The Match-Up: The Leopards are looking for their third-straight victory when they head north to Massachusetts to face Holy Cross on Saturday in a noon kickoff. The matchup pits two of the top three teams in the Patriot League standings, as Holy Cross enters with a 3-0 league record and Lafayette sits at 2-1, sandwiching Lehigh at 3-1.

Patriot League Path: Lafayette controls its Patriot League destiny, with games against Colgate and Lehigh remaining on the ledger after this week's road contest vs. Holy Cross.

300 for 17 = 3X: Freshman QB Keegan Shoemaker turned in the second 300-yard passing game of his career vs. Fordham. Shoemaker completed 17-of-33 for 309 yards with three touchdowns on his way to his third Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor. His 60 passing yards on the final drive set up the game-winning score in the 38-34 victory.  

Fresh Catches: With three starting wide receivers out against Fordham, the Leopards looked to their bench for pass-catching production. Freshmen Jordan Hull and Julius Young answered the bell, as Hull made three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown, including a 42-yard grab that set up the game-winning score. It was a quieter day for Young, whose only catch of the game was a 10-yard TD in the first quarter leading to a season-high 17 points in the opening stanza.

Career Day: Soph. TE Zadok Scott had a breakout game vs. Fordham, reeling in six catches for 160 yards. His 91-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter is the Leopards' longest play from scrimmage this season, showcasing his speed as he ran away from a defensive back. Scott also had a five-yard carry on an end around for a first down. (It was the first 150-yard receiving day since Mark Ross had 151 yards at Holy Cross on Oct. 26, 2013.)
    For the day, the tight ends, including Steven Stilianos and Jake Taggart, accounted for 10 catches and 235 receiving yards. 

100-Plus: Junior RB Selwyn Simpson churned out a 102-yard rushing game vs. Fordham (the second 100-plus game of his career with both coming against Fordham).  Simpson, who averaged 6.0 yards per carry vs. Fordham in week nine, had two touchdowns, including the game-winning, 10-yard run when he spun off a defender to score with 1:48 left in the game. Lafayette has three 100-yard games this season, one by Jaden Sutton (100) at Georgetown and the other by Keegan Shoemaker (124) vs. Sacred Heart.

Red-Zone Opportunities: Lafayette has made the most of its red-zone opportunities, turning 19-of-21 (90%) chances into points (15 touchdowns and 4 field goals). Lafayette was 5-for-5 with four touchdowns and a field goal vs. Fordham.

Going For 500: The Lafayette offense managed its second 500-plus yard game of the season vs. Fordham, with 309 passing yards and 192 rushing yards. The Leopards' season high was 593 yards against Sacred Heart.

On Third Down: The Maroon and White were 9-of-16 (57%) on third-down against Fordham and held the Rams to 6-of-14 (43%). The Leopards' season conversion rate is 34 percent to their opponents' 45 percent, while in Patriot League play the Lafayette offense has converted 45 percent while allowing 38 percent.
    QB Keegan Shoemaker is 41-of-73 (56%) on third-down passing plays in 2019. 

Last Time Out: Selwyn Simpson's second touchdown of the game, a 10-yard run on a stretch play, sealed Lafayette's 38-34 win over Fordham. Lafayette led 31-10 with 5:53 left in the third before Fordham scored 24 unanswered points and led 34-31 with 3:36 left in the game after a 42-yard Fordham field goal. 
 
Major Contributions: Junior Major Jordan is leading the defensive effort. The middle linebacker has a team-high 84 stops for the season and made a career-high 14 tackles vs. Bucknell, with 10 of those solo stops. In his last outing, Jordan had a team-best 11 tackles vs. Fordham with nine solo tackles. Jordan had 12 tackles (his previous career high) in each of the William & Mary (8/31) and Georgetown (10/19) games. Against the Hoyas, Jordan also snagged his first career interception. In 2018, Jordan finished third on the team with 66 tackles, including 10 stops at Delaware.

A Passing Fancy: Freshman QB Keegan Shoemaker has has completed 62 percent of his passes, a mark that ranks him first in the Patriot League and 30th in the nation. His single-season mark thus far also places him fourth all-time at Lafayette. Shoemaker is first in the conference (32nd in NCAA) in completions per game (19.1), passing yards (2,103) and passing yards per game (233.7) and is second in passing efficiency (131.5). He also ranks first in the Patriot League in total offense (261.1).

The D Lately: Patriot League play has seen the Leopards' defense step up its game. Lafayette is allowing 311 yards of total offense in conference action vs. 446 yards in non-conference play. In the Leopards' first two Patriot League outings, Lafayette held Bucknell to 287 yards of total offense (124 rushing, 163 passing), just shy of the season best (a week prior) when the Leopards surrendered 264 yards (104 rushing, 160 passing) at Georgetown. Versus Fordham, Lafayette gave up 383 yards of total offense (68 rushing and 315 passing).

Opponent: The Crusaders, 5-4 overall, sit atop the Patriot League standings with a 3-0 mark. Holy Cross' conference wins have come over Bucknell (21-14), Colgate (31-10) and Lehigh (24-17). 
    The Holy Cross offense is powered by senior RB Domenic Cozier who is coming off a 22-carry, 190-yard rushing day in the win over Lehigh. Cozier is averaging 85 yards per game and has three touchdowns in '19. Connor Degenhardt is taking all of the snaps, completing 51 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. The junior has spread the ball around, as three receivers (Spencer Gilliam, Ayir Asante, Tenio Ayeni) have 20-plus catches and 400 receiving yards apiece while combining for 10 touchdowns. 
    Defensively, freshman linebacker Jacob Dobbs has 60 tackles and is credited with 50 solo stops to go along with three sacks and one interception. 
    Holy Cross is coached by Bob Chesney (Dickinson '00) who is in his second season on the Worcester sideline. Prior to Holy Cross, Chesney spent five seasons down the road at Assumption College.