PATRIOT LEAGUE ON ESPN WEEK NINE PREVIEW
The Patriot League’s Maria Trivelpiece previews Week Nine around the League, including the matchup between No. 15/22 Fordham at No. 8/5 Holy Cross. She also looks back on Colgate sophomore quarterback Michael Brescia’s performance against Georgetown and Bucknell freshman placekicker Matt Schearer’s game-winning kick against Lehigh.
WATCH THE WEEK NINE PREVIEW
 
HOLY CROSS’S REYNOLDS SPECIALIZES IN PICKS AND PICS
Holy Cross senior free safety Walter Reynolds, who places among the FCS active leaders with seven interceptions, talks to the Patriot League’s Maria Trivelpiece about realizing his talent for photography. The senior sociology major discusses shifting from video to still photography during the pandemic and all that he has learned about his new craft along the way.
WATCH THE WALTER REYNOLDS FEATURE
 
FORDHAM QUARTERBACK TIM DEMORAT SLATED TO MAKE HISTORY
After having the most passing yards per game (431.9) and passing touchdowns (33) through week seven, DeMorat remains just three touchdown passes shy of breaking the Patriot League single-season record of 35 set by Fordham’s Michael Nebrich. This season, DeMorat is averaging 4.71 touchdowns per game, and he has an opportunity to go down in the record books this weekend against Holy Cross. He remained a front-runner for the Walter Payton Award after his bye last week and is ranked second in this week’s FCS Quarterback Power Rankings. Holy Cross junior quarterback Matthew Sluka is tied for fifth entering this weekend’s matchup against the Rams.
FCS QUARTERBACK RANKINGS
 
NCAA.COM HIGHLIGHTS “BALANCE” AS HOLY CROSS’ KEY TO SUCCESS
Stan Becton of NCAA.com released one thing each FCS undefeated team is doing better than anyone else. He determined that the offensive-defensive balance has made No. 8 Holy Cross special this year. Not only do they have the seventh-leading scoring defense through eight weeks, but quarterback Matthew Sluka has led a consistent offense, averaging 36 points per game.
NCAA UNDEFEATED ARTICLE
 
HOLY CROSS AND FORDHAM MOVE UP IN CBSSPORTS.COM POWER RANKINGS
Ahead of the action in Week Nine, Holy Cross and Fordham each moved up in Emory Hunt’s FCS Power Rankings on CBSSports.com. Holy Cross comes in at No. 5, and Fordham is No. 12. The Crusaders remain as one of three undefeated teams left in the top 10. The two programs will face off this Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
CBSSPORTS.COM FCS COACHES POLL
 
HOLY CROSS PROJECTED AN AUTO-BID IN HERO SPORTS BRACKETOLOGY
Sam Herder of Hero Sports released his playoff predictions for the FCS playoff bracket and listed Holy Cross as the No. 8 seed. Despite appearing 7-0 with an FBS win on Buffalo, the strength of schedule toward the end of the season could prevent an 11-0 team from getting a seed. Fordham was the first bubble team left out, and a win over the Rams could help the Crusaders earn that seed.
HERO SPORTS FCS PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
 
SITTING DOWN WITH SGAR
Jeremy Huber chats with Georgetown football head coach Rob Sgarlata about last week’s game at Colgate before previewing the Hoyas’ Week Nine matchup at Lafayette. Sgarlata shares the team’s theme of “finishing” as they look to take another step toward improving and executing late in close games. He also talks about the performances of graduate student wide receiver Joshua Tomas, graduate student linebacker Justin Fonteneaux, senior defensive back Jovone Campbell and freshman defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba.  
WATCH SITTING DOWN WITH SGAR
 
MOMENTUM SHIFTS, MINDSET SHIFTS: INSIDE THE BREAKTHROUGH SEASON OF DEVIN HASKINS
Holy Cross senior cornerback Devin Haskins is featured in the midst of his breakout season for the Crusaders. The Prosper, Texas native’s love of special teams and early childhood love of football is discussed. He also talks about the shift in perspective after spending a portion of the spring semester back in Texas to help his family after his father was badly injured in an accident.  
READ MORE ABOUT DEVIN HASKINS
 
LAFAYETTE SPORTS NETWORK’S BEHIND THE MIC AND INSIDE THE HUDDLE
Gary Laubach and Mike Joseph of the Lafayette Sports Network look back at the Leopards’ heartbreaking loss against No. 8/5 Holy Cross and then look ahead toward this Saturday’s game against Georgetown on Behind the Mic. Joseph goes Inside the Huddle to talk about the importance of “staying on schedule” on offense. He talks in depth about gaining positive yards early during a set of downs to enable a team to open the playbook.
WATCH BEHIND THE MIC | INSIDE THE HUDDLE
 
GEORGETOWN HOYAS (1-6, 0-3 PL) AT LAFAYETTE LEOPARDS (2-5, 1-1 PL)
Fisher Stadium/Easton, Pa.                12:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
LIVE STATS
BROADCAST (ESPN+): PxP - Gary Laubach; Analyst - Mike Joseph; Sidelines - Meghan Caffrey, John Leone, Phil Ng
Series History: Georgetown and Lafayette will meet for the 25th time in series history, with the Leopards holding a 15-9 advantage. The two programs met for the first time in 1902 in Lafayette’s 23-0 win.
Last Meeting: (Oct. 30, 2021) - Lafayette 24, at Georgetown 23 - Despite WR Joshua Tomas’ then-career-high 137 receiving yards and a touchdown, Lafayette was able to erase a 17-0 deficit to claim a 24-23 win at Cooper Field. Leopards’ QB Ah-Shaun Davis completed 15-of-22 for 203 yards and a touchdown, while RB Selwyn Simpson posted 92 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in the comeback victory.
NOTES: GEORGETOWN | LAFAYETTE
 
COLGATE RAIDERS (2-5, 1-1 PL) AT BUCKNELL BISON (1-6, 1-2 PL)
Christy Mathewson - Memorial Stadium/Lewisburg, Pa.            1 p.m. (ESPN+)
LIVE STATS
BROADCAST (ESPN+): PxP - Doug Birdsong; Analysts – Kevin Herr
RADIO BROADCAST (WVLY 100.9 The Valley): PxP – Joe Vasile
Series History: Colgate and Bucknell meet for the 70th time in series history, with the Raiders holding a 51-18 advantage in a series that began in 1894. The Raiders had won six straight games in the series until the Bison recorded a 32-14 win in 2019.
Last Meeting: (Oct. 30, 2021) - At Colgate 33, Bucknell 10 - In his first start for the Raiders, QB Michael Brescia completed 13-of-15 pass attempts for 162 yards and rushed 13 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns. LB Milton Braasch II finished with 11 tackles and 3.0 TFLs to lead the Colgate defense. Bucknell QB Nick Semptimphelter finished 5-for-7 for 66 yards and a touchdown, and S Jonathan Searcy had a career-high 10 tackles.
NOTES: COLGATE  | BUCKNELL
 
NO. 15/22 FORDHAM RAMS (6-1, 2-0 PL) AT NO. 8/5 HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS (7-0, 3-0 PL)
Fitton Field/Worcester, Mass.           1 p.m. (ESPN+)
LIVE STATS
BROADCAST (ESPN+): PxP – Kevin Gehl; Analyst – Kevin Shea; Sideline – Andy Lacombe
RADIO BROADCAST (WFUV 90.7 FM/WFUVSports.org): PxP – Andrew Gullotta; Analyst – Ryan Gregware
Series History: Holy Cross and Fordham meet for the 60th time in series history and for the 37th time since the Ram-Crusader Cup has been awarded to honor Major Frank Cavanaugh, who served as head coach at both programs. The Crusaders have won five straight games since 2017, helping them to a 32-25-2 record in the series. Holy Cross is 21-15 against Fordham in Ram-Crusader Cup games.
Last Meeting: (Nov. 13, 2021) - At Holy Cross 35, Lafayette 10 - 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 55-24 victory over Fordham. Crusaders’ QB Matthew Sluka completed 11-of-18 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 105 yards and two more scores. RB Jordan Fuller rushed for a career-high three touchdowns. Fordham QB Tim DeMorat threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
NOTES: FORDHAM  | HOLY CROSS
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
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.