Sept. 21, 2004

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THE MATCH-UP: Lafayette makes its first-ever trip to Richmond this weekend as the schools meet for the first time since 1922. The two teams enter the contest from completely opposite directions. Lafayette was out-gained 410-289 in last week's loss at Princeton, while Richmond scored a 24-14 win at then-No. 9 UMass in its Atlantic 10 opener on Saturday. The game is the final in a three-game road swing for Lafayette, while Richmond is finally opening at home after hitting the road for its first three contests. The winner of Saturday's game will move to 3-1 overall. Lafayette last opened a season 3-1 in 1996, while Richmond started 3-1 during its 2000 Atlantic 10 championship season.

BRINGING THE HURT: Sophomore tailback Jonathan Hurt carried the ball 12 times for a team-high 54 yards in last Saturday's loss at Princeton. He scored on runs of two and three yards in the fourth quarter for his first collegiate touchdowns. Hurt's 12 carries equaled a career high and his 54 yards rushing were the second-highest single-game total of his young career.

THE SERIES: Lafayette and Richmond meet for just the second time on the gridiron this weekend. The Leopards won the only other meeting, 34-0, in Easton on Sept. 30, 1922. That game was the 1922 season-opener and win No. 13 in a 17-game winning streak that began in 1920, included nine wins in Lafayette's national championship season of 1921, and lasted until the sixth game of the 1922 season. Lafayette and Richmond have agreed to a home-and-home deal, with the Spiders tentatively slated to visit Easton on Sept. 10, 2005.

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 18-29. Dave Clawson (Williams '89) is in his first season as the head coach at Richmond. Clawson coached Fordham to a 29-29 record from 1999-2003. The Rams were 0-11 in his first season, but posted records of 10-3 and 9-3 in 2002 and 2003, respectively. He was named I-AA National Coach of the Year in 2002.

HELLO, VIRGINIA: Lafayette is making its first trip to the state of Virginia since 1991. VMI handed the Leopards a 42-21 defeat on Sept. 21, 1991.

ROAD WOES: This weekend's game is the final in a three-game road trip, with the Leopards still facing a four-game road swing later this season. Since the beginning of Patriot League play in 1990, Lafayette has had 10 instances where it has played at least three consecutive games on the road. On those 10 occasions, the Leopards have posted a cumulative record of just 9-24, including 5-5 in the third game of those stretches.

Year    Opponents   Results1990    Army, Holy Cross, Fordham, Colgate  56-0 L; 34-3 L; 59-14 W; 36-7 L1992    Princeton, Cornell, Army    38-35 L; 44-33 L; 38-36 L1993    Holy Cross, Army, Lehigh    52-27 W; 35-12 L; 39-14 L1994    Bucknell, Colgate, Fordham  56-14 W; 14-6 W; 34-6 W1995    Dartmouth, Princeton, Holy Cross, Bucknell  14-7 L; 41-0 L; 27-17 W; 30-11 L1996    Harvard, Columbia, Colgate, Army    17-7 W; 3-0 L; 40-9 L; 41-21 L1999    Towson, Holy Cross, Brown   35-7 L; 30-12 L; 35-28 L2000    Colgate, Fordham, Duquesne  17-14 L; 31-28 L; 23-14 L2002    Princeton, Duquesne, Columbia   34-19 L; 23-22 L; 28-21 W2002    Fordham, Colgate, Bucknell  33-26 L; 31-24 L; 19-3 W

LAFAYETTE vs. the ATLANTIC 10: Lafayette has played 73 games against the 12 current members of the Atlantic 10, posting a 25-46-2 (.356) record in those contests. Lafayette against the Atlantic 10:

Delaware: 7-17-0    Hofstra: 5-6-2  James Madison: 2-0-0    Maine: 2-8-0Massachusetts: 0-0-0    New Hampshire: 1-5-0    Northeastern: 0-2-0 Rhode Island: 0-3-0Richmond: 1-0-0 Towson: 3-5-0   Villanova: 4-0-0    William & Mary: 0-0-0

NCAA DIVISION I-AA LEADERS: Despite last weekend's 35-18 loss to Princeton, the Leopards still rank ninth nationally in total defense. Other statistical categories where Lafayette ranks in the Top 50 nationally:

Individual  Field Goals - Rick Ziska - 20th (3 FG, 1.0 FG per game)    Punting - Mike Davis - 44th (38.1 yards per punt)
Team Total Defense - 9th (226.3 yards per game)    Pass Defense - 13th (115.0 yards per game)    Scoring Defense - 26th (16.0 points per game)    Fewest Penalties Per Game - T-26th (5.3 penalties per game)    Rushing Defense - 28th (111.3 yards per game)    Rushing Offense - 32nd (184.3 yards per game)    Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game - 37th (46.3 yards per game)    Fumbles Lost - T-37th (2 lost)    Scoring Offense - 42nd (27.7 points per game)    Kickoff Returns - 45th (20.4 yards per return)    Passes Intercepted - T-45th (3 interceptions)    Passing Efficiency - 47th (119.49 rating)

ORT O.K.: The fourth quarter of Saturday night's game at Princeton was halted for nearly 15 minutes as medical personnel attended to Lafayette junior receiver Joe Ort following a hit he took on his final reception of the night. Ort was taken off the field on a stretcher and examined at a local hospital, but was diagnosed with only a concussion and traveled back to Easton on Saturday night. The Lafayette sports medicine staff has officially listed Ort as out for this weekend.

McCOURT'S MILESTONES: It goes without saying that senior tailback Joe McCourt will be the focal point of the Leopards' offense this season. Coming off his second-straight 1,000-yard rushing season, McCourt enters this weekend with 3,524 rushing yards, second all-time at Lafayette and fifth all-time in the Patriot League. McCourt trails Erik Marsh '95, the all-time leading rusher in Lafayette and Patriot League history, by 1,310 yards. With two touchdowns in the opener against Marist, McCourt passed Marsh as Lafayette's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns. He currently has 36. After hauling in a team-high 52 passes in 2003, McCourt sits sixth in career receptions at Lafayette with 117. Finally, McCourt has accounted for 236 career points (39 touchdowns, 1 two-point conversion), leaving him 19 points behind kicker Jason McLaughlin '95 for the school scoring record.

McCOURT NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: 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.

THE SECRET WEAPON: Senior punter Mike Davis has been one of the Leopards' most consistent performers thus far. He is averaging 38.1 yards per punt and has had four punts downed inside the 10-yard line. Davis had his best day two weeks ago 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 two weeks ago 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.

ZISKA STAYS PERFECT: After converting on all six point-after attempts in the opener against Marist, sophomore Rick Ziska knocked through both of his PAT attempts against Georgetown and hammered a 48-yard field goal just before halftime. 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.

HANGIN' A HUNDRED ON 'EM: Senior tailback Joe McCourt has turned in 17, 100-yard rushing games in his career, including a pair of 200-yard performances. He eclipsed the century mark twice as a freshman, eight times as a sophomore, six times as a junior and once this season. Lafayette is 10-7 over the past four seasons when McCourt rushes for at least 100 yards.

McCOURT MOVES TO THE TOP: Senior tailback Joe McCourt ran for two touchdowns in the first half against Marist, making him Lafayette's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns with 36. He passed Erik Marsh '95, who scored 35 touchdowns on the ground in his record-setting career.

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.

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 is third in the Patriot League in total tackles with 26. Costanzo has tallied 15 stops, including a sack. Erbe missed the first two games with an ankle injury, but returned against Princeton and recorded six tackles.

ON THIS DATE: Lafayette is 7-4 all-time on Sept. 25, but has dropped three of its last four on this date and is just 2-2 on the road. In 11 contests on Sept. 25, the Leopards have out-scored their opponents by a collective score of 274-164. The Leopards' Sept. 25 results:

Year    Opponent    Result1891    Bucknell    L, 16-101915    Muhlenberg  W, 14-71926    Muhlenberg  W, 35-01948    Fordham W, 53-141954    Albright    W, 26-01965    at Columbia W, 14-101971    Columbia    W, 3-01976    at Columbia L, 38-311982    at Columbia W, 53-231993    Princeton   L, 21-71999    at Brown    L, 35-28

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: Lafayette junior linebacker Dion Witherspoon (Newport News, Va./Heritage) is the lone Leopard from the Richmond area who will be playing near his hometown this weekend.

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 early in 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.

ROAD WARRIORS: Lafayette's seven-game road schedule, after having seven at home in 2003, has been the subject of much discussion during the offseason. 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.

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 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 over that same span are the most since 1994-95.

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 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 378 games. Lafayette has recorded 12 undefeated home seasons at Fisher Field and has a 226-139-13 (.615) overall record.

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 (9/21):
- Archie Fisher (Jr., WR) - Out, hamstring
- Kevin Ganascioli (So., FB) - Probable, shoulder
- Brendon Green (Sr., FB) - Out, hamstring
- Anthony Jones (Sr., TE) - Possible, foot
- Quindel Ladson (Fr., LB) - Probable, knee
- Josh Lupini (Fr., OL) - Out, knee
- Joe Ort (Jr., WR) - Out, concussion
- Matt Potter (So., LB) - Out, knee
- Luke Schade (Fr., DL) - Out, personal medical
- James Sommers (Sr., WR) - Out, wrist
- Joe Ungrady (Sr., OL) - Probable, ankle
- Chris Williams (So., TB) - Out, hamstring
- Dion Witherspoon (Jr., LB) - Possible, knee

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 606-519-39 (.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.