigh 21

Lehigh (0-2) had the ball at the Villanova (1-1) 30 yard line with 60 seconds left in regulation hoping to make amends for last week’s disappointment. Instead of capturing a quality road win, the Mountain Hawks night ended on sour note when they were turned over on downs after failing to convert a 4th and 10. Villanova was able to run out the final 54 seconds to preserve the hard fought victory.

Villanova jumped out to 6-0 (missed xtra-point) first quarter lead when Jevon White scored on a 3 yard run with 1:46 left in the first quarter. From there, Lehigh would score 14 straight points. RB Dominic Bragalone (17 attempts 90 yards 1 TD) and senior QB Nick Shafnisky each had rushing touchdowns to give Lehigh the lead after 30 minutes. Villanova quickly captured the momentum in the third quarter by unleashing a dominating rushing attack (396 total rushing yards). The road graders up front paved the way for Forbes 20 yard TD run and DaSilva’s go ahead 1 yard plunge that put the Wildcats ahead 20-14 (xtra point blocked). Lehigh retook the lead by putting together an impressive75 yard TD drive that was capped by an 11 yard Shafnisky (29/41 245 Yards 1 TD) pass to Derek Knott. Villanova would not be denied though. The Wildcats retook the lead on Jevon White’s 2 yard touchdown run with 4:03. The Wildcats 2 point try was denied.

Up Next: Lehigh faces their second Big 5 school in a row as they play Penn under the lights at historic Frankli. Lehigh put a 42-21 thumping on the Quakers last year in Bethlehem. This will be the second straight meeting between the two after a 13 year hiatus in the series.

Georgetown 20 Marist 17

The Hoyas improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2012 behind a balanced offensive attack. QB Tim Barned passed for 208 yards while Alex Valles’ 93 yards on 15 carries led a balanced rushing attack (150 total yards rushing) that helped Georgetown get by scrappy Marist (0-2) in Poughkeepsie, NY. Perhaps no play was bigger than Tim Barnes 3 yard TD pass on 4th down with 12 minutes left that gave Georgetown the lead for good.

Marist jumped out to an early first quarter 7-3 lead via a 50 yard TD pass from Mike White to Juston Christian. Marist extended their lead to 10-3 after Maccarone booted a 37 yard FG. Georgetown was able to get those three points back right before half when Hoya FG kicker Henry Darmstadter knocked through a 25 yarder. The score at intermission was 10-6 Marist. The two teams traded 3rd quarter touchdowns which left the Red Foxes ahead 17-13 going into the final 15 minutes. Following Barnes’ 3 yard touchdown pass early in the final stanza the Hoya’s blocked Maccrone’s 46 yard FG attempt that would have tied game. The Red Foxes final threat ended when Georgetown’s David Akere broke up White’s pass on 4th and 16 with 1:28 left in the game.

Up Next: The Hoyas get a week off to enjoy their solid start to the year. They’ll try to make it 3-0 for the first time in 17 years when the Columbia Lions visits Washinton D.C. on 9/24.

New Hampshire 39 Holy Cross 28

New Hampshire (1-1) christened newly renovated Wildcat Stadium with a thrilling 39-28 win over New England rival Holy Cross (1-1). The Wildcats made several key 4th quarter stops including intercepting Peter Pujals (42-64 427 yards 3 TDs 2 INTs) twice on consecutive drives. The second of which was returned 28 yards by Chris DeAndrade for the game clinching score.

Led by Peter Pujals’s 2 TD passes (32, 23 yards) and one rushing TD (23 yards), Holy Cross jumped out to a 21-6 lead after 20 minutes of play. But, from that point on New Hampshire would methodically take control of the game. Behind a punishing ground attack that racked up 362 yards, New Hampshire would score 33 of the game’s final 40 points to notch a key out of conference victory. Senior running back Dalton Crossan’s career high 199 yards (2 TDs) spear headed the dominant ground game. Wildcat QB Trevor Knight chipped in with 304 total yards (114 rushing/190 passing 2 TDs 2 INTs).

Despite being without First Team All-PL wr Brendan Flaherty the Crusaders were still able to put up nearly 500 yards of total offense.

Up Next: Holy Cross will make the 2 hour trip west on I-90 to take on Albany. The Danes enter the game 2-0. One of those wins came against FBS Buffalo. Holy Cross shut out Albany 38-0 in Worcester last year.

 

Power Rankings

  1. Colgate
  2. Fordham
  3. Holy Cross
  4. Lehigh
  5. Lafayette
  6. Georgetown
  7. Bucknell