Oct. 21, 2003
The Story Line: The Leopards (3-3, 0-2) return home for their second three-game homestand of the season beginning with a Homecoming game vs. Fordham, the second straight week Lafayette will face a nationally ranked opponent. It is all conference play the rest of the way for Lafayette which finished off its non-league slate by losing a 34-27 decision at No. 22 Harvard. In that game, Lafayette led 20-7 midway through the third quarter, but surrendered 27 points in the second half. No. 24 Fordham enters the game at 5-2 overall, and in a similar league situation as Lafayette, going winless in its first two Patriot League games. The Rams were picked to finish first in the Patriot League preseason poll, but lost a seven-point decision at Lehigh and endured a 21-point home loss to Bucknell. The Rams are coming off a 41-7 romp over Division II New Haven in which Kirwin Watson ran for five touchdowns.
GLAVIC NOW LAFAYETTE's ALL-TIME LEADING PASSER: With his second straight 300-yard passing game of the season at Harvard on Saturday, Marko Glavic propelled himself into the No. 1 spot on Lafayette's career passing list. Glavic completed 30-of-52 passes for exactly 300 yards and in the process surpassed Frank Baur's '90 career mark of 8,399 yards. (see note on p. 2)
MCCOURT CAN CATCH TOO: Junior tailback Joe McCourt has shown himself to be a multiple threat. McCourt not only leads the team in rushing, but is also leading the team in pass receptions with 24. He reeled in 11 passes for 74 yards at Harvard and sits two catches ahead of Jeremy Burkes and John Weyrauch.
WRAPPING UP HARVARD: Joe McCourt's 103-yard rushing performance at Harvard marked the first time in 2003 that a team, let alone an individual, rushed for over 100 yards against the Crimson defense.
THE SERIES (22nd Meeting): Lafayette and Fordham meet for the 22nd time, with the first encounter dating back to the 1903 season. Last year's contest in the Bronx saw the last two undefeated Patriot League teams square off. Fordham came from behind for a seven-point win, which carried the Rams to their first league championship. (See p. 3 for a game recap and statistics from the most recent meeting and p. 100 of the media guide for all series meetings)
THE HEAD COACHES: Frank Tavani (Lebanon Valley '75) is now in his fourth season as the head of the Lafayette program and he holds a career record of 14-25. In 2002, Tavani led Lafayette to a 7-5 campaign and the second best turnaround in the nation following a 2-8 record in 2001. Tavani took over the Leopard coaching reins on Dec. 11, 1999 when he was named the 27th head coach in the proud history of the Lafayette football program. Dave Clawson (Williams '89) is in his fifth season as Fordham's head coach and as a collegiate head coach. He is 25-28 during his time with the Rams. Clawson is 3-1 against Lafayette and this is his third visit to Fisher Field as Fordham's head coach. Lafayette vs. The Patriot League: The Leopards have played 317 games all-time against the seven fellow members of the Patriot League, and are 155-146-16 (.516) in those contests. Since the Patriot League began play in 1986, the Leopards are 47-44-1 (.522) vs. member schools and have won league titles in 1988, 1992, and 1994. Lafayette vs. the Patriot League:
Bucknell: 42-32-6 Fordham: 15-5-1 Holy Cross: 10-7-0 Towson: 3-5-0 Colgate: 9-33-4 Georgetown: 4-3-0 Lehigh: 72-61-5
GLAVIC RE-WRITING THE RECORD BOOKS: In 38 career games, senior quarterback Marko Glavic has become Lafayette's all-time leading passer. The Pickering, Ontario native has thrown for 8,531 yards while completing 55.8 percent (705-1263) of his passes, a mark that places him second all-time. Glavic has tossed 55 career touchdowns, eight short of eclipsing Frank Baur's school record. As a junior, Glavic became the fourth Lafayette QB to throw for more than 2,000 yards in a single season, and he looks to join even more exclusive company by becoming just the third Lafayette quarterback to throw for 2000+ yards in three straight seasons, joining Frank Baur '90 and Tom Kirchoff '93.
NO. 13 CURRENTLY NO 1 IN TOTAL OFFENSE: Marko Glavic is leading the Patriot League in total offense with 258 yards per game. Glavic has 1437 yards passing and 111 yards rushing for a total of 1548 yards.
THREE IN TOP FIVE: Lafayette has three players among the top five in the Patriot League in tackles. Maurice Bennett leads the team and is third in the Patriot League with 9.8 tackles per game. Blake Costanzo and Wes Erbe are racking up 9.7 and 9.2 tackles per game to rank fourth and fifth in the league, respectively.
CLOSE BUT NO "W": Lafayette's three losses this season have come by a total of 20 points, for an average margin of defeat of 6.7 points. On the other hand, Lafayette's three wins have been by an average of 26 points per game.
EXPECTORANT EXPECTATIONS: Like a human expectorant, Wes Erbe has forced Lafayette opponents to cough up the ball four times this season for an average 0.67 forced fumbles per game, a mark that ranks him second in the nation.
WIN NUMBER 600: Lafayette's season-opening win over Marist was the program's 600th win in the school's 123 seasons. Lafayette's all-time record stands at 602-515-39. Lafayette is just the second Patriot League school to reach 600 wins (joining Fordham) and the 32nd in the NCAA I-A and I-AA ranks.
RUSHING TOWARD THE TOP: Junior TB Joe McCourt's powerful legs keep churning out rushing yards. With 103 yards against Columbia, McCourt moved into fourth spot on the all-time rushing chart formerly occupied by Ryan Priest '86. McCourt needs 282 yards to ascend to the third spot held by Tom Costello '91 who has 2,936 career rushing yards. INJURY UPDATE: The current listing of Lafayette football injuries (10/20):
- Shane Davenport (So., FB) - Possible; lower back - Romar Drake (So., WR) - Unavailable for three weeks; knee - Travis Hutson (Fr., WR) - Unavailable; hamstring - Brandon McCloud (Jr., TB) - Unavailable; neck - Marvin Snipes (Fr., DE) - Probable; post-concussion - John Weyrauch (Sr., Wr) - Awaiting MRI; shoulder - Curt Wilson (Sr. C) - Probable; shoulder
GLAVIC NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK (10/13): Marko Glavic was selected as The Sports Network's I-AA Offensive Player of the Week following a 41-27 win over Columbia on Oct. 11. Glavic was involved in six touchdowns, throwing four, running for one and catching another. Glavic become just the fifth player in conference history to throw for more than 8,000 career yards and his 453 yards ranks him in the league's top 10 in single-game passing and total offense performances. Not surprisingly, Glavic was also selected as the Patriot League and ECAC Offensive Player of the Week.
RECORD-BREAKING CONNECTION: Lafayette's 41-27 win over Columbia on Oct. 11 was a record-breaking one. QB Marko Glavic threw for a school-record 453 yards, breaking the previous single-game record by 53 yards. On the receiving end, Jeremy Burkes reeled in eight catches for a school-record 234 yards. Burkes caught three of Glavic's four touchdown passes.
THE ATTACK OF THE CENTURY: Lafayette senior wide receiver John Weyrauch and junior tailback Joe McCourt have both made a habit of breaking the 100-yard mark in receiving yards and rushing yards, respectively. Weyrauch has had at least 100 receiving yards 11 times in his career, and eclipsed the mark again with seven catches for 130 yards in the Leopards win over Columbia. McCourt has hit the century mark in rushing yardage 13 times, including twice as a freshman, eight times as a sophomore and three times this season with 122 yards at Towson, 108 vs. Princeton and 103 at Harvard. McCourt recorded his first career 200-yard game in the Leopards' 42-13 win over Holy Cross in 2002, rushing for 203 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. It was Lafayette's first 200-yard rushing performance since Erik Marsh '95 ran for 214 against Lehigh on Nov. 19, 1994.
ON THIS DATE: Lafayette is 9-51 all-time in games played on Oct. 25 and 4-2 in home games on that same date. Lafayette has never played Fordham on Oct. 25.
This Date in History October 25Year Result Opponent1893 W 12-10 at Stevens1913 W 7-0 Albright1884 W 50-0 Lehigh1930 L 7-0 vs. Wash. & Jefferson Atlantic City, N.J.1924 W 20-6 vs. Wash. & Jefferson at Polo Grounds in New York City1895 W 56-0 Ursinus1941 L 13-0 Brown1947 W 20-12 at Wash. & Jefferson1969 L 21-20 Bucknell1958 W 34-6 at Bucknell1952 L 47-0 at Yale1986 W 52-34 at Bucknell1975 L 56-2 at Colgate1997 W 38-0 Towson
Total 9-5 overall; 5-3 road, 4-2 at home
BEHIND THE OFFENSE: Lafayette sports a potent offense guided by three key components: The Arm: Marko Glavic is in his fourth season as the starting quarterback. Glavic has led the Patriot League in passing yards each of his first three seasons and ranks second this season. In 2002, Glavic earned All-Patriot League Second-Team honors after completing 221 passes for a single-season record of 2,670 yards and 20 touchdowns. The Hands: John Weyrauch earned second-team All-League honors in 2002 after catching 63 passes for 910 yards and eight touchdowns. Like Glavic, Weyrauch is on pace to etch his name at the top of the career offensive lists at Lafayette. He needs 260 yards in receiving to become the school's all-time leading receiver. Weyrauch reeled in over 800 yards in his sophomore and junior seasons. The Legs: In just two seasons, Joe McCourt has established himself as one of the top rushers in Lafayette history. The junior ranks fifth all-time in career rushing yards with 2,552 yards. In 2002, he became the ninth Lafayette player to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. This season he is averaging 88.5 yards per game.
THE CAPTAINS: For the first time since 1993, Lafayette has four team captains: two on offense and two on defense. Senior quarterback Marko Glavic and senior wide receiver John Weyrauch represent the offense. On the other side of the ball, junior linebackers Wes Erbe and John-Frank Stubits fill the role of captains. All four captains were selected in a vote by their teammates during preseason camp.
AIR CANADA: Marko Glavic's first three seasons at Lafayette have shown his ability to put up big numbers through the air. He has wasted no time re-establishing himself in 2003, racking up 226 yards in the season-opener vs. Marist. Glavic posted six 200-yard and three 300-yard passing performances in the Leopards' 2001 season and threw for more than 200 yards seven times in 2002. Glavic now has 24 career 200-yard games in 36 career starts. He has recorded four 300-yard games in his career and he threw for a new career high vs. Columbia on Oct. 11, with 453 yards. That mark topped his previous best of 329 yards at Holy Cross in 2001.
NO. 3 LOOKING TO MOVE TO NO. 1: Senior wide receiver John Weyrauch continues to ascend the all-time receiving charts. Last season, he eclipsed the 1,000-yard plateau, and this season, he became just the second player in Lafayette history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards when he put up 130 yards receiving against Columbia. In terms of receptions, Weyrauch currently ranks third all-time with 143 catches, needing 10 more to move into second place ahead of Phil Ng '89 (1985-88, 152 rec.). Barring injury, Weyrauch could occupy both of the top spots by the end of his senior season.
LEOPARD CUBS: Since taking over the Lafayette program, Frank Tavani has made recruiting his number one priority. The student-athletes he has brought to campus have shown an ability to contribute in their first two seasons because of their talent level rather than out of necessity. This season, 19 of the 44 spots on Lafayette's current offensive and defensive two-deep are occupied by freshmen or sophomores. Of those 19, six are penciled in to the starting lineup with five of them on defense.
LOCAL TIES: Five Lafayette players, who hail from New York City and Long Island, will be facing a hometown team this weekend: Jesse Compoamor, Freshman OL (New York, N.Y./Brooklyn Poly Prep) Brian Carstens, Junior DL (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) Mike Gervasio, Freshman DT (Lindenhurst N.Y./Lindenhurst) Joe Markham, Freshman WR (New York, N.Y./Kent) Kevin Moss, Senior OL (New York, N.Y./Simsbury)
NCAA Division I-AA Leaders (Through games of Oct. 11):
INDIVIDUAL Forced fumbles - Wes Erbe (4 forced, 0.67 per game) - 2nd Points Responsible For - Marko Glavic (18.0 points per game) - 7th Kickoff Returns - Larry Johnson (27.8 yards per return) - 12th Total Offense - Marko Glavic (258.0 yards per game) - 16th Passing - Marko Glavic (19.0 completions per game) - 18th Solo Tackles - Blake Costanzo (6.3 per game) - 21st Tackles for loss - Casey McKeen (1.67 per game) - 21st Passing Efficiency- Marko Glavic (138.6 rating) - 25th All-Purpose Running - Joe McCourt (124.5 yards per game) - 42nd Rushing- Joe McCourt (88.5 yards per game) - 42nd
TEAM Passing efficiency -16th (143.48 rating) Fumbles Lost - 20th (5) Passing Offense - 21st (251.2 yards per game) Scoring Defense - 25th (18.3 points per game) Turnovers Lost - 25th (11) Total Offense - 31st (394.8 yards per game) Passes Had Intercepted - 32nd (6) Scoring Offense - 41st (28.0 points per game) Kick Returns - 42nd (21.3 avg.) Net Punting - 46th (34.0 yards per punt)
Verizon Academic All-District Selections: Lafayette's football team has distinguished itself in the classroom in recent seasons. The Leopards have had 29 Verizon Academic All-District selections over the past seven seasons and 17 in three seasons under Frank Tavani. Lafayette, Princeton and Duquesne each had a total of five players on the first and second teams in 2002. Junior Steve Bono is the only returning Academic All-District II First Team selection, while seniors Curt Wilson and Mike O'Connor both return following Academic All-District Second Team honors.
All-League Returnees: Lafayette has three All-League players returning to the fold. Senior offensive tackle Kevin Moss was an All-Patriot League First Team performer in 2002 following a second-team nod in 2001. Senior quarterback Marko Glavic and junior tailback Joe McCourt both garnered All-Patriot League Second Team spots in 2002. In the Air and On the Ground: In the combined careers of QB Marko Glavic and TB Joe McCourt , there have been seven contests in which Glavic has thrown for more than 200 yards and McCourt has rushed for more than 100 yards. The Leopards are 4-3 in those contests (10/27/2001 vs. Colgate: 20-16 L; 11/10/2001 at Georgetown: 37-17 W; 9/7/2002 vs. Monmouth: 30-29 W; 10/12/02 at Columbia: 28-21 W; 10/19/02 vs. Georgetown: 35-17 W; 10/26/02 at Fordham: 33-26 L; 11/2/02 at Colgate: 31-24 L).
A Summer Commitment: As a team, Lafayette had its strongest off-season ever, literally. Forty-eight members of the team remained in the Easton area to participate in summer weightlifting and stamina and agility training. More than 30 Leopards remained around campus during the 2001 off-season and 45 stayed in the Easton area in 2002.
Preseason All-America Honors For McCourt, Moss: Junior running back Joe McCourt and senior offensive tackle Kevin Moss have been selected as preseason All-Americans by I-AA.org. McCourt, selected to the second-team offense, enters the 2003 season as the eighth all-time leading rusher in Lafayette history. McCourt was also named second-team preseason All-America by Football Gazette. Moss, a third-team offensive selection, is a three-year starter at left tackle. He is a two-time All-Patriot League honoree and was a third-team All-America selection by Football Gazette last season.
At Home in Fisher Field: The 2003 Lafayette schedule features seven home games, the most for the program since the 1915 season. Since 1926, the Leopards have played their home games at Fisher Field. The venue is in its 77th season, having played host to 374 games. Lafayette has recorded 12 undefeated home seasons at Fisher Field and have a 224-137-13 (.615) overall record.
Lafayette Leads Nation In Televised Games In Division I-AA: The Lafayette football program will lead the nation among Division I-AA teams in 2003 with the most nationally-televised games as the Lafayette Sports Network will broadcast the Leopards' entire schedule on Empire Sports Network, DIRECTV and DISH Network. Regionally, the Lafayette Sports Network can be seen by more than 9.1 million viewers on RCN-TV 4 and WBPH-TV 60 in Eastern Pennsylvania - including all of Philadelphia - and Western New Jersey. The Lafayette Sports Network, which begins its fourth season of national telecasts via DIRECTV and DISH Network, has reached an agreement with Empire Sports Network to air all 11 Lafayette football games in 2003 to its potential audience of more than 17.5 million viewers in Upstate and Western New York as well as more than 40 million potential viewers on DIRECTV (channel 626) and at least 19.5 million possible viewers on DISH Network (channel 432). Each of Lafayette football's road contests - Sept. 13 at Towson, Oct. 18 at Harvard, Nov. 15 at Holy Cross and Nov. 22 at Lehigh - will be shown Saturdays on Empire Sports Network, DIRECTV and DISH Network, while 10 of the 11 games will be replayed in prime time at 7 p.m. each Tuesday following the game. The only exception is the Oct. 25 contest vs. Fordham which will be aired on Empire Sports Network, DIRECTV and DISH Network at a date and time to be determined. Local television sports broadcaster Gary Laubach will handle all of the Leopards' play-by-play duties for the seventh straight season. John Leone, Lafayette's Director of Alumni Affairs, will provide color analysis for the sixth straight season. Reporting from the Leopards' sidelines will be Dan Mowdy for the third season.
Preseason Picks: Lafayette was picked to finish fourth in the preseason Patriot League coaches' and sports information directors' poll. In 2002, Lafayette was tabbed to finish seventh and finished in third place.
The Geographic Breakdown: The Leopards' 2002 roster is one of the most geographically diverse in the history of Lafayette football. There are 12 different states represented and two student-athletes hail from Ontario, Canada. A total of 30 players are home-grown Pennsylvania products, while New Jersey is second on the list with 19 and Florida comes in with 13.
In Overtime Games: Lafayette has played five overtime games 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).
Don't Change The Channel: Lafayette has had some nail biters in the past two seasons (2001, 2002), having 10 contests decided by 10 points or less since the start of the 2001 season. Unfortunately, the Leopards are 3-7 in those games, with the victories coming over Monmouth (30-29), at Columbia (28-21) and vs. Lehigh (14-7). Both of Lafayette's Patriot League losses in 2002 were by seven-point deficits.
A History of 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 Patriot League championships in 1988, 1992 and 1994.
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 "The 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.
