Dec. 6, 2005

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LAFAYETTE BATTLES APPALACHIAN STATE IN I-AA PLAYOFFS: The Leopards went on the road to play one of the top teams in the nation in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs for the second straight year, and once again, they nearly pulled off the upset for Lafayette's first-even postseason victory. Lafayette and Appalachian State were deadlocked at 20-all entering the fourth quarter, but Payton Award candidate Richie Williams threw a pair of touchdown passes to Daniel Bettis in the final period to lead the Mountaineers to a 34-23 win. Senior quarterback Pat Davis was 24-for-40 for 259 yards and a touchdown and junior tailback Jonathan Hurt ran for 115 yards and scored twice (3-yd. pass and 1-yd. run) to help the Leopards built a 17-10 halftime lead.

LEOPARDS REPEAT AS PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Lafayette won a share of its second straight Patriot League championship with a thrilling, come-from-behind 23-19 victory over Lehigh at Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem on Nov. 19. Trailing 19-10 with just over 10 minutes to play, back-up quarterback Pat Davis led the Leopards on a pair of touchdown drives, finishing the second with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Hurt on fourth-and-10 with 38 seconds remaining. The win, Lafayette's third over Lehigh in four years, touched off an emotional celebration with coaches, teammates, parents and fans at midfield at Goodman Stadium, where the Leopards won for the first time since 1989.

11 LEOPARDS GARNER ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE HONORS (11/22): Senior linebackers Maurice Bennett, Blake Costanzo and Dion Witherspoon headlined Lafayette's selections to the All-Patriot League First or Second team. Lafayette, which shared the 2005 Patriot League championship with Colgate, and Lehigh each placed 11 players on the list.

The Leopards' linebackers, which combined for 329 tackles, led a unit that was ranked in the top 10 in the nation in scoring defense (17.0 ppg). Bennett was named to the first team for the second straight year, while Costanzo was a repeat selection to the second team, and Witherspoon earned mention for the first time. Bennett made 133 tackles to lead the league for a second straight year, and recorded his third straight season with more than 100 stops. He paced the Leopards with 7.0 sacks and was second on the team with 13.0 tackles for a loss of yardage. The senior All-American candidate had five games with 13 or more tackles.

Costanzo had 86 tackles this season, including 6.5 sacks, and a pair of interceptions. He posted 94 and 93 tackles, respectively, as a sophomore and junior, and was a second team selection a year ago. Witherspoon was fourth in the league with 110 tackles and second with 15.0 TFL in his only year as a full-time starter. He had 5.0 sacks and a team-leading seven quarterback hurries.

Junior defensive end Marvin Snipes was named to the first team by the league's coaches despite not recording a sack all season. He led Lafayette with 5.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage a year ago. Defensive backs Torian Johnson and Tye Murphy are also members of the second team. Johnson led the Leopards with three interceptions, which he returned for a total of 84 yards, and made 58 tackles as a junior. Murphy was third in the league with 12 passes defensed, made 54 tackles, and scored Lafayette's only defensive touchdown of the season, a 50-yard interception return in the closing moments against Bucknell.

Senior wide receiver Brandon Stanford capped his career with a spot on the first team offense. He was second in the league with 57 catches for 683 yards and three touchdowns, and paced the circuit with 6.0 catches and 80.5 yards per game in league tilts. Lafayette's single-season record holder with 438 punt return yards, Stanford averaged 14.6 yards per return to rank ninth in the nation.

Senior guard/tackle Drew Buettner and junior tackle Mike Saint Germain join Stanford on the first team. A second team selection a year ago, Buettner played at right tackle and both guard spots for the Leopards. Saint Germain, meanwhile, was the only offensive lineman to start every game at the same position, lining up at left tackle. They helped lead an offense that finished second in the league in passing offense (214.8) and third in total offense (365.7).

Quarterback Brad Maurer and tight end Chad Walker round out Lafayette's honorees as members of the second team offense. Maurer led the PL in pass efficiency in league games by a wide margin (141.6), and was also first in both passing average per game (225.4) and total offense (254.4) before being knocked out of the Leopards' game at Lehigh early in the first quarter on Saturday. The junior finished with 1,562 yards passing and nine touchdowns. Walker caught 17 balls for 154 yards and two touchdowns, and was extremely valuable as a blocker, especially when injuries forced near constant shuffling along the offensive line. He hauled in scoring passes of four yards at Marist and 23 yards against Princeton.

LAFAYETTE IN THE PLAYOFFS: The Leopards made their second postseason appearance in school history in 2005, and second in as many seasons. Last year, Lafayette earned the Patriot League's automatic bid with a 24-10 win over Lehigh in the 140th meeting of the nation's most-played college football rivalry. The selection committee sent Lafayette to defending national champion Delaware, and the Leopards were driving for the tying score at the Blue Hen 12-yard line, trailing 21-14 with three minutes left, when Mondoe Davis forced a fumble by Brad Maurer and Garron Bible ran 87 yards to put Delaware ahead 28-14 for the final margin.

DAVIS MAKES FIRST (AND ONLY) CAREER START: Senior quarterback Pat Davis made the only start under center of his career in Lafayette's first round I-AA playoff game at Appalachian State, and completed 24-of-40 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown against the Mountaineers. His 24 completions were the most since Marko Glavic `04 completed 28 passes in the final game of his career at Lehigh in 2003. Davis finished his the season with 1,015 yards passing and 10 touchdowns while receiving significant playing time in five games and taking snaps in two others.

MAURER COMPILES CAREER NUMBERS: Junior quarterback Brad Maurer will enter his final season at Lafayette ranked seventh in career passing yardage (2,875 yards) after throwing for 1,562 yards in 2005. A second-team All-Patriot League selection and the MVP of Lafayette's 24-10 win over Lehigh last y ear, Maurer is the school's all-time leader in both single-season (67.0 in 2004) and career (62.0) completion percentage. (for complete career rankings, please see page 4)

COSTANZO NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior linebacker Blake Costanzo was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Lehigh. Costanzo made 10 tackles and had a career-high three sacks in the Leopards' win. A second-team All-Patriot League player in each of the last two seasons, Costanzo had 307 tackles and 18.0 sacks in his career at Lafayette.

HURT EARNS LAFAYETTE-LEHIGH MVP: Jonathan Hurt's 37-yard touchdown catch from Pat Davis on fourth-and-10 with 38 seconds left gave Lafayette a 23-19 victory over Lehigh and made Hurt the MVP of the 141st Lafayette-Lehigh game. Hurt, who carried the ball 18 times, had his second straight 125-yard game and scored his 12th rushing touchdown of the season.

THE HEAD COACH: Frank Tavani (Lebanon Valley '75) completed his sixth season at the helm of the Lafayette football program in 2005. He is the 27th head coach in the program's 124-year history. The 2004 Patriot League Coach of the Year, Tavani is the first coach to lead Lafayette to consecutive league championships, and has a career record of 32-36 (28-19 since 2002).

LAFAYETTE EARNS NATIONAL RANKING: The Leopards vaulted into the Top 25 for the first time in 2005 and into the I-AA playoffs for the second straight year after their 23-19 win at Lehigh. Lafayette was ranked No. 25 by both The Sports Network and ESPN/USA Today after spending the entire season in the Others Receiving Votes section. The Leopards were ranked No. 24 entering last year's playoff game at Delaware, and finished the season at No. 19. The final poll of the season will be released on Monday, Dec. 19 following the I-AA national championship game in Chattanooga, Tenn.

FINAL NOTES FROM THE 141st MEETING: Lafayette's 23-19 win at Lehigh on Saturday gave the Leopards' 27 seniors their 28th win in the Maroon and White. The last Lafayette football class to win that many games in four years graduated in 1927 and were seniors on the 1926 national championship team that finished 9-0.

The Leopards also: secured their first consecutive eight-win seasons since 1899-1902 . . won at Lehigh's Goodman Stadium for the first time since 1989 . . beat Lehigh in consecutive years for the first time since 1988-89 . . beat Lehigh three times in four seasons for the first time since 1986, 1988-89 . . won their fifth Patriot League championship in the 20th year of its existence (the league was founded as the Colonial League in 1986, and changed its name in 1990) . . improved to 74-62-5 in the nation's most-played college football rivalry.

ON NOVEMBER 19th: Lafayette has won the Patriot League championship the last three times the Lafayette-Lehigh game was played on Nov. 19 -- 23-19 in 2005, 56-20 in 1994, and 52-45 in 1988. The Leopards have won nine of the 13 meetings contested on November 19.

ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT SELECTIONS: Senior Maurice Bennett and junior Brad Maurer were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II team on Nov. 10. 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 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. 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 finished his final season with 133 tackles, 13.0 tackles for a loss and 7.0 sacks. 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. He had 403 tackles, 32.0 TFL, 15.0 sacks and five forced fumbles in his career, and started 36 of the 46 games in which he has played at Lafayette. Bennett had 25 career games with at least 10 stops.

ALL STANFORD, ALL THE TIME: Brandon Stanford finished his career at Lafayette tied for seventh on the all-time career reception list, with 107 catches for 1,227 yards. He 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) 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 was the second-leading reciver in both catches and yards in the Patriot League, with 57 receptions for 683 yards and three touchdowns this season.

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 had 92 returns for 2,225 yards, and ranked 12th in the nation with 26.6 yards per return this season. He holds four of the top 10 spots on Lafayette's single-season kick return yardage list. Stanford returned 99 punts for 909 yards, and ranked 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.

NCAA DIVISION I-AA LEADERS: The Leopards among the top-50 NCAA Division I-AA leaders in 2005 (as of Nov. 20):

Individual

Punt Returns - Brandon Stanford, 9th (14.60 ypr)
Kickoff Returns - Larry Johnson, 14th (25.95 ypr)
Scoring - Jonathan Hurt, 25th (7.64 ppg)
Passing Efficiency - Brad Maurer, 47th (125.52 rating)
Receptions per Game - Brandon Stanford, 49th (4.73 rpg)

Team

Scoring Defense - 6th (15.45 ppg)
Total Defense - 12th (289.82 ypg)
Punt Returns - 8th (15.10 ypr)
Pass Efficiency Defense - 11th (101.31 rating)
Pass Defense - 20th (168.36 ypg)
Rushing Defense - 26th (121.45 ypg)
Passing Efficiency - 50th (124.72 rating)
Passing Offense - 44th (210.73 ypg)

ZISKA LEADS THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Junior kicker Rick Ziska made six of his final eight kicks over the final three weeks to lead the Patriot League with 1.0 made field goals per game in 2005. He set Lafayette's modern-day school record with a 51-yard field as time expired at the end of the first half at Holy Cross to earn Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week honors. 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 made all three of his attempts at Appalachian State for the first three-field goal day by a Lafayette kicker since Mike Beatrice hit three vs. Fordham on Oct. 25, 2003.

LAFAYETTE VS. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: The Leopards have played 326 games all-time against the six fellow members of the Patriot League, and are 164-146-16 (.526) in those contests. Since the Patriot League began play in 1986, the Leopards are 59-48-1 (.542) vs. member schools and have won league titles in 1988, 1992, 1994, 2004 and 2005.

PLAYING THE CLOSE ONES: Lafayette played seven games decided by seven points or less this season, and was a 4-3 record in those contests, with wins over Richmond (7-0), Georgetown (12-7), Columbia (14-7) and Lehigh (23-19) and losses to Princeton (23-21), Harvard (24-17) and Colgate (18-15). The 2005 Leopards were 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.

SEASON DEDICATION: The Lafayette football program 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 dedicated 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 five Patriot League championships - 1988, 1992, 1994, 2004 and 2005 - and made their first two postseason appearances in school history in 2004 (automatic bid) and 2005 (at-large bid).

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.