EASTON, Pa. – Just two days and countless celebrations removed from the second straight rivalry win, the Patriot League champion Leopards advanced in both of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Top 25 polls on Monday morning.
 
The 49-21 victory over Lehigh pushed the Leopards up four spots to No. 18 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and to No. 20 in the Stats Perform national ranking.
 
After a slow start to #Rivalry159, the Maroon and White outscored Lehigh 35-0 in the second half. Soph. Dean DeNobile threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to earn game MVP honors. Classmate Jamar Curtis carried 27 times for 166 yards (his seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season), becoming the first Leopard since 2018 to score three touchdowns in a game. Lafayette parlayed three turnovers into 21 points as the Leopards claimed the fourth win in the last five rivalry meetings.
 
Lafayette has been in the top 25 polls for five straight weeks, peaking at No. 16 in the AFCA poll and No. 20 in the Stats Perform ballot on Oct. 30. Lafayette initially broke into the polls on Oct. 23, following their 35-25 win over then No. 11/15 Holy Cross on Oct. 21.
 
Under second-year head coach John Troxell '94, Lafayette claimed a Patriot League title for the first time in a decade and surpassed the single-season win total from the previous 40 years. The Leopards finished their non-league slate with a 4-1 mark, the lone blemish against No. 21 Duke, and ran up a 5-1 conference clip for the first time since 2006.
 
Lafayette turns its attention to No. 12/11 Delaware of the Colonial Athletic Association with a Saturday kickoff set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.