Nov. 15, 2004
When Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani studied his offensive personnel entering the 2004 season, a couple of things immediately caught his attention.
First and foremost was senior tailback Joe McCourt, a punishing between-the-tackles runner who had rumbled for over 1,000 yards as both a sophomore and junior. Up front were four seniors and a handful of experienced underclassmen on the offensive line. Throw in an, at the time, unsettled quarterback situation, a pair of iron-tough fullbacks and a couple fleet-footed youngsters to spell McCourt, and it was easy to see what the focus of the offense would be in 2004.
"We knew coming into the year that we were going to put a lot of focus on the running game," Tavani said. "My personal philosophy has always been that if you can run the ball offensively and stop the run defensively, you're going to be successful, and that has really applied to our situation this season."
That applied focus has resulted in a running attack that is averaging 204 yards per game, second-most in the Patriot League and 24th nationally. Only Bucknell, with its triple-option attack, ranks higher than the Leopards in the league; the third-best rushing offense in the league averages 50 fewer yards per game than Lafayette.
To loyal Leopard fans, it is almost a sense of, "Everything old is new again." While the Lafayette program has produced quarterbacks such as Frank Baur and, more recently, Marko Glavic, who could sling the ball all over the field, Lafayette has historically been known for its running game. And while the Leopard offensive attacks of the past few seasons have ranked near the top of the Patriot League in passing yards, this year's version has taken a blue-collar, knock-you-off-the-ball approach.
"We take a lot of pride in that," McCourt said. "We made it known early on that this team was going to be about running the ball. I think our line and our fullbacks feel better about me getting 100 yards than I do, because that means that they have done their job well."
"We like pounding the ball up the middle. Personally, that's my favorite thing to do," said senior fullback Brendon Green. "I take pride in McCourt going out and getting 100 yards every week. That means I'm doing my job and the offensive line is doing its job."
While Green may play the role of the unheralded lead blocker, he has caught the eye of at least one rather important observer.
"Brendon is just a horse in there," Tavani said. "He has done a great job along with Dave Nelson making things happen in the running game and opening holes for the other guys to run through."
"Obviously we're running the ball a lot more this year and that has kind of become our thing," said senior tight end John-Frank Stubits. "When you're out there lined up across from a guy you just want to push him back and make blocks for the guys running the ball."
Stubits, a converted linebacker, sees most of his action when the Leopards go to a two tight end set. He and junior Chad Walker typically serve as bookends to Lafayette's imposing offensive front. Despite his roots on the defensive side of the ball, Stubits has made the transition to offense and is a vital cog in the run game.
"Playing over on defense I learned a lot about our offense, just from going against it in practice every day, so that made it a little easier to pick up," Stubits said. "Like anything, it just takes time. It takes practice and a lot of film study. Overall I think it's been a good experience and it's helped me learn more about the game."
"He's one of our primary team leaders," Tavani said of Stubits. "He's kind of in the position of a role player now, but he has stayed extremely positive and has really strengthened our situation in terms of the running game."
While McCourt piles up the rushing yardage and cements his place among the elite backs in school history, everyone involved in the offense, including McCourt, is quick to credit the big guys up front for the running game's success.
"First and foremost it's definitely our offensive line," Green said of the key to the offense. "We have four veteran seniors up there, plus junior Robert Stroble, who's been in the mix and has a lot of experience."
"Without a doubt, our offensive line and fullbacks, along with our receivers blocking downfield, have been the keys to our success," McCourt said. "I'm only as good as they are. They know that if they can clear the way for me to get four yards, I'm going to be able to get a couple extra yards after that because I'm bigger than the guys trying to tackle me."
"There are a number of factors working in our favor, I think the most important of which is the fact that we have a good offensive line," Tavani said. "That group really came together early in the season after we had had some injury problems during camp. Now that they have settled in and gotten comfortable with each other, you can see the results. Their ability to move people off the ball and create opportunities for our offense has really been the key to our success."
The results that Tavani references are easy to find on the stat sheet. McCourt has collected at least 100 yards rushing in each of the past five games, the longest such streak of his career. The Leopards, averaging 4.3 yards per attempt as a team for the season, have scratched out nearly one-half of a yard more than that over the past five contests.
While the line has come together as a unit and created holes, credit also some inspired running by McCourt over the second half of the season. The senior, who entered the season with an outside shot of breaking Erik Marsh's school and league record of 4,834 career rushing yards, has famously been quoted as saying, "All I want from Erik Marsh is his championship ring." Given his performance of late, no one has any reason to doubt him.
"What can you say about Joe?," Tavani asked rhetorically. "He's just had an outstanding career and has really come into his own the last couple of weeks, especially."
McCourt, who has accounted for 659 yards and seven rushing touchdowns over the past five games, enters today's game just 86 yards short of his third consecutive 1,000-yard season. Marsh is the only player in the program history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in three different seasons.
The Leopards' ability to wear opponents down with their running attack has put them in a position in which the program has not been too familiar of late: playing meaningful games in the month of November. A pair of wins in the final two games of the season would guarantee Lafayette at least a share of the Patriot League title.
"It's huge for us. We set out to kind of redeem ourselves for last year and we made it a point to play better week in and week out," Stubits said.
"It means a lot to these seniors to be where we are," McCourt said. "We've gotten the program back on its feet and its' come full circle to the point that any loss is a big disappointment."
Given Lafayette's attitude and resolve, those disappointments promise to be few and far between in the future.
