Oct. 20, 2008

EASTON, Pa. - The Lafayette football team's upset of then-No. 14 Liberty earned the Leopards their first spot in two national polls. Lafayette is ranked No. 24 by The Sports Network and No. 26 in the FCS Coaches Poll. Lafayette was the top team outside of the FCS's top 25 in terms of votes received (35).

The Leopards (5-1, 1-0) have now been ranked in the top 25 for five straight years (2004-08). Their highest ranking came in 2004 when they finished No. 19 in both polls. Last season, Lafayette's top ranking was No. 22 in the Sports Network poll, a position they held for two weeks. The team held the same No. 22 spot for one week in 2006 and finished the 2005 campaign ranked 20th by ESPN/USA Today and 21st by The Sports Network.

The Leopards snapped Liberty's 11-game win streak, the longest in the nation, with a 35-21 victory on the Flames' home turf. The team improved to 5-1 for the first time since 2005 in what was a Patriot League championship season.

Lafayette linebacker Andy Romans was named the Patriot League Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week after finishing with 12 tackles and blocking a Liberty punt that he then returned for a touchdown. The Defensive Player of the Week honor was the third straight for the Allendale, N.J. native.

Lafayette is in the midst of a five-game road swing with three games remaining, all against conference opponents. On Saturday, the Leopards take on reigning Patriot League champion Fordham (3-3, 0-2) in a 1 p.m. game.