EASTON, Pa. – Keegan Shoemaker racked up 515 yards of total offense in the Leopards' home opener on Saturday. The freshman QB threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 124 yards with two more scores, but saw the Leopards drop a 56-40 decision to Sacred Heart at Fisher Stadium.
Shoemaker set a school record in total offense and his 391 passing yards are the third-most all-time at Lafayette. Shoemaker is the first Leopard since Brad Maurer in 2004 to pass for 100 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game.
Wide receivers
Nick Pearson and
Joe Gillette played a key role in Shoemaker's big day with Pearson finishing with seven catches for 142 yards and a touchdown while Gillette had five receptions for 103 yards. Gillette also tacked on a 44-yard scoring run as Lafayette rang up the most points thus far in the
John Garrett era.
Lafayette scored on the opening drive of the game.
J.J. Younger's 25-yard kick return put the Leopards in good position. They finished off a nine-play, 42-yard drive with
Jeffrey Kordenbrock's 40-yard field goal for the early lead.
On Sacred Heart's first drive, the Lafayette defense seemed to have the Pioneers stopped deep in Leopard territory, but a roughing penalty gave them new life. The visitors put together a nine-play scoring march that ended with a seven-yard TD pass from Logan Marchi to Kezio Snelling. A 45-yard catch and run by Tyrese Chambers set up the score.
Sacred Heart (2-1) led 14-3 as Marchi again found Snelling who got behind a Leopard defender for a 75-yard touchdown with 1:14 left in the first quarter.
The Leopards answered with a big play of their own, a 41-yard pass from Shoemaker to Gillette who made a one-handed grab with a player draped on him. That took the Leopards to the SHU four-yard line. Two plays later, Shoemaker ran out wide and dragged the ball over the pylon for the touchdown. Lafayette pulled within 14-10.
Five minutes into the second quarter, the Leopards were pinned at their own one-yard line, but they came out throwing. Shoemaker hit
Julius Young for 40 yards. Then Gillette ripped off a 44-yard run with crisp cuts that found the end zone with 7:54 left in the half. Lafayette led 17-14. That 99-yard drive is the longest of the season.
The Leopard offense continued to roll in the first half. Shoemaker did some work with his feet, scoring on a seven-yard scramble after making two Sacred Heart defenders miss for his second touchdown of the game. Lafayette led 24-14 with 4:31 left in the half.
Sacred Heart came back with a touchdown just before half. Marchi connected with Chambers for a 24-yard score to finish off an 11-play drive that covered 76 yards over 3:24. Lafayette led 24-21 at halftime.
The Pioneer offense continued to pound away at the Lafayette defense which played without three key defensive linemen in
Harrison Greenhill,
Malik Hamm and
Ian Grayson. Sacred Heart outscored the Leopards 35-16 in the second half, including 21-3 in the third quarter.
A one-yard TD by Julius Chestnut and touchdown passes of 20 and 65 yards from Marchi to Chambers and Snelling, respectively, sandwiched Kordenbrock's second field goal of the afternoon. Marchi finished the afternoon with 22-of-32 for 407 yards and six touchdowns while Chestnut had 74 rushing yards.
In the final quarter, Sacred Heart picked off Shoemaker for a 66-yard interception return by Alaam Horne that set up a score. On Sacred Heart's next possession, the Pioneers put away the game with a 37-yard TD pass from Marchi to Yasir Berry.
The Leopards added two 70-yard scoring drives to close out the afternoon, the first ending on a 33-yard pass from Shoemaker to Pearson and the second on an 11-yard strike to
Julian Spigner for the 56-40 final. A 33-yard hookup with Gillette set up the final score.
Defensively, the Leopards gave up 506 yards of total offense.
Yasir Thomas and
Major Jordan combined to make 15 stops with Thomas breaking up a pair of passes.
Lafayette (0-3) gets back on the road next week, traveling to Albany for a 3:30 p.m. matchup, the first ever between the schools.
