The Match-Up: Coming off a season-opening win over Sacred Heart, Lafayette remains on the road for week two, playing No. 21 Duke on Saturday at 6 p.m. Duke opened its season with a Labor Day win over to No. 9 Clemson. 

Curtis' Carries: 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.   

200 on the Ground: The Leopards churned out 223 rushing yards at Sacred Heart, a mark they had not reached since week three of 2019. 

Defensive Stand: 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).

Vaughn Named R.O.W.: Fr. Michael Vaughn made the most of his snaps at Sacred Heart, registering two of the team's three sacks and four tackles overall in the defensive line rotation. His play earned him Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors.

Maroon and "White": Junior S Saiku White had a game- and career-high 12 stops for the Leopards, marking the second straight season that the Atlanta native had 12 stops in the season opener. White was the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week following the win in 2022.

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. 

About The Meeting: Duke is the Leopards' lone FBS opponent in 2023 and the first meeting with an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent since 1951 (Syracuse). Lafayette has played 23 games (10-11-2) against current ACC members.
    Saturday will mark the first time Lafayette will have played on grass since week two of 2022 when Lafayette played Temple at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. 

Saturday Night Lights: Lafayette plays its second straight night game after not playing at night in all of 2022. 

The Ledger: Lafayette is in the midst of four-straight non-league contests to open the season (and five overall). Lafayette will then play three in a row at home, hosting Columbia, Monmouth and Bucknell to close out 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).

Hamm Named to Ravens Roster: Malik Hamm '23, a five-time All-Patriot League selection and two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, recently was named to the Baltimore Ravens' 53-man roster after signing an undrafted free agent contract in April. 
    Hamm, a Baltimore native, left Lafayette as the school's career sacks leader (32), and fittingly the final play of the final game of his collegiate career was a game-ending sack of Lehigh's quarterback in a 14-11 win in #Rivalry158 on Nov. 19. He also ranks fourth in the Patriot League annals for career sacks.

The Opponent: Duke is coming off a 9-4 campaign that saw the Blue Devils finish 5-3 in ACC play while also capturing a bowl win over UCF. In week one of 2023, Duke topped No. 9 Clemson, the first of three straight home games.
    The Blue Devils return 19 starters (9 offense, 8 defense, 2 special teams). Offensively, junior QB Riley Leonard is a returning All-ACC honoree after throwing for 2,697 yards with 20 touchdowns while also running for 699 yards and 13 scores. He had 273 all-purpose yards vs. Clemson. Senior WR Jalon Calhoun is a favorite target, reeling in 62 balls for 873 yards and four TDs.
    Senior S Jaylen Stinson is Duke's leading returning tackler (74) on a defense that was fourth in the ACC in rushing defense. He also holds down kick returning duties. Classmate DeWayne Carter brings with him 11.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks.
    Duke is coached by Mike Elko who is in his second season at the helm of the program after being named the conference coach of the year 2022. He was 3-2 against the Leopards as an assistant coach at Penn, Fordham and Richmond.

Under Center: Sophomore Ryan Schuster was the starter coming out of camp and played all but the final two series in the opener at Sacred Heart. He was 6-of-12 for 40 yards with an interception. 
 In his rookie season, the Macomb, Mich. native earned the starting spot. His play early on in 2022 did not disappoint, as he garnered Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors each of the first three weeks of the season. A broken femur knocked the Mechanical Engineering major from the Penn game in the third quarter and ended his season. Schuster completed 43-of-78 for 406 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also rushing for two more touchdowns in the four games. 
    Showing no ill effects of his injury after surgery and a thorough rehab, Schuster beat out junior Ah-Shaun Davis and classmate Dean DeNobile for the starting nod in week one. 
    DeNobile, a native of Upper Saddle River, N.J., did not play in any games as a rookie, but impressed the coaching staff with his ability to move the team during spring ball and in his second training camp.
    Davis, a Willingboro, N.J., has played in 16 games through two seasons, completing 194-of-333 for 2,058 yards and 10 touchdowns.
 
Fresh Faces: Two Leopards forced their way into the  starting 11 on defense: Ahmir Crawley at nosetackle, and Jaylon Joseph at defensive end. They were joined by Michael Vaughn, De'Marion McCoy and Darien Riley, all of whom had significant reps on the D Line.
    Offensively, Carson Persing saw some time at wide receiver, surrounded by a smattering of fellow rookies on special teams in week one. 
 
The Front Five: Lafayette's offensive line was hit hard by injuries in 2022, forcing rookies into action early and one player to switch from defense. The Leopards are in a much better situation this season. Senior captain Mike Barr leads the unit from the center spot, having started 14 of 18 games played the last two seasons. He lined up alongside right guard John Olmstead who was limited to three starts at the beginning of the 2022 season. Sophomore Brian Baucia returns at the other guard spot after starting every game as a rookie. He is playing next to Ryder Langsdale who also started every game there last season after making the move from defensive tackle. Soph. Reed Collins took the first start at Sacred Heart, splitting time with Matthew Sherer at right tackle after a preseason injury to Wake Forest transfer Thomas Grippo. 

Linebacking Corps: The strength of the Leopards' defense will be its linebacking corps led by fifth-year seniors Marco Olivas and Billy Shaeffer. Olivas has started 30 of 38 career games, earning all-league status the last two seasons. Shaeffer is also an all-conference caliber player when healthy and has started 24 of 37 games at OLB since 2018 while also logging reps as a key special teams performer on coverage units and as a long snapper. Senior Preston Forney is the Leopards' WILL linebacker, a spot he has excelled in, starting 15 games since 2021 while his tackle numbers have climbed steadily. Senior Semaj Cross, junior Reggie Thomas and soph. Ian Langan are poised to play larger roles while working into the linebacker rotation. 

Captains X Four: Seniors Mike Barr, Marco Olivas, Carl Smith and Saiku White have taken over the leadership reins of the Lafayette football team in 2023, selected as recipients of the Chris LaPietra '89 Captain Award for the 142nd season.
    For Olivas, it marks his second straight season as a team captain. The 2023 Preseason All-Patriot League linebacker was an All-Patriot League First-Team selection in 2022. He started all 11 games for the Leopards and led the team with 92 tackles. An Academic All-Patriot League selection in 2021 and 2022, Olivas added 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 2022 while forcing a pair of fumbles and recovering two more. The Integrative Engineering major helped guide a defense that ranked eighth in the nation and first in the Patriot League for rushing defense (106.7).
    White, a defensive teammate who was also a 2023 Preseason All-Patriot League honoree, started 11 games at free safety in 2022 and finished second on the team in tackles. The Economics major rang up 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.
    Offensively, Barr will anchor the line. He started 10 games in 2022, including the final eight at center after playing right tackle early in the season. The Economics major played in eight games with four starts in his junior campaign.
    Smith is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he played in eight games with two starts at wide receiver. The Art major finished the season with nine catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns, making at least one grab in five games.

Running The Ball in '23: Leopard head coach John Troxell wants to run the ball in 2023. The Leopards were hampered by an inexperienced and oft-injured front five in 2022, but a much-improved lineman corps will provide an opportunity to utilize a stable of talented running backs. 
    Soph. Jamar Curtis started nine contests in his rookie season, carrying the ball 115 times for 465 yards and a touchdown to lead the team in rushing. He sits at the top of the depth chart and got off to an excellent start in 2023, running for 181 yards on 19 carries with a TD.  
    Junior Jermaine Conyers got the start in the 2022 season opener and played in 11 games overall. This season, he had four carries for 29 yards in the opener. Classmate Nahjee Adams could be poised for a breakout campaign after the Easton native was limited to two games in 2022. He scored his first career touchdown in the opener at Sacred Heart on a one-yard run and also added a 24-yard screen pass.