EASTON, Pa. – An explosive offensive effort propelled Lafayette to a 59-42 triumph over Colgate on Saturday at Fisher Stadium. Junior RB Kente Edwards ran for 260 yards and three touchdowns while senior QB Dean DeNobile threw for 206 yards and four touchdowns.
Edwards reached 1,000 rushing yards for the season, Lafayette's third straight season with a 1,000-yard rusher. The Leopards improve to 5-0 in Patriot League play for the first time since 1994 with games remaining at Richmond (Nov. 15) and at home vs. Lehigh (11/22) in the 161st Meeting. Defensively, Robert Stevens had eight tackles while Avery Jones added two intercptions. Ryan Gadson had an INT for the second-straight game and finished with seven tackles in a defesnive effort that produced nine pass breakups.
The Leopards capitalized on their first drive, using a pair of 27- and 42-yard runs from Edwards to power down to the redzone. Lafayette ran identical plays consecutively for Ethan Hosak. Hosak pulled down the second play-action pass from DeNobile for three yards and a touchdown. The Maroon and White led 7-0 at 12:46 in the first quarter.
After punts from both teams, Edwards led an eight-play, 88-yard drive that resulted in his 13th score of the year. During the possession, the junior tailback ran four times, picking up 62 of his 176 first-half rushing yards. His fourth carry resulted in a 29-yard score and a 14-0 advantage in the first with 3:50 remaining.
Colgate's next two drives knotted up the score at 14. Colgate QB Jake Stearney connected with Matt Fogler who shed two Leopard tacklers on his way to the endzone to cut the lead to 14-7. The Raiders' defense picked off DeNobile after his pass bounced off Jakyre Henley. The visitors took over on the Leopard 25-yard line and scored three plays later when Zach Osborne took a QB run up the middle to level the score at 14-14.
DeNobile and company engineered a 10-play drive that used up 4:19 of the clock for their third touchdown of the first half. Carson Persing capped the drive by using a double move to lose two defenders before hauling in a 29-yard for his third TD of the season. Lafayette led 21-14.
The Raiders' offense delivered a 10-play drive of its own, tying the game once again at 21. Fogler pulled down his second TD, an 11-yard catch, with 5:56 in the second quarter. Two minutes and 13 seconds later, the Maroon and White scored again to lead 28-21. DeNobile connected with freshman Zane Wooldridge for his third passing touchdown of the game. Wooldridge's 39-yard TD was the first of his Lafayette career.
Colgate's next possession was abruptly ended by an Avery Jones interception, the first of his career. Edwards broke across the goal line five plays later, adding a six-yard touchdown as Lafayette led 35-21 with less than a minute left. On Colgate's final possession, Jones came through again, picking off Stearney and running it back 36 yards. The Leopards added a career-long 49-yard field goal by Simonetta to run the halftime score to 38-21.
The second half opened with the teams trading punts. The Raiders blocked the Leopards' attempt and took over at the 21-yard line. Stearney hit a wide open Reed Swanson for a seven-yard touchdown. Colgate trailed 38-28 in the third quarter at 10:14.
The Leopards found a touchdown of their own shortly after, with Mason Kuehner getting a foot down before falling out of bounds for a 19-yard touchdown catch. Lafayette pushed the score to 45-28 at 7:45 in period three.
The two teams traded scores in the fourth quarter, with both Edwards and Fogler tallying their third touchdowns of the game. Edwards broke free for a 49-yard scoring scamper, while Fogler found a soft spot in the defense for an 18-yard touchdown catch.
Shaun Purvy chipped in with a 26-yard receiving score for the Maroon and White, while Colgate's Michael Stevenson added a touchdown to solidify the 59-42 final.
Lafayette returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Richmond for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
NOTES:
*Edwards ran in his 13th, 14th and 15th career touchdowns to move into a tie for fourth in Lafayette history, tied with four former Leopard running backs. The school record is 16.
*His 200-yard game was his second of the season and his career and just the 14th in Lafayette history.
*The Leopards' 59 points are the most in the Colgate series, eclipsing 56 scored in 2009. It was also the most combined points scored in a Lafayette game this season (101).
*With two games remaining, Lafayette has eclipsed its 2024 offensive points total (307) with 336 this season. It was the Leopards' fourth game this season scoring 40-plus points.
*DeNobile tallied a number of accolades in the win, moving up to fifth for all-time passing touchdowns (50) and career passing yards (6,516). With one more passing touchdown and 205 yards through the air, DeNobile will advance to fourth for both categories. The senior also passed for 2,000 yards in the season.
