Nov. 6, 2004

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

HAMILTON, N.Y. (www.lafayette.edu) - Colgate's block of a Rick Ziska field goal with 2:52 remaining preserved a 22-19 win for the No. 24 Raiders in Patriot League football action on Saturday.

Ziska had converted field goals of 41 and 24 yards before lining up for a 26-yarder on Lafayette's final drive. Colgate's Jeff Galletly, however, penetrated the middle and blocked the kick. From there, Colgate picked up two first downs and ran out the clock.

Lafayette (6-3 overall, 3-1 Patriot League) was in position to tie the game after Colgate (6-3, 3-1) had answered the Leopards' second extended scoring drive.

A two-yard Joe McCourt touchdown run, his second of the day, capped a 10-play, 79-yard march that put the Leopards in front, 19-14, with 7:51 left. The drive was highlighted by a 10-yard run by punter Mike Davis on a fake punt on fourth-and-two from the Lafayette 29.

Colgate immediately answered the score with one of its own, covering 71 yards in just four plays and 81 seconds. Chris Brown hit DeWayne Long over the middle for 29 yards, then, after a false start, found Luke Graham twice, for 31 and 12 yards. Jamaal Branch scored from four yards to put the Raiders in front for good.

Lafayette's offense pounded its way for 63 yards on eight plays, all on the ground, on the game's opening possession. A 27-yard Maurer run on second-and-12 moved the ball to the Colgate six, and two plays later McCourt scored from four yards.

Colgate answered with the first of two touchdown drives that lasted less than 90 seconds. After Branch ran for six yards on first down, Brown hit Mike Chrystie for 37 yards and Tyrone Gould for 21 yards and the score. Mike Rava's point-after evened the score just 64 seconds after the Leopards had gone in front.

Brown, who completed 18-of-28 for a career-high 318 yards, hit Long for a nine-yard score on fourth-and-two just 1:11 before halftime. Maurer, however, hit McCourt for three straight completions to set up Ziska's 41-yard kick that cut the deficit to four, 14-10, on the half's final play.

Ziska's 24-yarder midway through the third cut the margin to 14-13 heading into the final quarter.

McCourt ran 23 times for 109 yards, his fifth-straight 100-yard rushing game. He also caught four passes for 37 yards. With his second touchdown, McCourt moved into second on the Patriot League's all-time scoring list (284 points).

Maurer completed 11-of-19 for 123 yards and ran 17 times for 68 yards.

Defensively, Maurice Bennett and Trey Martell collected their first career interceptions.

The loss snaps Lafayette's three-game winning streak and drops the Leopards into a tie for second with Colgate in the Patriot League standings.

Lafayette returns to Fisher Field for the first time in over a month next weekend, hosting Holy Cross at 12:30 p.m.