The Match-Up: The Leopards emerge from the bye week and take the short trip to No. 19/21 Princeton to face the reigning Ivy League champion. The teams last met in 2017 in John Garrett's first season on College Hill. The programs' next match-up is slated for 2022.

Familiar Friends/Foes: Lafayette head coach John Garrett is a 1988 graduate of Princeton University. Garrett and his brothers, Jason '89 and Judd '90, transferred there from Columbia in 1986. Garrett attended Princeton from 1986-88, playing one season (1987) of football for the Tigers alongside current Princeton coach Bob Surace. The two also worked together in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals in the early 2000s ... Marvin Clecidor '09 is on Princeton's coaching staff as the co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach. Clecidor, a three-year starter at cornerback, was a member of the Leopards' 2005 and 2006 Patriot League championship teams. The two-time All-Patriot League selection previously returned to Fisher Stadium with the William & Mary staff in 2015 and Princeton in 2017.

Rookie Honors: Freshman LB Marco Olivas was the Patriot League Rookie of the Week on Sept. 30 following the Leopards' last game. The Texas native registered 17 tackles (13 solo) vs. Penn, the most by any Patriot League player this season and tied for the fifth-most in the nation. Olivas also forced a fumble that the Leopard offense turned into seven points. He has played in five games with one start and was coming off a 12-tackle game at Albany. 

Rookie Honors Times Four: Olivas' award is the fourth Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor for Lafayette 2019, more than any other team. Freshman QB Keegan Shoemaker secured the award on Sept. 9 and was the Rookie and Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16, while DL Damon Washington earned the honor on Sept. 22 when he had a career-high 14 tackles.

The QB: Keegan Shoemaker continues to impress during his rookie campaign. The freshman QB is coming off a 287-yard performance in which he completed 22-of-33 for three touchdowns vs. Penn. The Prosper, Texas native spread the ball to eight different targets. 

Good to Have You Back: Junior WR Quinn Revere made it back to the starting lineup vs. Albany after missing two full games due to injury. In his return, he secured seven catches for 58 yards against the CAA foe. Versus Penn, Revere made five grabs for 84 yards. Revere and Shoemaker, gained a level of familiarity before reporting for training camp, working out together in their home state of Texas. 

Helmet Note: At the school credited with inventing the football helmet, a quick look at the 2019 version shows the Leopards' white helmet with a metallic "L" on each side. On the left side of the back is an American flag just above the words Cur Non which was the motto for the Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, and translates from Latin to mean "why not." 
    A Lafayette alum and all-time great running back, George "Rose" Barclay from the Class of 1898, is credited with inventing the helmet. The "threat of cultivating cauliflower ears" led him to piece three thick leather straps around his head for an 1894 game against Penn.

Back at TE: Soph. Zadok Scott missed the first four games of the season, but quickly announced his presence vs. Penn. The tight end made a team-high six catches for 60 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  

Gillette's Production: Freshman WR Joe Gillette recorded a 100-yard receiving game at Albany with seven catches for 105 yards, and in the process snagged Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors. The Strongsville, Ohio native is averaging 4.5 catches for 70.5 yards per game over the last four contests having started three of those. 

Through Five Games: The numbers show that the Lafayette offensive is significantly improved in 2019. The Leopards are averaging 21.8 points, 283 passing yards and 100.4 rushing yards per game in 2019. Through five games in 2018 (against Sacred Heart, Delaware, Monmouth, Colgate and CCSU), Lafayette was averaging 11.4 points, 203 passing yards and 54 rushing yards per game.  

Shoemaker's Rankings: Just over a third of the way through the season and freshman QB Keegan Shoemaker's numbers have started to stand out. Shoemaker ranks first in the Patriot League (19th in the nation) in completion percentage (64.2%), completions per game (20.4), passing efficiency (142.41), passing yards (1,286), passing yards per game (257.2), passing yards per completion (12.6) and total offense (275.2).

Last Time Out: Lafayette's fourth quarter rally came up just short on Homecoming Weekend on College Hill, as Penn outlasted the Leopards 28-24 on Sept. 28. A pair of freshmen, QB Keegan Shoemaker and LB Marco Olivas, had strong outings. Shoemaker was 23-of-33 for 287 yards and three touchdowns (two to Zadok Scott), despite being sacked seven times. Olivas had to pick up the slack left by the injury departure of Major Jordan. He did that and more, making 17 tackles, including 13 solo stops and a forced fumble. Lafayette did not commit a turnover in the game for the first time in 2019.

Opponent: Princeton is the reigning Ivy League champion, running up a 10-0, 7-0 mark in 2018 while ascending as high as No. 8 in the national polls. This 2019 Princeton squad is ranked No. 19/21 and is off to a 3-0 start with wins over Butler, Bucknell and Columbia by a combined score of 126-40. 
    Senior Kevin Davidson is in his first year as a starter at QB, taking over for All-American John Lovett who graduated and took 75 career touchdowns with him. Davidson lit up Bucknell for seven touchdowns in week two and is averaging 331 passing yards per game with 10 touchdowns to one interception. Senior WR Andrew Griffin has five of Davidson's TD tosses, four against Bucknell, while junior WR Jacob Birmelin leads the team with 18 catches over three games.
    The Tigers' defense is led by junior LB James Johnson who has 23 tackles in three games, including three tackles for loss. Princeton has 25 TFL in the early going and four players have recorded an interception.  
    Princeton is coached by Bob Surace (Princeton '90) who is in his 10th season at Princeton and 12th overall.