Oct. 6, 2004
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THE MATCH-UP: Lafayette embarks on its longest road trip since 1996 this weekend when it visits Columbia. The Leopards will play four straight on the road over the next five weeks, with a bye week included in the stretch, before returning home for the final two games of the season. Saturday's game will be the Leopards' last crack at an Ivy League opponent this season. Lafayette has not finished a season winless against the Ivies since 1998. Columbia is attempting to avoid its first 0-4 start since 2001. Two of the Lions' three losses have been by three points or less, including last weekend's overtime loss to Princeton.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Lafayette hits the road four times in the next five weeks, its most extended time away from Fisher Field since 1996. Lafayette won the opening game of that trip, 17-7 at Harvard, before dropping games at Columbia (3-0), Colgate (40-9) and Army (41-21). Fordham was slated to be the second opponent in that five-game stretch, but that game was cancelled.
FAST START: A win over Columbia would improve Lafayette's record to 4-2. The last time Lafayette was over .500 through six games was 1993, when the Leopards opened 3-2-1 en route to a 5-4-2 season.
THE SERIES: Lafayette holds a 32-11-2 edge all-time over the Lions and has won the past three matchups. The Leopards have never lost to Columbia in Easton (12-0-1), but the series is even (11-11-1) in The City That Never Sleeps. The teams last met in New York in 2002, with Lafayette scoring 18 fourth-quarter points to rally from a 21-0 first-half hole and take a 28-21 win. Saturday's game will be played on the 115th anniversary of the teams' first get-together, a 10-10 tie in New York in 1889.
THE HEAD COACHES: Frank Tavani (Lebanon Valley '75) is in his fifth season at the helm of the Lafayette football program. He is the 27th head coach in the program's 123-year history. Tavani enters this weekend's contest with a career record of 19-30. Bob Shoop (Yale '88) is in his second season at Columbia. He nearly guided the program to its first winning season since 1996 a year ago, leading the Lions to a 4-6 mark, with two losses coming by seven points or less.
LONG LAYOFF: Forty-one days will pass between scheduled home games for the Leopards during their current road trip, equaling the longest in-season span between home contests in Lafayette history. The Leopards also went 41 days between home games in 1986, posting a 2-3 record during the stretch. In 1893, Lafayette hosted Temperance Athletic Association on Oct. 4, then 41 days later faced Lehigh at home. However, a home contest that was scheduled with Rutgers the week prior to the Lehigh game was forfeited by the Scarlet Knights.
HANGIN' A HUNDRED ON 'EM: Senior running back Joe McCourt's 18-carry, 101-yard performance last weekend against Harvard was the 18th time he has rushed for at least 100 yards in a game in his career. McCourt eclipsed the century mark twice as a freshman, eight times as a sophomore, six times as a junior and twice this season. Lafayette is 10-8 over the past four seasons when McCourt rushes for at least 100 yards.
SCORING TRENDS: Two interesting trends related to scoring have developed after the season's first month. Lafayette has scored first in all three of its wins this season, while the defense has held the opposition under 20 points in each of the three victories.
ROAD WARRIORS: Lafayette's seven-game road schedule, after having seven at home in 2003, has been the subject of much discussion throughout the season. Towson, which would have served as a home contest in 2004, departed the Patriot League at the conclusion of the 2003 season. The Leopards agreed to a home-and-home deal with Richmond, with the Spiders tentatively slated to visit Easton on Sept. 10, 2005.
LAFAYETTE vs. the IVY LEAGUE: Lafayette has played at least three games against Ivy League opponents every year since 1985. The Leopards have played 217 games all-time against the Ancient Eight and are 60-146-11 (.302) in those contests. Lafayette vs. the Ivy League:
Brown: 3-8-0 Columbia: 23-11-2 Cornell: 8-14-2 Dartmouth: 2-6-0 Harvard: 2-7-0 Penn: 18-60-4 Princeton: 4-34-3 Yale: 0-6-0
NCAA DIVISION I-AA LEADERS: Lafayette has been one of the least penalized teams in the country during the first half of the season. Statistical categories in which Lafayette ranks in the Top-50 nationally:
Individual Total Tackles - Maurice Bennett - T-33rd (51 tackles, 10.2 per game) Field Goals - Rick Ziska - T-38th (4 FG, .8 FG per game)
Team Fewest Penalties Per Game - T-3rd (4.0 penalties per game) Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game - 6th (37.8 yards per game) Fumbles Lost - T-17th (2 lost) Passing Defense - 22nd (159.4 yards per game) Total Defense - 33rd (316.8 yards per game) Rushing Offense - 35th (181.2 yards per game) Scoring Defense - 39th (20.4 points per game) Passes Intercepted - T-50th (5 interceptions)
SPREADING THE LOVE: A season-high eight different receivers caught at least one pass at Richmond two weeks ago. Junior tight end Chad Walker led the way with four catches, the most for him in a game since 2002, while Jonathan Hurt, John-Frank Stubits and Romar Drake all snagged their first career receptions.
PUT IT ON THE BOARD: Sophomore kicker Rick Ziska has been perfect on 13 point-after attempts this season, including a 6-for-6 performance in the season-opener against Marist. He is also 4-for-6 on field goals, including a 48-yarder that he hammered home just before halftime at Georgetown. The field goal was Ziska's first career make and the second-longest in the modern era for Lafayette. George McCaa's 53-yard field goal against Brown in 1909 still stands as the school record.
THE CAPTAINS: Senior linebacker Wes Erbe and senior offensive guard Stephen Bono were elected co-captains by their teammates during spring practice. Both are in their fourth seasons as starters at their respective positions. Erbe, who also served as a co-captain in 2003, is just the fourth player in Lafayette history to be named a captain in two different seasons. The last was Ryan Priest in 1985-86.
THE IRON CURTAIN: Lafayette returns its entire linebacking corps from 2003 in senior Wes Erbe and juniors Maurice Bennett and Blake Costanzo. The trio started all 11 games together a year ago, accounting for 306 tackles between them. Bennett led the team and ranked second in the Patriot League with 108 total tackles, while Erbe was fourth in the league with 104 stops. Erbe also forced five fumbles, tied for second-most nationally. Costanzo was tied for seventh in the Patriot League in total tackles, collecting 94. The group accounted for 12 sacks and 24 tackles for loss...This Season...Bennett leads the Leopards and the Patriot League in total tackles with 51. He posted a season-high 13 stops on Saturday against Harvard. Costanzo has tallied 32 tackles, including a sack. Erbe missed the first two games with an ankle injury, but returned against Princeton and has collected 23 tackles, including 10 total tackles and a sack against Harvard.
McCOURT'S MILESTONES: After rushing for more than 1,000 yards the past two seasons, Joe McCourt will go into the record books as one of the most prolific running backs in both Lafayette and Patriot League history. McCourt enters this weekend with 3,636 rushing yards, second all-time at Lafayette and fifth all-time in the Patriot League. He trails Erik Marsh '95, the all-time leading rusher in Lafayette and Patriot League history, by 1,198 yards. With two touchdowns in the opener against Marist, McCourt passed Marsh as Lafayette's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns. He currently has 37. After hauling in a team-high 52 passes in 2003, McCourt sits fifth in career receptions at Lafayette with 121. Finally, McCourt has accounted for 248 career points (41 touchdowns, 1 two-point conversion), leaving him seven points behind kicker Jason McLaughlin '95 for the school scoring record.
McCOURT NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK (9/13): Senior tailback Joe McCourt was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for his performance at Georgetown on Sept. 11. McCourt ran 24 times for 104 yards and caught two passes for 21 yards in the 17-6 win.
RIGHTING THE SHIP: After back-to-back two-win seasons in 2000 and 2001, Lafayette won 12 games over the 2002-03 seasons, the most for the program in a two-year span since the 1992-93 campaigns, which saw the Leopards win 13 contests and a Patriot League championship in 1992. Lafayette's seven Patriot League wins in 2002-03 are the most since 1994-95.
ON THIS DATE: Lafayette is 7-7-1 all-time in games played on Oct. 9, but just 1-5 in the last six games played on this date. The lone win in that stretch was a 58-6 win at Columbia in 1993. Lafayette and Columbia met for the first time on this date in 1889, playing to a 10-10 tie. Lafayette all-time on Oct. 2:
Year Opponent Result1889 at Columbia T, 10-101897 Temperance AA W, 64-01907 Colgate W, 21-91909 Hobart W, 50-01915 Washington & Jeff. L, 17-01920 at Navy L, 12-71926 at Pittsburgh W, 17-71937 at Gettysburg W, 2-01948 Washington & Jeff. W, 56-151954 at Muhlenberg L, 27-01965 Delaware L, 40-71971 Delaware L, 49-01982 at Maine L, 28-141993 at Columbia W, 58-61999 Colgate L, 56-14
THE SECRET WEAPON: Senior punter Mike Davis has been one of the Leopards' most consistent performers thus far. He is averaging 37.4 yards per punt and has had four punts downed inside the 10-yard line. Davis had his best day on Sept. 11 at Georgetown, when he punted five times, averaging 41 yards per kick, and pinned Georgetown inside the 10 three times, including twice inside the five. His 41-yarder in the fourth quarter that was downed by Larry Johnson inside the one set up Andrew Brown's intercepton return for the go-ahead touchdown.
TAKE IT TO THE HOUSE: Junior defensive end Andrew Brown's two-yard interception return for a score at Georgetown was the Leopards' first interception return for a touchdown since Jeff Werrell and Adriel Linyear combined for a 100-yard interception return against Colgate in 2001. Werrell picked off the pass at the goal line, then lateraled to Linyear who carried it the final 56 yards.
McCOURT MOVES TO THE TOP: Senior tailback Joe McCourt's two rushing touchdowns against Marist made him Lafayette's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns. He passed Erik Marsh '95, who scored 35 touchdowns on the ground in his record-setting career. McCourt enters the weekend with 37 rushing scores.
MORE McCOURT: Joe McCourt is the lone All-Patriot League honoree returning for the Leopards this season. The 2001 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, McCourt garnered All-Patriot League Second-Team honors in 2003.
INJURY UPDATE: Four players (Tauren Barker, Gus Ottoson, Nick Snyder and Paul Ziska) will miss the 2004 season due to injuries that occurred either before or in the opening days of preseason camp. The current listing of Lafayette football injuries (10/6):
- Archie Fisher (Jr., WR) - Doubtful, hamstring
- Mike Gervasio (So., DL) - Out, back
- Ben Hoover (Fr., TE) - Out, foot
- Quindel Ladson (Fr., LB) - Out, medical
- Josh Lupini (Fr., OL) - Possible, knee
- Trey Martell (So., DB) - Out, concussion
- Joe Ort (Jr., WR) - Out, concussion
- Matt Potter (So., LB) - Out, knee
- Eduardo Sanchez (Jr., DL) - Out, broken leg
- James Sommers (Sr., WR) - Out, wrist
- Dion Witherspoon (Jr., LB) - Probable, knee
HOMETOWN HEROES: The 2004 Lafayette roster features five players from the Lehigh Valley:
- 90 Tauren Barker (Jr. / DL / Whitehall, Pa. / Whitehall)
- 14 Michael Bernhard (Fr. / QB / Allentown, Pa. / William Allen)
- 5 Matt Potter (So. / DB / Bethlehem, Pa. / Nazareth)
- 78 Robert Stroble (Jr. / OL / Easton, Pa. / Easton Area)
- 18 John-Frank Stubits (Sr. / TE / Nazareth, Pa. / Nazareth)
LOCAL CONNECTION: Four Leopards will be playing near their hometowns when Lafayette visits Columbia on Saturday:
- 67 Jesse Campoamor (So. / OL / New York, N.Y. / Poly Prep)
- 95 Brian Carstens (Sr. / DL / Staten Island, N.Y. / Monsignor Farrell)
- 97 Mike Gervasio (So. / DL / Lindenhurst, N.Y. / Lindenhurst)
- 10 Matthew Korn (Fr. / PK / Shirley, N.Y. / William Floyd)
- 76 Jack Thomson (Fr. / OL / Huntington, N.Y. / Huntington)
NOW UNDER CENTER...: At the end of preseason camp, head coach Frank Tavani named sophomore Brad Maurer as the starting quarterback for the season-opener against Marist. Maurer became first Leopard other than Marko Glavic to start a game under center since Chad Ritchie took the opening snap against Harvard on Sept. 30, 2000. Maurer, the Ohio High School Division II Offensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2002, had been battling junior Pat Davis since spring practice for the job. Both Maurer and Davis, a two-year letterman as the Leopards' long-snapper, are expected to see significant playing time throughout the season.
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT SELECTIONS: Lafayette has remained a mainstay on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, with the school being represented by 19 student-athletes during Frank Tavani's first four seasons as head coach. In 2003, offensive linemen Stephen Bono and Curt Wilson were selected to the Academic All-District II Team. Bono, a civil engineering major, was named to first team for the second straight season. Wilson, who received his degree in mechanical engineering last spring, was a three-time Academic All-District II selection, earning first-team accolades as a senior and second-team honors as a sophomore and junior in 2001 and 2002, respectively.
EARLY START: Lafayette's 2004 season-opener with Marist, played on Sept. 4, is the earliest calendar date on which a Lafayette football game has been played.
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).
THE FRIENDLY CONFINES OF Fisher Field: Lafayette will make just four appearances at Fisher Field in 2004, only the second time since the Leopards adopted a 10-game schedule in 1968 that Fisher Field has hosted fewer than five contests. Since 1926, the Leopards have played their home games at Fisher Field. The venue is in its 79th season, having played host to 379 games. Lafayette has recorded 12 undefeated home seasons at Fisher Field and has a 226-140-13 (.614) 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 2004 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 fifth 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 2004 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). Empire Sports Network will broadcast seven games live in 2004 - six of the seven road games and the 140th meeting of Lafayette-Lehigh. The one road contest that will not be live, Oct. 9 at Columbia, will be shown that same day in tape-delay. Empire will also broadcast the Leopards' first three home contests in tape-delay the Tuesday following the game at 7 p.m. Local television sports broadcaster Gary Laubach will handle all of the Leopards' play-by-play duties for the eighth straight season. John Leone, Lafayette's Director of Alumni Affairs, will provide color analysis for the seventh straight season. Reporting from the Leopards' sidelines will be Dan Mowdy for the fourth season.
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.
ALL-TIME RECORD: Lafayette is in its 123rd season of intercollegiate football, and enters this weekend with an all-time record of 607-520-39 (.537). The Leopards ranked 33rd all-time in wins with 604 entering the 2004 season.
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.
