Oct. 23, 2004
Bronx, NY - Sophomore quarterback Brad Maurer rushed 15 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns, and he completed 12 of 15 passes for 90 yards, while senior running back Joe McCourt rushed 25 times for 103 yards and two scores to lead Lafayette College (6-2, 3-0) to a 35-20 Patriot League win over Fordham University (4-3, 1-1) on Jack Coffey Field.
The Leopards led 14-13 at the half and scored 14 unanswered points in the third, on two Maurer rushing touchdowns, to pull away.
Lafayette opened the scoring midway through the first quarter, taking advantage of a turnover when Marvin Snipes intercepted a pass from Fordham quarterback Derric Daniels, giving the Leopards the ball on the Fordham 24.
Four plays later, McCourt took it in from the seven for a 7-0 Lafayette lead with 7:15 left in the first.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Rams were called for holding, putting the ball on the Fordham seven. Fordham was then whistled for a false start penalty moving the Rams back to the three, where Daniels fumbled the snap which was recovered by Andrew Brown in the endzone for a 14-0 Lafayette lead with 7:03 left in the quarter.
It would take the Rams just one play to make it a seven point game again, as on the first play from scrimmage, Daniels hit sophomore running back Jamaal Hunte with a screen pass that Hunte turned into a 75-yard touchdown.
The 14-7 lead would hold until Fordham's first possession of the second quarter when the Rams took over on their own nine following a punt. Daniels then completed four of five passes to put the ball on the Lafayette 45 where he connected with a wide open James Prydatko for a 35-yard gain to place the ball on the ten. Following an incomplete pass, Prydatko rushed for six yards but was then stopped for a gain of one on third down and Micah Clukey came on to boot a 20-yard field goal and cut the Fordham deficit to four, 14-10, with 6:33 remaining in the half.
On their next possession, the Rams took over on their own 46 following a short punt and Daniels drove them to the Lafayette 22 where Clukey connected on a 39-yard field goal to pull the Rams to within one, 14-13, with three seconds left in the half.
The third quarter was all Lafayette as the Leopards out gained the Rams 133-49 in total yards for the period. Maurer led Lafayette to two scores, the first a five-play 66-yard drive that Maurer capped with a 13-yard scoring run that put the Leopards up 21-13 with 9:22 remaining in the third.
The Leopards then made it a 28-13 game on their next possession. Lafayette was facing a third and six call from their own 29 when Maurer broke through the Fordham line and outraced the secondary to endzone for a 71-yard scoring run with 4:33 left.
Lafayette made it a 35-13 game on its first possession of the fourth quarter when McCourt capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive with a two-yard scoring plunge with 10:11 left in the contest.
Fordham closed out the scoring on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to Rashawn Haynes with 2:57 remaining.
Daniels completed 16 of 37 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns while Steve Porco led all receivers for the Rams with five catches for 47 yards and Haynes made four catches for 64 yards. Hunte finished with 49 yards on 20 carries for the Rams.
Greg Whelan led the Fordham defense with 12 total tackles, four solo, while NaQuinton Gainous made eleven stops and he forced a fumble.
Wes Erbe led the Lafayette defense with eleven total tackles, five solo, while Brown made ten, including one sack and the fumble recovery for the touchdown.