Complete Lafayette Game Notes
Rivalry Meetings

Pre-game Events:  

• Presidents' Brunch, Kirby Sports Center, 10:30 a.m. until kickoff (by invitation only)
• Pard Zone, Pfenning Alumni Center, 9:30 a.m. through halftime (by invitation only)
• Alumni Spirit Huddle, Alumni Memorial Plaza, 10 a.m.-noon (registration available)
• McDonogh Rivalry Week Tailgate, Portlock Black Cultural Center, 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (registration available)
• In-Stadium Tailgate, Fisher Stadium, 10:30 a.m. until kickoff.

The Match-Up: For the first time in the Patriot League era, Lafayette and Lehigh will enter The Rivalry with both teams nationally ranked. The No. 24 Maroon and White and the No. 4 Brown and White sit at 6-0 in Patriot League play, so the first rivalry match-up in Easton since 2022 will determine the Patriot League championship and the FCS Playoff automatic berth. 
    The Leopards are coming off a hard-fought 35-28 road win over Patriot League newcomer Richmond in week 11, while the Mountain Hawks beat Colgate 27-7 in a weather-shortened game. 
    Rivalry historians note that the Leopards hold the edge in the all-time series, 82-73-5, winning two of the last three meetings.

Top 25: Lafayette moved up one spot in the AFCA Coaches poll, rising to No. 24 after debuting Nov. 10. Stats Perform named the Leopards its FCS National Team of the Week following the Richmond win and Lafayette continues to receive votes (72) in the organization's Top 25 poll.

Last Time Out: Kente Edwards continued to make his push for Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honors, running for a career-best 265 yards and two touchdowns at Richmond. Edwards set a new Lafayette record for touchdowns in a season (17). Dean DeNobile threw for three touchdowns, two of which landed in the hands of rookie Nick Bierman, who had the first three catches of his career. Edwards garnered Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors for a sixth time.

Patriot, Past, Present, Future: Lafayette is 6-0 in Patriot League play for the first time ever (5-0 for the first time since 1994). The Leopards finished league action 5-0 in 1994, 1992 and 1988, only playing five league games for the season. Lafayette is playing seven league games in 2025 (the first time since 2003) and will play nine league games in 2026 (adding Villanova and William & Mary). 

With a Win on Saturday, Lafayette Would: 
• notch program win No. 715
• improve to 7-0 in Patriot League play for the first time in Lafayette history and win its ninth PL title
• capture the third win in the last four meetings with Lehigh
• post four-straight victories for the first time this season
• match the program's highest season win total (9 in 2023) in John Troxell's four seasons

Record Perspective: The 2025 Leopards are 8-1 against FCS foes, with the lone loss to Princeton in week five when junior RB Kente Edwards left the game in the first half with a leg injury. 

Kente's Grand Run: Kente Edwards' 260-yard day vs. Colgate pushed him over 1,000 yards for the season (accomplishing it in 7.5 games). Edwards has 1,297 yards, the sixth-best single-season mark in Lafayette history. He is averaging 144 yards per game and 8.2 yards per carry with 17 TDs. 

Getting the Point(s): Lafayette has far surpassed its 2024 points total (307) with 371, scoring 40-plus in four games. The Maroon and White lead the conference circuit in scoring offense, averaging 33.7 ppg (just ahead of Lehigh, 33.1 ppg) and sit 20th in the NCAA.

Recent Polling: Lafayette, picked fifth in the P.L. Preseason Poll, can finish no worse than second.

On the Sideline: John Troxell '94 is in his fourth season at the helm, a tenure that includes a Patriot League title and NCAA playoff berth in his second season. That 2023 campaign saw the Leopards post the most wins in a campaign in more than 40 years. The team went from 4-7 (3-3) in year one (2022) to 9-3 (5-1) in year two (2023). Both seasons were capped by wins over archrival Lehigh. During his time on College Hill, Troxell's teams have finished .500 or better in three of four seasons. Troxell was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2023 and was a finalist for Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honors.

National Numbers: Junior RB Kente Edwards leads the nation in rushing yards per carry (8.2), is third in rushing yards per game (144.1) and scoring (11.3) and fourth in rushing TDs (17), rushing yards (1,297) and all-purpose yards (151.2).

Historically Accurate: Leopard QB Dean DeNobile sits third at Lafayette in career completion percentage (65.0%) trailing only Ryan O'Neil '12 (66.50%) and Drew Reed '17 (65.2%). He lands fifth in Patriot League history behind O'Neil and Reed, as Lafayette has three of the top five most accurate passers in Patriot League history. 
    All three seasons that DeNobile has been a starter rank in the top 15 for single-season completion percentage: 66.7 for sixth in '23, 65.1 for eighth in '24 and 63.3 for 13th in '25. 

Goin' Clubbin': Soph. CB Ryan Gadson has been one of the top defensive contributors, despite suffering an injury in week two that required surgery (missing two games). He has returned to the lineup with his wrist/hand taped like a club and has played in the last six games. The Fort Myers, Fla. native leads the team in tackles (60) with INT in two of his last three games. He leads the Patriot League with 16 passes defended (13 PBU and 3 INT). 

Getting His Kicks: Junior K Jack Simonetta booted a career-long 49-yard field goal against Colgate to improve to 5-of-5 on the season. It was the longest of his career by nine yards. The Florida native is also currently 50-of-51 on PAT's this season. 

500 Club: Lafayette's win at Holy Cross guaranteed the Leopards at least a .500 record for the third-straight season. The only sub-.500 season in the John Troxell era was his first campaign when the team went 4-7 overall and 3-3 in PL play after inheriting a 3-8 team.

A Sophomore Year Breakup: Sophomores Ryan Gadson (16) and Kevin Dodard (11) rank first and second in the Patriot League in passes defended (PBU + INT). Gadson leads the league with 13 pass breakups while Dodard is tied for third with nine. 

Positive Trends: The Leopards are 7-1 when scoring first and when leading at halftime (with Oregon State the lone outlier) and in day games. Lafayette is 7-0 when rushing for 200+ yards and 6-0 when hitting for 400+ yards of total offense.

2005 Reunion: The 2005 Patriot League title team is convening on College Hill on Saturday to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of its title and a 23-19 win over Lehigh.

Hand On It: Senior LB Tighe Cummiskey collected his second punt block of the season at Oregon State and is pacing the Patriot League while ranking fifth in the nation.

The Series: College football's most-played rivalry dates to 1884 (one year after standardized football rules were instituted in the U.S.) when Lafayette beat Lehigh 56-0 in Easton. The two teams met twice a year from 1884-1901 (three times in 1891) and once a year since then, with the exception of 1896 (when a player eligibility dispute canceled the game) and 2020 (COVID pandemic). The Leopards lead the series 82-73-5. The rivalry had been played every year since 1897 without interruption, reaching 123 consecutive years in 2019. 
    In 2021, the teams played twice in the same calendar year for the first time since 1944, when Lafayette played a limited schedule during World War II. Lafayette topped Lehigh 20-13 on April 10, 2021 in a game postponed from the 2020 fall season. They met again on Nov. 20, a 17-10 Lehigh win in Bethlehem.

Series Shift: After playing the last two meetings in Bethlehem, the series shifts back to Fisher Stadium for two in a row, bookending the celebration of Lafayette College's Bicentennial. From 2027 on, the ledger will feature the matchup rotating between the two campuses located less than 20 miles apart. 

Series MVP: Media members have voted on the game MVP since 1960. QB Dean DeNobile was the last Leopard to claim the title, winning in 2023 via a day when threw for three TD's and ran for another in a 49-21 final. When Jeffrey Kordenbrock '21 captured the honor in 2019 he was the first kicker to win it since 1970. Ross Scheuerman '15 won the award on the biggest stage, running for a school-record 304 yards to lead Lafayette to a 27-7 win at Yankee Stadium in Rivalry 150. There have been nine two-time winners: Jon Hurt (2005, 06) Brad Maurer (2004, 06), Tom Costello (1988, 89) and Erik Marsh (1992, 94) from Lafayette and Kim McQuilken (1972, 73), Marty Horn (1983, 85), Ron Jean (1998, 99), J.B. Clark (2008, 09) and Nick Shafnisky (2015, 16) from Lehigh. In the series, there have been co-MVP's twice (1976 and 2006).

Rivalry Appearances: Rivalry 161 marks the fourth appearance in the annual match-up for John Troxell '94 as Lafayette's head coach with a 2-1 record. As an assistant coach from 2001-05, Troxell had a 3-2 record. As a player (1990-93), the 1994 alum was 1-3.
    Leopard defensive coordinator Mike Saint Germain '07 and cornerbacks coach Jeff Sejour '07 each were 3-1 against Lehigh during their playing careers. Saint Germain can also claim a win at Yankee Stadium in 2014 as an assistant coach under Frank Tavani.

Top 25 Foe: Lafayette is no stranger to playing a nationally-ranked Lehigh squad with everything on the line. Most recently, in 2005, Lafayette used a 37-yard touchdown pass from backup QB Pat Davis to Jonathan Hurt with 38 seconds remaining to capture a 23-19 victory over No. 12 Lehigh in Bethlehem. The year prior the Leopards knocked off No. 8 Lehigh 24-10. Game MVP Brad Maurer threw for 108 yards and ran for 124. Both wins resulted in Patriot League titles. In 2002, Lehigh was ranked No. 20 in the nation before the Maroon and White handed the three-time defending champion Brown and White a 14-7 blow. Joe McCourt ran for 103 yards and scored the winning TD with six minutes left.

TD Records: With his second touchdown at Richmond, Kente Edwards set a new single-season touchdowns record (17). He surpassed the previous record (16) shared by Joe McCourt (2004), Tom Costello (1989) and Jamar Curtis (2024). 

Catching Up: Senior Eli Steward has ascended the career receiving ranks. With a four-catch, 68-yard day vs. Oregon State, he moved into fourth place with 2,246 career receiving yards after advancing into second for career completions (172) against Bucknell. He also sits in 10th place for career receiving touchdowns (12). Steward needs 22 catches to climb past Mark Ross '14 to become the career receptions leader and 139 receiving yards to surpass Phil Yarberough '01 in third. 

Record-Breaking Outing: Lafayette racked up a school-record 670 yards of total offense to dominate Bucknell 62-24 on Oct. 11. Dean DeNobile threw for a career-best five touchdowns and 316 passing yards. The Leopards featured two 100-yard rushers in Ethan Weber (136) and Jakyre Henley (107) to grind out 348 rushing yards. Six different players scored touchdowns with Weber, Henley and Elijah Steward adding two scores apiece. The Leopards had three, one-play scoring drives, as Jason Penza (79), Weber (67) and Henley (70) all ran in scores to start and end drives. The 62-point eruption was the highest single-game scoring output since 1944, when the Leopards shut out Lehigh 64-0. 
Three For 10: With his 15-yard score against Oregon State, freshman Matthew Scerbo made it three-straight games with a touchdown reception. Scerbo is third on the team in receiving touchdowns, behind Elijah Steward (4) and Carson Persing (4).

A Grand Performance: Kente Edwards hit the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career during the week nine matchup with Colgate. His 49-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter put him over the 1000-yard plateau. The Government and Law major finished the sun swept fall afternoon with a then career-high 260 yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns. He followed with a 265-yard effort at Richmond, running his season total to 1,297 and moving him to sixth place for rushing yards in a season.

Bicentennial Excursion: Lafayette's trip to Oregon State was part of the school's Bicentennial, taking several Lafayette's athletic teams to non-traditional locales in 2025-26. Corvallis, Ore. is the farthest west that a Lafayette team traveled in 144 seasons. The previous western boundary game was Colorado Springs, Colo. vs. Air Force (9/4/21).   

DeNobile Dialed In: Senior QB Dean DeNobile put together consecutive 300-yard passing games. Versus Fordham, he completed 25-of-35 for 314 yards with two touchdowns to a season-high nine targets. Against Bucknell, he hit on 26-of-34 for 316 yards (spread around to eight receivers) and a career-best five TD strikes. His Bucknell performance pushed him over 6,000 career passing yards and earned him Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time this season. He has seven TD passes in the last two games.

Third-Down Offense: The Leopards have made the most of their third-down opportunities, ranking second in the league and 18th in the country in third-down conversion rate (.463). 

One-Two Punch: RBs Kente Edwards and Ethan Weber are responsible for 150 of the Leopards' 371 points. The duo has contributed 25 total TDs and 1,895 rushing yards.

Racking Up The Sacks: The Leopards' revitalized pass rush has tallied 26 sacks. Jaylon Joseph has set a new single-season high (7.5) while Darien Riley, Callahan Blair, Olivier Camerlain, Robert Stevens and Darson Jeanty each have at least two. Twelve Leopards have registered sacks. (In 2024, nine players contributed for a total of 12 sacks).

Limiting the Run: Lafayette's youthful defense, which returned just one starter, has had success limiting the run game. The Leopards have allowed 131.7 yards per game for the season (third in the PL), but just 103.0 ypg against FCS opponents.

Dee Making Impact: LB Beckham Dee's impact has been immediate. He has 59 tackles (second-most on the team) in 11 starts. Dee, who transferred from Penn State after one season, comes from a football family, as his father was a quarterback at Carnegie Mellon. After graduation, Dee's early career plans include working as an investment banker. 

The Opponent: No. 4 Lehigh (11-0, 6-0) is coming off a 27-7 win over Colgate in week 11. Like the Leopards, Lehigh enters Rivalry 161 at 6-0 in conference play, beating Richmond (21-14), Bucknell (41-24), Fordham (27-6), Georgetown (41-0) and Holy Cross (38-3). 
    Soph. QB Hayden Johnson, 2024 Lafayette-Lehigh game MVP, has completed 62 percent (152-of-245) of his passes for 2,190 yards and 17 touchdowns while adding 362 rushing yards and three scores.
    Junior Luke Yoder (1,095 yards, 11 TDs) and soph. Jaden Green (762 yards, 8 TDs) share carries in the run game. Senior WR Geoffrey Jamiel averages 91 receiving yards per game and has eight TDs.
    Matt Spatny and Tyler Ochojski are at the top of the Mountain Hawk linebacker corps with 12.5 and 12 TFLs, respectively. Ochojski claims a league-best 10 sacks for a defense that is allowing 66.8 rushing yards and 12.3 per game. Soph. Mekhai Smith leads the team with four interceptions.
    Kevin Cahill (Springfield '01) is in his third campaign along the sideline for Lehigh.