Nov. 7, 2015
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EASTON, Pa. -- Colgate used three drives of 70 or more yards to recover from a 13-0 first-half deficit and go on to a 28-19 win over the Leopards on Saturday at Fisher Stadium. Freshman Jacob Bissell booted four field goals in the Leopards' final home game of the season, trying a school record held by Jim Hodson and Davis Rodriguez.
Prior to the game, members of the Lafayette football senior class and their families were honored on the field. Seven members of the Class of 2016 were in the starting lineup on Saturday (four on defense and three on offense).
The game started in the Leopards' favor. For the second time this season at Fisher Stadium, Lafayette forced a turnover on the opening kick-off. Brandon Bryant made the hit on Colgate's Chris Morgan, and Ben Snyder recovered at the 17-yard line. It was just the beginning of a 13-tackle day for Bryant who has racked up 109 tackles on the season.
Three plays later, the Leopards were in the end zone, as Drew Reed hit senior Darrell Crawford for a 13-yard score. The touchdown was the first of the four-year career for Crawford, who has played portions of his time on College Hill in the secondary.
Faced with a 4th-and-1 on the ensuing drive on their own 37, Raiders' quarterback Jake Melville was stopped in his tracks by Lafayette senior cornerback Matt Smalley, who dragged the junior down for a four-yard loss.
The Leopards (1-9, 0-5) again turned their excellent field possession into points, though this time they were forced to settle for a 22-yard field goal from Jacob Bissell. The kick gave the Maroon and White a 10-0 advantage with 8:45 still remaining in the opening quarter.
Lafayette forced a second-consecutive three-and-out for Colgate (5-4, 4-0) on the next possession, getting off to a strong start against an offense which managed 447 yards in an upset win over No. 11 Fordham on Oct. 31.
Aided by a pair of third-down completions from Reed (22-o-f-33, 171, 1 TD) to Tim Vangelas (7-78), the Leopards added three more points on their third drive of the game, with Bissell knocking in a 40-yard field goal to make it 13-0 heading into the second quarter.
Colgate broke through three minutes into that frame, with a two-yard touchdown rush from James Holland that completed a 12-play, 75-yard drive and ran five minutes off the clock.
Two big plays led to the Raiders' second score of the quarter. The first came on a 3rd-and-6 from their own 33, as Melville hit John Maddaluna for a 28-yard completion. The second was the result of a personal foul call on Lafayette that extended the drive after the defense had forced an incompletion on 3rd-and-9. That penalty moved the ball to the Leopard 10, and Holland eventually forced his way in from a yard out to give Colgate its first lead with 1:22 on the clock.
The Raiders were given a chance to add their lead before the break after Reed was picked off by Ty McCollum with 37 seconds remaining. McCollum ran the ball back to Lafayette's 41, and the offense then moved the ball down to the 15. A holding penalty, though, backed Colgate up 10 yards, and Matt Rothrock got a hand on the resulting field-goal attempt to keep the score at 14-13 heading into the break.
After the teams traded three-and-outs to begin the second half, the Leopards moved down to the Raider 26 on three rushes and a 15-yard late hit penalty for the defense. A pair of sacks moved the Maroon and White back out of field goal range and led to a Ryan Forrester punt.
Colgate needed just four plays to find the end zone on its next drive. Completions of 25 and 36 yards moved the Raiders inside the Lafayette 20, and Melville scrambled in from 16 yards out to increase their lead to 21-13.
After the Colgate score, the Leopards answered with a 38-yard field goal. The drive featured a 16-yard pass from Reed to Vangelas. On that play, Colgate player Keyon Washington was called for targeting which resulted in a 15-yard penalty and his ejection from the game. The Leopards got the ball into Raider territory and set up the field goal for Bissell who cut the deficit to 21-16.
Colgate went three-and-out on its next drive and Lafayette took over on the Raider 48-yard line. The Reed-Vangelas connection continued as Lafayette went for it on 4th-and-11 and completed a 17-yard pass for a first down. On 3rd-and-10, Reed hit tight end Dylan Wadsworth to set up another field goal attempt from Bissell. The kick was good from 26 yards as Lafayette pulled within 21-19 with 12 minutes left in the game.
The Raiders begin their decisive drive on the 23-yard line. On 3rd-and- at the Colgate 26, Melville completed an 11-yard pass to John Quazza for a first down. Colgate marched down the field with its running game. James Holland churned out a 14-yard run, but it was a 26-yard scamper by Melville on 3rd-and-11 that put the ball at the Lafayette 13. Colgate picked up a first down and on 1st-and-goal, Holland punched it in for a 1-yard touchdown run. Colgate extended its lead to 28-19 with 5:12 left. .
On Lafayette's final drive, an eight-yard pass from Reed to Wadsworth converted a 4th-and-3 from the Leopards' 26. Reed was sacked on the next play, one of five times he was sacked on the afternoon. Two plays later, Colgate defender Ty McCollum stepped in front of a Reed pass at midfield and returned it 30 yards to seal the 28-19 final.
Lafayette has next week off, before battling Lehigh on Nov. 21 in the 151st Meeting of College Football's Most-Played rivalry. Kick-off is set for 12:30 p.m.