Nov. 17, 2003
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THE STORY LINE: Lafayette (5-5, 2-4) and Lehigh (7-3, 5-1) take to the field on Saturday in college football's Most Played Rivalry. The Leopards and the Mountain Hawks will meet for the 139th time in the programs' histories. Lafayette, which won last season's meeting 14-7 at Fisher Field, comes in on a two-game winning streak. Lafayette and Lehigh come into "the game" fresh off similar results in Week 10 with Lafayette beating up on Holy Cross 41-13 and Lehigh handing Bucknell a 45-9 loss. Lafayette still has its sights set on a winning season and a victory at Lehigh would accomplish that. Meanwhile, across Lehigh is holding onto playoff hopes.
GLAVIC LOOKING TO BECOME All-TIME LEADING LEAGUE PASSER IN PATRIOT LEAGUE HISTORY: Having broken nearly all of Lafayette's single-season and career passing records, senior QB Marko Glavic is taking on the Patriot League record book. He needs just 138 yards to become the Patriot League's all-time leading passer, looking to surpass Lehigh's Phil Stambuagh (9,669). Glavic is already the conference's all-time leader in total yards with 9,532 passing yards and 241yards rushing for 9,773 yards of total offense.
MCCOURT IS IN SESSION: Last year's Lafayette-Lehigh game MVP Joe McCourt and the Lafayette running game have been rolling in their last two contests. At Holy Cross, McCourt scampered for 186 yards on 26 carries and punched in four touchdowns. That followed a Week 10 in which he ran for a career-high 209 yards on 34 carries and hit paydirt four times. His last touchdown against Holy Cross tied him with Erik Marsh '95 for the career lead in rushing touchdowns with 34. He is one TD short of equalling Marsh's record of 38 career touchdowns (rushing and receiving).
THE SERIES (139th Meeting): Lafayette and "the other school in the valley" renew acquaintances for the 139th time on Saturday, with the first encounter dating back 119 years to the 1884 season. Last year's contest in Easton ended in a 14-7 Lafayette win. The Leopards are 1-2 vs. "the Lehighs" in the Frank Tavani era.
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT: Lafayette's offense has been putting up points in the second half of the season. The Leopards have scored an average of 34 points per game over the past six games compared to an average of 25 over the first four games.
THE DRIVE: In what has become known as "The Drive," Lafayette pieced together a 19-play, 74-yard drive that ate up 9:01 on the clock and gave the Leopards the game-winning score over Lehigh in the 138th meeting. Lafayette faked a field goal on fourth-and-four with seven minutes remaining and the holder, backup quarterback Mike O'Connor, ran free to gain the Leopard first down at the Lehigh 26. McCourt scored the winning touchdown eight plays later on a three-yard run to put the final at 14-7.
THE HEAD COACHES: Frank Tavani (Lebanon Valley '75) is now in his fourth season at the head of the Lafayette program and he holds a career record of 16-27. 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.
Pete Lembo (Georgetown '92) is in his third season as Lehigh's head coach and as a collegiate head coach. He is 26-8 at Lehigh and 1-1 vs. Lafayette.
WATCHING AROUND THE NATION: The Lafayette-Lehigh game will boast 52 telecast parties in 25 states and Washington, D.C. The game will also be seen by thousands of other alumni live on DirectTV on channel 626 as well as DISH Network (channel 432) beginning at 12:30 p.m.(EST). Those with a tunable satellite dish can access the game on the KU Band -AMC 9 K15, downlink frequency 12000 vert.
MCCOURT A THREAT THROUGH THE AIR: Junior tailback Joe McCourt has not only been racking up yards on the ground with 113 per game, but is also leading the team in receiving. He has reeled in 42 catches for 366 yards.
RETURNING THE FAVOR: It's no surprise that teams have been kicking away from Lafayette kick returner Larry Johnson. The sophomore cornerback has been averaging 28.6 yards per return for the Leopards to rank eighth in the nation.
FINDING THE BALL: Wes Erbe has forced Lafayette opponents to cough up the ball five times this season for an average 0.5 forced fumbles per game, a mark that ranks him first in the Patriot League and second in the nation. John Frank Stubits has recovered three fumbles, and leads the conference with 0.3 per game.
GLAVIC RE-WRITING THE RECORD BOOKS: In 42 career games, senior QB Marko Glavic has become Lafayette's all-time leading passer. The Pickering, Ontario native has thrown for 9,357 yards while completing 55 percent (775-1410) of his passes. Glavic has tossed 61 career touchdowns, two short of eclipsing Frank Baur's school record.
HAVING A SEASON...OR THREE: With his 392-yard passing game against Fordham, senior QB Marko Glavic became just the third Lafayette quarterback to throw for 2000+ yards in three straight seasons, joining Frank Baur '90 and Tom Kirchoff '93.
COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM: Lafayette's football team has distinguished itself in the classroom in recent seasons. The Leopards have had 31 Verizon Academic All-District selections over the past eight seasons and 19 in four seasons under Frank Tavani. Lafayette placed two student-athletes on the Academic All-District First Team this season with the selections of offensive linemen Steve Bono and Curt Wilson. Bono is junior and a two-time Academic All-District II First Team selection, while the senior Wilson garnered Academic All-District II Second Team honors as a junior and a sophomore.
THREE IN TOP FOUR: Lafayette has three of the top four players in the Patriot League in terms of tackles. Maurice Bennett leads the team and is second in the Patriot League with 9.4 tackles per game followed by Blake Costanzo in third with 9.2 tackles per game and Wes Erbe in fourth with 9.1 tackles per game.
INJURY UPDATE: The current listing of Lafayette football injuries (11/17): - Shane Davenport (So., FB) - Out, back - Romar Drake (So., WR) - Out, knee - Brendon Green (Jr., FB) - Doubtful, shoulder - Joe Markham (Fr., WR) - Doubtful, elbow - Kevin Moss (Sr., OL) -- Out, Illness - Chad Walker (So., TE) - Out for season; knee - Curt Wilson (Sr. C) - Out for season; knee
A LITTLE EXTRA INCENTIVE -- Leopards of the Lehigh Valley: For nine of the players on the Lafayette football team, the Lafayette-Lehigh game has a little more meaning. Lafayette has nine team members from the Lehigh Valley.
- Shane Davenport (So., FB) - Out, back - Romar Drake (So., WR) - Out, knee - Brendon Green (Jr., FB) - Doubtful, shoulder - Joe Markham (Fr., WR) - Doubtful, elbow - Kevin Moss (Sr., OL) -- Out, Illness - Chad Walker (So., TE) - Out for season; knee - Curt Wilson (Sr. C) - Out for season; knee
ON THIS DATE: Lafayette has played 14 previous games on Nov. 22 and holds a 5-7-1 against Lehigh on Nov. 22. Lafayette is 2-5 in Bethlehem on Nov. 22.
Lafayette at Lehigh - November 22Year Result Opponent1890 W 20-6 at Columbia A.A.1902 L 6-0 at Lehigh1913 L 7-0 at Lehigh1924 W 7-0 Lehigh1930 W 16-6 Lehigh1941 W 47-7 at Lehigh1947 W 7-0 at Lehigh1952 L 14-7 Lehigh1958 T 14-14 Lehigh1969 L 36-19 at Lehigh1975 L 40-14 at Lehigh 1986 W 28-23 Lehigh1997 L 41-33 at Lehigh
Total 6-7-1 overall; 5-7-1 against Lehigh2-5 in Bethlehem; 3-2-1 in Easton
RUSHING TOWARD THE TOP: Junior TB Joe McCourt's powerful legs keep churning out rushing yards. With 209 yards against Bucknell, McCourt became just the third Lafayette running back ever to gain over 3,000 yards. He moved into third spot on the all-time rushing chart formerly occupied by Ryan Priest '86. McCourt needs 170 yards to ascend to the second spot held by Leonard Moore '99 who has 3,419 career rushing yards.
THE ATTACK OF THE CENTURY: Lafayette junior tailback Joe McCourt and senior wide receiver John Weyrauch have both made a habit of breaking the 100-yard mark in receiving yards and rushing yards, respectively. McCourt has hit the century mark in rushing yardage 16 times in his career, including twice as a freshman, eight times as a sophomore and six times this season with 122 yards at Towson, 108 vs. Princeton, 103 at Harvard, 123 vs. Fordham, 209 vs. Bucknell and 186 vs. Holy Cross. 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.
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 604-517-39. 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.
NO. 3 LOOKING TO MOVE TO NO. 1: Senior wide receiver John Weyrauch needs just four catches for 17 yards to become the sole owner of first place on Lafayette's all-time receptions and receiving yards lists. He is looking to pass Phil Yarberough '01 who ranks first on both lists. With 18 career touchdown receptions, Weyrauch needs two more to leave Lafayette as the career leader in that statistical category, looking to pass Phil Ng who has 19.
Lafayette vs. The Patriot League: The Leopards have played 321 games all-time against the seven fellow members of the Patriot League, and are 157-148-16 (.514) in those contests. Since the Patriot League began play in 1986, the Leopards are 49-46-1 (.516) vs. member schools and have won league titles in 1988, 1992, and 1994. Lafayette vs. the Patriot League:
Bucknell: 43-32-6; Fordham: 15-6-1; Holy Cross: 11-7-0; Towson: 3-5-0;
Colgate: 9-34-4; Georgetown: 4-3-0; Lehigh: 72-61-5
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 Player of the Week.
MCCOURT NAMED PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF WEEK (11/10): Junior tailback Joe McCourt was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week following a dominating performance on the ground against Bucknell. The Philadelphia native ran for a career-high 209 yards on 34 carries and crossed into the end zone four times while posting his second straight 1,000-yard season.
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.
NCAA Division I-AA Leaders (Through games of Nov. 15):
INDIVIDUAL Forced fumbles - Wes Erbe (5 forced, 0.5 per game) - 2nd Scoring - Joe McCourt (10.4 points per game) - 4th Kickoff Returns - Larry Johnson (28.6 yards per return) - 8th Points Responsible For - Marko Glavic (15.0 points per game) - 11th Joe McCourt (11.0 points per game) - 35th Passing - Marko Glavic (20.1 completions per game) - 13th Total Offense - Marko Glavic (252.7 yards per game) - 19th Rushing- Joe McCourt (112.6 yards per game) - 22nd All-Purpose Running - Joe McCourt (149.2 yards per game) - 22nd Passing Efficiency- Marko Glavic (129.0 rating) - 41stTEAM Fumbles Lost - 10th (7) Passing Offense - 18th (250.8 yards per game) Total Offense - 21st (412.7 yards per game) Fumbles Recovered - 27th (14) Scoring Offense - 31st (30.5 points per game) Passing Efficiency - 34th (131.6 rating) Kickoff Returns - 37th (21.1 yards per return) Scoring Defense - 42nd (21.9 points per game)
Air Canada: Marko Glavic has shown the ability to put up big numbers through the air during his career. 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. This season, Glavic has thrown for 200+ yards three times and has reached 300+ yards three times. Glavic now has 26 career 200+yard games in 40 career starts. He has recorded five 300-yard games in his career and he threw for a new career high vs. Columbia on Oct. 11, with 453 yards.
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.
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.
In the Air and On the Ground: In the combined careers of QB Marko Glavic and TB Joe McCourt , there have been eight contests in which Glavic has thrown for more than 200 yards and McCourt has rushed for more than 100 yards. The Leopards are 4-4 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; 10/18/03 at Harvard 34-27 L).
All-League Returnees: Lafayette has three All-League players returning to the fold this season. 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.
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 376 games. Lafayette has recorded 12 undefeated home seasons at Fisher Field and have a 224-139-13 (.615) overall record.
Lafayette Leads Nation In Televised Games In Division I-AA: The Lafayette football program leads 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. 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' 2003 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.
