Oct. 25, 2005
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THE MATCH-UP: Lafayette squares off with Bucknell in the third of its six Patriot League contests. The Leopards are one of just two undefeated teams remaining in league play, as Colgate knocked off Holy Cross, 27-14, last Saturday as Lafayette had its bye week. Bucknell is 0-2 in the league after falling 42-10 to Lehigh. Last year, Lafayette improved to 2-0 in the Patriot League with a 14-13 win at Bucknell on Oct. 16 as Joe Ort blocked a game-winning 39-yard field goal attempt, and Torian Johnson made the game-saving tackle inside the one-yard line as time expired.
`MO' ACCOLADES: The Patriot League, I-AA.org and the ECAC all recognized senior linebacker Maurice Bennett for his career-high 19 tackles and three sacks vs. Harvard on Oct. 15. Bennett's first honor from the Patriot League came in 2002, when he was Rookie of the Week after making five special teams tackles in his first career game. A member of the Buchanan Award watch list, Bennett also received player of the week recognition from I-AA.org (national) and the ECAC (regional).
THE SERIES: This marks the 83rd meeting between the Leopards and the Bison, which makes the series Lafayette's second-most played rivalry in its 124 years of intercollegiate football. The Leopards have played Penn on 82 occasions. Lafayette leads the series with Bucknell 44-32-6, and has won each of the last three games. The two teams have split their last eight meetings, with four of those games decided by two points or less (2004 - 14-13 W, 2001 - 22-21 W, 1999 - 22-21 W, 1997 - 23-21 L).
THE HEAD COACHES: Frank Tavani (Lebanon Valley '75) is in his sixth season at the helm of the Lafayette football program. He is the 27th head coach in the program's 124-year history. Tavani enters this weekend's contest with a career record of 29-34, and is 25-17 since 2002.
Tim Landis (Randolph-Macon `86) is 14-16 in his third season as head coach at Bucknell. He guided the Bison to a 7-4 record last year, including a 4-2 mark in league play. Landis, in his 13th season as a collegiate head coach, has a career record of 67-68-1.
BENNETT ON "BUCHANAN BATTLE", DRADDY TROPHY LISTS: Senior linebacker Maurice Bennett has earned a number of accolades, including placement on the watch list for the prestigious Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the top defensive player in I-AA football. The first revision to the Buchanan Award watch list was made on Oct. 12, and the list will also be updated on Nov. 2 and Nov. 21. An Economics and Business major, Bennett has also been named a semi-finalist for the 2005 Draddy Trophy, known as the "Academic Heisman", which goes to a student-athlete for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership.
BUCHANAN BATTLE UPDATE: Senior linebacker Maurice Bennett made a career-high 19 tackles (eight solo, 11 assists), had three sacks for a loss of 17 yards, and broke up a pass in Lafayette's 24-17 loss to Harvard. Bennett now has four games this season with at least 13 tackles, as he had 13 stops against both Princeton and Fordham, and 14 in the Leopards' 12-7 win at Georgetown. Bennett has 84 tackles (26 solo, 58 assists) to go with 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble so far in 2005. He has 354 tackles, 27.5 TFL, 12.5 sacks and five forced fumbles in his career, and has started 31 of the 41 games in which he has played at Lafayette. Bennett has 22 career games with at least 10 stops, and the fourth-most total tackles in 2005 among the 16 players currently on the Buchanan watch list.
AND THE QUARTERBACK IS EITHER . . Brad Maurer . . : According to an old football saying, "if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have any." According to Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani, if you have two quarterbacks, then you have one more than the other guy. Tavani played Brad Maurer and Pat Davis equally through the first five games of the 2004 season, starting with the former and closing with the latter. Tavani settled on Maurer as the full-time quarterback at halftime of Lafayette's 35-14 win at Columbia, and the sophomore went on to lead his team to the Patriot League championship while accounting for 1,956 yards of offense and 15 touchdowns (1,313 passing and six TDs, 643 rushing and nine TDs), and setting the single-season record with a 67.0 percent completion rate. Maurer has thrown just four interceptions in his last 266 attempts, and has thrown for 851 yards and four touchdowns this season.
. . or Pat Davis: Davis leads the Patriot League in passing efficiency (142.51 rating) while playing quarterback in three games in his senior season, including a pair of second-half comebacks against Princeton and Harvard. Lafayette trailed Princeton 20-0 at the half when Davis entered the game, and he was 6-of-10 for 103 yards and a pair of touchdowns while running for 40 yards, although the Leopards ultimately lost, 23-21. On Oct. 15 against Harvard, the Leopards fell behind 14-0 before Davis took the controls on the final series of the first half when Maurer was forced to leave with a contact issue. Davis responded with a 16-for-34 effort for 263 yards, including two third-quarter touchdown passes, but Harvard did just enough to earn a 24-17 win. Davis is also a four-year starter at long snapper for the Leopards.
PLAYIN' DEFENSE: The Leopards have accrued top-10 rankings on the national level in four defensive categories in 2005. Lafayette is fourth scoring defense (13.14 ppg), fifth in defensive passing efficiency (91.51 rating) and pass defense (132.4 ypg), and sixth in total defense (251.6 ypg). (See full game notes for Lafayette's game-by-game defensive performances)
TWENTY-FOUR: The Leopards went 13 games and more than a calendar year without giving up 24 points defensively in a game before Harvard hit that mark on Oct. 15, as each of the Crimson's three touchdown drives started in Lafayette territory. Harvard was also the last team to score at least 24 offensive points against the Leopards, winning last year's meeting 38-23 on Oct. 2, 2004. Delaware had a fumble return for a touchdown in Lafayette's 28-14 loss in the I-AA playoffs a year ago. Lafayette has held seven of its last 14 opponents under 14 points, and has allowed an average of 15.6 points in that stretch.
ORT COMES UP BIG: Senior Joe Ort, who at 6-5 and 210 pounds is the biggest of Lafayette's receivers, had the Leopards' first 100-yard receiving day in two years with a three-catch, 117-yard outing against Harvard. Included in that total was an 83-yard catch-and-run on Lafayette's first offensive play of the second half that sliced the Crimson advantage to 14-7. Ort is second on the team in both receptions and yards this season, with 14 catches going for 242 yards while appearing in five games. He missed the season opener with a hamstring injury and returned against Richmond to make four catches for 51 yards in Lafayette's 7-0 win. He sat out the next week vs. Princeton and had one catch in each of the next two games before pulling in five passes for 51 yards in the rain against Columbia.
THE LEOPARDS' LINEBACKERS: Seniors Maurice Bennett, Blake Costanzo and Dion Witherspoon, Lafayette's top three tacklers, complement each other well with their skill sets on the field. Bennett, the middle linebacker, leads Lafayette with 84 tackles this season and is both an All-American and Buchanan Award candidate. Witherspoon is second with 63 stops and has 10.0 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including three sacks. Costanzo has filled the stat sheet, with 47 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Bennett was a first-team All-Patriot League selection and Costanzo was named to the second team a year ago. The trio recorded 265 total tackles a year ago despite Witherspoon making just five starts, as he was playing behind two-year co-captain Wes Erbe.
NONE IF BY AIR: Lafayette's defensive secondary, perhaps overshadowed by the front seven coming into the season, has been stifling in 2005, earning national rankings in defensive passing efficiency and passing yardage. The Leopards rank fifth in the country in both opponents' passing rating (91.51) and passing yardage defense (132.4). Senior Larry Johnson, a three-year starter at corner, has an interception and eight pass break-ups this season. Classmate Tye Murphy leads the Patriot League with 10 break-ups, including four last week against Columbia. Junior safety Torian Johnson has four interceptions (two this season) in 24 career starts, while Trey Martell has started 10 times in his career and shares time with Bryan Kazimierowski, who has battled a hamstring injury for most of the last 12 months. Taj Murphy has spent his senior season as the primary nickel back.
SCORING QUICKLY: While the Lafayette offense isn't scoring as often as it did last season, when Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Joe McCourt was lined up in the backfield, the Leopards are scoring more quickly. After scoring just one of its 42 touchdowns on the first play of a drive a year ago, five of Lafayette's 18 touchdowns have come on the first play this season. Four of those five scoring plays have covered at least 23 yards, including an 83-yard pass from Pat Davis to Joe Ort and a 25-yard toss to Shaun Adair against Harvard, a 65-yard strike from Brad Maurer to Adair vs. Fordham, and a 23-yard catch by Chad Walker on a pass from Davis vs. Princeton.
GET THAT MAN A FIG NEWTON: Head coach Frank Tavani received some good advice on halftime nutrition last season, and began a regimen that included bananas, pears and fig newtons as the Leopards earned a reputation as a second half team, outscoring opponents 180-102. After giving up just 33 points after halftime in league play on its way to the Patriot League championship a year ago, Lafayette has surrendered 13 points in the second half in the last six games. The Leopards own a 75-27 advantage on the scoreboard in the final 30 minutes this season.
NCAA DIVISION I-AA LEADERS: The Leopards among the top-50 NCAA Division I-AA leaders in 2005:
Individual
Punt Returns - Brandon Stanford, 14th (13.12 ypr)
Kickoff Returns - Larry Johnson, 15th (25.47 ypr)
Team
Scoring Defense - 4th (13.14 ppg)
Pass Efficiency Defense - 5th (91.51 rating)
Pass Defense - 5th (132.43 ypg)
Total Defense - 6th (251.57 ypg)
Kickoff Returns - 17th (22.14 ypr)
Punt Returns - 18th (13.12 ypr)
Rushing Defense - 26th (119.14 ypg)
Turnover Margin - 50th (0.14)
PITCHING A SHUTOUT: The Lafayette defense has held its opponent scoreless in 16 of the 28 quarters of football that it has played this season. Marist (0-7-7-7), Princeton (7-13-0-3) and Harvard (0-14-7-3) have been the only opponents to put points on the scoreboard in three different quarters. The Leopards have been nearly flawless in their other four games, beginning with a 7-0 shutout of Richmond in week two. Fordham was blanked for the final three quarters, Georgetown scored a second quarter touchdown, and Columbia managed just 32 yards of total offense in the final 58 minutes after scoring on its first possession. Last year's defense had 18 scoreless quarters in 12 games (48 quarters total).
PLAYING THE CLOSE ONES: Five of Lafayette's last six games have been decided by seven points or less, just the fourth time that has happened in school history. Lafayette is 3-2 in that stretch, with wins over Richmond (7-0), Georgetown (12-7) and Columbia (14-7) and losses to Princeton (23-21) and Harvard (24-17). If the final margin of one of the last four games is within a touchdown, the 2005 Leopards will become the fourth team in school history to play six games that came down to one score. Lafayette was 3-3 in close games in 2002, 3-3 in 1978, and 3-3-1 in a nine-game schedule in 1942.
A CAREER OUTING: Junior quarterback Brad Maurer set career-highs with 222 yards and 32 attempts while completing 18 passes in Lafayette's 27-10 win over Fordham. His previous bests in both categories came in the Leopards' 2004 NCAA Division I-AA playoff game at Delaware, where he was 19-for-27 for 211 yards. He had another 18 completions on 25 attempts for 194 yards in a 12-7 win over Georgetown the following week. Maurer holds Lafayette's single-season record for completion percentage (67.0 in 2004), and is 80-of-141 (56.7 percent) for 851 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions this year. Maurer went over 2,000 career passing yards at Georgetown and is 338 yards out of 10th place on Lafayette's all-time passing chart.
PROTECTING THE FOOTBALL: Junior Brad Maurer has thrown just four interceptions in his last 266 attempts dating to Lafayette's fifth game of the season, vs. Harvard, in 2004. Maurer had attempted 93 passes without an interception (and had thrown two picks in his last 178 attempts) before having his final two passes picked off against Princeton. Maurer's ability to run with the football has helped him avoid turnovers -- he rolled up 643 yards on the ground a year ago.
A NEW LOOK FOR THE LEOPARDS: Head coach Frank Tavani, known as "GQ" to one prominent local media member, debuted Lafayette's fifth straight unique uniform look through the first seven games for the Leopards' Homecoming game with Harvard (for more, see "The 2005 Leopards are . . " on p. 6).
TWO AND OH!: Lafayette's 12-7 win at Georgetown on Oct. 1 gave the Leopards sole possession of first place in the Patriot League at 2-0. This is the seventh time in the 20 years of the Patriot League (the league was founded as the Colonial League in 1986, and changed its name to the Patriot League in 1990) that the Leopards won their first two league clashes, and they have a solid track record when getting off to a positive start. Of the previous six 2-0 starts, Lafayette went on to claim the championship four times: 1988 (5-0), 1992 (5-0), 1994 (5-0) and 2004 (5-1). The 1993 team finished 3-1-1, and the Leopards went 5-2 in the league in 2002.
BRING IT BACK: Seniors Larry Johnson and Brandon Stanford rank second and fourth, respectively, on the NCAA Division I-AA active career leaderboards in kick return (Johnson) and punt return (Stanford) yardage. Johnson has 86 returns for 2,049 yards, and is ranked 15th in the nation with 25.5 yards per return this season. He holds three of the top eight spots on Lafayette's single-season kick return yardage list. Stanford has returned 95 punts for 812 yards, and ranks 14th in the nation with an average of 13.1 yards per punt return in 2005. Stanford has 26 returns for 341 yards through seven games this season, which places him second in single-season punt return yardage, trailing only John Orrico who had 418 yards in 1976.
HURT NAMED OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior tailback Jonathan Hurt ran for a career-high 149 yards and scored both of Lafayette's touchdowns in the Leopards' 14-7 win over Columbia to earn Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors. It was Hurt's third multi-touchdown game of the season, as he found the end zone three times against both Marist and Fordham. His previous career-high was a 13-carry, 97-yard performance at Marist in the season opener.
THE THREE-HEADED TAILBACK: While junior Jonathan Hurt has established himself as the starter at tailback, each of the top three backs have received significant playing time this season. Hurt is sixth in the Patriot League with 69.6 yards per game, while sophomore Anthony D'Urso carried the football 17 times for 56 yards in the second half of Lafayette's 14-7 win against Columbia. Senior Alfred Belton ran for 32 yards and a touchdown vs. Princeton, and had 13 carries for 51 yards at Georgetown. Lafayette ran for 231 yards on 64 carries against Columbia, and had 263 yards on 43 attempts against Marist in the season opener.
IN THE KICKING GAME: Junior kicker Rick Ziska (violation of team rules) will be inactive for this weekend's game with Bucknell. Sophomore Matt Korn will handle extra points and field goals against the Bison and is looking for his first career points. Korn's brother, Ryan, has hit 23-of-38 field goals and has 131 points in his career at Bucknell. Sophomore Kevin Reese, Lafayette's third kicker a year ago, left the team in the preseason this fall to focus on his future as a pitcher with the Lafayette baseball program. Reese will rejoin the football Leopards this weekend to handle the kick-off chores. Ziska is 5-for-12 on field goals this season, with seven of his attempts coming from beyond 40 yards. He has also assumed some of the punting duties for the Leopards and has dropped seven of his 25 punts inside the 20-yard line. Sophomore David Yankovich has punted 17 times for an average of 38.6 yards per kick in his first year of action.
LAFAYETTE VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: The Leopards have played 322 games all-time against the six fellow members of the Patriot League, and are 161-145-16 (.523) in those contests. Since the Patriot League began play in 1986, the Leopards are 56-48-1 (.534) vs. member schools and have won league titles in 1988, 1992, 1994 and 2004.
FROM THE DESK OF MATT BAYLY, DIRECTOR OF SPORTS MEDICINE . . The current listing of Lafayette football injuries (10/25):
PROBABLE: Sr. WR Archie Fisher (hamstring), Sr. FB Justin Lauver (hand), Sr. TE Chad Walker (foot)
DOUBTFUL: Jr. DL Keith Bloom (medical)
OUT: Sr. TB Alfred Belton (ribs); Jr. TE Craig Bloom (foot), 2-4 weeks; So. TE Ben Hoover (hand), 6-8 weeks; So. WR Kyle Roeder (foot); Fr. LB Andy Romans (concussion); So. DB Ryan Williams (shoulder)
SEASON DEDICATION: The Lafayette football program has dedicated the 2005 season in memory of Tom Norton '59, a member of the faculty in the sociology department for 37 years and a long-time supporter of Leopard football. Norton passed away on June 24, 2005 at the age of 68. Head coach Frank Tavani is dedicating the season in Norton's memory to thank him for his love and unwavering support of Lafayette football, and to promote the scholarship fund that has been established in his honor.
STAYING HOME FOR THE WEEKEND: The Leopards' trip to Georgetown on Oct. 1 was Lafayette's only road trip between the season opener at Marist on Sept. 3 and the week 10 match-up at Holy Cross on Nov. 12. In the interim, Fisher Field will host seven games over nine weeks (one away game and a bye week), something that has happened just twice in the college's 124-year history of football -- Lafayette was home for seven of the first eight games in 1904, and eight of its nine contests in 1910.
RIGHTING THE SHIP: After back-to-back two-win seasons in 2000 and 2001, Lafayette has won 20 games over the past three years, the most for the program over a three-year span since 1981-83. Lafayette is 12-8 in Patriot League play in that time, putting together its best league run since a 10-5 record from 1994-96.
THE FRIENDLY CONFINES OF FISHER FIELD: Lafayette will make seven appearances at Fisher Field in 2005, the second time in three years and just the third time since 1915 that the Leopards have played seven home games. Lafayette has played its home games at Fisher Field since 1926 and has played host to 386 games. Lafayette has recorded 12 undefeated home seasons at Fisher Field and has a 231-142-13 (.615) overall record.
THE 2004 LEOPARDS IN THE NATIONAL POLLS: Lafayette's Patriot League championship season in 2004 vaulted the Leopards into the top 25 in the final two polls of the year after spending nearly two months in the Others Receiving Votes section. The Leopards were annointed with the No. 24 ranking by ESPN/USA Today and No. 25 by The Sports Network following their 24-10 victory over Lehigh on Nov. 20 that sent Lafayette to the postseason for the first time in school history. Despite the 28-14 loss to Delaware in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, both publications ranked Lafayette 19th in their final poll.
THAT'S ONE FAST FRESHMAN: Wide receiver Shaun Adair didn't crack the two-deep until week four against Fordham, but is Lafayette's second-leading receiver in terms of yardage. His seven catches have gone for a total of 208 yards, and each of his receptions have gone for at least 10 yards and a first down. His signature play was a 65-yard touchdown catch against Fordham, and he also had an 18-yard reception against the Rams to earn Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors. Adair also had a 25-yard touchdown catch against Harvard. Adair was a high school teammate of freshman linebacker Brian Reddy and junior offensive lineman Mike Saint Germain at Morristown (NJ) and won Morris County championships in the long jump, triple jump and 110m hurdles while anchoring the winning 4x400m relay team. Adair also won the long jump at the New Jersey Meet of Champions with a leap of 23-9 which ranked 38th in the country and would have won the Patriot League outdoor championship a year ago, while the distance of 45-1 1/4 in the triple jump would have placed third behind gold medal winner Jeff Sejour (48-4), who is a defensive back for the Leopards.
LET'S CATCH TWO: Senior wide receiver Brandon Stanford's nine-yard touchdown catch on the first drive of the second half vs. Princeton was his second score of the season through the air. Stanford caught his third touchdown of the year against Georgetown. Tight end Chad Walker hauled in a 23-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter vs. Princeton, and also had a four-yard TD catch at Marist. Nine different Leopards caught exactly one touchdown pass a year ago.
PLAYING CENTER FIELD: Junior defensive back Torian Johnson has two interceptions this season, and all four of his career interceptions have been returned for at least 16 yards. In the opener at Marist, Johnson picked off a pass late in the third quarter returned the ball 36 yards, and he had a 16-yard return after an interception at a similar point in the game against Princeton. Last season at Richmond, Johnson had a 46-yard interception return on the first play of the fourth quarter that led to a 22-yard go-ahead touchdown run by Jonathan Hurt. He also had a 20-yard return against Columbia.
THE CAPTAINS: Senior linebacker Maurice Bennett and senior fullback David Nelson were elected co-captains by their teammates during spring practice. Bennett (Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington) has made 227 tackles in the last two years, and is in his third season as the starting middle linebacker. Nelson (Dover, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) played in 11 games, starting twice, as a junior and totaled 170 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.
BUSHELS OF POINTS: Lafayette scored on consecutive plays in back-to-back weeks, against Princeton and Fordham. The Leopards put the ball in the end zone on the final two plays against Princeton, on a three-yard run by Alfred Belton and a 23-yard pass from Pat Davis to Chad Walker. The second score was set up by a 72-yard kick return by Larry Johnson. Against Fordham, Lafayette scored on three straight offensive plays within a span of 3:15 early in the second quarter. Jonathan Hurt had a 22-yard touchdown run, Brad Maurer hit Shaun Adair for a 65-yard score, and Blake Costanzo's interception gave the offense the ball at the Fordham seven-yard line. Hurt scored on the next play to give the Leopards a 20-10 advantage.
PATRIOT PRESEASON POLL: the Patriot League's head coaches and sports information directors slotted Lafayette second, just behind Lehigh, in the preseason poll released at the league's media day on Aug. 2. The Leopards received three first place votes and 61 total points, while the Mountain Hawks garnered top billing on eight ballots and had 68 points. Colgate, Fordham and Bucknell were grouped closely in the third through fifth spots, with Holy Cross outpointing Georgetown for sixth.
ALL-PL PLAYERS: Lafayette placed seven players on the 2004 All-Patriot League team, and three return for the 2005 season. Linebackers Maurice Bennett (first team) and Blake Costanzo (second team) represented the Leopards on the defensive side of the ball, while offensive lineman Drew Buettner was a second-team selection. Buettner is back for a fifth year after receiving a medical redshirt for his sophomore season, which he missed with a knee injury.
PRESEASON HONORS FROM I-AA.org: A league-leading nine Leopards earned preseason recognition on I-AA.org's All-Patriot League team, including six of the 11 returning defensive players with starting experience. Senior linebackers Maurice Bennett and Blake Costanzo, along with junior defensive lineman Marvin Snipes, were named to the first team. Linemen Andrew Brown and Daniel Liseno are joined by defensive back Torian Johnson on the second team. Offensive lineman Drew Buettner is the only representative on the first-team offense, while quarterback Brad Maurer and wide receiver Archie Fisher are on the second team.
HAVEN'T WE MET BEFORE?: The 2005 Lafayette football schedule features the same 11 regular-season opponents that the Leopards played on the way to last year's Patriot League championship. This is the fifth time in 124 years of football that Lafayette hasn't had any changes to the schedule in consecutive years, and head coach Frank Tavani hopes this year's repeat is met with better results. In 1959-61, the Leopards went 5-4 in consecutive years before falling to 2-6-1 in the last of the three seasons. In 1977-78, Lafayette went 5-6 and 4-7, respectively, while the 1986-87 editions of the Leopards were 6-5 and 4-7 against identical opponents. . . IN 2005: Through seven games on the 2005 schedule, Lafayette has repeated its 2004 wins over Marist, Richmond, Fordham, Georgetown and Columbia, while falling to Princeton and Harvard for the second straight year. The Leopards were 8-3 in the regular season a year ago, with their other loss coming at Colgate.
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT SELECTIONS: Lafayette has remained a mainstay on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, with the school being represented by 20 student-athletes during Frank Tavani's first five seasons as head coach. In 2004, quarterback Brad Maurer and offensive lineman Stephen Bono earned spots on the Academic All-District II squad. Maurer, who started all 12 games under center as a sophomore, is a neuroscience major. Bono was named to the first team for the third straight season. The 2004 Patriot League Football Scholar Athlete of the Year, Bono was a recipient of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Structural Engineering at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. On the gridiron, he was an All-Patriot Legue First Team selection.
REPLACING McCOURT: Joe McCourt, the 2004 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, left the Leopards as the school's second all-time leading rusher and with a legacy as one of the most dependable backs in Lafayette and Patriot League history. McCourt, who was a three-time 1,000-yard rusher, finished his career wtih 4,474 yard and 50 touchdowns on the ground. He is the all-time leading scorer in both Lafayette and Patriot League history with 326 points, and is also the fourth-leading receiver with 139 catches for 1,135 yards.
COACH 'EM UP: Head coach Frank Tavani, the former running backs coach at Lafayette, has seen nine 1,000-yard seasons in his 18 years on the coaching staff. An All-American tailback himself at Lebanon Valley College, Tavani has mentored Erik Marsh, Joe McCourt, Leonard Moore and Tom Costello to 1,000-yard rushing seasons. The quartet has an exclusive hold on the top four spots in the school record book for career rushing yards.
DEFENSIVE NOTES VS. COLUMBIA: The Lafayette defense limited Columbia to five first downs and 82 yards of total offense, including six rushing yards on 23 attempts, on Oct. 8 on a muddy track at Fisher Field. The Lions had 21 yards on 21 rushing plays that didn't result in a sack.
Lafayette's top rushing and total defense performances in the past 25 years: 9-6-2003 vs. Marist (W 49-0): 91 yards (50 rush, 41 pass), seven 1st downs 11-10-2001 at Georgetown (W 37-17): 25 rushes, -24 yards (seven sacks for -55 yards) 10-30-1999 vs. Marist (W 38-13): 92 yards (46 rush, 46 pass), nine 1st downs 9-14-1996 vs. Millersville (W 29-17): 32 rushes, 7 yards 10-23-1993 vs. Fordham (W 27-12): 24 rushes, 3 yards 9-10-1983 vs. East Stroudsburg (W 20-14): 18 rushes, -22 yards 11-14-1981 at U.S.M.M.A. (W 49-13): 29 rushes, -23 yards
In 1996, Columbia hosted Lafayette in a driving rain storm with winds of up to 40 mph. That game, which Columbia won 3-0 on a fourth-quarter field goal, featured 194 yards of total offense and 11 first downs (Lions 61-96 rushing, 2-of-7 for 22 yards passing and six first downs -- Leopards 46-60 rushing, 3-of-12 for 16 yards passing and five first downs).
SEVEN IS ENOUGH: Lafayette's 7-0 win over Richmond on Sept. 10 was the Leopards' first win by that margin since 1968, when they won two games by a 7-0 score. Lafayette defeated Hofstra on Oct. 5, and then shut out Kings Point on Nov. 9. The 1967 season finale at Lehigh was a 6-0 victory for Lafayette.
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).
LAFAYETTE LEADS NATION IN TELEVISED GAMES IN I-AA: The 2005 Lafayette College football season will see a Patriot League-best 11 contests hit the television air waves via the Lafayette Sports Network. This is the third straight year that the entire season will be televised and the ninth year that LSN has been in existence. The Lafayette Sports Network, recently named one of the best university-run sports networks in the country by Broadcast & Cable Magazine, has annually produced the most expansive and highest quality television package in the Patriot League. LSN telecasts can be seen by more than 9.8 million viewers in the Lehigh Valley, all of Philadelphia, and the Pocono region. LSN telecasts can also be viewed in central New Jersey, New York City and Boston via the RCN cable systems. In the Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia and Pocono areas, the telecasts air on RCN-4 and WBPH-TV 60. Nationally, the telecasts will be picked up for the sixth straight year by various DIRECTV outlets, available to more than 60 million viewers. CSTV (DIRECTV Channel 610, DISH Network Channel 152) will continue as a major LSN partner, airing select telecasts to a national audience of more than 65 million households. CSTV carried the Lafayette-Princeton game live on Sept. 17, while the 141st meeting between Lafayette and Lehigh will be broadcast to a national audience on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 9 a.m. The Lafayette Sports Network has announced a partnership with Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh (DIRECTV Channel 628, DISH Network Channel 128), which will replay the LSN telecast of each weekend's game on Mondays at noon. The Nov. 12 match-up at Holy Cross will be aired live at 12:30 p.m. from Worcester, Mass.
Emmy-nominated local sports broadcaster Gary Laubach will handle all of the Leopards' play-by-play duties for the ninth straight season. John Leone, Lafayette's Associate Director of Major Gifts, has provided color analysis for all but the first year on the air. In his fifth year as a member of the announcing crew is RCN's Dan Mowdy, who will handle analysis on the Leopards from the sidelines.
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 four Patriot League championships - 1988, 1992, 1994 and 2004 - and made their first postseason appearance last season in the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs.
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.
