Oct. 7, 2003
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THE STORY LINE: Lafayette finishes off a three-game homestand when it hosts Columbia on Saturday as part of Family Weekend festivities at the college. The Leopards are coming off a 17-10 loss to Georgetown. In that game, the Hoyas put together a 95-yard drive in the fourth quarter to punch in the winning score and in the process snapped the 'Pards five-game home win streak, a mark that dated back to the 2002 season. Columbia comes in as a winner of two straight, including a 33-27 win at Princeton last weekend, the Lions' first victory there since 1945. Columbia also owns a 19-16 win over Bucknell and lost its only game this season at Fordham (37-30) to open the season. Saturday's game will be televised live on the Lafayette Sports Network available locally on RCN-4 and WBPH-60 and will be replayed on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. on The Empire Sports Network which can be seen nationally on DIRECTV (626) and DISH Network (432). The game can also be heard on the radio on WEST-AM 1400 and on the internet at www.lafayette.edu.
RUSHING TOWARD THE TOP: Junior TB Joe McCourt's powerful legs keep churning out rushing yards. McCourt ran for 93 yards on 23 carries vs. Georgetown. He needs only 14 yards to move into fifth spot on the all-time rushing charts currently occupied by Tony Giglio '74 and 92 yards to ascend to the fourth spot held by Ryan Priest '86 who has 2,597 career rushing yards.
A QUARTER OF THE WAY THERE: The Lafayette defense has allowed just one touchdown during the second quarter. Conversely, Lafayette has failed to score a point in the third quarter.
SERIES: (36th Meeting) Lafayette and Columbia have met 35 times on the gridiron, with the first encounter taking place in 1889. The two teams squared off in New York last season with Lafayette winning a 28-21 decision. The teams have faced each other in nearly every season since 1968. (See p. 3 for a game recap and statistics from the most recent meeting and p. 99 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 13-24. 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. Bob Shoop (Yale '86) is in his first season as head coach at Columbia and the collegiate level. He holds a career record of 2-1.
LAFAYETTE vs. THE IVY LEAGUE: The Leopards have played 213 games against the eight members of the Ivy League, and are 59-143-11 (.300) in those contests. Head coach Frank Tavani is 4-7 against the Ivy League. Lafayette vs. the members of the Ivy League:
Brown 3-8-0 Cornell 8-14-2 Harvard 2-5-0 Princeton 4-33-3Columbia 22-11-2 Dartmouth 2-6-0 Pennsylvania 18-60-4 Yale 0-6-0
EXPECTORANT EXPECTATIONS: Like a human expectorant, Wes Erbe has forced Lafayette opponents to cough up the ball three times this season for an average 0.75 forced fumbles per game, a mark that ranks him first in the nation.
WIN NO. 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 601-514-39. 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.
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. He sits 621 yards behind Frank Baur's school record of 7,094 career passing yards and has led the Patriot League in passing yards each of his first three seasons. 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 396 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 sixth all-time in career rushing yards with 2,506. In 2002, he became the ninth Lafayette player to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. This season he is averaging 95.5 yards per game.
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 10 times in his career, and McCourt has hit the century mark in rushing yardage 12 times, including twice as a freshman, eight times as a sophomore and twice this season with 122 yards at Towson and 108 vs. Princeton. McCourt recorded his first career 200-yard game in the Leopards' 42-13 win over Holy Cross, 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 yards against Lehigh on Nov. 19, 1994. 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.
A GOOD START: Lafayette welcomes back a Patriot League best 18 starters. The Leopards have eight offensive starters, nine defensive starters and one starter on special teams returning to the squad.
ON THIS DATE: Lafayette is 5-10 all-time in games played on Oct. 11 and 4-3 in home games on that same date. Lafayette has never played Columbia on Oct. 11, but has played one Ivy League opponent, Yale, on this date in 1913.
October 11Year Result Opponent1890 L 18-10 at Franklin & Marshall1899 L 12-0 at Princeton1905 W 35-0 Medico-Chirurgical1913 L 27-0 at Yale1924 W 30-0 Hobart1930 L 41-0 at Colgate1941 L 41-2 at Navy1947 W 14-13 Getttysburg1952 L 37-0 at Muhlenberg1958 W 7-6 at Delaware1969 W 27-7 Drexel1975 L 15-5 Bucknell1980 L 14-0 at Bucknell1986 L 20-16 New Hampshire1997 L 44-6 Colgate
Injury Update: The current listing of Lafayette football injuries (10/6):
- Shane Davenport (So., FB) - Unavailable; lower back - Romar Drake (So, WR) - unavailable for five weeks; knee - Greg Gibbs (Jr., DL) - Left team due to medical reasons - Travis Hutson (Fr., WR) - Unavailable; hamstring - Brandon McCloud (Jr., TB) - Doubtful; neck - Joe Markham (Fr., WR) - Doubtful; quad strain - Dion Witherspoon (So., LB) - Doubtful; hamstring - Robert Stroble (So., C) - Probable; concussion
GLAVIC RE-WRITING THE RECORD BOOKS: In 2002, Lafayette quarterback Marko Glavic became the second all-time leading passer in school history. In 36 career games, Glavic has amassed 7,778 yards while completing 55.5 percent (650-1178) of his passes, a mark that places him second all-time. He has tossed 48 touchdowns, 15 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, joining former Leopard greats Baur, Tom Kirchoff '93 and Frank Novak '84. In fact, he is just the third Leopard QB to throw for more than 2,000 yards in consecutive seasons.
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. Glavic racked 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 34 career starts. He has recorded three 300-yard games and his career-high is 329 yards at Holy Cross in 2001.
NO. 3 LOOKING TO MOVE TO NO. 3: 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 is looking to become just the third player in Lafayette history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards, needing just 10 yards to do so. In terms of receptions, Weyrauch currently ranks fourth all-time with 135 catches, needing two more to move into third place ahead of Frank Corbo (1981-84, 136 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. 4):
INDIVIDUAL Forced fumbles - Wes Erbe (3 forced, 0.75 per game) - 1st Tackles for loss - Casey McKeen (2.5 per game) - 4th Points Responsible For - Marko Glavic (12.0 points per game) - 28th Rushing - Joe McCourt (95.5 yards per game) - 32nd Scoring - Joe McCourt (7.5 points per game) - 38th All-purpose yards - Joe McCourt (127.5 yards per game) - 39th Passing - Marko Glavic (14.75 completions per game) - 48th
TEAM Scoring defense - 8th (12.3 ppg.) Total defense - 9th (255.5 ypg.) Pass defense - 14th (145.0 ypg.) Kick returns - 16th (23.6 avg.) Pass efficiency defense - 16th (96.12 rating) Fumbles lost - 19th (3) Rushing defense - 28th (110.0 ypg.) Turnovers lost - 29th (8) Passing efficiency - 44th (125.76 rating) Passes had intercepted - 47th (5)
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 to the squad 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 373 games. Lafayette has recorded 12 undefeated home seasons at Fisher Field and have a 223-137-13 (.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.
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.
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.
Leopards of the Lehigh Valley: The 2003 Lafayette College football team boasts nine members from the Lehigh Valley. Consistently a prominent recruiter of top talent in the Lehigh Valley, Lafayette brought in two local freshmen this past recruiting year. The Lehigh Valley Leopards:
90 Tauren Barker (So./DL/Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) 98 Pat Brown (Sr./DL/Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) 7 Joel Cesare (Sr./WR/Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) 75 Tyler Jones (Fr./OL/Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) 5 Matt Potter (Fr./S/Bethlehem, Pa./Nazareth) 78 Robert Stroble (So./OL/Easton, Pa./Easton) 18 John-Frank Stubits (Jr./LB/Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) 29 Dave Walters (Jr./TB/Easton, Pa./Freedom/Wyoming Seminary) 62 Curt Wilson (Sr./OL/Northampton, Pa./Northampton)
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).
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.
