Oct. 14, 2014
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THE OPENING KICK
MATCH-UP: Lafayette (3-3) travels to unbeaten Harvard (4-0) on Saturday in the Leopards' final non-conference match-up of the season. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Harvard Stadium, the second oldest college football stadium in the country. It is the second straight trip to Cambridge, Mass. for Lafayette. The Crimson are coming off a 24-7 victory over Ivy-League foe Cornell in a strong defensive effort. The win was the eighth straight for the Crimson dating back to 2013, the second-longest active streak in FCS football.
LAST TIME OUT: Senior tailback Ross Scheuerman ran for three touchdowns as Lafayette outlasted Georgetown, 24-21 at Fisher Stadium. The Leopards, who gave up 282 rushing yards, employed strong special teams play, blocking a field goal (Phil Parham) and later using a long punt return to tie the game just before halftime.
DEFENSIVE RALLY: The defense was up to the task when the team needed it most late in the fourth quarter vs. Georgetown. With 3:20 left in the game, the Hoyas were on the move and the Lafayette defense faced a 3rd-and-1 at the Lafayette 37. Shane Dorner stopped Jo'el Kimpela for no gain and on 4th-and-1, Kimpela was met by a host of tacklers, including Steve Mercado and Draeland James, who forced the Hoyas to turn it over on downs.
SPECIAL HONORS: Senior Jared Roberts is the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week. He ran back three punts for 100 yards (33.3 avg.) in the 24-21 win over Georgetown. Roberts returned a punt a career-long 81 yards to the four-yard line to set up a TD that evened the score at 14-14. He also picked off a pass near the end zone on Georgetown's final play of the first half. On the season, Roberts is averaging 38 yards per punt return on four attempts. The versatile defensive back has played strong safety and cornerback in his senior season and is third on the team in tackles with 36. He also boasts of a team-high two interceptions.
HOME SWEET HOME: Lafayette's three wins have come at Fisher Stadium. The Leopards have just one home game remaining, hosting Holy Cross on Oct. 25. A win in that game would give Lafayette its first undefeated home slate since 1992. Lafayette has won four in a row in Easton, including a win over No. 5 Fordham in 2013.
WHEN LAST THEY MET: No. 25 Harvard dealt Lafayette a 35-16 loss in the final non-league game of the season on Oct. 19, 2013. Harvard's Michael Pruneau completed 17-of-29 for 263 yards and three touchdowns. The Crimson also added 187 yards on the ground led by Paul Stanton who had 113 yards with two TD's. The game was significant for the Leopards, however as Drew Reed made his debut in the second half and went on to quarterback Lafayette to a 2013 Patriot League title.
MOVING UP: Senior TB Ross Scheuerman currently sits fifth for career rushing yards at Lafayette with 2,934 yards. He recently passed Ryan Priest '87 (2,597 yards) and needs three more yards to eclipse Tom Costello '91 (2,936). Scheuerman could advance as high as third all-time this season. He led the team in rushing the past three seasons and carried for 1,113 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2013 as the first player since 2006 to rush for 1,000 yards.
TD TIME: Scheuerman ran for three touchdowns vs. Georgetown to up his career total to 25 career while moving into sixth place. He needs three more to move into fifth place all-time. The three scores vs. Georgetown matched his single-game career high for rushing touchdowns which he established at Princeton (10/12/2013).
ABOUT HARVARD: The Crimson roll into Saturday at 4-0, coming off a 24-7 win vs. Cornell. The week prior, Harvard beat Georgetown, 34-3, following wins over Holy Cross and Brown.
• Harvard returns seven starters on offense and four on defense after finishing 2013 with a 9-1 record and No. 23 ranking in the final Top 25 poll.
• Junior QB Scott Hosch is 71-of-105 for 857 yards with three TDs and three INTs. Junior WR Andrew Fischer is his favorite target, snagging 26 passes with one TD. Sophomore Anthon Firkser has brought down 15 balls for 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
• Senior TB Andrew Casten leads the Crimson rushing attack with 60 carries for 394 yards while punching in eight touchdowns. Senior RB Paul Stanton has 33 carries for 176 yards and two touchdowns in three games.
• On the defensive side, Harvard is lead by preseason All-Ivy League selections in seniors DE Zach Hodges and DB Norman Hayes and junior LB Eric Medes.
• Tim Murphy (Springfield '78), Harvard's all-time winningest head coach, is in his 21st season at the helm. During his Harvard career, his teams have won seven Ivy League titles and boast the highest win percentage in the FCS over the last 13 seasons (.806).
