EASTON, Pa. – Selwyn Simpson's second touchdown of the game, a 10-yard run on a stretch play, sealed Lafayette's 38-34 win over Fordham on Saturday afternoon. The Leopards improve to 2-1 in conference play with three games remaining.
 
Simpson, a junior, finished the afternoon with 17 carries for 102 yards in his second career 100-yard rushing game. Lafayette ran up 501 yards of total offense and finished 9-of-16 on third down. Soph. TE Zadok Scott had a breakout day, making six catches for 160 yards and a touchdown. In the third quarter, Scott and freshman QB Keegan Shoemaker connected for the Leopards' longest play from scrimmage this season, a 91-yard pass that stretched Lafayette's lead to 31-10. Shoemaker was 17-of-33 for 309 yards and three touchdowns while also running 11 times for 60 yards.
 
That 31-10 advantage with 5:53 left in the third was seemingly insurmountable – before Fordham scored 24 unanswered points. The Rams answered with two quick scores, finding the end zone on a 17-yard pass to Dequence Carter just before the end of the third quarter. Then, a minute into the final stanza, a 55-yard pass to Carter set up a score with 14:04 left. Fordham QB Tim DeMorat cut Lafayette's lead to 31-24 with a six-yard pass to Hamze El-Zayat. 
 
With 11:21 left in the game, the Fordham defense turned in a momentum-shifting play. Lafayette had the ball 4^th-and-1 near midfield and chose to go for it. The Rams' Glenn Cunningham penetrated the backfield and tackled Jaden Sutton for no gain, as Lafayette turned it over on downs at midfield. Three minutes later (8:17), DeMorat tied the game at 31-31 with a 15-yard TD pass to Jeff Ciccio.
 
The teams exchanged punts on their next two possessions before Fordham intercepted Shoemaker at the Lafayette 23-yard line. The Rams took the lead, 34-31, on an Andrew Mevis 42-yard field goal with 3:36 left.
 
That set the stage for the Leopard offense. Shoemaker connected with TE Jake Taggart for 18 yards just shy of midfield. On second down, it was Jordan Hull's turn, as he reeled in a 42-yard grab down the Fordham sideline to the Rams' 15-yard line. Simpson picked up five on first down. On second down, head coach John Garrett called for the run again. This time Simpson made a Fordham defender miss and punched it in for the 38-34 margin with 1:48 left.
 
The Lafayette defense held off Fordham on the final drive in the 38-34 final. Major Jordan registered a game-high 11 tackles (with two tackles for loss), including a crucial fourth-down stop in the third quarter. Freshman LB Marco Olivas made nine tackles, finishing with two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. On the line, Malik Hamm garnered four tackles (2.5 TFL) with 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries.
 
Lafayette held the momentum for the majority of the game, scoring three times in the first quarter to take a 17-0 lead. Jeffrey Kordenbrock's 31-yard field goal on the initial drive gave Lafayette a 3-0 lead.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, Billy Shaeffer (6 tackles) dislodged the ball from the returner and Olivas was on the spot to recover at the Fordham 26-yard line. The Leopard offense did the rest. Shoemaker picked up nine yards on first down. Four plays later, Simpson ran it in from 14 yards out for the 10-0 lead seven minutes into the game.
 
Lafayette scored for a third time in the first quarter. Shoemaker found Julius Young for his first career touchdown, a 10-yard reception that ended an eight-play, 76-yard drive. Lafayette led 17-0 at 2:36 in the first.
 
Fordham scored seven seconds into the second quarter, as a 21-yard pass set up a 10-yard Zach Davis scoring run to cut Lafayette's lead to 17-7.
 
Just before the half, Shoemaker zipped a pass to Scott for 31 yards to the 20-yard line. On 3^rd-and-1 at the 11-yard line, the Leopards dialed up the end around for Scott who picked up the first down with 45 seconds left in the half. A Shoemaker scramble following a penalty kept the Leopards' drive alive. On the next play, Shoemaker hooked up with Hull for the touchdown and a 24-17 halftime lead. Hull ended the day with three catches for 52 yards.
 
With the victory in front of the home fans at Fisher Stadium, Lafayette improves to 2-1 in Patriot League action, setting up a Nov. 9 battle with Holy Cross (3-0) which is undefeated in league play after a 24-17 win over Lehigh (3-1) on Saturday.