Nov. 14, 2009
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WORCESTER, Mass. - Lafayette's bid to win its seventh Patriot League title came up two points short, 28-26, on Saturday at Holy Cross in the de facto Patriot League title game. The matchup featured two nationally-ranked squads with No. 14/13 Holy Cross hosting No. 20 Lafayette at a muddy Fitton Field.
Holy Cross fifth-year senior QB Dominic Randolph threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, finishing the game 23-of-37 for 348 yards and three interceptions. Lafayette senior QB Rob Curley continued to make his case as one of the top quarterbacks in the league, completing 23-of-32 for 312 yards, two TD's and an interception.
No. 20 Lafayette moves to 8-2, 4-1 on the season, the only losses coming to nationally ranked opponents. The Leopards were in search of their fourth title in the last six years (2004, 2005, 2006) and were knocked out of the running in 2008 by a last-second one-point loss to Holy Cross at Fisher Stadium. No. 14/13 Holy Cross ups its record to 9-1, 5-0 while claiming at least a share of its first Patriot League title since 1991.
The Leopards scored on their first two possessions of the game, using the successful mix of run and pass that has served the Leopards well in 2009. With 8:22 left in the first, senior TB Maurice White (17-for-72) punched in a touchdown from a yard out on the third of three straight runs. The snap on the PAT was high and Davis Rodriguez's attempt missed, leaving Lafayette with a 6-0 lead. The drive covered nine plays and 82 yards.
Lafayette's next drive began after Brandon Ellis picked off Randolph's 3rd-and-7 pass and the Leopards took over at their own 25. Four passes of nine yards or more and 23 yards rushing from White put Lafayette 1st-and-goal. Curley hit TE Kevin Doty for a score following a nine-play drive that ran 5:09 off the clock. A second missed PAT left Lafayette with a 12-0 lead.
Holy Cross got on the board with seven minutes to go in the second quarter, scoring on a four-yard option run by Luke Chmielinski. The Leopards responded. Soph. TB Jerome Rudolph tore off a 43-yard screen pass to spur the scoring drive. On the next play, Curley hit a wide-open Mark Layton for 27 yards. The Leopards took a 19-14 lead when White scored from a yard out at 4:48. The drive was a quick one, spanning 80 yards on five plays in two and a half minutes.
Holy Cross scored just 27 seconds later on a no-huddle gadget play that lined the offensive line up on the near hashmark and the quarterback, center and two wideouts on the far hashmark. The result was a 22-yard TD pass to Chmielinski from Randolph.
With 11 seconds left in the half, Holy Cross took its first lead of the rainy, cold afternoon when Randolph forced his way into the end zone. The Crusaders led 21-19 at halftime. Curley was 14-of-15 for 201 yards and a TD in the first half.
The Leopards moved the ball well on their first drive of the second half. Curley found Layton for a 28-yard pass on a 3rd-and-1 to place the ball deep in HC territory. Holy Cross picked off Curley's next pass and took over on its own 20. Randolph rode the momentum, finding Freddie Santana for a 40-yard TD catch and a 28-19 Holy Cross advantage.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, the Leopards needed their defense to make a play, and Mark Leggiero stepped in. The Holy Cross receiver bobbled the ball and Leggiero helped himself to it for his first interception of the season.
The Leopards' offense went three and out on the ensuing drive and didn't cut into the lead until three and a half minutes into the fourth quarter. Curley's 14-yard TD strike to Layton cut the Holy Cross lead to 28-26.
Lafayette's defense stepped up again on Holy Cross' next drive, limiting the Crusaders to one first down before forcing them to punt the ball away with 9:23 remaining.
Lafayette took over on its own 15 and quickly picked up three first downs in six plays to advance the ball to the Holy Cross 35. Two short rushes and Lafayette's first penalty of the game followed. The Leopards were 3rd-and-10 at the Holy Cross 35. Curley threw a ball to Layton, but Layton was run into by the defender leaving one official grasping for his flag, which he never threw, and Leopard fans distraught with the no-call. On fourth down, Curley was sacked by Jimmy Thomas for a loss of 20 yards.
Holy Cross ran off 3:20 on its final possession, but turned it back over with 38 seconds left after failing to convert a fourth down. Curley completed a pass to Layton for eight yards, but on his extra effort he was stripped by Marcus Rodriguez and lost the ball.
Defensively, Ellis, Leggiero and senior SS Eric McGovern all had interceptions.
Lafayette wraps up the regular season on Nov. 21. The Leopards will look for their fifth win in the last six tries when they venture to Goodman Stadium for the 145th meeting of College Football's Most-Played Rivalry, LAFAYETTE-lehigh.
