Nov. 25, 2005
BOONE, N.C. - The Lafayette football team arrived in Boone, N.C. at noon on Friday and began its final preparations for its first round NCAA I-AA playoff game at Appalachian State on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Leopards and their travel party flew via charter to Tri-Cities Airport in Johnson City, Tenn. and covered the final 55 miles in an hour and 45 minutes by bus. They got their first taste of Kidd Brewer Stadium with an early afternoon walk through, and will gather for position group and team meetings at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center on Friday night.
Saturday's match-up will feature two senior quarterbacks who have had divergent careers, yet both are looking for their first postseason victory. Pat Davis will be making his first career start for Lafayette, while Richie Williams, who holds 13 season or career records at Appalachian State, will make the 35th start of his career against the Leopards.
Davis led Lafayette to its 23-19, come-from-behind victory over Lehigh last Saturday, engineering two scoring drives in the fourth quarter. On the Leopards' final possession, Davis converted a pair of third downs, then found Jonathan Hurt for a 37-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-10 with 38 seconds left for the game-winning score.
Lafayette, which won a share of its second straight Patriot League championship with its win over the Mountain Hawks, lost at defending national champion Delaware, 28-14, in the first round of the 2004 I-AA playoffs in the first postseason appearance in school history.
