Sept. 28, 2004

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THE MATCH-UP: Saturday is a homecoming in every sense of the word. While the Lafayette community celebrates Homecoming Weekend, the Leopards will line up on Fisher Field for the first time in nearly a month. Both teams enter the weekend coming off tight contests. Lafayette stepped up to the plate in every potentially game-changing situation in Saturday's 21-16 win at Richmond, while Harvard overcame a 21-0 first-quarter deficit to rally for a 35-34 win at Brown. A win would mark Lafayette's best five-game start since 1988, when the Colonial League champion Leopards opened 5-0. Harvard, meanwhile, is shooting for its third 3-0 start in the past four years.

REPRESENTING THE LEAGUE: Lafayette will go into the books as the only Patriot League team to defeat an Atlantic 10 school this season. Colgate fell at UMass in the season-opener, while Villanova claimed narrow victories over Bucknell and Lehigh in the season's first two weeks.

WELCOME HOME: Lafayette has fared well in Homecoming games in recent memory, posting a 6-3-1 record on the past 10 Homecoming weekends. Two of the three losses have been by four points or less, including last year when Fordham kicked a field goal with 27 seconds remaining to steal a 32-30 win.

THE SERIES: Harvard has won three straight in the series and has claimed six of the eight all-time meetings. This year's contest marks just the third time Harvard has made the trip to Easton. The schools have split the previous two contests at Fisher Field, with Harvard winning the most recent, 42-19 in 2000.

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 19-29. Tim Murphy (Springfield '78) is in his 11th season at Harvard and 18th as a collegiate head coach. He has guided the Crimson to a pair of Ivy League championships (1997 and 2001), earning ECAC Coach of the Year honors on both occassions. Murphy also spent five years at Cincinnati and two seasons at Maine, and enters the weekend with a 90-88-1 career record. He led the Bearcats to an 8-3 record in 1993, the program's best season in 17 years, and claimed a Yankee Conference championship in his first season at Maine in 1987.

TAKING NOTICE: Lafayette's 21-16 win at Richmond opened some eyes across the country. The Leopards cracked the "Others Receiving Votes" category in this week's The Sports Network I-AA Top 25. Lafayette comes in tied for 43rd in the poll.

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.

EFFICIENT OFFENSE: Lafayette's offense garnered just 301 total yards at Richmond, but took advantage of every opportunity it was presented. Jonathan Hurt ran for a career-high 82 yards on 20 carries, including the go-ahead 22-yard touchdown run, in his first collegiate start. Quarterbacks Brad Maurer and Pat Davis combined to complete 15-of-19 passes for 151 yards and also rushed a total of 12 times for 61 yards.

SPREADING THE LOVE: A season-high eight different receivers caught at least one pass at Richmond. 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.

BEND BUT DON'T BREAK: Just as Lafayette's offense took advantage of its scoring opportunities at Richmond, the defense came up with three clutch stops in the fourth quarter. Torian Johnson's first career interception on the first play of the fourth quarter set up the go-ahead touchdown, while Tye Murphy's first career interception in the end zone halted Richmond's next drive. Finally, the D held Richmond out of the end zone after the Spiders had a first-and-goal at the six in the closing minutes. Richmond piled up 449 yards on 77 offensive snaps, but had only 16 points to show for it. Lafayette held the Richmond offense scoreless in the second half, with the Spiders' only points coming on an intentional safety.

LAFAYETTE vs. the IVY LEAGUE: Lafayette has played at least three games against Ivy League opponents every year since 1985. The Leopards have played 216 games all-time against the Ancient Eight and are 60-145-11 (.305) 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: 2-6-0  Penn: 18-60-4   Princeton: 4-34-3   Yale: 0-6-0

PUT IT ON THE BOARD: Sophomore kicker Rick Ziska has been perfect on 11 point-after attempts this season, including a 6-for-6 performance in the season-opener against Marist. He is also 3-for-4 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 is second in the Patriot League in total tackles with 38. Bennett tracked down Richmond quarterback Stacy Tutt from behind on fourth-and-goal from the one late in the fourth quarter last weekend. Costanzo has tallied 23 stops, including a sack. Erbe missed the first two games with an ankle injury, but returned against Princeton and has contributed 13 tackles.

NCAA DIVISION I-AA LEADERS: Lafayette's defense continues to rank amongst the nation's best, while the Leopards have also shown a tendency to not hurt themselves with penalties. Statistical categories in which Lafayette ranks in the Top-50 nationally:

Individual Field Goals - Rick Ziska - 44th (3 FG, .75 FG per game)

Team Fewest Penalties Per Game - T-10th (4.75 penalties per game)
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game - 16th (43.5 yards per game)
Passing Defense - 19th (144.8 yards per game)
Total Defense - 21st (282.0 yards per game)
Scoring Defense - 23rd (16.0 points per game)
Fumbles Lost - T-27th (2 lost)
Passes Intercepted - T-32nd (5 interceptions)
Rushing Offense - 38th (175.8 yards per game)
Rushing Defense - 46th (137.3 yards per game)
Passing Efficiency - 46th (123.29 rating)
Turnovers Lost - T-46th (7 lost)

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 3,535 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 1,299 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 118. 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 (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 11-5 all-time in games played on Oct. 2, including 9-2 at home. The Leopards have won four of their last five on this date, with the loss coming at Harvard in 1993. Lafayette all-time on Oct. 2:

Year    Opponent    Result1891    Penn State  L, 14-41897    Penn State  W, 24-01901    Ursinus W, 40-01909    Wyoming Seminary    W, 23-01915    Ursinus W, 13-21920    Muhlenberg  W, 20-01926    Schuylkill College  W, 47-01937    Upsala  W, 33-01948    at Army L, 54-71954    Carnegie Tech   L, 23-211965    at Hofstra  L, 31-71971    at Drexel   W, 21-131976    Wagner  W, 44-211982    at Bucknell W, 37-61993    at Harvard  L, 21-161999    Dartmouth   W, 20-10

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 three 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 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.

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.

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: Three Leopards from the Cambridge area will line up against their hometown team on Saturday:
- 89 Ben Hoover (Fr. / TE / Chelmsford, Mass. / Chelmsford)
- 70 Michael Lewandos (Sr. / OL / Walpole, Mass. / Walpole / Blair Academy)
- 38 David Nelson (Jr. / FB / Dover, Mass. / Xaverian Brothers)

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.

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.

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 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) - Doubtful, hamstring
- Ben Hoover (Fr., TE) - Out, foot
- Josh Lupini (Fr., OL) - Possible, knee
- Joe Ort (Jr., WR) - Probable, concussion
- Dave Nelson (Jr., FB) - Possible, hamstring
- Matt Potter (So., LB) - Out, knee
- Eduardo Sanchez (Jr., DL) - Out, broken leg
- Luke Schade (Fr., DL) - Out, personal medical
- James Sommers (Sr., WR) - Out, wrist
- Chris Williams (So., TB) - Possible, 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 607-519-39 (.538). 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.