BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lafayette and Holy Cross were crowned 2023 Patriot League Football Co-Champions, while the Leopards earned the League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs on Saturday.
 
Lafayette erased a seven-point halftime deficit, outscoring the Mountain Hawks 35-0 in the second half to earn a 49-21 victory in the 159th meeting of The Rivalry, college football’s most played game. The Leopards clinched their eighth Patriot League crown and first since 2013. The Leopards’ sophomore quarterback Dean DeNobile earned game MVP honors after throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for a fourth.
 
Holy Cross downed Georgetown, 31-10, to earn a share of its Patriot League-record fifth-consecutive League title, as senior quarterback Matthew Sluka accounted for three touchdowns. The Crusaders will learn their postseason fate on Sunday during the FCS Championship Selection Show.
 
The 2023 NCAA DI FCS Championship Selection Show will air live on Sunday, Nov. 19, on ESPNU, with coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET.
 
Patriot League Notes
* Crusaders’ fifth-year linebacker Jacob Dobbs became the Patriot League’s career tackles leader (432), passing Lee Picariello (Lehigh) and David Streeter (Holy Cross), who shared the mark with 425.
*Holy Cross senior wide receiver Jalen Coker tied the Patriot League single-season record for touchdown receptions, matching former Lehigh star and current Bucknell head coach Dave Cecchini’s mark of 15.
*This season marks the seventh time in 38 seasons of Patriot League football that co-champions have been crowned. The last time the League finished with co-champions was 2017 when Lehigh and Colgate earned shares of the title. The Mountain Hawks received the League’s automatic berth to the playoffs.
*Holy Cross earned a share of its fifth straight Patriot League title, breaking a tie with Lehigh for the most consecutive League titles. Lehigh clinched at least a share of the crown from 1998-2001.
*Bucknell’s 38-21 victory over Marist clinched the Patriot League’s first winning mark against non-League opponents since 2011. The seven League programs combined to go 18-17 in non-League play this season.
*Colgate’s 21-14 victory over Fordham gave the Raiders’ a League-best three-game winning streak to close the season. Colgate won six of its final seven games after starting the season 0-4.
 
NO. 22/24 LAFAYETTE LEOPARDS (9-2, 5-1 PL) 49, AT LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (2-9, 1-5 PL) 21
Goodman Stadium/Bethlehem, Pa.  Noon (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Sophomore quarterback Dean DeNobile threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score to lead Lafayette to a 49-21 victory at Lehigh to clinch a share of the Patriot League title and the League’s automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs.
*DeNobile captured MVP honors of The Rivalry 159 game, helping the Leopards outscore Lehigh 35-0 after halftime.
*Sophomore running back Jamar Curtis rushed for three second-half touchdowns, finishing with 166 rushing yards on 27 carries. He also caught three passes for 25 yards.
*Leopards’ sophomore wide receiver caught five passes for a team-leading 91 yards, and junior receiver Chris Carasia had four receptions for 68 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to put the Leopards in front by two scores.
*Lafayette tight ends Mason Gilbert and Dallas Holmes also caught touchdown passes to help the Leopards clinch their first League title since 2013.
*Graduate student linebacker Marco Olivas was among a trio of Lafayette players tied for a team-high with five tackles.
*Leopards’ junior linebacker Reggie Thomas recorded a strip sack that freshman linebacker Darien Riley recovered in the second quarter to set up a DeNobile touchdown run.
*Junior safety Saiku White added three tackles, a half TFL and an interception early in the third quarter to set up a Lafayette score.
*Lehigh senior quarterback Dante Perri competed 18-of-31 passes for 125 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. His two touchdown passes came in the second quarter to help the Mountain Hawks take a 21-14 lead into halftime.
*Mountain Hawks’ senior running back Jack DiPietro led the team’s rushing attack with 62 yards on 11 carries and a two-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
*Sophomore wide receiver Geoffrey Jamiel and senior wide receiver Connor Kennedy both recorded five receptions and a touchdown. Jamiel posted a team-leading 46 receiving yards.
*Lehigh sophomore linebacker Tyler Ochojski registered a game-high 11 tackles and a half TFL, while sophomore safety Nick Peltekian added nine tackles.
*Senior linebacker Mike DeNucci finished with five tackles, 1.0 TFL and a pass breakup for the Mountain Hawks.
RECAPS: LAFAYETTE | LEHIGH
 
AT NO. 25/rv HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS (7-4, 5-1 PL) 31, GEORGETOWN HOYAS (5-6, 3-3 PL) 10
Fitton Field/Worcester, Mass.          Noon (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross senior quarterback Matthew Sluka rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns and passed for another 123 yards and a score to lead the Crusaders to a 31-10 victory over Georgetown to clinch a share of their Patriot League-record fifth-consecutive League crown.
*Holy Cross will have to wait until the NCAA DI FCS Championship Selection Show to learn their postseason fate, having lost the head-to-head tiebreaker with Lafayette for the League’s automatic bid.
*Senior wide receiver Jalen Coker caught five passes for 90 yards, with his 16-yard touchdown reception from Sluka in the second quarter to tie the Patriot League single-season touchdown reception record of 15.
*Crusaders’ fifth-year linebacker became the Patriot League’s career tackles leader, recording a game-high 12 tackles, including 1.5 TFLs and one sack.
*The Crusaders took a 10-0 lead behind a 21-yard field goal in the first quarter from sophomore placekicker Luis Palenzuela and a three-yard touchdown run from Sluka on the first play of the second quarter before the Hoyas got on the board with a 31-yard field goal from junior placekicker Patrick Ryan.
*Senior fullback Phoenix Dickson added a one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to seal the Crusaders’ 31-10 win.
*Georgetown fifth-year quarterback Tyler Knoop completed 21-of-33 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown.
*Sophomore Jimmy Kibble led the Hoyas’ receivers with five catches for 84 yards and a 34-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.
*Graduate student running back Joshua Stakely finished with 44 yards on eight carries.
*Hoyas’ senior linebacker David Ealey III registered a team-leading seven tackles, while sophomore defensive lineman Mateen Ibirogba added five tackles and 1.0 TFL.
RECAPS: GEORGETOWN | HOLY CROSS
 
BUCKNELL BISON (4-7, 1-5 PL) 38, AT MARIST RED FOXES (4-7, 4-4 Pioneer) 21
Tenney Stadium/Poughkeepsie, N.Y.                Noon (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Bucknell junior quarterback Ralph Rucker threw for 273 yards and three touchdown passes to lead the Bison to a 38-21 victory at Marist in their season-finale.
*Rucker completed 23-of-28 passes and guided four first-half scoring drives to help Bucknell jump out to a 24-7 lead by halftime. He broke the Bison’s single-season passing yardage (2,537) and single-season completions (211) records.
*Senior wide receiver Damian Harris set a Bucknell single-game record with 15 receptions, finishing with 177 receiving yards, including a 24-yard touchdown catch from Rucker in the third quarter.
*Junior running back Rushawn Baker finished with 44 rushing yards on 13 carries, including the game-opening touchdown.
*Junior linebacker Brad Jamison led the Bison with nine tackles
*Senior defensive lineman Mike Bright Jr. finished with five tackles and 1.5 sacks, while classmate Tyler Alston added five tackles and a half sack.
RECAP: BUCKNELL
 
AT COLGATE RAIDERS (6-5, 4-2 PL) 21, FORDHAM RAMS (6-5, 2-4 PL) 14
Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium/Hamilton, N.Y.      1 p.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
HAMILTON, N.Y. – Colgate junior quarterback Michael Brescia rushed for two third-quarter touchdowns to lead the Raiders to a 21-14 victory over Fordham in their season-finale at Andy Kerr Stadium.
*Brescia completed 2-of-2 passes for 13 yards and rushed for 63 yards and two scores on eight carries, helping break a scoreless tie in the third quarter.
*Colgate senior running back Jaedon Henry rushed for 106 yards on 25 carries, and junior running back Brendan Cassamajor added 14 rushing yards and a touchdown on four carries.
*Sophomore wide receiver Treyvhon Saunders caught six passes for 76 yards.
*Senior linebacker Christian Sweeney led the Raiders’ defense with eight tackles, 3.0 TFLs, one sack, one forced fumble and two pass breakups in the victory.
*Fordham sophomore quarterback C.J. Montes completed 22-of-38 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown pass. He also rushed for 14 yards and a score.
*Graduate student wide receiver MJ Wright caught a team-high seven passes for 85 yards, and senior wide receiver Mekai Felton posted five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.
*Rams’ junior linebacker James Conway made 12 tackles and forced a fumble.
*Junior defensive lineman Matt Jaworski registered six tackles, 3.5 TFLs, one sack and a forced fumble, and classmate Jack Low added four tackles, 1.5 TFLs and one sack.
RECAPS: FORDHAM | COLGATE
 
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The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes 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.