BRONX, N.Y. – Lafayette weathered a last-minute drive by Fordham when rookie CB Xavier Johnson batted away a pass in the end zone. Lafayette captured a 28-23 win in the Patriot League opener on Saturday at Moglia Stadium. 
 
The Leopards' defense stood tall against the Fordham run game, holding Julius Loughridge (who came into the game averaging 109 yards per game) to 79 yards. Senior LB Preston Forney finished with 12 tackles and was one of three Leopards (Tyree Morris and Semaj Cross) with a sack. Gabe DuBois ended with nine tackles and five pass breakups.
 
Junior RB Jamar Curtis churned out his second 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 111 yards, while Troy Bruce added 72 and a touchdown. Quarterback Dean DeNobile was 13-of-18 for 124 and three touchdowns.
 
The Leopards got the ball to start the game and immediately took advantage. Curtis ran for 34 yards on the drive before a long pass put the Maroon and White on the board. TE Ethan Hosak ran past a defender up the middle of the field and DeNobile hit him in stride for a 28-yard catch and a 7-0 lead four minutes into the game.
 
Defense kept the momentum. The Leopards put pressure on the Fordham QB Jack Capaldi and Forney drilled him before he could release the ball. De'Marion McCoy scooped up the ball and returned it to the Fordham 20-yard line.
 
The offense capitalized on the turnover. DeNobile pulled the handoff from Curtis before zipping a 21-yard TD pass to Chris Carasia, who made it his fifth-straight game with a TD grab. Lafayette led 14-0 with 3:46 left in the first, a margin that held through the end of quarter.
 
Fordham evened things in the second quarter. Two minutes in, Loughridge scored from nine yards out, taking advantage of a personal foul penalty early in the drive. Lafayette led 14-7 at 13:18 in the second.
 
The Rams tied the game with 2:51 left in the half. Capadli faked a handoff to Loughridge and knifed through the Leopard defense 38 yards into the endzone to knot the game at 14-14, where it remained at halftime.
 
Fordham received the second-half kickoff and took its first lead of the game when Bennett Henderson booted home a 38-yard field goal.
 
The Leopards re-claimed the advantage on their first possession after intermission. Lafayette picked up a crucial 3^rd-and-12 from their own 36-yard line with a 22-yard leaping catch by Elijah Steward. Curtis followed by ripping off a 27-yard run up a gaping hole in the middle. The Leopards capped the scoring march with a one-yard pitch to Bruce. Lafayette led 21-17 with two minutes left in the third quarter.
 
Lafayette flirted with three passes that easily could have been interceptions in the first half and finally reeled in one to change the momentum. Saiku White ripped down a Capaldi toss and took it back to the Fordham nine-yard line. One play later, DeNobile found a wide-open Dallas Holmes for a nine-yard score. Lafayette led 28-17 at the end of the third quarter.
 
Fordham blocked a punt half way through the fourth quarter and took over at the nine-yard line. The Rams scored on a two-yard run by Loughridge that cut Lafayette's lead to 28-23 with 6:49 left in the game.
 
The Leopards had the ball 4^th-and-1 at the 14-yard line. Initially it looked as if they would go for it, but after a timeout, they opted for a field goal attempt. The try was partially blocked with 3:30 left in the game and Fordham took over at the Fordham 20-yard line.
 
Capaldi completed four passes and Loughridge added a 17-yard run as Fordham moved the ball to the Lafayette 30-yard line where they had it ball 1^st-and-10 with 26 seconds left. DuBois broke up the next three passes and Fordham had one last chance with 13 ticks remaining. Johnson knocked away the toss intended for Garrett Cody in the corner of the endzone to secure the victory. 
 
Lafayette returns to Easton for three straight home games, beginning with Georgetown on Oct. 12 at 12:30 p.m. Fisher Stadium will host the inaugural food truck festival at the game.  
 
Notes: Curtis managed his 11^th 100-yard rushing game of his career and second of the season.
 
For White, a preseason All-America selection, it was his eighth career interception and second of the season. 

Saturday's victory was the third straight win for the Leopards in a Patriot League opener. 

The Leopards used their fifth offensive line starting lineup this season (after using just one in 2023).