EASTON, Pa. – Jamar Curtis' three rushing touchdowns and a pair of special teams scores in the first half propelled Lafayette to a 56-14 win over Marist on Saturday at Fisher Stadium in the Leopards' home opener.
 
For the second straight game, Lafayette rolled up 500 yards of total offense. Junior QB Dean DeNobile completed 20-of-23 for 241 yards and a touchdown. He connected on his first 14 throws before the Leopards' kept things on the ground in the second half. Junior Elijah Steward, who was coming off a 244-yard performance at Monmouth, came through with his second career 100-yard receiving game, making six catches for 102 yards. Sophomore Carson Persing reeled in nine catches for 82 yards, both career highs.  
 
Defensively, Lafayette limited Marist to 170 offensive yards on the day (only eight yards in the second quarter), including just 43 on the ground. The Leopards featured 10 players who made two or more tackles, as Semaj Cross, Reggie Thomas, Preston Forney and Davis Oliver-Goodwin (first career start) had three apiece.
 
Special Teams set the tone on the day for the Leopards, blocking a punt on Marist's first possession. Rookie Gianlucca Tiberia came off the edge to get a hand on the punt and classmate Xavier Johnson recovered in the endzone for the 7-0 advantage. It was the first punt return for a TD since 2010. Late in the first half, the special teams were at it again when another freshman, Mason Kuehner, ripped off a 58-yard punt return to the house for a touchdown.
 
The Maroon and White offense also proved more than up to the task. Curtis rushed for three touchdowns in the first half, scoring on runs of eight, four and two yards on his way to a season-high 88 rushing yards. His final score came with five seconds left in the opening half to stretch the Leopards' lead to 35-7 at halftime.
 
As the second half opened, a 34-yard connection from DeNobile to Steward set up the Leopards' next score. DeNobile completed another Jersey connection, finding Chris Carasia in the corner of the endzone for the 42-7 advantage at 12:26 in the third.  
 
The defense got in on things when reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year Jaylon Joseph picked off a pass and returned it 16 yards and in for the score. Jack Simonetta added the PAT (one of eight on the day) off a Christian Bush hold and Dylan Aguilera snap as Lafayette led 49-7.  
 
Tray Mauney's 43-yard strike to a wide-open Carson Jacoby set up another Leopard score. Nahjee Adams rolled up 27 rushing yards on the scoring march and finished it with a six-yard scoring run for the 56-7 lead that held through the end of the third quarter.
 
Lafayette returns to action on Sept. 21, traveling to Columbia for a noon kick off.
 
NOTES: Curtis' third touchdown of the game moved him to 22 rushing touchdowns for his Lafayette career, tying Tony Giglio '74 (22) in eighth place.

Persing set new career highs with for receptions (9) and receiving yards (82). The biology major from Danville, Pa. sits at 123 yards on 15 receptions for the season. 
 
Tiberia's blocked punt and Johnson's recovery in the endzone for a TD was Lafayette's first blocked punt for a touchdown since Kyni Scott (at Penn on Sept. 18, 2010).
 
Kuehner's punt return for TD was the first since Sept. 29, 2018 (CJ Amill, 57 yards vs. Central Connecticut State).
 
Lafayette moves to 92-50-3 all time in home openers. The 56-14 win over Marist makes it three straight wins in their home lid lifters and four of their last five while at Fisher Stadium.
 
Steward now has 120 career receptions, advancing into Lafayette's top 10. The economics major is tied with Jeremy Burkes '03 for 10th place. He needs eight more catches to move into ninth place all time.