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No. 21 Football Readies For First-Place Showdown in Hamilton
Oct. 29, 2008
Lafayette Football Gameday Central | Order Tickets
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
THE MATCH-UP: The Leopards are 6-1 overall and 2-0 in Patriot League play and are looking to take the next step toward a Patriot League title on Saturday at Colgate. The Raiders, who are in a three-way tie with Lafayette and Holy Cross for first place, stand in the way. They racked up their 6-2 overall mark behind their vaunted running game that includes the league's all-time leading rusher Jordan Scott and freshman TB Nate Eachus. Scott has missed all or part of the last two games with an ankle injury, but Eachus has carried 73 times for 455 yards and six touchdowns in his absence. Both teams are emerging from decisive wins, as Lafayette pounded reigning Patriot League champ Fordham 48-13, while Colgate roughed up Bucknell 52-28. LEOPARDS MOVE UP IN NATIONAL RANKINGS: Lafayette moved up three spots in The Sports Network Top 25 poll to No. 21 and jumped into the FCS Coaches Poll for the first time this season at No. 22 following a 48-13 road win over Fordham. Lafayette broke into the top 25 on Oct. 20 by virtue of its 35-21 win at then-No. 14 Liberty on Oct. 18. Lafayette has now been ranked in the top 25 for five straight years (2004-08). The Leopards highest ranking came in 2004 when they finished No. 19 in both polls. Last season, Lafayette's top ranking was No. 22 in The Sports Network poll, a position it held for two weeks. The team occupied the same No. 22 spot for one week in 2006 and finished the 2005 campaign ranked 20th by ESPN/USA Today and 21st by The Sports Network. STRIPE COLLECTS PATRIOT LEAGUE HONOR: Freshman wide receiver Greg Stripe has been named the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week (10/27). He received his first weekly honor after recording an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Lafayette's 48-13 victory at Fordham. The kick return for a touchdown was the first for Lafayette since 2006 (Shaun Adair, 90 yards vs. Georgetown on 11/11/06). Stripe also had five carries for 43 yards and finished with 136 all-purpose yards. Prior to his arrival at Lafayette, Stripe was Mahwah's team captain and ran for 1,313 yards on 142 carries for 17 touchdowns his senior year. He was a three-time all-league selection at running back. The Economics and Business major balances four classes including Intro to Psychology and Intro to U.S. Politics. RUN, RUN RUDOLPH...: TB Jerome Rudolph was a less-than-familiar face in the backfield at Fordham, as the freshman had carried the ball just six times coming into the weekend. Injuries to the Leopards' top three tailbacks, including to Tyrell Coon on the first play from scrimmage, opened the door for the Lithonia, Ga. native. He carried the ball 16 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns and added three catches for 51 yards and a touchdown in his second action of the season. Rudolph also had six carries in the win at Liberty. FRESHMAN FOR 100: The last time a Lafayette freshman rushed for 100+ yards in a game was Nov. 13, 1999 vs. Duquesne. Bill Stocker carried 35 times for 146 yards. Prior to that, Leonard Moore was last freshman to do so (1990). SPARKLING START: Lafayette is off to a 6-1 start for the first time since 1981, rolling up wins over Marist, Georgetown, Penn, Columbia, No. 14 Liberty and Fordham. It marks the first time during head coach Frank Tavani's tenure that Lafayette reached the 6-1 mark. The Leopards have started 5-1 under twice under Coach T (2005 and 2008). The last time Lafayette started 6-1 was 1981 under Tavani's predecessor Bill Russo. That squad started the season 7-1. Prior to that, the last time Lafayette was 6-1 was 1944. ELECTION DAY COVERAGE FOR THE LEOPARDS: On Nov. 4, the weekly media luncheon won't be the only activity in which Lafayette football will be involved.Sophomore DE Jeff Katz and junior FB Jeff Cumming will both be participating in a student-run live election broadcast. Katz will serve as an anchor to the program, which is being produced as part of a Policy Studies class taught by Mark Crain. The event itself will take place from 9-11 p.m. at various sets located throughout Skillman Library. Outside on the Quad, a tent will be set up to host an election night party. In a related note, the election day football media luncheon will not be held in Pfenning Alumni Center as it is being used as a polling place. The luncheon will be moved to the second floor of Kirby Sports Center. SCORPIO SUCCESS: If the month of November from the previous four seasons is any type of predictor, the Leopards will be looking to finish strong. Excluding postseason games, Lafayette is 10-2 over the past four seasons and 6-0 over the last two campaigns. In the "Oh, by the way" department, the only two blemishes are losses to Colgate in 2004 and 2005. 2004: 2-1 2005: 2-1 2006: 3-0 2007: 3-0 O-LINE PLAY: The Leopards' current three-game win streak coincides with strong play by the offensive line. The Leopards are averaging 211.7 yards per game behind RT Leo Plenski, RG D.J. Brown, C Michael Wojcik, LG Brian Wycinowski and LT Ryan Hart-Predmore. In that same span, the O-Line has allowed just two sacks (.67 per game). By contrast, in the previous four games, Lafayette rushed for 175 yards per game with 11 total sacks (2.75 per game). THROWING IT TO OUR GUYS: Junior QB Rob Curley has not thrown an interception in 74 passes which covers all of his attempts in the Leopards' last three games. His last interception was his final pass attempt of the Harvard game on Oct. 4. ROMANS MAKING HIS CASE FOR PATRIOT LEAGUE POSTSEASON HONORS: Senior LB Andy Romans has been named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week three times this season (10/6, 10/13, 10/20). He managed to match his last award by also earning the conference's Special Teams Player of the Week. Romans merited both honors after putting together an outstanding performance at No. 14 Liberty. He blocked a punt that he returned 15 yards for a touchdown, recorded a 21-yard run on a fake punt for a first down late in the fourth quarter and tallied 12 tackles and one tackle for a loss to lead the Leopards to a win over a ranked opponent for the first time since the end of the 2005 season. For the week of the Oct. 6 award, Romans made a career-high 18 tackles against Harvard to claim his first award of the season. The Oct. 13 naming followed 15 tackles at Columbia when Lafayette held the Lions to three points despite missing four offensive starters. The Allendale, N.J. native boasts a Patriot League best 66 tackles, which is tied for 31st in the nation and second in the Patriot League. ROMANS INJURY STATUS IS QUESTIONABLE: Senior LB Andy Romans' status for Saturday is questionable. The 2008 Preseason Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, suffered two different injuries at Fordham, and at the head coach's suggestion was in street clothes for the second half of the lopsided matchup. Romans has played in 38 games during his career, starting his final three campaigns. WIN OVER A TOP 25: Lafayette's triumph over No. 14 Liberty was the team's first win over a top-25 opponent since Lafayette beat No. 12 Lehigh 23-19 on Nov. 19, 2005. The victory also snapped the nation's longest winning streak (11) and was head coach Frank Tavani's 50th career coaching victory. STAND AND DELIVER: Lafayette has put together a goal-line stand in two of its last three games. With Lafayette leading 35-21, Liberty's quick-strike offense took over at its own 15-yard line with 11 minutes left in the game. The Flames drove to the Lafayette five-yard line. They handed off to their All-America tailback four straight times, twice off left tackle, once off right tackle and once up the middle. The final play came on fourth and goal at the Lafayette one and Jason Mills stopped Rashad Jennings for no gain and Lafayette took over on downs. Against Columbia, the Lions threatened to take the lead early in the second quarter. They had the ball on first-and-goal at the seven-yard line and were immediately thrown for a loss of four yards by Eric McGovern, who stopped Ray Rangel in the backfield. Lafayette gave up a three-yard pass, but then broke up another and forced a field goal attempt. Allan Whitesell blocked the kick and kept Columbia off the scoreboard. Later in the second quarter, the defense stepped up again. This time Columbia had the ball first and goal at the one-yard line. Andy Romans, Jeff Katz and Mills stopped two rushing plays for no gain and then the defense broke up a pass to force an 18-yard field goal. PATRIOT GAMES: Lafayette is 2-0 in Patriot League play this season with a 24-6 win over Georgetown on Sept. 13 and a 48-13 victory at Fordham last week. The Leopards are tied with Colgate and Holy Cross in the conference standings at 2-0, both of whom are receiving votes in the Top 25 polls. OFFENSIVE OUTPUT: Lafayette topped its single-game scoring output in each of its last two games. The Leopards put up a season-high 48 points at Fordham, including a 28 in the first half for the second straight week. Lafayette also managed an offensive touchdown in the second half, the first such score in eight quarters. Lafayette's pounded out 322 yards on the ground, the most since Nov. 13, 2004, when Lafayette had 344 in a win over Holy Cross. In the week prior to the Fordham game, Lafayette put up 35 points at Liberty. LEOPARDS KEEP THEIR BAGS PACKED: Lafayette is in the midst of a five-game road swing for the first time since 1996. In that season, Lafayette played Harvard, Columbia, Colgate and Army while a game with Fordham scheduled between the Harvard and Columbia games was canceled due to the untimely death of a Fordham player in warmups for the game. The last and only time Lafayette played five in a row on the road was 1986 in a season that included trips to Davidson, Bucknell, Colgate, Penn and Army. The Leopards were 2-3 in that span. This season, Lafayette will not return to College Hill until Nov. 15, traveling to Columbia (13-3 W), Liberty (35-21 W), Fordham (48-13 W), Colgate and Bucknell in the meantime. DEFENSE IS SECOND IN THE NATION: The Lafayette remained steady at second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 13.3 points per game through seven contests. Penn, which is allowing 13.0 ppg, is first. The Leopards are also ranked 16th in the FCS in total defense (303.0 ypg) and have been ranked as high as first. The team is 11th in rushing defense (87.7 ypg) and 14th in pass efficiency defense (107.2 ypg). IN THE RED ZONE: Lafayette is first in the nation in red zone defense. The Leopards' opponents have scored on 12 of 21 attempts in the red zone (57%). THE SERIES VS. COLGATE: Colgate holds a commanding 37-10-4 record in the all-time series with Lafayette in a series that dates back to the first meeting on Oct. 27, 1906. Colgate won the 2007 meeting 36-27 following a 27-10 Lafayette win in 2006. Prior to that, Colgate had won 10 straight. LAFAYETTE vs. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: The Leopards have played 339 games all-time against the six fellow members of the Patriot League, and are 175-148-16 (.540) in those contests. Since the Patriot League began play in 1986, Lafayette is 70-50-1 (.583) vs. member schools and has won league titles in 1988, 1992, 1994, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Lafayette vs. the Patriot League: Bucknell: 47-32-6 Fordham: 19-7-1 Holy Cross: 14-8-0 Colgate: 10-37-4 Georgetown: 9-3-0 Lehigh: 76-62-5 IN THE AIR: Junior QB Rob Curley has been the starting quarterback since day one of training camp. For the season, he is 99-of-170 for 1158 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Curley has already been named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week once this season, going 14-for-24 for 175 yards with two rushing TDs vs. Penn (9/15). He had one of his best performances of the season at Liberty where he was 18-for-32 for 176 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He was especially crisp in the first half when he was 17-for-26 for 167 yards. He followed that with an 11-for-16 day at Fordham when he threw for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Curley was the team's starting QB for the final four games of 2007. He completed 62 percent of his passes (77-124), threw seven touchdowns, ran for two scores and was picked off twice. He was named the MVP of the 143rd meeting of Lafayette-Lehigh after leading the game-winning drive. Curley Game By Game Opponent Att-Comp. Passing Yds. Passing TD Rushing TD INT at Marist 8-11 125 1 1 0 GEORGETOWN 14-24 175 0 2 0 PENN 12-22 163 3 0 1 HARVARD 23-39 220 1 0 2 at Columbia 13-26 150 0 0 0 at 14 Liberty 18-32 176 1 0 0 at Fordham 11-16 162 2 0 0 AVERAGES 99-170 1158 8 3 3BOOM, COON, ZOOM: "Boom-Coon-Zoom" is how QB Rob Curley describes the Leopards' corps of tailbacks. "Boom" is Maurice White who blasted his way to 212 yards in the season opener at Marist and followed up with 106 yards vs. Georgetown, 77 vs. Penn and 27 at Columbia. He is currently sidelined with a dislocated toe that he sustained in the Columbia game. "Coon" is Tyrell Coon, a junior who is second on the depth chart. He started two games in 2007, including the Lehigh game when he carried 29 times for 95 yards. Coon carried the ball 17 times for 96 yards and a touchdown vs. Georgetown. He left the Penn game with injury after carrying six times for 32 yards and missed the Harvard game with a leg bruise. He made his return at Columbia, running for 57 yards on 16 carries. He was injured again after his first carry of the day at Fordham. "Zoom" is junior DeAndre' Morrow, who ran for 245 yards last season and is also a receiving threat who managed 225 all-purpose yards vs. Columbia. Morrow ran for 82 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown in Lafayette's win at Columbia. At Liberty, he scored two more touchdowns and garnered 38 yards before leaving with injury. Lafayette used all three members against Columbia, as White and Coon left with injuries. The Leopards employed six different tailbacks in the starting spot in 2007 with White starting four games, graduated seniors Anthony D'Urso and Brandon Mitchell each starting one, Morrow and Coon two apiece and Matt Ferber one. STANDING OUT IN THE CLASSROOM: Under head coach Frank Tavani, Lafayette football players have excelled as student-athletes. Twenty-three have earned CoSIDA Academic All-District selections. In 2007, Lafayette had 21 student-athletes qualify for the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for which they must achieve a minimum of a 3.2 GPA and earn a varsity letter. In the spring semester, 51 members of the team achieved a 3.0 or better GPA, including seven who qualified for the Dean's List. Overall, the team sported a 2.99 GPA, the highest in the program's history since the Academic Resource Center began charting team GPA's in 1992. ADAIR ASCENDING ALL-TIME LISTS: Senior WR Shaun Adair continues to write his name in the Lafayette recordbooks. Adair remains in fifth place on the career receiving yards list with 1,837 yards, recently surpassing Jamal Jordan '93 (1,634), Quincy Miller '97 (1,673) and Dave Baird '91 (1,681) all in the Harvard game. Adair is in sole possession of sixth place for career receptions with 125, needing 11 more to move into fifth place with Frank Corbo '85. Check page six for complete lists. THE PUNTER: Sophomore Tom Kondash has settled into his role as the team's punter. Kondash has punted 34 times for an average of 36.5 yards. Thirteen punts have ended up inside the 20 and five punts have been 50 or more yards. Against Harvard, arguably his best punting day, Kondash punted five times for 175 yards and pinned Harvard's offense inside the 20 on four of the attempts. His best punt of the day was a 53-yard effort that was downed on the one-yard line. He also had another punt of 49 yards. Kondash's other punts inside the 20 ended at the 19, 16 and 15-yard lines. At Liberty, Kondash punted five times for 193 yards (38.6 yards per kick) and landed two punts inside the 20. He also managed a career-long 59-yard punt. THE PUNTER'S ASSISTANT: Sophomore PK Davis Rodriguez punted twice at Liberty, as head coach Frank Tavani elected to used Rodriguez's low line drive efforts to keep his punts under the wind. THE GROUND GAME: The Lafayette running attack is ranked 21st in the nation, averaging 192 yards per game. On the flip side, the passing game is ranked 89th out of 118 teams, passing for 165 yards per game. PICKING THEM OFF: Sophomore linebacker Neil Goldsmith opened the season with an interception in each of the first three games and was ranked in the top 10 early on during the season. Goldsmith missed the Columbia and Liberty games due to injury, but played a key role at Fordham where he made eight solo tackles. ROMANS CAN PLAY A LITTLE BIT: Senior linebacker Andy Romans is the Leopards' most highly-decorated returner. Romans was the 2007 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and is the conference's pick to repeat. He has also secured preseason All-America honors from The Sports Network and College Sporting News. He has been named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week three times in 2008. PEOPLE ARE WATCHING: Andy Romans, a senior History major, has been named to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List. The award is given out to the top defensive player in the nation at the FCS level. The list will be revised several times throughout the season. Currently there are 14 linebackers on the list. Lafayette's Maurice Bennett '06 finished eighth in the voting for the national award in 2005. THE OVERLOOKED LB?: Coming into the season, it was easy to see how junior linebacker Mark Leggiero could be overlooked despite an All-Patriot League Second-Team selection in 2007. He lines up a couple of steps away from Andy Romans, the 2007 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year. This year, with Romans drawing a lot of the offenses' attention, Leggiero's production has increased. He is second on the team (behind Romans) with 60 tackles and 10.0 tackles for loss and has forced a fumble. In 2007, Leggiero started all 11 games and finished second on the team in tackles (77) and tackles for loss (6.5), trailing Romans in both categories. Leggiero finished fifth in the Patriot League in total tackles last season. In 2006, he was the program's rookie of the year, playing in all 12 games on special teams and as the top backup at linebacker. THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Seniors Marvin Clecidor and Nigel Bryant are the leaders of the defensive backfield. Clecidor is a returning All-Patriot League Second-Team selection at cornerback. Against Penn, Clecidor registered his first interception of the season. Clecidor led the team and was second in the Patriot League in passes defended in 2007 and also finished with two interceptions. Bryant started every game at strong safety and led the team with three interceptions in 2007. This season, Bryant recorded his first pick at Liberty. Juniors Carlos Lowe and Eric McGovern started the season at cornerback and free safety, respectively. McGovern, who is one of the hardest hitters in the defensive backfield, led the team with 11 tackles against Penn and is third on the team in tackles (40). ON THE LINE: The Leopards return four linemen who started six or more games in 2007. Junior Ryan Hart-Predmore, who played right guard last season, is now at left tackle to anchor the offensive line. Junior Brian Wycinowski holds down the left guard spot. Junior Mike Wojcik is snapping the ball to Rob Curley after starting seven games last year. A pair of seniors with starting experience, Leo Plenski and D.J. Brown, start at right tackle and guard, respectively. The Leopards were forced to shuffle things against Penn when Wojcik went down with injury. Brown slid over to center and sophomore Michael Butler took Brown's spot. Wojcik has been back in the starting lineup ever since. IN THE NFL RANKS: Blake Costanzo '06 is currently on the Buffalo Bills' 53-man roster. Costanzo, who now wears No. 54, played three games with the Bills last season and made seven tackles in return coverage assignments. The Franklin Hills, N.J. native was released by the Bills on Aug. 30, 2008, but was re-signed on Sept. 5 and is playing primarily on special teams. Costanzo and Andy Romans worked out together during the summer. PRESEASON POLL: Lafayette was picked fourth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll as selected by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. In 2007, Lafayette was selected to finish first, but ended second. The last time the preseason pick won the title outright was 2001 (Lehigh). 200+ RUSHING GAMES: When Maurice White ran for 212 yards in the season opener vs. Marist, it was the first time in nearly six seasons that a Lafayette ballcarrier eclipsed the 200-yard rushing mark in a single game. For White, it was the first time in his career (high school or college) that he managed the feat and it placed him in some elite company. Since 1990, there have been nine 200-yard performances for the Leopards, six of which were the work of Maroon Club Hall of Fame honoree Erik Marsh '95. DATE RUSHER OPPONENT CARRIES-YARDS W/L 09/09/08 Maurice White at Marist 29-212 W 11/16/02 Joe McCourt Holy Cross 38-203 W 11/19/94 Erik Marsh Lehigh 34-214 W 11/20/93 Erik Marsh at Lehigh 25-249 L 11/06/93 Erik Marsh at Holy Cross 36-221 W 11/21/92 Erik Marsh Lehigh 46-251 W 10/31/92 Erik Marsh at Colgate 41-225 W 11/16/91 Erik Marsh Colgate 20-200 W 10/19/91 John Kahn Columbia 41-224 WALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE RETURNERS: Lafayette placed 11 players on the All-Patriot League first and second teams in 2007. Six of them return in 2008 season led by 2007 Defensive Player of the Year, Andy Romans, junior LB Mark Leggiero and senior CB Marvin Clecidor. On the offense, there are also three returning All-Patriot League selections led by senior co-captain and fullback Joe Russo, senior TE Michael Conte and senior WR Shaun Adair. ONE PLAY AWAY...THE BACKUP QB: Sophomore Marc Qulling is the backup quarterback. He played the last series at Marist when the Leopards ran out the clock on a 28-6 victory. He also stepped in for one series against Penn when Curley left with injury. Curley returned for the next series. Freshman Ryan O'Neil is the likely No. 3. JOE FULLBACK: Senior Joe Russo is easily the most experienced fullback in the Patriot League. The Utica, N.Y. native is in his third season as a starter at the position where his primary responsibilities are as a lead blocker and pass protector. Running the ball has also been a strength as he averaged 4.8 yards per carry (26-126) with a touchdown in 2007 while also catching 12 passes, including two scores. As a sophomore, Russo averaged 5.0 yards per carry (27-134) with five touchdowns in 2006 and also caught 14 passes for 76 yards. This season, Russo is averaging 4.5 yards per carry, running with the ball 26 times for 116 yards with two touchdowns. He also has six catches for 68 yards and one touchdown. THE KICKER(S): Sophomore Davis Rodriguez is reprising his role as the team's placekicker. Rodriguez was 8-for-13 in 2007, including a career long of 41 yards. Rodriguez converted 31-of-33 PATs and was the team's leading scorer with 55 points. The St. Petersburg, Fla. native received Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week honors twice in 2007 and kicked the game-winning field goal at Penn (9/15). At Marist, Rodriguez converted all four PAT's in a driving rainstorm, and against Georgetown he made a 23-yard field goal and was 3-for-3 on PATs. Against Penn, Rodriguez converted all three PATs and added a 22-yard field goal. Versus Harvard, Rodriguez was 2-for-2, tying a career long with a 41-yard field goal while adding a 23-yarder. At Columbia, Rodriguez was successful on three field goal attempts, including a career-long of 46. He also added in field goals of 42 and 25 yards. Junior Chris Cosgrove is handling the kickoff duties as he did for much of 2007. Cosgrove has kicked off 37 times for an average net kick of 42.2 yards with four touchbacks. ADAIR SET TO MAKE HIS RETURN: Senior Shaun Adair finished seventh in the nation in punt returns last season. He averaged 14.0 yards per punt return and was ranked first in the conference in that statistical category. Against Marist in 2007, Adair ran back a punt 78 yards for his first career punt return for touchdown (and the longest punt return of his career). This season, Adair ripped off a 63-yard return at Liberty. Adair also returns kicks for the Leopards, averaging 18.4 yards per return in 2007 down from the previous two seasons when he chugged away for 23.8 yards per kick as a freshman and a 25.5 as a sophomore. For his career, Adair averages 21.8 yards per return. He returned a 90-yard kick for touchdown vs. Georgetown in 2006. This season, he has returned 15 kicks for 243 yards for an average of 16.2 yards. ABOUT THE 2007 DEFENSE: Lafayette boasted the No. 1 ranked defense in the nation in 2007. The Leopards, under the direction of defensive coordinator John Loose, allowed just 260.1 yards of total offense per game (first in the nation), 84.9 yards on the ground (fourth in the nation), 16.9 points per game (eighth in the nation) and a pass efficiency rating of 108.3 (15th in the nation). Linebacker Andy Romans ranked 25th in the nation in tackles in 2007 with 10.3 per game. 2007 Game By Game Opponent Rushing Yds. Passing Yds. Total Yds. Pts. Marist -14 100 86 10 at Georgetown 74 131 205 7 at Penn 103 121 224 7 Princeton 166 190 356 20 Columbia -13 193 180 0 at Harvard 116 174 290 27 Fordham 85 323 408 34 Colgate 237 174 306 36 Bucknell 66 90 156 7 at Holy Cross 8 247 255 21 at Lehigh 106 138 244 17 AVERAGES 84.9 175.2 260.1 16.9100-YARD CLUB IN 2008: Lafayette has had three 100+ rushing performances in 2008. Maurice White had 212 yards in the season opener at Marist and followed with 106 yards vs. Georgetown. Jerome Rudolph scampered for 140 at Fordham. In 2007, Lafayette had three ballcarriers (Matt Ferber, Maurice White and Anthony D'Urso) rush for 100+ yards. BACK IN BLACK: The Leopards have never lost in black jerseys and save the color for special occasions. They wore black to beat Lehigh in 2004 and again in 2006 to win Patriot League titles. Fordham was also victim to the black jerseys in 2005. The only other time they've paired black jerseys with black pants was in what has been dubbed "the mud bowl" against Columbia in 2005, a 14-7 victory. The Leopards pulled out the black pants against Holy Cross in week 10 in 2007 and continued their winning streak by beating the Crusaders 31-21. PATRIOT LEAGUE TITLES: Lafayette won three straight Patriot League titles in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Lafayette shared the title with Lehigh in 2004 and 2006, and with Colgate in 2005. The championships also led to three straight NCAA Playoff appearances, making Lafayette one of six teams in the country to appear in the 16-team field in three straight years. The Leopards have won six PL championships in the 23-year history of the league (1988, 1992, 1994, 2004, 2005, 2006). LIGHT IT UP: Lafayette's season-opening win over Marist in 2007 marked the first home night game in 127 seasons of Lafayette football. The historic game was followed by fireworks. Making history at night is not a new feat for Leopard football as Lafayette and Washington and Jefferson played in the first indoor night college football game on Oct. 25, 1930. A crowd of 17,000 witnessed the game at the Atlantic City Auditorium. THE CAPTAINS: The Leopards elected senior LB Andy Romans and senior FB Joe Russo as their captains for the 2008 season. Romans is a two-time All-Patriot League selection and the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year. Russo, too, is a twice-honored all-league player and is in his third year as a starter. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS: Lafayette has won four of the last seven Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. Brad Maurer '07 won the award in 2006, following linebacker Maurice Bennett '05, Stephen Bono '04 and tight end Stewart Kupfer '02. Maurer was also a three-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II selection and was one of 23 Academic All-District selections in Frank Tavani's nine seasons as head coach. AND WE GO TO...OVERTIME: Lafayette has played five overtime games all-time and is 1-4 in those contests. After winning the first overtime affair in 1995 over Fordham (24-21 on 11/11/95), the Leopards have lost their last four OT games (11/18/95 at Lehigh - 37-30; 10/18/97 at Cornell - 41-34; 10/3/98 at Dartmouth - 13-10; 9/8/01 at Towson - 16-13). HISTORIC FISHER STADIUM: Fisher Stadium has hosted the College's home football games since 1926. The facility underwent a $23 million transformation that gave Lafayette one of the premier FCS football venues in the nation. New spectator seating was built, including chairback seating in select areas, and additional visitors' seating was added for a maximum capacity of 13,132 fans. A state-of-the-art in-fill synthetic surface, lights, a press box and a 19-by-35 foot video board were installed, and improved restroom and vending areas were also included. The Bourger Varsity Football House includes a locker room, offices and team meeting rooms, as well as sports medicine and strength and conditioning areas. Now in its 81st season, Fisher Stadium has been host to 401 Lafayette football games with the Leopards enjoying an overall record of 239-149-13 for a winning percentage of .612. Of the previous 81 seasons, Lafayette has produced 12 undefeated home seasons with the most recent being the 1992 Patriot League champion Leopards that went a perfect 5-0 - the first undefeated home season for Lafayette at Fisher Stadium since 1970. During the 1991, 1992 and 1993 seasons, Lafayette won 10 straight home games--tying the Fisher Stadium school record for consecutive wins first set 1926 and 1927 in the first 10 games ever played in the stadium. LAFAYETTE FOOTBALL, 127 YEARS OF TRADITION: Since fielding its first college football team in the fall of 1882, Lafayette has had a proud, colorful gridiron tradition on the way to a total of 639 victories (639-537-39). Lafayette ranks 33rd among all college football teams in all-time wins entering the 2008 season, posting its first win in 1883 (25-0 vs. Rutgers). Lafayette accumulated 100 victories by 1900, 200 by 1915 and 300 by 1934. LAFAYETTE ON THE RADIO: The Lafayette Sports Network entered into an agreement with WAEB-AM 790 and WSAN-AM 1470 of Clear Channel Communications and WGPA AM-1100 to broadcast 2008 Lafayette football. The deal places Lafayette on the top two rated AM stations in the Lehigh Valley. See a complete broadcast schedule on the following page. Veteran broadcaster Dick Hammer is in his 42nd season as the Leopards' play-by-play man and will be joined in the booth at home games by Joe Craig, long-time football analyst and former coach, and by Lafayette SID Phil LaBella on the road. LAFAYETTE LEADS NATION IN TELEVISED GAMES IN FCS: The Lafayette Sports Network, a national leader in Division I FCS television coverage, will televise all 11 regular-season Lafayette football games live for the sixth straight year on RCN-4 and WBPH-60 in eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. Now in its 12th year of existence, LSN has become a staple for Leopard fans in the Lehigh Valley and across the country. Nationally, Lafayette Sports Network telecasts will be picked up for the ninth straight year by DIRECTV and DISH Network outlets, available to more than 60 million viewers. Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh (DIRECTV Channel 628, DISH Network Channel 428) will carry two of the Leopards' broadcasts in of September - games at Marist on Sept. 6 and vs. Penn on Sept. 27. The games will air at noon on the Monday following the game on the regional sports network which reaches 2.3 million cable and satellite homes in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland. The remaining nine games - including the Georgetown contest and all of the games in October and November - will be carried by the Mid Atlantic Sports Network (MASN). MASN will broadcast the Liberty game live on Oct. 18. MASN's second live broadcast will be the 144th meeting of college football's most-played rivalry when Lafayette and Lehigh square off at Fisher Stadium. The Leopards are looking to make it five straight over the Mountain Hawks and will kick off at 1 p.m. The other seven games will be shown on the Tuesday following each game at 8 a.m. See a complete broadcast schedule below. MASN is available regionally and nationally on DIRECTV channel 626 and DISH Network channel 432. The network is the official television home of the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals and Baltimore Ravens and reaches nearly 6 million homes in a seven-state region, from Harrisburg, Pa. to Charlotte, N.C. Gary Laubach will handle all of the Leopards' play-by-play duties for the 12th straight season. John Leone has provided color analysis for all but the first year on the air. In his eighth year as a member of the announcing crew is Dan Mowdy, who is fresh off a gymnastics public address announcing stint at the Beijing Olympics. He will report from the Fisher Stadium sidelines. Mowdy will also be joined by RCN's Scott Barr for select telecasts. RADIO AND TV BROADCAST SCHEDULEA HISTORY OF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Lafayette football program has claimed three national championships -- 1896, 1921 and 1926 -- and recorded five undefeated seasons -- 1896 (11-0-1), 1921 (9-0-0), 1926 (9-0-0), 1937 (8-0-0) and 1940 (9-0-0). Of recent note, the Leopards have won six Patriot League championships -- 1988, 1992, 1994, 2004, 2005 and 2006 -- and made their first three postseason appearances in the NCAA FCS Playoffs. LAFAYETTE'S FOOTBALL INVENTORS: Two primary elements of the game of football -- the helmet and the huddle -- were invented by former members of the Lafayette football program. George "Rose" Barclay from the Class of 1898, one of Lafayette's all-time great running backs, invented the helmet when the "threat of cultivating cauliflower ears" led him to piece three thick leather straps around his head for the 1896 game against Penn. Former Lafayette coach Herb McCracken (1924-35; 59-40-6) devised the first huddle system during the 1924 season after learning the Pennsylvania football team had stolen Lafayette's signals. Lafayette became the first team to huddle before each play and this system was immediately adopted by other teams. INSIDE LAFAYETTE FOOTBALL: LSN-TV premiered Inside Lafayette Football on Sept. 4 at 5:30 p.m. and it can be seen every Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m. throughout the season as well as 30 minutes prior to kickoff of all Lafayette contests. Laubach will sit down with head coach Frank Tavani, as well as select student-athletes to discuss the Lafayette football program. LAFAYETTE SPORTS NETWORK ALL-ACCESS: Each LSN telecast will be available live through LSN All-Access, which streams the game worldwide to any high-speed internet connection. In all, more than 60 Lafayette athletic contests, as well as Inside Lafayette Football, are scheduled to be broadcasted through Lafayette All-Access this year for a rate of $6.95 per month and $49.95 for the entire year. The CBS College Sports Online XXL package, which includes content from all CBS College Sports Online member schools, is available for $119.95 annually.
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