Oct. 4, 2007

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GAME 5 • Oct. 6, 2007

LAFAYETTE vs. COLUMBIA

6 p.m.

Easton, Pa. - Fisher Stadium

Weather.com Extended Forecast: Partly cloudy, high of 86 degrees -- 10 percent chance of rain

Radio: WSAN The Fox (1470 AM) - Dick Hammer, play-by-play (41st season) - Joe Craig, (1st season)

Television: Lafayette Sports Network (RCN-4, WBPH-60)

- Gary Laubach, play-by-play (11th season) - John Leone, color analyst (10th season) - Dan Mowdy, sideline reporter (7th season)

Satellite Coord.: None

Internet: Live audio and video webcast on www.GoLeopards.com

THE MATCH-UP: Lafayette faces the third of its four Ivy League opponents when the Leopards host the Columbia Lions on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Fisher Stadium. This will be Lafayette's final night game of the 2007 season. The Leopards beat the Lions, 14-7, the last time they met on College Hill in 2005. The Leopards are coming off a bye week while Columbia lost its league opener at Princeton, 42-32, on Saturday.

DOMINANT DEFENSE: The Lafayette defense is ranked first in the country through the first four weeks of the season. The Leopards are surrendering just 217.8 yards and 11 points per game (second in the NCAA). The Leopards' rushing defense is eighth in the nation, allowing only 82.2 yards per game and the passing defense checks in at 13th by giving up just 135.5 yards per game in the air.

Game By Game Opponent Rushing Yds. Passing Yds. Total Yds. Points Marist -14 100 86 10 at Georgetown 74 131 205 7 at Penn 103 121 224 7 Princeton 166 190 356 20

BEFORE THE BYE: Lafayette lost its first game of the season, 20-14, to Princeton on Sept. 22 at Fisher Stadium. Senior tailback Anthony D'Urso had a historic 89-yard run for a touchdown in the second quarter. Sophomore Adam Gill also contributed a touchdown on an eight-yard pass from senior quarterback Mike DiPaola, but it wasn't enough to tame the Tigers. Princeton had a pair of field goals in addition to two touchdowns to put the team over the top.

LAST CHANCE: Lafayette had a chance to come back with eight minutes remaining in the game. On fourth-and-five, Mike DiPaola rushed for five yards to the Princeton 20 and a first down. A holding call negated the play and pushed Lafayette back to the Princeton 30. DiPaola was sacked on the next play to end the drive and seal Princeton's victory.

RUN D'URSO RUN: Anthony D'Urso broke the modern record for the longest run from the line of scrimmage vs. Princeton on Sept. 22 with his 89-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The previous modern record was 82 yards, set by Greg DeSanty against Gettysburg College in 1975. George McCaa still holds the school's all-time record with his 102-yard rush against Swarthmore in 1909. D'Urso now leads the team in yardage, rushing for a total of 277 yards this season.

OLIVER VS. OFFENSE: Sophomore free safety Nick Oliver tallied a career-high 12 tackles against the Tigers, including 3.5 tackles for a loss of 24 yards. He also recorded the first sack of his collegiate career when he took down Princeton quarterback Bill Foran for a loss of eight yards. Oliver was rewarded for his efforts by being named the Patriot League's Defensive Player of the Week.

THE HEAD COACHES: Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani (Lebanon Valley '75) is in his eighth season at the helm of the Leopard football program and his 21st year overall as a member of the Lafayette coaching staff. He is the 27th head coach in the program's 126-year history. He was the running backs coach at Lafayette for the previous 13 seasons prior to being named head coach in December 1999.

Tavani was the 2004 Patriot League Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award in that year.

Tavani has guided Lafayette to three straight Patriot League titles and enters this weekend's contest with a career record of 41-43. Tavani is 15-3 in Patriot League games over the last three years, and in that span the Leopards are a perfect 8-0 after suffering their first conference setback.

Norries Wilson (Minnesota '89) is in his second season at Columbia. Last year he led the Lions to a 5-5 mark (2-5 in Ivy League), their best record in a decade. He joined the Lions in December 2005, after spending seven years at the University of Connecticut, first as the offensive line coach and later as the offensive coordinator. In 2004 his UConn offense led the Big East in both scoring and total offense. Wilson is no stranger to the Patriot League, having served a four-year stint at Bucknell from 1995-1998.

ABOUT COLUMBIA: • Columbia comes into Saturday's matchup with a 1-2 mark. The Lions lost a 42-32 decision at Princeton in Columbia's league opener. Princeton scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
• The Lions are coming off a 5-5 record in 2006, their best record in a decade. Columbia's defense was ranked 15th in the nation.
• Senior co-captain Craig Hormann serves as the team's quarterback. Hormann earned second-team All-Ivy League honors last year and finished the season with 189 completions. He is 56-for-110 for 674 yards this year while throwing three TDs and four INTs.
• Sophomore Austin Knowlin had a breakout game at Princeton, catching six passes for a career-high 146 yards and two touchdowns.
• Sophomore linebacker Justin Masorti leads the Lions defensively, with 26 tackles through three games. Sophomore safety Andy Shalbrack is on his heels with 24 tackles, three pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and an interception return for 56 yards. Both racked up 11 tackles apiece against the Tigers.

DEFENSIVE DOZEN: Senior co-captain Kyle Sprenkle and sophomore Nick Oliver led the defense against Princeton with a dozen tackles apiece, career highs for both. Sprenkle's previous career high was 10 tackles against Sacred Heart in last year's season opener.

COME ONE, COME ALL: Lafayette drew its largest crowd of the season, with 8,921 in attendance for the Princeton game.

BIG YARDS FROM A LITTLE GUY: Junior Maurice White broke through the line and carried the ball into the endzone on the first play of the game against Princeton. Unfortunately, a holding call on the offense brought back the play. But that isn't the only time the 5'8" tailback has put up big numbers. He played the entire game against Penn earlier this season and had the biggest game of his career, putting up 107 yards on 27 carries against a tough Quaker defense. White's previous career high was 87 yards against Georgetown in week two. White is averaging 5.1 yards per carry and 12.3 carries a game, but has been hampered by injuries.

THE SERIES: Lafayette holds a 25-11-2 record vs. Columbia in a series that began in 1889. The teams did not meet last year, but the Leopards beat the Lions, 14-7, on College Hill in 2005. Lafayette has won the last five meetings and is 12-0-1 against Columbia when playing at home.

UNDER THE LIGHTS: Lafayette hosted its first home night game in the history of the 126 year-old program on Sept. 1. The Leopards welcomed Marist, whom they beat 49-10. The team played its second night game of the season at historic Franklin Field, where it beat the Quakers, 8-7 on a last-minute field goal by Davis Rodriguez. The Leopards were handed their first lost of the season against Princeton, 20-14, under the lights of Fisher Stadium on Sept. 22. Lafayette will play its final night game of the regular season when it faces Columbia under the night sky in Easton.

A SIGN OF THE TIMES?: There have been five seasons in head coach Frank Tavani's tenure that have had bye weeks, including an unplanned one in 2001 when a game was cancelled following the events of Sept. 11. The Leopards have entered bye weeks following a loss four times (2001, 2003, 2005 & 2006) and twice they have emerged from their week off to win their next game (2003 and 2005). Both times the Leopards have redeemed themselves on their home turf - Lafayette beat Princeton, 28-13, in 2003 and Bucknell, 33-20, in 2005.

A SPECIAL KIND OF PLAYER: Junior Shaun Adair ranks fifth in the nation in punt return yardage. Adair has returned 11 punts for 176 yards for an average of 16.0 yards per return. In the season opener vs. Marist, Adair racked up 111 yards on three returns. Late in the first quarter versus Marist, Adair ran 78 yards for his first career punt return for touchdown (and the longest punt return of his career). He also added another return for 30 yards. The effort earned him Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week (9/3). At Georgetown, Adair returned four punts for 61 yards (15.3 yards per return).

...ON THE OFFENSIVE SIDE OF THINGS: Junior wide receiver Shaun Adair leads the team in receiving through four games. The Morristown, N.J. native has 21 catches for 266 yards (12.7 yards per catch) with one touchdown. His 10 catches at Penn were a single-game career high.

UNDER CENTER: Senior Michael DiPaola emerged as the frontrunner at the quarterback position coming out of preseason and has served as the starting QB through September. In the opener, he cemented his position with an efficient performance vs. Marist, going 10-for-16 for 124 yards and two touchdowns. At Georgetown, he was 9-for-17 for 152 yards with one TD and one INT. At Penn, DiPaola was 21-for-38 for 164 yards, but was picked off three times. More importantly, he drove the Leopards 54 yards in 12 plays before Davis Rodriguez put the game away with the game-winning field goal. Against Princeton, DiPaola went 12-for-23 for 95 yards with one TD and one INT. Head coach Frank Tavani will continue to get Rob Curley and Josh Jones some quality game reps when opportunities arise, hoping to avoid the situation the coaching staff found itself in this year, with no returning quarterback possessing any significant game experience. DiPaola, Curley and Jones have been asked to take over for the graduated Brad Maurer, who was at the helm of three Patriot League titles and left the school as the Lafayette leader in career completion percentage (60.7%). Curley played most of the third and fourth quarters at Georgetown when the Leopards held a commanding lead and DiPaola battled severe leg cramps.

DIPAOLA ON THE GROUND: Michael DiPaola used his legs to propel the Leopards in the fourth quarter at Penn. The senior, who finished the game with nine carries for 14 net yards, rushed three times for 19 yards and picked up a pair of first downs on the Leopards' game-winning drive. He showed his skills on the ground again vs. Princeton by scrambling for 27 yards in the second half to put the team on the Princeton 10 and set Adam Gill up for a touchdown. DiPaola had a total of 33 yards on six carries, finishing second in rushing among the Leopards on Sept.15.

STARTING FIRST...FINISHING ???: Lafayette has been picked first in the Patriot League Preseason Poll as selected by the conference's head coaches and Sports Information Directors. The Leopards edged the other team in the Lehigh Valley by one point (63-62), with Lafayette receiving six first-place votes and Lehigh five. The last time Lafayette was selected to win the league title was 1995, and the last time the preseason pick won the title outright was 2001 (Lehigh).

FRIENDS, ANDY, COUNTRYMEN..: The Leopards' defense is led by junior linebacker Andy Romans. In 2006, Romans ranked fourth in the Patriot League and 24th in the nation with 9.91 tackles per game in 2006. Romans rang up 18 tackles against Holy Cross on Oct. 21, 2006, one of seven games with at least 10 tackles. He finished the season with 109 tackles, nine for a loss, with an interception and a forced fumble. This season Romans made four tackles with a sack and a fumble recovery in the season opener against Marist. He followed that with a team-high 11 tackles at Georgetown when he added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He made eight tackles at Penn (1.5 for loss) and 11 tackles (for the fourth time in his career) vs. Princeton.

QUARTERMAN'S PICK SIX: Senior free safety Marcel Quarterman's interception return for a touchdown at Georgetown was the first of his career and the first for Lafayette since Oct. 29, 2005 (Tye Murphy vs. Bucknell). Quarterman has four career interceptions, two of which have come in conference play vs. Georgetown.

LIGHT IT UP: Lafayette's season-opening win over Marist marked the first home night game in 126 seasons of Lafayette football. The historic game, which was the first of three home night games scheduled for 2007, was followed by fireworks. Making history at night is not a new feat for Leopard football as Lafayette and Washington and Jefferson played in the first indoor night college football game on Oct. 25, 1930. A crowd of 17,000 witnessed the historic game at the Atlantic City Auditorium.

THE DRIVE FOR FOUR: Lafayette has won three straight Patriot League titles. Lafayette shared the title with Lehigh in 2004 and 2006, and with Colgate in 2005. The Leopards have won six PL championships in the 22-year history of the league (1988, 1992, 1994, 2004, 2005, 2006).

IN GOOD COMPANY: Lafayette has made three straight appearances in the NCAA Playoffs. Lafayette is one of six programs to appear in the 16-team playoff field in each of the last three seasons, joining Furman, Montana, Hampton, New Hampshire and Southern Illinois. Last season, Lafayette faced No. 3 Massachusetts and trailed just 21-14 at halftime before Massachusetts pulled away for a 35-14 decision. In 2005, the Leopards earned the program's first at-large bid and battled eventual national champion Appalachian State in the first round in Boone, N.C. Lafayette entered the fourth quarter tied at 20-20 after leading 17-10 at halftime, before the Mountaineers pulled out a 34-23 victory. Appalachian State went on to win the I-AA championship, 21-16 over Northern Iowa. In 2004, Lafayette led defending national champion Delaware 14-13 in the final quarter before a Blue Hen touchdown, then drove inside the 20 looking for the tying score when a fumble return for a touchdown produced the final 28-14 margin.

LAFAYETTE vs. THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: The Leopards have played 333 games all-time against the six fellow members of the Patriot League, and are 170-147-16 (.533) in those contests. Since the Patriot League began play in 1986, Lafayette is 66-49-1 (.570) vs. member schools and has won league titles in 1988, 1992, 1994, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Lafayette vs. the Patriot League: Bucknell: 46-32-6 Fordham: 18-6-1 Holy Cross: 13-8-0 Colgate: 10-36-4 Georgetown: 8-3-0 Lehigh: 75-62-5

EARLY OPENER: The Sept. 1 season opener was the earliest start date in program history. The Leopards opened in early October until the turn of the 20th century, in late September until 1970, and traditionally began the season on the second Saturday in September until 2002. Since 2002, Lafayette has opened on Sept. 7, 6, 4, 2 and 13.

MISSING THE HURT?: It remains to be seen what impact the loss of tailback Jon Hurt will have on the Lafayette running game. Hurt, the 2006 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, left the school sixth in career rushing yards (2,534) and third in career rushing touchdowns (33). During Patriot League play, Hurt ran for 124.5 yards per game, averaging 6.3 yards per carry, and scored 12 touchdowns in six PL contests. Junior Maurice White, who is a less powerful but a speedier, more elusive back, is the heir apparent at tailback. He appeared in 12 games in 2006 and carried the ball 45 times for 282 yards and four touchdowns. He broke out for 107 yards last week at Penn.

ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE RETURNERS: Lafayette placed 14 players on 2006 All-Patriot League teams and five of those players return in 2007. Seniors Greg Lippert and Jesse Padilla return to anchor the offensive line after second-team selections. Defensively, senior tackle Kyle Sprenkle, senior corner back Adrian Lawson and junior inside linebacker Andy Romans return to the starting lineup. Romans was the only sophomore to earn All-Patriot League honors on defense.

ON THE RETURN: The return game has been a strong suit for the Leopards this season thanks mostly to the efforts of junior wideout Shaun Adair. Adair ranked ninth in the nation in punt return yardage in 2006, reeling off 14.4 yards per return. This season, Adair has already returned one punt 78 yards for a touchdown and currently ranks fifth in the nation in punt return yardage (16.0). On kick-offs, Adair has shown his abilities throughout his career when the ball is kicked his way. Adair returned a 90-yard kick for touchdown vs. Georgetown (11/11/06) last season.

AN OFFENSIVE HISTORY: In 2006, Jon Hurt became the sixth Lafayette player to be named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year in the 22-year history of the conference. Joe McCourt (2004), Phil Yarberough (2000), Erik Marsh (1992, 1993), Tom Costello (1989) and Frank Baur (1988) are the others. Marsh is Lafayette's and the Patriot League's all-time leading rusher with 4,834 yards while McCourt ranks second at Lafayette in career rushing (4,474) and Hurt ranks sixth (2,534).

LAFAYETTE'S 2006 SEASON AT A GLANCE: The Leopards opened the 2006 season with wins at Sacred Heart (25-14) and Bucknell (31-0), entering The Sports Network poll at No. 25 after the season opener, and moved up to No. 22 the next week on the strength of their consecutive appearances in the I-AA Playoffs. Lafayette then fell on hard times, losing three straight games in which it held the lead or had possession with a chance to go ahead in the fourth quarter, before the bye week on Oct. 7. Then No. 15 Harvard dealt the Leopards a 24-7 defeat the next week, and Holy Cross made it five straight setbacks with a 38-28 win at Fisher Stadium after the Leopards held a 21-7 advantage. Things turned around at Colgate against a team that owned 10 straight victories against the Leopards. The Leopards trailed 7-0 entering the second quarter when Jonathan Hurt went 64 yards with a screen pass for a touchdown, and he later had an 80-yard run to extend the lead. Lafayette's final drive erased nearly nine minutes off the clock and sealed a 27-10 victory. The Leopards then rolled off wins at Fordham (31-24) and vs. Georgetown (45-14) to set up the 142nd meeting with Lehigh which secured the Patriot League championship. The season wrapped up with a 35-14 road loss to No. 3 Massachusetts in the opening round of the NCAA Playoffs on Nov. 25.

JOE FULLBACK: Junior Joe Russo has excelled and is expected to be an even bigger part of the Lafayette offense this season, after serving as one of the top fullbacks in the league last season. Russo averaged 5.0 yards per carry (27-134) with five touchdowns in 2006 and also caught 14 passes for 76 yards, including a four-yard touchdown catch against Lehigh (11/18). Russo's breakout game was a five-carry, 49-yard performance once Hurt left the field due to injury at Fordham (11/4/06), as he scored on runs of nine and 32 yards on his first two touches. He also scored on a pair of three-yard runs vs. Yale (9/30/06). This season, Russo had eight carries for 52 yards in four games while leading the way for a rushing offense that is averaging 186 yards per game.

RUN THE BALL, STOP THE RUN (2006 EDITION): Lafayette led the Patriot League in rushing defense in league games by a significant margin, allowing only 109.2 yards per game on the ground, with Lehigh a distant second at 148.3. The Leopards trailed Bucknell's spread option offense by less than three yards per game in rushing offense (214.7 to 217.5).

LAFAYETTE RUSHING OPPONENTS' RUNNING GAME Rush Yards Avg. TD Rush Yards Avg. TD Bucknell 44 223 5.1 4 41 149 3.6 0 Holy Cross 38 265 7.0 4 31 56 1.8 1 Colgate 34 212 6.2 2 39 142 3.6 1 Fordham 44 163 3.7 2 34 75 2.2 0 Georgetown 36 206 5.7 5 42 130 3.1 1 Lehigh 41 223 5.4 4 30 107 3.6 2 Totals (avg.) 39.5 214.7 5.4 21 36.2 109.2 3.0 4

IN THE FRONT ROW: Lafayette placed three of its five starting offensive linemen on the All-Patriot League team in 2006. Two of those players, senior Greg Lippert (LG) and Jesse Padilla (LT) were named to the second-team in their first seasons as starters. Sophomores Michael Wojcik and Ryan Hart-Predmore are in their first years as starters at center and right guard, respectively. Junior Leo Plenski holds down the right tackle spot and also handles long snapping duties. He started six of the first seven weeks in 2006. Junior D.J. Brown started the final five games of the season in 2006 and will be the first center or guard off the bench.

THE LINEBACKERS: Senior Mark Plumby, junior Andy Romans and sophomore Mark Leggiero give Lafayette a formidable linebacking corps. Romans, an All-Patriot League selection in 2006, led the team and was fourth in the Patriot League in tackles. Plumby was third on the team in tackles after starting all 12 games. Leggiero saw action in 12 games in 2006, starting vs. Penn in place of an injured Romans. He collected Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors after making five tackles against Bucknell once Romans left with an injury.

DOWN ON THE CORNER: Second-Team All-Patriot League performer Adrian Lawson started every game but the season opener at corner in 2006. The senior from Hyattsville, Md. made 37 tackles, 5.0 TFL and recorded six pass break-ups. Marvin Clecidor earned Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 30, 2006 following the Colgate game after recording the first interception, forced fumble and sack of his career. Clecidor started the last seven games on the other side of Lawson.

THE CAPTAINS: The Leopards elected seniors free safety Marcel Quarterman and defensive tackle Kyle Sprenkle as their captains for the 2007 season. It's the first time during Frank Tavani's head coaching tenure that an offensive player was not a team captain. Sprenkle (Thomasville, Pa.) is in his third year as a starter on the defensive line and collected All-Patriot League honors in 2006. Quarterman, a Philadelphia native, is in his second season as a starter.

GOING THE DISTANCE: Lafayette had at least one scoring drive of more than 80 yards in nine of its 12 games in 2006, and 13 drives of that length in all: Lehigh (80), Georgetown (80, 88 and 90), Fordham (80), Colgate (80 and 81), Holy Cross (82), Yale (82), Penn (82 and 99), Bucknell (88) and Sacred Heart (81). Lafayette had only five drives of 80 yards or more in 12 contests in 2005.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS: Lafayette has won three straight and four of the last six Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. Brad Maurer '07 won the award in 2006, following linebacker Maurice Bennett '05, Stephen Bono '04 and tight end Stewart Kupfer '02. Maurer was also a three-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II selection and was one of 23 Academic All-District selections in Frank Tavani's eight seasons as head coach.

THE LAFAYETTE-LEHIGH RIVALRY: Lafayette and Lehigh met on the gridiron for the 142nd time on Nov. 18, 2006 at Fisher Stadium, continuing the most-played rivalry in all of college football. The Leopards won the first game 50-0 in 1884 and the schools met twice per season through 1901. They met three times in 1891 and did not play in 1896, the only disruption in the series. They also met twice in 1943 and 1944. Lafayette leads the all-time series 75-62-5 (.546) and is 40-22-5 (.634) when the game is played in Easton. The Leopards have won four of the last five meetings, and have won three straight for the first time since 1953-55.

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).

HISTORIC FISHER FIELD: Fisher Field, now dubbed Fisher Stadium, has hosted the College's home football games since 1926. The facility has undergone a $23 million transformation that gives Lafayette one of the premier FCS football venues in the nation. New spectator seating has been built throughout the venue, including chairback seating in select areas, and additional visitors seating has been added for a maximum capacity of 13,132 fans. A state-of-the-art in-fill synthetic surface, lights, a press box and a 19-by-35 foot video board were installed, and improved restroom and vending areas were also included. The Bourger Varsity Football House includes a locker room, offices and team meeting rooms, as well as sports medicine and strength and conditioning areas. Now in its 81st season, Fisher Stadium has been host to 393 Lafayette football games with the Leopards enjoying an overall record of 234 wins, 146 losses, and 13 ties for a winning percentage of 61.2%. Of the previous 80 seasons, Lafayette has produced 12 undefeated home seasons with the most recent being the 1992 Patriot League champion Leopards that went a perfect 5-0-- the first undefeated home season for Lafayette at Fisher Stadium since 1970. During the 1991, 1992, and 1993 seasons, Lafayette won 10 straight home games--tying the Fisher Stadium school record for consecutive wins first set 1926 and 1927 in the first 10 games ever played in the stadium.

MEMORABLE DRIVES: Lafayette's 15-play, 81-yard drive in the fourth quarter against Colgate on Oct. 28, 2006 chewed up nearly nine minutes (8:36) as the Leopards sat on a 24-10 lead, and Rick Ziska's 25-yard field goal put the game away. That drive joins "The Drive" among the most memorable in Frank Tavani's tenure as head coach. Here are some of the others:

Opponent Plays-Yards Time Run/Pass 1st Downs 3rd 4th 2006 at Colgate 15-81 8:36 14/1 6 0 1 2006 at Sacred Heart 15-81 7:44 14/1 6 2 1 2005 at Lehigh 11-88 1:26 1/10 4 2 1 2005 vs. Bucknell 7-83 2:27 3/4 3 1 0 2004 vs. Lehigh 18-80 7:15 11/7 6 2 1 2002 vs. Lehigh 19-74 9:01 16/3 6 2 2 2000 vs. Princeton 6-80 0:45

LAFAYETTE FOOTBALL, 126 YEARS OF TRADITION: Since fielding its first college football team in the fall of 1882, Lafayette has had a proud, colorful gridiron tradition on the way to a total of 623 victories. Lafayette ranks 34th among all college football teams in all-time wins entering the 2007 season, posting its first win in 1883 (25-0 vs. Rutgers). Lafayette accumulated 100 victories by 1900, 200 by 1915 and 300 by 1934.

A HISTORY OF CHAMPIONS: 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 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.

LAFAYETTE LEADS NATION IN TELEVISED GAMES IN FCS: All 11 games of Lafayette's 2007 football season will be televised live via the Lafayette Sports Network. This is the fifth straight year that the entire slate will be televised and the 11th season that the Lafayette Sports Network has been in existence. LSN, named one of the best college or university-run sports networks in the country by Broadcast and Cable Magazine, has annually produced the most expansive television package in the Patriot League. LSN telecasts can be seen by approximately 10 million viewers in the Lehigh Valley, all of Philadelphia, and the Pocono region. The Lafayette Sports Network 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-60. Nationally, the telecasts will be picked up for the eighth straight year by various DIRECTV and DISH Network outlets, available to a combined audience of more than 60 million viewers. CSTV will continue as a major LSN partner, airing the Harvard, Holy Cross and Lehigh road telecasts to a national audience of more than 65 million households. Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh (DIRECTV Channel 628, DISH Network Channel 428) will carry seven of the Leopards games. As an element of Lafayette's multi-media agreement with CSTV, all LSN telecasts will be streamed live on the internet and available worldwide through www.GoLeopards.com. Lafayette was the first of CSTV.com's partners to make live video streaming available to fans everywhere when the 2000 Lafayette-Lehigh game aired live on GoLeopards.com. Emmy-nominated local sports broadcaster Gary Laubach will handle all of the Leopards' play-by-play duties for the 11th straight season. John Leone, who has been in the booth with Laubach for all but the first season of LSN, will again provide color analysis. RCN's Dan Mowdy is in his seventh season as part of the Lafayette Sports Network and will report from the sidelines.

LAFAYETTE ALL-ACCESS: Lafayette fans may take advantage of a great feature offered through www.GoLeopards.com, the official athletics website and a partner with CSTV Online. All 11 regular-season games on the Leopards' schedule will be available through Lafayette All-Access, which streams the Lafayette Sports Network telecast of the game to your computer. In all, more than 50 Lafayette athletic contests will be provided. Log onto to www.GoLeopards.com for more information.

LAFAYETTE ON THE RADIO: The Lafayette Sports Network entered into an agreement with WAEB-AM 790 and WSAN-AM 1470 of Clear Channel Communications and WGPA AM-1100 to broadcast 2007 Lafayette football. The deal places Lafayette on the top two rated AM stations in the Lehigh Valley. WAEB-AM 790, the top-rated AM station in the Lehigh Valley, will carry the Leopards' first four games of the season while WGPA-AM 1100, the second-rated AM station, will begin its coverage with the Oct. 13 game at Harvard and will broadcast five of the last six games of the regular season. Veteran broadcaster Dick Hammer will begin his 41st season as the Leopards' play-by-play man and will be joined in the booth at home games by Joe Craig, long-time football analyst and former coach.