Nov. 13, 2010
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
EASTON, Pa. - Career days by QB Ryan O'Neil and WR Mark Layton went for naught, as Holy Cross scored 27 second-half points in a 37-27 win over Lafayette on Saturday afternoon.
O'Neil completed 35 passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 41 yards, all career-bests. Thirteen of those completions found their way into Layton's hands to set a new single-game receptions record (John Weyrauch; 12 in 2002 vs. Fordham). Layton finished the afternoon with 175 yards and two touchdowns, also personal bests.
On the other side of the field, Holy Cross QB Ryan Taggart threw for two TD's and ran for two more, finishing 15-for-31 for 205 yards with 41 yards on the ground. His 30-yard touchdown run with 1:39 left in the game sealed the decision.
The Leopards moved quickly on their first drive of the game, rolling up 71 yards on eight plays over 3:20. O'Neil hit Layton for an 11-yard score to give Lafayette the early 7-0 lead.
Holy Cross responded with a 27-yard Rob Dornfried field goal at 7:54. Midway through the second quarter, Davis Rodriguez missed a 34-yard field goal.
Rodriguez had another chance at the end of the second half, attempting a 42-yarder with less than a minute to play. Lafayette holder Andrew Shoop, who was on in relief of an injured Kyle Hayes, mishandled the snap. Holy Cross Cav Koch recovered and returned it 68 yards for touchdown and a 10-7 halftime lead.
On Lafayette's first drive on the second half, another special teams miscue gave Holy Cross the ball on the Lafayette 16-yard line. Perry Townsend blocked Tom Kondash's punt.
The Lafayette defense forced field goal attempt following the blocked punt, and the special teams came through with its own potentially game-changing play. Michael Phillips blocked Dornfried's attempt and Brandon Ellis returned it 24 yards to the Holy Cross 43-yard line.
On the ensuing drive, the Leopards let an opportunity slip threw their hands. O'Neil threw a strike to Mitchell Bennett who outran two defenders to the endzone. Bennett appeared to catch it, but the ball came loose when he hit the ground.
Holy Cross scored with 9:15 left in the third quarter. Evan Nardone tipped a Taggart pass that went through Nardone's hands. The resulting tip landed in Gerald Mistretta's hands for a 32-yard TD. Dornfried missed the PAT and Holy Cross led 16-7.
Eight minutes into third quarter, a 52-yard touchdown pass from O'Neil to Layton brought the Leopards within three (16-13). The drive covered 80 yards on six plays in 2:52.
It didn't take much time before Taggart got the Holy Cross offense moving. He connected with Freddie Santana for a 35-yard gain near the Crusader sideline. That set up a 1-yard scoring run by Taggart and gave Holy Cross a 23-13 lead with four minutes left in the third quarter.
Early in the four quarter, the Leopards and Crusaders again traded touchdown passes. O'Neil found Greg Stripe for a nine-yard TD pass at 13:48 before Taggart answered with a two-yard TD pass to Santana to maintain a 10-point lead (30-20).
O'Neil and Kevin Doty gave Lafayette one last shot, getting together for a 16-yard scoring play with two and a half minutes left in the game. The drive covered 58 yards in 3:04. Lafayette trailed 30-27.
The Leopards attempted their second onsides kick of the game, which Holy Cross recovered at the Lafayette 37. Lafayette held Holy Cross until 3rd-and-3 before Taggart's 30-yard touchdown run put away the game.
Defensively, Holy Cross' Ricky Otis made 17 tackles, including eight solo stops while Mike Schmidlein led the way for the Leopards with 10 tackles.
The Leopards host the 146th meeting of College Football's Most-Played Rivalry on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 12:08 p.m., "welcoming" Lehigh.
NOTES:
The Leopards put up 513 yards of total offense, their highest output of the season.
Lafayette dominated time of possession, holding a 21-minute advantage.
Vintage won the eighth annual Chili Cook-Off held prior to Saturday's game.
