The Match-Up: Lafayette (0-2) looks for its first win of the season, hosting Sacred Heart (1-1) in the home opener on Saturday at Fisher Stadium. The teams have met each season since 2017 and are slated to face each other again in 2020 and 2022. 

Home Openers: Lafayette is 88-46-3 all-time in home openers. The last home-opening win was Sept. 13, 2014, a 50-3 victory over Robert Morris. This is the latest Lafayette has opened at home since 2011 when the Leopards played four straight road games to open the season and did not play at Fisher Stadium until week five on Oct. 1. 

Series Notes: The teams first met Sept. 2, 2006 in Fairfield, Conn. when Lafayette rang up a 25-14 win in a driving rainstorm. Jonathan Hurt ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Brad Maurer ran for one score and threw for another in the second half to lead Lafayette in that game. In the 2017 meeting, Sacred Heart captured a 38-24 decision and followed in 2018 with a 35-6 win. Jordan Meachum ran for 132 yards while SHU QB Kevin Duke threw for a pair of touchdowns in the 2018 season opener. 

Last Time Out: The Leopards' fourth-quarter rally, spurred by a Ryan Monetyne blocked punt and subsequent touchdown catch by Julian Spigner, came up just short at Kessler Stadium with Monmouth claiming a 24-21 final. Monteyne came through with the game-changing play with five minutes left in regulation and the Leopards trailing 24-14. The recovery by Marco Olivas at the nine-yard line left the Leopards 1st-and-goal. Two plays later, freshman QB Keegan Shoemaker hit Spigner for a 13-yard strike in the corner of the end zone as Lafayette cut the margin to 24-21 with 4:38 left in the game. Monmouth was able to run out the clock on its final drive by picking up a pair of first downs.

About the Punt Block: Ryan Monteyne's punt block was the first for the Leopards since Nov. 8, 2014 when Brandon Bryant, who was in attendance at the Monmouth game, and Ben Carroll each blocked a punt at Colgate. 

Getting the Start: Freshman Keegan Shoemaker had the first start of his career at Monmouth and acquitted himself well. He completed 20-of-32 (63%) for two touchdowns with one interception. His 80-yard touchdown completion to Nick Pearson was the Leopards' longest play from scrimmage since 2007 (Anthony D'Urso had an 89-yard TD run). Shoemaker played on seven series in the season opener at William & Mary, primarily in the second half.

Reaping the Rewards: Keegan Shoemaker picked up Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors, the first of his career on Monday. He was also an honorable mention for Stats National Freshman of the Week .  

Freshman Finds the End Zone: Freshman RB John Gay has a touchdown in each of the Leopards' games this season. He reeled in a 26-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker in the fourth quarter at William and Mary and added a second-quarter score on a 13-yard run at Monmouth. Gay spent a year at the Air Force Academy Prep School in Colorado before matriculating at Lafayette. 

Two Weeks, Two Starters: Keegan Shoemaker was the second quarterback starter in as many games. Junior Cole Northrup got the start at William and Mary, finishing 10-of-17 for 171 yards while rushing for 39 yards with a TD. Shoemaker completed 13-of-22 for 127 yards with one TD and one INT. Junior Sean O'Malley, who started every game the last two seasons, has not seen any QB time, but has served as the team's holder. 

Where He Left Off: Sophomore DL Malik Hamm continued the play that led to his selection as the 2018 Patriot League Rookie of the Year. At William and Mary, Hamm made nine tackles, including two for a loss, one of which forced the Tribe to opt for a field goal. At Monmouth, Hamm had two stops with two quarterback hurries.

Putnam Years Reunion: This weekend, Lafayette alums, family and friends will gather on Friday night for the Putnam Years Reunion. The event honors the teams who played under head coach Neil Putnam from 1971-80. A dinner is being held in Kirby Sports Center on Friday and Putnam will handle the coin toss prior to the Leopards' home opener. Members of the teams from that era will be honored on the field during a first-quarter timeout.

Youth Day: Saturday's home opener is Youth Day at Fisher Stadium. Any youth sports athletes 13 years and younger wearing their jerseys will be admitted for free. 

Fresh Faces On the Two-Deep: Entering week three, there are 11 freshmen on the two-deep. Alex Barshaba has started the first two games at left guard, joining Keegan Shoemaker as a starter at Monmouth. Lafayette played 15 freshmen at W&M and 16 at Monmouth.
    The Patriot League does not allow redshirt seasons for any reason other than injury, so all freshmen are first-year collegiate players. In 2018, 12 freshmen made the depth chart in the three phases, and four of them (Ian Grayson, DE Malik Hamm, OL Joe Grundhoffer and FS Romeo Wykle) started at least one game.

Year Three In The Garrett Era: John Garrett is in his third season at Lafayette. Garrett took over the coaching reins on Dec. 21, 2016 and has guided Lafayette to a pair of 3-8 campaigns. Lafayette registered a third-place conference finish in 2017 (3-3) and a fourth-place finish in 2018 (2-4). Garrett has more than 25 years of coaching experience at the NFL, NCAA FBS and NCAA FCS levels. Offensive coordinator stints at Richmond and Oregon State preceded his hiring.

They're Back: Lafayette returns 15 starters, seven on offense and eight on defense, along with two special teams starters. Of those 15 returners, four were 2018 All-Patriot League selections and 2019 Preseason All-Patriot League honorees in seniors Jake Marotti (OL), Nick Pearson (WR) and Yasir Thomas (S) and sophomore Malik Hamm (DE). Lafayette brings back 43 letterwinners. 

In the Classroom: Lafayette athletic teams ranked eighth in the nation in the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate. Lafayette boasted a 98 percent GSR overall for its 18 sports measured. A total of 15 programs registered a GSR of 100 percent. Lafayette football earned a ranking of 97, tied for eighth-best in the nation and first in the Patriot League, outpacing Holy Cross (96), Georgetown (92), Bucknell (91), Colgate (89), Fordham (88), Lehigh (83). 

Army R.O.T.C.: Two Lafayette football players, junior K Jeffrey Kordenbrock and senior WR Jake Liedtka, are enrolled in the Army ROTC program. Over the summer, Kordenbrock attended the Army's Air Assault School in Fort Benning, Ga., spending his time deftly departing helicopters. Liedtka took part in Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Ky. The duo will be the feature story in Saturday's gameday program.

Breaking Through in 2019: When the team returned for its winter workouts, head coach John Garrett gathered the team in the locker room and introduced the theme of "Break Through" for the 2019 season. 
    "I've challenged the guys that this is the year that we have to break through and win some of those close games and win some of those moments in the game that can go either way. You have to break through mentally and break through physically."
    "We've undertaken this mentality to become a team that consistently competes for championships. That has been the challenge and motivation every time we step out on the field." 

Opponent: Sacred Heart comes into week three with a 1-1 record, losing 42-14 to No. 7 Maine in the opener before rebounding to beat down Bucknell 30-10. The Pioneers were 7-4 overall and 5-1 in Northeast Conference play in 2018, earning a share of the conference title along with Duquesne.
    Soph. RB Julius Chestnut, the 2018 NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year, has taken the bulk of the carries, churning out 228 yards on 30 carries. The running game also features fifth-year senior Jordan Meachum, a preseason All-NEC selection who had 1,396 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2018.
    Grad transfer QB Logan Marchi joined the SHU roster after beginning his career at Temple (2015-17) and East Tennessee State (2018). He's completed 33-of-66 for three TD's to open the season. 
    Senior DE Chris Agyemang is the lone All-NEC returnee on the defense for which LB Rob O'Donnell, LB DeAndre Byrd and CB Lamar Evans lead the team with 10 tackles each.
    The Pioneers are coached by Mark Nofri who is in his eighth season. He has secured three NEC titles and three NEC coach of the year honors.