The Match-Up: Lafayette stays at home to host Sacred Heart on Saturday, part of a three-game homestand at Fisher Stadium. Both teams are coming off losses to schools from Washington, D.C. The Leopards dropped a 17-0 decision to Georgetown in week six and Sacred Heart was topped by Howard, 21-14. 

The Week That Was: Lafayette was dealt its first conference loss of the season, 17-0 to Georgetown at Fisher Stadium. It was the first time since 2019 that Lafayette was shut out in conference play since 2019.
    The defense was tested throughout, as the Hoyas held an 18-minute advantage in time of possession. Senior Saiku White (10) and Preston Forney (8) combined for 18 tackles. Neriyan Brown and Tyree Morris each had seven tackles while Gabe DuBois added four pass breakups. Georgetown ran for 189 yards, led by 74 yards from Bryce Cox. 
    Lafayette's offense, which has been beset by injuries on the offensive line, never really gained any traction in the program's first home game since Sept. 14. The Leopards were held to 236 yards. Georgetown intercepted Leopard quarterback Dean DeNobile four times, including three in the second half. He finished the day 10-of-38 for 167 yards and was sacked four times.

Breakups Are Hard: Senior CB Gabe DuBois leads the Patriot League with 10 pass breakups and 11 passes defended on the season. He registered four PBUs vs. Georgetown. He was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week (10/7) following the Fordham game in which he rang up nine tackles. He also had five pass breakups, including three on the final drive, to secure the victory. 

Common Opponents: Lafayette and Sacred Heart each have played Georgetown. The Pioneers beat Georgetown 40-14 in week three, while the Leopards dropped a 17-0 decision last week. Sacred Heart lost 35-21 to Stonehill, a team Lafayette will face on Nov. 16.

Coming Up: The Leopards' biggest Patriot League matchup of the season is coming up on Oct. 26 when they host Holy Cross on Homecoming/Family Weekend on College Hill. The weekend also serves as a reunion for 2014 football team. That Leopard squad claimed the iconic victory in the Lafayette-Lehigh series, a 27-7 win in the 150th meeting, played in front of 50,000+ fans in Yankee Stadium. 

Carasia's Career Campaign: Senior Chris Carasia had his touchdown streak snapped vs. Georgetown. The Ocean Township, N.J. had reeled in a score in each of the first five games. Carasia secured four catches for 114 yards and a TD at Columbia (9/21). For the season, he has 24 receptions for 320 yards and five touchdowns (equaling his output from 2023). He is on pace to set single-season career highs in all three categories (previously with 32 receptions for 333 yards and five scores in 2023). 
With a Win on Saturday, Lafayette Would: 
• notch program win No. 704
• make it three straight wins over Sacred Heart
• improve to 2-1 at home this season 
• avoid losing two in a row for the first time since 2022 (10/22, 10/29)

18 in 5: LB Preston Forney is making the most of his fifth year. The Texas native leads the team with 40 tackles and is coming off an eight-tackle performance vs. Georgetown. He managed a season-high 12 tackles at Fordham, where he registered two tackles for loss with a sack and a forced fumble.  

Moving Up the Charts: Junior WR Elijah Steward needs one more catch to break into the Lafayette top 10 for career receptions. The economics major currently has 127 career catches, trailing Ross Scheuerman '15 with 128. 

Lining Up: Lafayette offensive line coach Kevin Baumann has used five different starting lineups in six games this season due to significant injuries. By contrast, Lafayette employed one starting front five for all of 2023. 

Ahead of Schedule: John Troxell '94 is in his third season at the helm of his alma mater's football program, and by all accounts the revitalization of Lafayette football is ahead of schedule. In 2023, Lafayette won a Patriot League title and advanced to the NCAA playoffs after posting the most wins in a season in more than 40 years. The team went from 4-7 (3-3 PL) in year one (2022) to 9-3 (5-1 PL) in year two (2023). Both seasons were capped by wins over archrival Lehigh.
    Troxell was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2023 and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. 

Persing Stepping Up: Soph. Carson Persing's production has increased significantly in 2024. In the home opener vs. Marist, the Danville, Pa. native had nine receptions for 82 yards (both career highs). At Columbia, Persing pulled down 10 receptions for 58 yards. In 2024, he has 28 receptions for 191 yards following a 2023 campaign in which the economics major managed 31 catches for 306 yards. 

Weekly Awards: Lafayette pulled down a pair of Patriot League weekly awards following the Marist win. Junior QB Dean DeNobile was the Offensive Player of the Week, while freshman defensive back Xavier Johnson was named Rookie of the Week.
    DeNobile completed his first 14 passes en route to a 20-of-23 day that included 241 yards and a touchdown. He did not play the final 27 minutes of the game.
    Johnson has played every game on special teams and in the defensive backfield. In the first quarter, Johnson recovered a blocked punt in the endzone for a TD to start off the Leopards' scoring. In the third quarter, the Muscle Shoals, Ala. native picked off his first career pass.
    Senior CB Gabe DuBois was named Defensive Player of the Week (10/7) after posting nine tackles and five pass breakups, including three on the final drive, in a win at Fordham. 

The Opponent: Sacred Heart (3-4) enters week eight coming off of a 21-14 loss at Howard. The only independent team that Lafayette faces this year, the Pioneers have wins over St. Anselm, Georgetown and Norfolk State with losses to Delaware State, Stonehill and Delaware. The Pioneers have an experienced roster that features 19 graduate students and 26 seniors. 
    Soph. John Michalski leads the Sacred Heart offense. The QB has done a little bit of everything in 2024, throwing for 761 yards and rushing for 201 yards (third on the team). The Pioneers are averaging 175 yards per game on the ground, using graduate student Jalen Madison (524 yards, 3 TDs, 74.9 ypg) and senior Xavier Leigh (441 yards, 4 TDs, 63 ypg) to run the ball.
    Defensively, grad student Myles Talley has collected 40 tackles and an interception at linebacker. Classmate Marques Mason has started every game at strong safety, racking up 34 tackles and an interception. Soph. DT Nate Chandler has 5.5 sacks on the year.
    Mark Nofri (Keene State '93) is in his 13th season as the Pioneers' head coach and has been on the school's coaching staff since 1994.

The Last Time They Met: Jamar Curtis ran for 181 yards and a touchdown, propelling Lafayette to a 19-14 win over Sacred Heart in the season opener. For the second straight season, Lafayette needed a defensive stand to hold off the Pioneers, and the defense's repeat performance did not disappoint. Taylor Smallwood picked off a fourth-down pass with 1:40 left in the game with Sacred Heart threatening from the five-yard line.
     The Leopards took over and Curtis' 47-yard run put the Leopards in the win column. He had 19 carries for 181 yards (both career highs at the time) and a touchdown, including 115 yards in the first half (which matched Sacred Heart's final game total).