Lafayette College Athletics

EASTON, Pa. – Lafayette secured the Patriot League victory it needed on Saturday, beating Fordham 24-16 to improve to 8-2 overall and 4-1 in Patriot League play. The Leopards control their own destiny in the conference title race, entering Rivalry 159 next week.
 
The No. 23/25 Leopards benefited from Jamar Curtis' return to the lineup on Senior Day. The sophomore ran for 204 yards on 31 carries after missing the last game and a half with injury. It was the 12^th 200-yard rushing game in Lafayette history. In the second quarter, Curtis ripped off a 40-yard run that set up the Leopards' first score and pushed him over 1,000 rushing yards for a season (the first Leopard to reach the 1000-yard plateau since Ross Scheuerman in 2014).
 
After a scoreless first quarter, the Rams got on the scoreboard. Fordham ballcarrier Julius Loughridge spun off a defender on the ground and maintained his balanced for a 24-yard touchdown. After a video review, it was determined he was down at the 11-yard line, and the Rams settled for a 29-yard field goal by Brandon Peskin.
 
On the next possession, the Leopards took the lead for good. Curtis' 40-yard scamper set up the Leopards deep in the Fordham half. Soph. QB Dean DeNobile followed with passes to Carl Smith (10), Mason Gilbert (14) and finally Elijah Steward for a seven-yard touchdown. Jack Simonetta's PAT went through and Lafayette led 7-3 at 11:32.
 
Lafayette stretched the lead to 14-3, 10 minutes into the second half. DeNobile's 13-yard pass converted a 3^rd-and-11 inside the Fordham half, as Lafayette was 7-of-12 on third down.  On the next play, he hit Steward for a 24-yard strike down to the one-yard line. Three plays later, after a couple of video reviews on running plays at the goal line, DeNobile punched in a one-yard score for a 14-3 margin.
 
As the fourth quarter opened, the Leopards created some breathing room with Simonetta's 24-yard field goal. Lafayette led 17-3 with 12:32 left in the game.
 
Three minutes later, the visitors answered with a 77-yard scoring drive capped by quarterback C.J. Montes' one-yard run to make it a one-score game 17-10. Montes finished with 46 rushing yards while throwing for 253 yards on the day.
 
When the Leopards got the ball back, Curtis started the drive with a 72-yard run , Lafayette's longest play from scrimmage this season. Four plays later, Curtis found the endzone for the second time on the afternoon, this time from three yards out for a 24-10 lead with 6:55 left.
 
Fordham's 15-yard touchdown from Montes to Loughridge made it 24-16, but the PAT missed wide with 3:25 left.
 
Head coach John Troxell and the Leopards looked to run time off the clock, and the running game took care of that. Troxell made a gutsy decision with a 4th-and-1 situation on the Lafayette 34-yard line. After trying to draw Fordham offsides, Lafayette took a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Leopards went for it and picked up six yards to put away the game.
 
Defensively, senior LB Billy Shaeffer finished with eight tackles while Marco Olivas, Gabe DuBois and Reggie Thomas added six stops apiece.
 
Next up for Lafayette is the 159^th meeting of college football's most-played rivalry with Lehigh on Saturday at noon in Bethlehem.