The Match-Up: Lafayette gets back to Patriot League play on Saturday, hosting Fordham on Community Day. The Leopards are playing the third of four-straight home games this fall.
Patriot Push: Six of the Leopards' final seven games will be Patriot League contests, with a trip to Oregon State the exception in week seven. Lafayette is playing seven conference games this season, with the addition of Richmond as an associate member. It's the first time since 2003 Lafayette will play seven league contests. The Maroon and White will play nine Patriot League games in 2026 when Villanova and William & Mary join as associate football members.
Last Time Out: Princeton snapped the Leopards' three-game win streak on Sept. 27, turning three turnovers into 21 points and a 38-28 final. It was evenly matched on the stat sheet. Lafayette managed 396 yards of total offense to Princeton's 328, but saw the Tigers hold a 12-minute advantage in time of possession. Junior
Ethan Weber had a career-high 18 carries for 76 yards and a pair of touchdowns. QB
Dean DeNobile completed 27-of-36 for 270 yards with a TD. Defensively,
Darson Jeanty and
Dhonte Jackson led the team with eight tackles while
Jalen Edwards and
Christian Watson had seven apiece.
200 During the Bicentennial: Head Coach
John Troxell will coach in his 200th game on Saturday vs. Fordham, one week after the College's Bicentennial kickoff. Troxell owns a 114-85 career record. Since taking over the football program in 2022, Troxell owns a .579 winning percentage in conference play and a .550 overall winning percentage, both of which rank second among active Patriot League head coaches.
Solid Starts: Lafayette has begun its last three seasons with a 3-1 mark, a solid number considering that the losses in each campaign came at the hands of an FBS foe.
26 On the Run to Player of the Week: Junior RB
Kente Edwards racked up three straight 100-yard rushing games (the third-straight season a Leopard running back has achieved that feat) and was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week each of those times. Edwards had a 150-yard, three-touchdown effort vs. Columbia in week four. At Georgetown (9/13), he had 255 yards with four touchdowns (both career highs). It was the 13th 200-yard game since 1990 and first since 2023, and his four-TD performance was the first since 2006. Edwards ran for 127 yards at Stonehill in his first career start.
One-Two Punch: The ground game continues to be a strength for the Maroon and White. RBs
Kente Edwards and
Ethan Weber are responsible for 90 of the Leopards' 157 points in the 2025 campaign. The two tailbacks have contributed with 15 total touchdowns and 841 rushing yards.
TFL: Led by
Robert Stevens and
Ahmir Crawley, the Leopard defense has collected 26 tackles for loss. The junior duo has chipped in with 3.5 TFLs apiece, with
Phillip Peiffer and
Darien Riley adding three each. Fourteen different players have recorded a TFL in 2025.
With a Win on Saturday, Lafayette Would:
• notch program win No. 710
• win its third straight over Fordham
• start Patriot League play at 2-0 for the second time in the last three seasons
Nationally Ranked: Junior RB
Kente Edwards is ranked first in the nation in rushing touchdowns (10), fourth in the nation in rushing yards (585), seventh in rushing yards per game (117.0) and second in rushing yards per carry (8.2).
Limiting the Run: Lafayette's youthful defense, which returned just one starter, has had success limiting the run game. The Leopards have allowed 105 yards per game for the season and 92 yards per game against FCS opponents.
Career Numbers for DeNobile: With 166 passing yards in the Columbia win, senior QB
Dean DeNobile surpassed the 5,000 career passing yards plateau. DeNobile and is currently second for career completion percentage (65.9), fifth in career completions (479) and seventh in career passing yards (5,385).
Catching Up: Senior Eli Steward continues to ascend the career receiving ranks. He's moved up to fourth for career completions (161) and sixth for career receiving yards (1,977). Steward needs one more catch to climb to third place alongside Jon Weyrauch '04 and eight receptions to join Matt Mrazek '18 (169). Steward is 134 receiving yards shy of Phil Ng '89 in fifth place.
The Opponent: Fordham enters with a 1-4 overall mark and a 1-1 record in conference action. The Rams tallied their first win of the campaign on Sept. 27 (26-21 over Holy Cross). The Leopards are Fordham's third-straight Patriot League opponent, previously matching up with Holy Cross and Colgate (44-21 L).
Leading the Rams' offense is junior QB Gunnar Smith. Smith has started all five games for Fordham after coming from Highland Community College, completing 54.9 percent (101-of-184) of his passes for 1,164 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions.
Soph. WR Jack Freeburg leads the receiving corps, collecting 18 catches for 232 yards and two TDs. He hauled in two receptions for 23 yards vs. Holy Cross.
Graduate student LB James Conway is playing in his fifth season and already has racked up 75 tackles, along with two sacks and an interception. The Patriot League's career tackles leader is coming off a 19-tackle performance vs. Holy Cross, earning him the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Joe Conlin (Pittsburgh '02) is in the midst of his eighth season as the Rams' head coach.
