BRONX, N.Y. – Holy Cross clinched at least a share of the 2021 Patriot League Football Championship and their third-consecutive automatic bid to the NCAA DI Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs by defeating Fordham, 52-24, on Saturday afternoon at Jack Coffey Field.
 
The Crusaders scored 35 unanswered points, outscoring the Rams 28-0 after halftime, in a game that was delayed by more than an hour due to inclement weather, to earn a part of their ninth League title. Holy Cross became the first Patriot League team to win a share of the League crown in three consecutive seasons since Lafayette accomplished the feat from 2004-2006. Holy Cross had also pulled off a three-peat from 1989 through 1991.
 
Colgate kept its chances for claiming a share of the League title alive by defeating Lafayette in a dramatic 20-13 finish at Fisher Stadium. The Raiders will play the Rams, who can also earn a share of the League title, in the regular-season finale on Saturday, Nov. 20.
 
Lehigh earned its second straight win, defeating Georgetown, 23-9 at Goodman Stadium. Bucknell fell to Army West Point, 63-10, in another game that was impacted by a weather delay.
 
2021 Patriot League Football Standings (as of Nov. 13)

School	PL	PL Pct.	Overall	Overall Pct.
Holy Cross	5-0	1.000	8-2	.800
Fordham	4-1	.800	6-4	.600
Colgate	4-1	.800	4-6	.400
Lafayette	2-3	.400	3-7	.300
Lehigh	2-3	.400	2-8	.200
Georgetown	1-5	.167	2-7	.222
Bucknell	0-5	.000	1-9	.100

 
Patriot League Football Week 11 Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 13
At Lehigh 23, Georgetown 9
Bucknell at Army West Point
Colgate 20, at Lafayette 13
Holy Cross 52, at Fordham 24
 
HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS (8-2, 5-0 PL) 52, AT FORDHAM RAMS (6-4, 4-1 PL) 24
Jack Coffey Field/Bronx, N.Y.           1 p.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
BRONX, N.Y. – Holy Cross scored the final 35 points of the game to clinch at least a share of the Patriot League title and their third straight trip to the FCS Playoffs with a 52-24 victory over Fordham at Jack Coffey Field on Saturday.
*Sophomore quarterback Matthew Sluka completed 11-of-18 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 105 yards and two more scores to lead the Crusaders’ offense.
*Freshman running back Jordan Fuller rushed for a career-high three touchdowns, for a Holy Cross team that totaled 277 yards on the ground.
*Fordham senior quarterback Tim DeMorat completed 12-of-27 passes for 223 yards with first-half touchdown passes to junior wide receiver Dequece Carter and senior wide receiver Fotis Kokosioulis
*The Crusaders took a 10-0 lead on a rushing touchdown from Sluka and a 41-yard field goal by senior placekicker Derek Ng.
*The Rams responded, as senior running back Zach Davis capped a four-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run to make the score 10-7.
*Early in the second quarter, Sluka found senior wide receiver Tenio Ayeni on a flea flicker that went 54 yards for a score.
*Fordham surged in front, as DeMorat threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Kokosioulis and a 32-yard score to Carter less than six minutes apart to take a 21-17 lead.
*The game was halted due to inclement weather for more than an hour with the Rams holding the four-point advantage with 7:24 remaining in the second quarter.
*Once play resumed, senior placekicker Nick Leinenweber made a 35-yard field goal to cap a nine-play drive, putting Fordham in front 24-17 with 3:21 left in the first half.
*Fuller scored the first of his three touchdowns with 15 seconds left in the second quarter to tie the game at 24.
*Third-quarter touchdown runs by Fuller and Sluka built the lead to 38-24.  
*In the fourth quarter, Sluka completed a 42-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Jalen Coker before Fuller rushed for his third touchdown of the game, helping the Crusaders outscore the Rams 28-0 in the second half.
*Holy Cross junior linebacker Jacob Dobbs finished with seven tackles and 1.0 TFL, while senior defensive lineman Benton Whitley added five tackles 1.5 TFLs and a half-sack.
*Senior defensive back John Smith made his Patriot League-leading fifth interception of the season in the second half. The first interception DeMorat had thrown against an FCS opponent this season.
*Rams’ freshman linebacker James Conway finished with 16 tackles and a half-TFL, while fifth-year defensive back Jesse Bramble added 11 tackles.
RECAPS: HOLY CROSS | FORDHAM
 
COLGATE RAIDERS (4-6, 4-1 PL) 20, AT LAFAYETTE LEOPARDS (3-7, 2-3 PL) 13
Fisher Stadium/Easton, Pa.               12:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
EASTON, Pa. – Freshman quarterback Michael Brescia rushed for a two-yard touchdown with 1:27 remaining to lift Colgate to a 20-13 victory over Lafayette at Fisher Stadium to keep their hopes alive for a share of the Patriot League title.
*Brescia rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. He completed 9-of-15 passes for 144 yards and an interception to lead the Raiders’ offense.
*Lafayette junior running back Jaden Sutton rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries to pace the Leopards’ offense.
*Brescia put Colgate on the scoreboard early in the first quarter, rushing for a 64-yard touchdown on the Raiders’ first offensive play from scrimmage.
*The Leopards’ ground game helped them answer, as senior running back Selwyn Simpson rushed for a two-yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter.
*Sutton rushed for a 40-yard score with 2:57 left in the first half to give Lafayette a 13-7 lead.
*Colgate freshman placekicker Spencer Biscoe connected on a 25-yard field goal before halftime to bring the Raiders within three points. He tied the score at 13 with a 20-yard field goal at the 9:45 mark in the third quarter.
*Senior wide receiver Garrett Oakey helped Colgate extend its final drive, making an acrobatic, 43-yard reception on a 3rd-down-and-10 play on a throw from Brescia.  Oakey finished with 79 receiving yards on three catches.
*Brescia rushed in from the three-yard line four plays later to put the Raiders in front for good.
*Lafayette freshman quarterback Ah-Shaun Davis drove the Leopards inside the Raiders’ 30-yard line, but Colgate junior defensive back Mikey Jarmolowich broke up his throw into the end zone on the final play. *Jarmolowich finished with eight tackles, 1.0 TFL and a pass breakup. Senior linebacker Milton Braasch II had a game-high 10 tackles and a forced fumble for the Raiders.
*Lafayette junior linebacker Marco Olivas had seven tackles and two sacks, while senior Caleb Burr had a team-high nine tackles. Senior defensive back Jordan Anderson had four tackles and an interception.
RECAPS: COLGATE | LAFAYETTE
 
AT LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (2-8, 2-3 PL) 23, GEORGETOWN HOYAS (2-7, 1-5 PL) 9
Goodman Stadium/Bethlehem, Pa.  Noon (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Sophomore quarterback Dante Perri threw two touchdown passes to lead Lehigh to its second-consecutive victory, a 23-9 decision over Georgetown on Saturday at Goodman Stadium.
*Perri completed 22-for-32 passes for 259 yards with touchdown passes in the second and fourth quarters, while the defense held the Hoyas to one touchdown and 237 yards of total offense.
*5th-year linebacker Pete Haffner led the Mountain Hawks’ defense with 10 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and one sack. Junior defensive back TyGee Leach and junior defensive lineman Michael Callahan each finished with six tackles.
*Junior placekicker Dylan Van Dusen put the Mountain Hawks on the scoreboard first with a 23-yard field goal at the 11:51 mark in the second quarter.
*Later in the second quarter, Perri threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Roemello Miner to extend Lehigh’s lead to 10-0 by halftime.
*Georgetown 5th-year quarterback Joseph Brunell and senior wide receiver Joshua Tomas connected on a four-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to cap a 13-play drive, bringing the Hoyas within three points, at 10-7.
*Van Dusen booted a 28-yard field goal in the third quarter to extend the Mountain Hawks lead to six points.
*The Hoyas scored on a safety at the 14:41 mark in the fourth quarter, but it was the last time GU would score.
*Van Dusen followed with a 37-yard field goal, and Perri completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Johnny Foley to seal Lehigh’s 23-9 win.
*Georgetown graduate student defensive back Ahmad Wilson had five tackles and a pass breakup, while junior defensive lineman Tony Gyimah Jr. had a team-high eight tackles.   
 RECAPS: GEORGETOWN | LEHIGH
 
AT ARMY WEST POINT BLACK KNIGHTS (6-3, DI Independent) 63, BUCKNELL BISON (1-9, 0-5 PL) 10
Michie Stadium/West Point, N.Y.      Noon (CBS Sports Network)
BOX SCORE
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Bucknell could not keep pace with Army West Point in a 63-10 loss at Michie Stadium on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
*Bison senior running back Jared Cooper rushed for a 19-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He finished with 33 yards on 10 carries.
*Freshman quarterback Ethan Grady completed 16-of-31 passes for 136 yards and an interception.
*Sophomore tight end Adam Barakat caught four passes for 44 yards for the Bison.
*Freshman defensive back Alex Smith Jr. led Bucknell with eight tackles and a forced fumble, while sophomore linebacker Blake Leake and junior linebacker Cooper Kim finished with seven tackles apiece.
*Sophomore placekicker Ryan Schatzel connected on a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter and was 1-for-1 on PAT attempts.
*The Black Knights rushed out to a 42-0 lead before a lengthy lightning delay suspended play.
*The Bison were outscored 21-10 after the extended intermission.
RECAP: BUCKNELL
 
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The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athlete can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.