8.30.16 PATRIOT LEAGUE NOTES
All seven Patriot League football programs open the 2016 season this weekend, with two games on Friday and five more on Saturday.
Patriot League TwitterNotebook - @PatriotLeagueFB:
• Each Patriot League team will open the 2016 season this weekend.
• Lafayette kicks off action for the league on Friday night at 6 p.m. vs. CCSU.
• Defending Patriot League Champions No. 16/21 Colgate takes on Syracuse on ESPN3 on Friday.
• Fordham travels to Navy for a Saturday, noon start time. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
• Lehigh hosts Monmouth (12:30 p.m.) and Georgetown hosts Davidson (1 p.m.). Both games will be featured on the PLN.
• Holy Cross opens the season at Morgan State (4 p.m.) and Bucknell opens with Marist for the second straight season.
• Fordham RB Chase Edmonds was named the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
• Fordham’s Chase Edmonds placed fourth in the voting for the FCS Offensive Player of the Year award.
• Edmonds is one of four Patriot League players to earn STATS FCS Preseason All-America honors and the lone first teamer.
• Colgate’s DL Pat Afriye was named to the Second Team, while Holy Cross WR Brendan Flaherty and Fordham DB Jihaad
Pretlow were named to the third team.
• Colgate’s Kyle Diener was named the PL Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
• Fordham’s Andrew Breiner will make his head coaching debut at Navy on Saturday.
• Colgate was selected atop the preseason poll and picked No. 16 in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 21 in the STATS Poll.
PATRIOT LEAGUE NOTEBOOK:
COLGATE AND FORDHAM OPEN WITH FBS OPPONENTS IN NATIONALLY BROADCAST GAMES
No. 16/21 Colgate opens the 2016 season at ACC opponent Syracuse on Friday night, with the opening kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN3. The game will be the 67th meeting between the geographical rivals and first since 2010. The Raiders lead the all-time series 31-30-5. Fordham will open at Navy on Saturday at noon in a game that will be televised on the CBS Sports Network. John Sadak, Randy Cross and Sheehan Stanwick-Burch will be on the call for CBSSN. It will be the second meeting between the programs and first since 1914.
LEHIGH AND GEORGETOWN OPEN SEASON AT HOME ON THE PLN
Lehigh and Georgetown will be the only Patriot League teams playing at home during opening weekend. The Mountain Hawks will host Monmouth on Saturday at 12:30 p.m., while the Hoyas will host Davidson in the 12th meeting between the programs. GU leads the all-time series 8-3. Both games will be featured on the Patriot League Network.
LAFAYETTE, HOLY CROSS AND BUCKNELL OPEN ON THE ROAD
The Leopards, Crusaders and Bison all open the season at regional FCS opponents. Lafayette gets it started on Friday night at Central Connecticut State University at 6 p.m. Holy Cross will travel to Baltimore, Md. to take on MEAC power Morgan State on Saturday at 4 p.m. Holy Cross, featuring Preseason All-Patriot League quarterback Peter Pujals and preseason All-America selection Brendan Flaherty will meet with the Bears, who last made the FCS playoffs in 2014. Bucknell will begin its 2016 campaign in Poughkeepsie, N.Y when they take on Marist at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening. The game can be viewed live on GoRedFoxes.com.
COLGATE OPENS SEASON IN FCS COACHES & STATS FCS POLLS
After winning their eighth Patriot League title in program history and finishing unbeaten in league play, Colgate opens the 2016 season ranked in both the FCS Coaches Poll and the STATS FCS Poll. The Raiders begin the season ranked No. 16 by the FCS Coaches and No. 21 by STATS. Colgate won its first League title since 2012, and advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs after defeating a pair of CAA opponents in James Madison and New Hampshire, before falling to Sam Houston State.
CHASE EDMONDS, JULIE’N DAVENPORT AMONG FIVE PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYERS NAMED TO STATS FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA SQUAD
Fordham junior RB Chase Edmonds and Bucknell senior offensive lineman were both named to the STATS FCS Preseason All-America First Team. Edmonds finished fourth in the balloting for FCS Offensive Player of the Year in 2015, while Davenport was a 2015 second team selection. Colgate linebacker Pat Afriye was selected to the second team, while Fordham defensive back Jihaad Pretlow and Holy Cross wide receiver Brendan Flaherty were both named to the third team. Flaherty was a second team selection in 2015.
CAMPUS INSIDERS ANNOUNCES 2016 PATRIOT LEAGUE NETWORK FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Campus Insiders will stream seven football games in 2016 for the Patriot League Network (PLN), which will showcase all home games for each of the seven teams in the upcoming season. Each of the games streamed by Campus Insiders will be a Patriot League contest, including Fordham facing Holy Cross at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. Campus Insiders broadcast crew will deliver a special showcase of the following games exclusively on PLN: Lafayette at Fordham (Oct. 8, 1 p.m.), Colgate at Bucknell (Oct. 15, 1 p.m.), Georgetown at Fordham (Oct. 22, 1 p.m.), Holy Cross at Colgate (Oct. 29, 1 p.m.), Bucknell at Lehigh (Nov. 5, 12:30 p.m.) and Georgetown at Colgate (Nov. 19, 1 p.m.). In addition to the seven football games this fall, the PLN will continue to provide on-demand video content, as well as livestream an unprecedented number of events and numerous interviews, feature stories and highlight packages throughout the year that will be featured on Campus Insiders.
THREE PATRIOT LEAGUERS RATED AMONG BEST IN FCS BY ATHLON SPORTS
Edmonds was tabbed as the No. 2 FCS running back by Athlon. The article noted: “In his first two seasons, Edmonds has been nothing short of unstoppable. He’s gained 3,486 rushing yards, piled up 4,504 all-purpose yards and scored 49 touchdowns (43 rushing), while securing the national freshman of the year honors in 2014 followed by first-team All-America honors last season. He’s gone over 200 yards in a game five times, including a Patriot League-record 347 yards against Lehigh last season.”
Holy Cross senior Peter Pujals named as one of 10 FCS Quarterbacks to Watch in 2016. On Pujals, Athlon stated: “The lanky, mobile Pujals (6-2, 196) has provided trouble to Patriot League opponents for three years. He was the league’s rookie of the year in 2013, the second-team all-league quarterback in ‘14 and the first-team choice last year. He led the league with 3,195 passing yards and 3,514 yards of total offense in 2015, pushing his career totals to 7,809 and 9,307, respectively. He’s accounted for 72 touchdowns (57 passing, 15 rushing) in that time. He’s played with poise since taking command of the Holy Cross offense as a freshman and is excellent at placing the ball in catchable spots.
Athlon also named the top defensive players by conference, selecting Colgate junior defensive lineman Pat Afriyie for the honor in the Patriot League. On Afriyie, Athlon noted: “Opponents game plan against the most feared pass rusher in the Patriot League, but without great success. The athletic Afriyie posted 17.5 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks – both league highs – with five forced fumbles as Colgate won the Patriot title and reached the FCS quarterfinals last year.” Fordham senior defensive back Jihaad Pretlow was the next player noted as a defensive standout in the Patriot League. Athlon had previously named Edmonds and Bucknell senior offensive lineman Julie’n Davenport to its preseason All-America squad, and picked Colgate as the No. 23 team in the country in its preseason rankings.
THIS WEEK IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
LAFAYETTE LEOPARDS (0-0, 0-0) at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE BLUE DEVILS (0-0 NEC)
Arute Field; New Britain, Conn. Friday, 6 p.m.
* This will be just the third meeting between the Leopards and CCSU and the first since 1981.
• Lafayette won the last meeting, 51-0 on Sept. 12, 1981 at home.
• Head Coach Frank Tavani announced Collin Albershardt, Draeland James, Matt Rothrock and Connor Staudle as team captains for the 2016 season.
No. 16/21 COLGATE RAIDERS (0-0, 0-0) at Syracuse Orange (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
Carrier Dome/Syracuse, N.Y. Friday, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
* This will be the 67th meeting between the programs with Colgate holding a 31-30-5 series advantage over the Orange.
* Friday’s game will be the first meeting between the two programs since the Orange defeated the Raiders, 42-7 on Sept. 25, 2010.
FORDHAM RAMS (0-0, 0-0) at Navy Midshipmen (0-0, 0-0 AAC)
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium; Annapolis, Md. Saturday, 12 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
* Navy and Fordham meet for the second time and first time since 1914.
* Fordham returns 18 starters and 58 letterwinners from a 2015 squad that reached the postseason for the third consecutive season.
* Head Coach Andrew Breiner will make his debut at the helm of the program after serving as the program’s offensive coordinator for the last four seasons.
Monmouth Hawks (0-0, 0-0) at Lehigh Mountain Hawks
Goodman Stadium/Bethlehem, Pa. Saturday, 12:30 p.m. (Service Electric 2, Patriot League Network)
* Lehigh and Monmouth will meet for the seventh time, with the Mountain Hawks holding a 5-1 series advantage.
• The Mountain Hawks fell to Monmouth, 28-21 at Goodman Stadium in their last meeting in 2014.
* Head Coach Andy Coen announced seniors QB Nick Shafnisky, OL Zach Duffy, OL Brandon Short and LB Colton Caslow as 2016 team captains.
Davidson Wildcats (0-0, 0-0 Pioneer) AT GEORGETOWN HOYAS (0-0, 0-0)
Cooper Field/Washington, D.C. Saturday, 1 p.m. (Patriot League Network)
* Georgetown and Davidson meeet for the 12th time with the Hoyas holding an 8-4 series advantage.
* The last time they met Georgetown defeated the Wildcats 42-6 at then Multi-Sport Field.
* QB Tim Barnes, GU’s No. 35 Joe Eacobacci Memorial Jersey recipient, will receive his first start at QB since his freshman season, when he started against then No. 9/10 Fordham.
HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS (0-0, 0-0) at Morgan State Bears (0-0, 0-0 MEAC)
Hughes Stadium/Baltimore, Md. Saturday, 4 p.m.
* Holy Cross begins the program’s 121st season of football in Baltimore, Md. against MEAC power Morgan State.
* The Crusaders and Bears meet for just the second time. Holy Cross earned a last-second, 29-26 victory over Morgan State in 2014 at Fitton Field.
* The Crusaders return All-Patriot League QB Peter Pujals and All-American WR Brendan Flaherty.
BUCKNELL BISON (0-0, 0-0) at Marist Red Foxes (0-0, 0-0 NEC)
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Leindorff Field Saturday, 6 p.m. (GoRedFoxes.com)
* The Bison open with the Red Foxes for the second-straight season. Bucknell won 17-0 last season at Christy Mathewson Stadium.
* This is the 11th meeting between Bucknell and Marist, with the Bison holding a 10-1 series advantage.