Nov. 15, 2005

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THE MATCH-UP: Lafayette and Lehigh meet for the 141st time in the nation's most-played rivalry in college football, and for the second straight season, the Patriot League championship is on the line. The Mountain Hawks entered last year's game at Fisher Field ranked No. 8 in the country with a 9-1 record and an eight-game win streak, and left with a 24-10 loss as Lafayette won its first Patriot League title in 10 seasons.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCENARIOS: Lafayette, Lehigh and Colgate all enter this weekend with 4-1 records in the Patriot League. Lehigh controls its own destiny towards an automatic berth in the I-AA playoffs by virtue of its 50-34 win at Colgate -- wins this weekend by both Lehigh and Colgate would make the two schools co-champions and give the Mountain Hawks the auto-bid. If Lafayette wins, Colgate would claim the automatic bid with a victory at Georgetown. The Leopards and Raiders would be co-champs if that situation unfolds. The only scenario that doesn't crown co-champions has the Leopards taking care of business, and the Hoyas knocking off Colgate.

ON NOVEMBER 19th: Lafayette won the Patriot League championship the last two times the Lafayette-Lehigh game was played on this date -- a 56-20 win in 1994, and a 52-45 victory in 1988. The Leopards have won eight of the 12 meetings contested on November 19.

THE SERIES: Lafayette leads the all-time series, 73-62-5. While Lehigh has won the last seven meetings in Bethlehem, the Leopards own a 39-34 record against the Mountain Hawks away from home. Lafayette last beat Lehigh in consecutive years in 1988-89. The latter year is the last time the Leopards won in Bethlehem.

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 31-35, and is 27-18 since 2002.

Pete Lembo (Georgetown `92) is 44-13 in his fifth season at Lehigh.

CAREER NUMBERS: Junior quarterback Brad Maurer threw a career-high three touchdown passes and was 16-of-28 for 242 yards in last week's 41-21 win at Holy Cross. Maurer, who had a career-high 272 yards passing against Colgate, has accounted for 601 yards of total offense (297 vs. Holy Cross, 301 vs. Colgate) in the last two weeks. He also set a career-high with 35 attempts against Colgate, and equaled his career-best with 19 completions that he set vs. Delaware in the I-AA playoffs last season. Maurer moved from 10th to seventh on Lafayette's career passing yardage chart last week. He will claim the sixth spot with 47 yards this week, and hit the 3,000-yard plateau with 125 yards passing vs. Lehigh. The MVP of the 140th meeting last season, Maurer ran for 124 yards and a touchdown and was 11-of-21 passing for 108 yards in Lafayette's 24-10 win.

Maurer's rankings in the Patriot League:
All games - yards per game, 3rd (156.2 ypg) . . total offense, 3rd (183.5 ypg) . . pass efficiency, 3rd (126.1)
PL games - yards per game, 1st (225.4 ypg) . . total offense, 2nd (254.8 ypg) . . pass efficiency, 1st (142.6)

PROTECTING THE FOOTBALL: Junior Brad Maurer has thrown just seven interceptions in his last 347 attempts dating to Lafayette's fifth game of the season, vs. Harvard, in 2004. Maurer has two stretches of 93 passes without an interception in his career. The latest streak ended in the first quarter vs. Bucknell after he had completed his first seven passes of the game for 93 yards. Earlier this season, Maurer had thrown two picks in his last 178 attempts before having his final two passes intercepted against Princeton.

ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT SELECTIONS: Senior Maurice Bennett and junior Brad Maurer were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II team last week. Bennett, an Economics and Business major with a career grade-point average of 3.32, was honored for the first time. Maurer earned Academic All-District status for the second straight year, and carries a 3.48 GPA in Neuroscience. Both players will be placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. Lafayette has 22 Academic All-District selections in Frank Tavani's six seasons as head coach.

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 final update to the list will be made on Nov. 21. An Economics and Business major, Bennett was also 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 community leadership.

BUCHANAN BATTLE UPDATE: Senior linebacker Maurice Bennett made 11 tackles last week at Holy Cross after recording 14 tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and a pass break-up vs. Colgate as he continues his campaign for the Buchanan Award. He was recognized by the Patriot League, I-AA.org and the ECAC after making a career-high 19 tackles (eight solo, 11 assists) and three sacks in Lafayette's 24-17 loss to Harvard on Oct. 15. Bennett has made at least 13 tackles in five games this season -- 13 against both Princeton and Fordham, 14 vs. Georgetown and Colgate, and 19 vs. Harvard. Bennett has 117 tackles (40 solo, 77 assists) to go with 13.0 tackles for a loss, 7.0 sacks, five pass break-ups and a forced fumble so far in 2005. He has 387 tackles, 32.0 TFL, 15.0 sacks and five forced fumbles in his career, and has started 34 of the 44 games in which he has played at Lafayette. Bennett has 24 career games with at least 10 stops.

ZISKA NAMED SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior Rick Ziska set Lafayette's modern-day school record with a 51-yard field as time expired at the end of the first half last week at Holy Cross to earn Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He also made a 23-yard field goal with 1:10 left in the second quarter, and was 5-of-5 on extra points in the Leopards' 41-21 win. Ziska shared the previous modern-day record of 48 yards with Frank Grube, who used a drop kick to convert from that distance in 1926. George McCaa made a 53-yard field goal vs. Brown in an 8-6 win in 1908. Ziska is 7-for-15 on field goals this season, with 10 of his attempts coming from beyond 40 yards. He has also assumed some of the punting duties for the Leopards and has dropped eight of his 28 punts inside the 20-yard line.

LOOK TO THE SKY: Lafayette averaged 120.7 yards passing and 234.3 yards rushing in league games game a year ago on its way to the Patriot League championship while relying on the legs of Offensive Player of the Year Joe McCourt and sophomore quarterback Brad Maurer. The Leopards have adjusted their attack this season, throwing for 257.6 yards per game through five league contests. Included in that total is a 358-yard outing against Bucknell three weeks ago, while Maurer threw for a career-high 272 yards vs. Colgate.

ALL STANFORD, ALL THE TIME: Brandon Stanford made his 100th career reception and set career-highs for receiving yardage (122 on six catches) and longest reception (44 yards on Lafayette's second play from scrimmage) last week at Holy Cross. Stanford set a pair of career milestones vs. Colgate, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yardage and the 2,000-yard plateau in all-purpose yardage. Stanford is averaging 6.8 receptions for 94 yards in the last five games in which he has caught a pass (Lafayette threw for 56 yards on a rain-soaked afternoon against Columbia). He has 100 career receptions for 1,144 yards and four scores, 70 yards and two touchdowns on eight rushing attempts, and 909 yards and a touchdown on 99 punt returns for a total of 2,123 all-purpose yards and seven scores on 207 touches.

Stanford's rankings in the Patriot League:
All games - Rec. per game, 2nd (4.90) . . Rec. yards per game, 2nd (60.0) . . Punt Return average, 2nd (14.6) . . All-Purpose yards per game, 7th (104.8)
PL games - Rec. per game, 1st (6.60) . . Rec. yards per game, 1st (89.6) . . Punt Return average, 1st (14.0) . . All-Purpose yards per game, 2nd (136.4)

LAFAYETTE'S TALENTED TAILBACK (AND FINE FULLBACK): Junior Jonathan Hurt ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries last week at Holy Cross, extending his season totals to 745 yards rushing on 154 attempts (4.8 avg.) and 11 touchdowns. He became one of just 13 players in Lafayette history to score at least 10 rushing touchdowns in a single season, and has four multi-touchdown games this year. 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. He found the end zone three times against both Marist and Fordham.

While Hurt often follows senior fullback and co-captain David Nelson to daylight, Lafayette also uses its fullback as a primary pass receiver. Nelson is third amongst his teammates with 17 receptions (for 186 yards), and has scored a touchdown in each of the last two weeks.

RACK 'EM: 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 90 returns for 2,163 yards, and is ranked 14th in the nation with 26.1 yards per return this season. He holds four of the top 10 spots on Lafayette's single-season kick return yardage list. Stanford has returned 99 punts for 909 yards, and ranks 11th in the nation with an average of 14.6 yards per punt return in 2005. He holds Lafayette's single-season punt return yardage record with 29 returns for 438 yards. Both players have received Special Teams Player of the Week mention from the Patriot League this season -- Johnson returned five kicks for 144 yards, including a career-long of 72 yards, against Princeton, and Stanford had an 83-yard punt return for a score against Bucknell.

ORT COMES UP BIG: Senior Joe Ort caught the game-winning touchdown pass, a 40-yard toss from Brad Maurer, and finished with seven catches for 128 yards and two scores in Lafayette's 33-20 win over Bucknell. Ort had the Leopards' first 100-yard receiving day in two years with three catches for 117 yards, including an 83-yard touchdown, the previous time out against Harvard. The back-to-back 100-yard outings were the first for a Lafayette receiver since John Weyrauch strung together three games with at least 100 yards in 2002 (29 catches for 424 yards and four TDs). Archie Fisher was the last Leopard to catch a pair of touchdown passes in a game, hauling in scoring throws of 29 and 13 yards against Colgate in 2003. Ort is second on the team in both receptions and yards this season, with 26 catches for 421 yards and four touchdowns, while appearing in seven games. He missed the Marist and Princeton games with a hamstring injury.

NCAA DIVISION I-AA LEADERS: The Leopards among the top-50 NCAA Division I-AA leaders in 2005:

Individual
Punt Returns - Brandon Stanford, 9th (14.60 ypr)
Kickoff Returns - Larry Johnson, 15th (26.11 ypr)
Scoring - Jonathan Hurt, 41st (7.20 ppg)
Passing Efficiency - Brad Maurer, 45th (126.08 rating)
Receptions per Game - Brandon Stanford, 46th (4.90 rpg)

Team
Scoring Defense - 6th (15.10 ppg)
Total Defense - 10th (284.80 ypg)
Punt Returns - 11th (14.60 ypr)
Pass Efficiency Defense - 12th (102.24 rating)
Pass Defense - 17th (162.00 ypg)
Rushing Defense - 25th (122.80 ypg)
Kickoff Returns - 36th (21.09 ypr)
Passing Efficiency - 39th (129.76 rating)
Passing Offense - 44th (214.00 ypg)

NO SOUP FOR YOU: Lafayette's defense, ranked sixth nationally in scoring average at 15.1 ppg this season, has been remarkably stingy in the last two seasons. The Leopards haven't allowed more than 24 offensive points in a game in their last 17 outings (Delaware used a fumble return for a touchdown to score 28 points in the I-AA playoffs), and have given up an average of 16.6 points in their last 22 games.

THE LEOPARDS' LINEBACKERS: Seniors Maurice Bennett, Blake Costanzo and Dion Witherspoon are Lafayette's top three tacklers this season. Bennett, the middle linebacker, leads Lafayette with 117 tackles, 13.0 TFL and 7.0 sacks this season and is both an All-American and Buchanan Award candidate. Witherspoon is second with 90 stops and has 12.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including 4.0 sacks. Costanzo has filled the stat sheet, with 67 tackles, 6.0 TFL, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble 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.

LAFAYETTE VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: The Leopards have played 325 games all-time against the six fellow members of the Patriot League, and are 163-146-16 (.526) in those contests. Since the Patriot League began play in 1986, the Leopards are 58-48-1 (.542) vs. member schools and have won league titles in 1988, 1992, 1994 and 2004.

A WIN-WIN SITUATION: 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. Lafayette has followed the same road this season, repeating its wins and losses through the first 10 games. The Leopards closed 2004 with a 24-10 win over Lehigh to claim the Patriot League championship.

PLAYING THE CLOSE ONES: Lafayette has played six games decided by seven points or less this season, and is 3-3 in those contests, with wins over Richmond (7-0), Georgetown (12-7) and Columbia (14-7) and losses to Princeton (23-21), Harvard (24-17) and Colgate (18-15). The 2005 Leopards are 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.

JUST WIN, BABY: The Leopards' 41-21 win at Holy Cross last week gave Lafayette at least seven wins for the second straight season. The last time Lafayette teams won seven games in back-to-back seasons was 1981-82; before that, one has to turn the page to 1924-26 to find consecutive seven-win years. Lafayette also won at least seven in a row from 1909-11, 1899-1907, 1896-97, and 1886-87.

PLAYING CENTER FIELD: Junior defensive back Torian Johnson has three interceptions this season, and all five of his career interceptions have been returned for at least 16 yards. His 34-yard interception return vs. Colgate in the second quarter set up the Leopards' first touchdown and gave Lafayette a 7-3 halftime lead. 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.

SCORING QUICKLY: After scoring just one of its 42 touchdowns on the first play of a drive a year ago, five of Lafayette's 28 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.

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.

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 made seven appearances at Fisher Field in 2005, the second time in three years and just the third time since 1915 that the Leopards played seven home games. Lafayette has played its home games at Fisher Field since 1926 and has played host to 388 games. Lafayette has recorded 12 undefeated home seasons at Fisher Field and has a 232-143-13 (.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 third-leading receiver in terms of yardage. He is averaging 22.0 yards per catch (13 catches for 286 yards) and has three touchdowns. 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 has touchdown catches of 36 yards at Holy Cross and 25 yards 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.

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.

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 with 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).

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 hosted 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.

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.