Sept. 2, 2014
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THE OPENING KICK
MATCH-UP: Lafayette opens the 2014 football season on Saturday with a non-conference trip to Sacred Heart. The opening kick-off of Lafayette's 133rd season is set for 6 p.m. in Fairfield, Conn.
The 2013 season was a championship-clinching endeavor for the Leopards who shed a 1-5 start to win four of their last five regular-season games and finish 4-1 in conference play. Lafayette captured its seventh Patriot League title and advanced to the NCAA FCS Playoffs for the fourth time in program history.
Sacred Heart accounted for one of Lafayette's early losses in 2013, topping the Leopards 26-24 on a last-second field goal in Easton, Pa. The Pioneers validated that win with a 2013 season that ended with a title showing of their own. Sacred Heart used a 10-3 overall record and a 4-2 conference clip to secure the NEC crown and the school's first-ever NCAA FCS playoff berth. In 2014, Sacred Heart is 1-0 after handling Marist 28-7 in the opener on Aug. 30.
OPEN UP: Lafayette opens its 133rd season against a Sacred Heart foe that it has played just twice previously. The last meeting broke the seal on the 2013 season and the first series meeting was Sept. 2, 2006, a rain-drenched season-opening game that Lafayette won 25-14. All-time, the Leopards are 85-44-3 in openers.
TRAINING CAMP: Lafayette opened training on Aug. 6 when the freshmen reported and will play its first game exactly a month later. The Leopards practiced in unseasonably cool weather conditions for the bulk of camp. Robin Cepeda and Ben Snyder both suffered season-ending injuries in camp.
THE GROUND GAME: Three-time All-Patriot League selection Ross Scheuerman returns to spearhead the running attack. The senior tailback has 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. Behind Scheuerman sophomores Kyle Mayfield and Adin Greenfield, neither of whom have any career game carries, are vying to serve as the back-up.
ON THIS DATE: Lafayette is 2-1 all-time in games played on Sept. 6. The Leopards lost to Fordham 23-0 in 1997 and beat Marist 49-0 in 2003 and 28-6 in 2008.
CLASS OF THE CLASSROOM: In 2013, the Lafayette football program had the highest academic progress rate (APR) in the NCAA FCS Playoffs and boasted the fourth-best graduation success rate (GSR) in the NCAA. Overall, for the 18 sports measured at Lafayette, a total of 14 Lafayette programs registered a graduation rate of 100 percent.
LINE 'EM UP: Three starters return on the offensive line led by two-time All-Patriot League selection Luke Chiarolanzio at left tackle. Chiarolanzio has started 33 games in his career. Zack Mazur, a 2013 All-Patriot League Second-Team honoree, made the move to center for 2014 after starting 23 games at right tackle the past two season. Mazur will continue to play alongside Maxim Ngolla at right guard. Ngolla played in 17 games with 14 starts in the past two seasons.
It looks as if the other guard spot will be occupied by sophomore Connor Staudle while Nick Zataveski and Paul Federinko are battling to start at right tackle.
ABOUT SACRED HEART: In 2013, Sacred Heart was 10-3, capturing the NEC title and made its first-ever run to the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
• The Pioneers opened the 2014 season with a 28-7 win over Marist on Aug. 30. In that game, senior TB Keshaudas Spence became the school's all-time leading rusher, carrying for 139 yards to increase his career total to 3,104 yards. Spencer is coming off a junior campaign during which he rushed for 1,669 yards and 13 touchdowns.
• Junior R.J. Noel returns as the starting quarterback. Noel completed 178-of-243 for 2,203 yards with 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2013 when he garnered the NEC's Rookie of the Year award. In the 2014 opener, Noel completed 16-of-31 for 190 yards for two touchdowns with a pair of interceptions. The dual threat also carried nine times for 68 yards in the opener.
• Senior safety Gordon Hill returns to head the defense. Hill made 85 tackles and picked off two passes in 2013 and started the 2014 season with five tackles and a 40-yard interception return for TD.
• Mark Nofri (Keene State '98) is in his second season as head coach with a 13-11 record.
