1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final  Holy Cross 7 14 0 3 24  Lafayette 0 7 7 0 14
3-6, 1-2 PL	Final Stats | Photo Gallery	3-5, 1-2 PL

 

 Quick Stats LC HC  First Downs 16 26  Rushing Yards 115 269  Passing Yards 192 135  Total Yards 307 404  Total Plays 57 81  Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0  Penalties-Yards 5-64 2-20  Interceptions-Yards 0 2-5  3rd Down Conversions 3-12 9-18  4th Down Conversions 1-1 2-4  Sacks By-Yards 0 0  PAT Kicks 2-2 3-3  Field Goals 0-1 1-2  Time of Possession 22:05 37:55    Stat Leaders  Passing C-Att Yds TD Int  HC- Pujals 9-15 135 1 0  LC - Reed 19-33 192 2 2  Rushing Car Yds TD Long  HC - Pujals 26 115 1 16  LC - Scheuerman 19 71 0 12  Receiving Rec Yds TD Long  HC - Flaherty 3 49 0 23  LC - Dixon 5 41 0 20

EASTON, Pa. - Holy Cross scored 21 points in the first half and while running away to a 24-14 win over the Leopards on Saturday at Fisher Stadium. The Crusaders ran for 269 yards and dominated time of possession, holding the ball for nearly 16 minutes more than the hosts on Senior Day.

Holy Cross sophomore quarterback Peter Pujals rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown and was 9-of-15 for 135 yards and a TD through the air. His Lafayette counterpart, Drew Reed, had the start under center while coming off a shoulder injury, completing 19-of-33 for 192 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

In the first quarter, Diquan Walker opened the scoring for the visitors on an 11-yard rushing touchdown with 3:28 to play in the first quarter. The touchdown capped a 10-play, 93-yard drive. Midway through the second quarter Holy Cross capitalized on a Reed interception to take a 14-0 lead. Pujals ran in from three yards out with 6:45 to go in the half.

After a Lafayette three and out, Pujals found Jake Wieczorek for a 29-yard strike to push the advantage to 21-0 with 1:13 left in the first half.

On the ensuing Lafayette drive, Reed led the Leopards 80 yards for their first score of the night. He connected with four different receivers with the final throw a 14-yard screen pass to Ross Scheuerman on the home sideline for the score with 11 seconds to go in the half. Lafayette trailed 21-7 at halftime of the Homecoming Weekend game.

The Leopards (3-5, 1-2) received the ball to start the second half and took it the distance. Lafayette converted on 3^rd-and-2 as Reed scrambled for 10 yards. A six yard completion to Demetrius Dixon on 2rd-and-5 kept the drive alive at the Holy Cross 28. On a second down, Reed found Justin Adams in the back right corner of the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown, cutting the Crusader lead to 21-14 early in the third quarter.

The Crusaders (3-6, 1-2) looked to answer on their next possession, converting a pair of third downs and a 4^th-and-1 before the Leopards defense forced a field-goal attempt from 32 yards. Holy Cross kicker Connor Fitzgerald missed wide left and the Leopards took over on their own 20-yard line.

With the ball on the Lafayette 22-yard line, Reed took off for 18 yards on 2^nd-and-8 to pick up a first down out to the 40-yard line. The Lafayette drive stalled and Ryan Forrester was forced to come on and punt. The Crusaders' Alim Muhammad looked like he was going to return the punt for a touchdown, but Forrester made a touchdown-saving tackle at the 33 after the 51-yard return.

Holy Cross moved the ball inside the Lafayette 10-yard line before the Lafayette defense came up with a stop on third and goal. Matt Anderson and Matt Rothrock met Pujals at the line on 3rd-and-goal from the seven. Fitzgerald's field goal pushed the Holy Cross lead to 24-14 with 12:13 to play.

The Leopards' moved the ball on their next possession. Scheuerman rushed for 11 yards down to the Holy Cross 33. On 4^th-and-1 from the 24-yard line, Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani made the decision to go for the first down. Scheuerman again picked up the first down to the 20.

Reed's first-down pass to Dixon was incomplete as Dixon was pushed out of bounds in the end zone by the defender. The Leopards were forced to settle for a field-goal attempt with 6:04 left, but Ryan Gralish's 36-yard attempt was wide right.

The Crusaders took over at their own 20 and moved the ball to their own 49 before Lafayette forced a punt with 2:20 to play. After a 17-yard pickup from Reed to Brian Keller, a pass intended for Adams was deflected and eventually intercepted by Nick McBeath at midfield with under a minute to play and the Crusaders kept the final at 24-14.

Defensively, Matt Smalley, Draeland James and Chris Brockman made 11 stops apiece while Mark Dodd contributed 10.

Lafayette returns to action on Nov. 1 at Bucknell in a 1 p.m. kickoff.