EASTON, Pa. – The 2024 Lafayette football schedule will see the Leopards play 12 regular-season games for the first time since 2019, with seven road games and five home contests on the ledger.
 
Lafayette will have its earliest ever start to a season on Aug. 29, traveling to Buffalo for a Thursday night matchup. The Leopards are 6-1 all time vs. the Bulls, but have not faced the MAC foe since 1998. Buffalo is coached by former Lehigh coach Pete Lembo (2001-05). Lafayette has encountered an FBS foe each of the last three seasons: Duke, Temple and Air Force.
 
Week two takes Lafayette to West Long Branch, N.J., to face CAA foe Monmouth, a program the Leopards defeated 28-20 in 2023 in Easton, Pa.
 
Sept. 14 marks the home opener, when Lafayette will square off versus Marist for the first time since 2007. Lafayette is 5-0 all-time vs. the Red Foxes who are under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Willis (Princeton's offensive coordinator from 2021-23).
 
Games four and five take the Leopards to New York City twice over a three-week span, first to face Columbia on Sept. 21 and then to open Patriot League play at Fordham on Oct. 5. The Big Apple meetings bookend a bye week on College Hill. Lafayette scored 24 points in each of its home wins against the two NYC schools in 2023.
 
Lafayette will enjoy a three-game homestand the rest of October, hosting Georgetown (Oct. 12), Sacred Heart (Oct. 19) and Holy Cross (Oct. 26). Patriot League foe Georgetown has split its last four outings with the Leopards, with Lafayette capturing a 35-25 triumph last season. 2024 will mark the third-straight season Lafayette plays Sacred Heart, as the Pioneers were the season-opening opponent in 2022 and 2023. Lafayette's triumph over then-No. 11 Holy Cross was one of the signature wins in 2023. The Leopards captured a 38-35 shootout on the road, as Jamar Curtis carried 30 times for 229 yards to snap Holy Cross' 18-game Patriot League winning streak. The 2024 matchup will serve as Homecoming and Family Weekend on College Hill.
 
The month of November takes the Leopards back on the road for three out of four games. They will search for their third straight victory over Bucknell on Nov. 2 and look to avenge their lone Patriot League loss (37-34) from 2023 when they travel to Colgate on Nov. 9.
 
In week 11, Lafayette will play Stonehill for the first time in program history. The college, located in Easton, Mass. will make the trip to Easton, Pa. The Skyhawks are coming off a 5-5 mark and compete in the NEC.
 
The regular season wraps up with the Leopards' second straight trip to Lehigh. The Maroon and White have won two in a row over the Brown and White, including a convincing 49-21 win in 2023.
 
Lafayette has already begun its preparations for a Patriot League title defense, kicking off the spring season on March 19. The 15-practice season will culminate with the Maroon-White Spring Showcase on April 20 at 3 p.m. at Fisher Stadium.