The Match-Up: After two on the road to start the season, Lafayette opens up the home ledger on Saturday at 12:30 p.m., hosting a Columbia team in its opening game. The Leopards are coming off a loss to FBS No. 21 Duke in week two while the Lions emerge from training camp.
Home Openers: Lafayette is 90-50-3 all-time in home openers. The Maroon and White won their last home lid-lfiter 6-0 over Sacred Heart in 2022 and have captured two of the last three to open the slate at Fisher Stadium.
Back on the Schedule: Lafayette faces Columbia for the first time in 13 years. The teams first played each other in 1889 and have met intermittently since. The Feline Fracas/Battle of the Cats (copyrights pending) will continue at least through 2026, rotating between Easton and New York.
Familiar Faces: Leopard head coach
John Troxell spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Columbia (1994-96) under Ray Tellier. Current Columbia defensive coordinator Justin Stovall is in his ninth year with the school and second as its DC. Stovall is a 2007 Lafayette grad and the linebacker was part of three titles on College Hill. Jake Amsler is also on the Columbia staff after spending the 2022 season as the Leopards' defensive quality control assistant.
Community / Youth Day: Saturday's game is Community and Youth Day at Fisher Stadium. Lafayette will be joined by a host of groups excited to kick off the home slate.
Gamble/Putnam Years Reunion: As part of the home-opening weekend, Lafayette will host a Gamble/Putnam Years Reunion, celebrating the teams who played under head coach Harry Gamble from 1967-70 and Neil Putnam from 1971-80. Captains from the Putnam Years teams will be on the field to handle Saturday's coin toss.
Maroon and "White": Junior S
Saiku White has been a defensive standout through the Leopards' first two games. He had a game- and career-high 12 stops against Sacred Heart. The Atlanta native followed with a game-high 11 tackles at No. 21 Duke.
DeNobile Start: Sophomore
Dean DeNobile made his first collegiate start at Duke. He completed 9-of-17 for 87 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He also ran six times for 28 yards, including a long run of 18 yards.
Long Haul: Lafayette's lone scoring drive at Duke proved statistically significant. The first quarter march took 13 plays over 7:20, equalled Lafayette's longest drive in terms of plays from last season and surpassed the longest drive in elapsed time.
Curtis Carried Away in the Opener: Soph.
Jamar Curtis enjoyed a breakout game for the Leopards in the season opener, carrying 19 times for 181 yards (both career highs) and a touchdown. The Waldorf, Md. native had 115 yards in the first half (topping his previous single-game best of 108 vs. Lehigh on Nov. 19, 2022 when he garnered Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors). Curtis' longest run at Sacred Heart was a 47-yard carry in the final minute that allowed the Leopards to run out the clock. He followed up with 10 carries for 40 yards at Duke.
200 on the Ground in Fairfield: The Leopards churned out 223 rushing yards at Sacred Heart, a mark they had not reached since week three of 2019.
Defensive Stand at SHU: Soph.
Taylor Smallwood picked off Sacred Heart QB Cade Pribula on 4th-and-goal from the five-yard with 1:40 left to help put away the win at Sacred Heart. His first career interception followed three straight stops on running plays: one for no gain when
Terell Cannon and
Jaylon Joseph teamed up, one for a yard loss thanks to
Billy Shaeffer and
Blamassi Meite and a final rushing stop by
Saiku White for no gain. Lafayette held Sacred Heart to 254 total yards (115 rushing, 139 passing).
Year Two in the Troxell Era: Lafayette football is under the leadership of
John Troxell '94 who is in his second season at the helm of the College Hill program. Troxell guided the Leopards to a 3-3 conference finish and third place in the Patriot League standings in 2022. Lafayette capped the season with a rivalry victory over Lehigh and won two of its last three games.
The Ledger: Lafayette is in the midst of four-straight non-league contests to open the season (and five overall). Lafayette starts a span of three in a row at home, hosting Columbia, Monmouth and Bucknell in September.
Preseason All-Patriot League: The Leopards had three players selected to the 2023 Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
Marco Olivas, an All-Patriot League First-Team selection in 2022, started all 11 games while leading the team with 92 tackles. An Academic All-Patriot League selection the past two seasons, Olivas added 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 2022 while forcing a pair of fumbles and recovering two more. He helped guide a defense that ranked eighth in the nation and first in the Patriot League for rushing defense (106.7).
Junior safety
Saiku White started 11 games at free safety in 2022 and finished second on the team in tackles. The Economics major tallied 84 stops with 1.5 tackles for loss while adding four pass breakups. He was one of 46 Lafayette selections to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in 2022.
On the offensive side of the ball, senior TE
Mason Gilbert secured preseason All-Patriot League recognition at tight end. The DeWitt, Mich. native garnered All-Patriot League First-Team honors the past two seasons. In 2022, Gilbert started 10 of 11 games and finished with 15 catches for 174 yards and a touchdown. In 2021, the Economics major played in 11 games with nine starts and made 17 catches for 134 yards.
Preseason Poll: Lafayette was picked fourth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll which was voted on by conference coaches and football sports information directors. With 39 points, the Leopards were slotted behind Holy Cross (72), Fordham (62) and Colgate (51) and ahead of Lehigh (32), Georgetown (19) and Bucknell (19).
Opponent: Columbia is coming off a 6-4 campaign in 2022 that saw the Lions win their final three games over Harvard, Brown and Cornell. Columbia has yet to break the seal on the 2023 ledger, as the Ivy League teams traditionally only play 10 games and do not enter the fray until week three of the college football season.
Senior Caden Bell is expected to start at quarterback after throwing for 1,198 yards in 2022 when he completed nearly 60 percent of his passes and finished with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. His top target returns in junior WR Bryson Canty who reeled in 53 balls for 733 yards and six TDs a season ago.
Defensively, Columbia lost its top two tacklers from 2022, but returns junior DB Aaron Brebnor and senior linebackers CJ Brown and Anthony Roussos, who had 37 stops apiece last season.
Columbia is coached by Mark Fabish who will wear the interim tag for 2023 season. Fabish replaced Ivy coaching legend Al Bagnoli whose change in health prompted his retirement from coaching in August. Fabish has been on Columbia's staff for eight years in various roles.
