April 26, 2005

EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette's 2005 spring football game will be held on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. at Fisher Field.

The situational scrimmage will pit the Leopard offense against the defense and utilize a modified scoring system that allows the defense to score points by stopping the offense and creating turnovers. The scrimmage will be preceded by a 15-minute period in which the offensive and defensive skill players will conduct a 7-on-7 session while the linemen go through a series of drills.

For the first time in program history, the spring game will be televised by the Lafayette Sports Network. The telecast will be aired exclusively on RCN-4 at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The LSN broadcast team of Gary Laubach (play-by-play), John Leone (color) and Dan Mowdy (sideline) will handle the announcing duties.

The Lafayette Friends of Football and Maws and Paws Club will also be hosting a pair of events in conjunction with Saturday's scrimmage. A tailgate will get underway at 9 a.m. on the lower level of Markle Parking Deck, while a picnic will be held on Bourger Plaza behind Pfenning Alumni Center following the scrimmage. Cost for the post-game picnic is $5, payable at the event; registration for these events can be made by calling John Piper at 610-330-5657 or Kim Beasley at 610-330-5042.

Sixth-year head coach Frank Tavani, the 2004 Patriot League Coach of the Year, returns 42 lettermen and 16 starters, including 10 on defense, from last year's NCAA Playoff squad. All-Patriot League First-Team linebacker Maurice Bennett, following back-to-back 100-tackle seasons, is back to anchor the defense, while Brad Maurer returns for his junior campaign under center.

Lafayette (8-4 overall, 5-1 Patriot League) earned the Patriot League's automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs by virtue of its 24-10 win over Lehigh in the regular season finale at Fisher Field. The Leopards were ranked No. 19 nationally in both The Sports Network and ESPN/USA Today year-end polls.