PatriotFB Notebook (.PDF)

PATRIOT LEAGUE VS. WEEK EIGHT OPPONENTS
•Patriot League Play: Georgetown hosts Colgate in search of its first win against the Raiders since 2011, when they kick off at 1 p.m. Holy Cross and Richmond meet for the first time since Halloween 1964, with the Spiders looking to even their League record and Holy Cross in search of its first win of the season.
•Patriot League vs. Ivy League Play Concludes: Fordham hosts Dartmouth and Bucknell travels to Cornell, both at 1 p.m. on ESPN+, with the Patriot vs. Ivy League series tied at five wins apiece.
•Lafayette travels to Oregon State for the first meeting between the two programs. 
 
LEHIGH RANKED NO. 7 IN FCS TOP 10, STATS PERFORM AND AFCA COACHES POLL; LAFAYETTE IS RECEIVING VOTES
Lehigh checked in at No. 7 in the initial FCS Top 10 Committee Rankings when it was released on Oct. 15. The Mountain Hawks are one of eight undefeated teams in the FCS, after improving to 7-0 with a 31-7 win over Columbia. They climbed one spot to No. 7 in this week’s AFCA Coaches Poll and remained No. 7 in the Stats Perform Top 25 heading into their Week Eight bye. Lafayette is receiving votes in both polls after totaling a school-record 670 yards of total offense in a 62-24 victory over Bucknell, their highest scoring output since 1944. Lehigh and Lafayette are both undefeated in League play.
 
2025 Patriot League Football Standings (as of October 15)

School	PL	PL Pct.	Overall	Overall Pct.
Lafayette	3-0	1.000	5-2	.714
No. 7/7 Lehigh	2-0	1.000	7-0	1.000
Colgate	1-1	.500	2-4	.333
Bucknell	1-2	.333	4-3	.571
Richmond	1-2	.333	4-3	.571
Fordham	1-2	.333	1-5	.167
Georgetown	0-1	.000	3-3	.500
Holy Cross	0-2	.000	0-6	.000

ONLINE SCHEDULE | ONLINE STATS
 
FORDHAM’S CONWAY CLOSING IN ON FCS TACKLES RECORD
Fordham Sr. LB James Conway recorded 11 tackles in the Rams’ loss at Lafayette (Oct. 4), to close to within 28 tackles of matching Illinois State’s Boomer Grigsby for the FCS career tackles record. Conway, the Patriot League career tackles leader, became the first League student-athlete to surpass 500 total tackles and just the fifth FCS player since 2000 to eclipse the milestone. He has recorded 86 tackles in six games to lead the FCS with 14.3 tackles per game. He has amassed more than 100 total tackles in three of his four collegiate seasons. He opened the 2025 campaign on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List. Conway earned Stats Perform National FCS Defensive Player of the Week for his 19-tackle performance vs. Holy Cross (Sept. 27).
FCS CAREER TOTAL TACKLE LEADERS (since 2000)                
1. Boomer Grigsby, Illinois State (2001-04), 550
2. Donald Payne, Stetson (2013-16), 526
3. D.J. Smith, App. State (2007-10), 525
4. Scott Lewis, Saint Francis (2007-10), 524
5. James Conway, Fordham (2021-pres.), 522
 
YODER, EDWARDS, GREEN AMONG FCS RUSHING LEADERS
Lehigh’s running backs Luke Yoder (Jr.) and Jaden Green (So.) are first and third in the League and fourth and 19th in the FCS in rushing yards through seven weeks. Yoder has rushed for 761 yards through seven weeks, while Green has totaled 536 rushing yards. The duo has led the Mountain Hawks to the fifth-ranked rushing offense (236.4) in the FCS. Lafayette Jr. RB Kente Edwards, a three-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week, missed the Leopards’ last two games, but still ranks 16th in the FCS with 585 rushing yards. He is fourth in the nation with 10 rushing touchdowns. Edwards posted three straight weeks with three or more rushing scores. Lafayette Jr. RB Ethan Weber is fourth in the PL and 39th in the FCS with 453 yards.
Rk. Name, School, Rush yds.
4. Luke Yoder, Lehigh, 761
16. Kente Edwards, Lafayette, 585
19. Jaden Green, Lehigh, 536
39. Ethan Weber, Lafayette, 453
 
FOUR LEAGUE RECEIVERS AMONG FCS TOP 20
Colgate Sr. WR Treyvhon Saunders ranks atop the FCS receiving yards leaders despite an early injury vs. Richmond. Saunders topped 100 receiving yards in four games. Bucknell Jr. WR Sam Milligan is fifth in the FCS in receiving yards (640). He had an 11-catch, 133-yard day against Richmond in Week Six. Lehigh Sr. WR Geoffrey Jamiel has three straight 100-yard receiving performances, including a career-high 182 against Columbia in Week Seven. Bucknell Jr. WR TJ Cadden finished with 108 receiving yards and two touchdowns vs. Lafayette in Week Seven to move to 20th.
Rk. Name, School, Rec. Yds.   
1. Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, 700
5. Sam Milligan, Bucknell, 640
6. Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh, 639
20. TJ Cadden, Bucknell, 495

DENOBILE, SMITH, RUCKER AMONG FCS PASSING LEADERS
Three Patriot League QBs rank among the FCS top 15 in passing yards through seven weeks. Lafayette Sr. QB Dean DeNobile has posted consecutive 300-yard passing performances to rank ninth in the FCS with 1,601 passing yards. Fordham Jr. QB Gunnar Smith threw for 354 yards in his last outing against the Leopards in Week Six, ranking 11th in the FCS, while Bucknell’s Rucker, the League’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year, is 13th in the nation with 1,510 passing yards despite missing Week Seven due to injury.
Rk. Name, School, Passing Yds.
9. Dean DeNobile, Lafayette, 1,601
11. Gunnar Smith, Fordham, 1,518
13. Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, 1,510
 
BRIGGS AND SMITH AMONG FCS INTERCEPTION LEADERS
Georgetown Jr., CB Quincy Briggs and Lehigh So. DB Mekhai Smith have four interceptions apiece to lead the Patriot League. Briggs is second in the FCS in interceptions per game with 0.67, while Smith is sixth with 0.57 interceptions per game. Four more League players, including Georgetown’s Bijay Boldin (0.40) and Colgate’s Trooper Price (0.33), Justyn Toler (0.33) and Tymir Wynn (0.33) are ranked inside the FCS top 30 in the nation. Colgate is second in the FCS with 10 interceptions, while Lafayette is eighth with eight.
Rk. Name, School, INTs/Gm.
2. Quincy Briggs, Georgetown, 0.67
6. Mekhai Smith, Lehigh, 0.57
 
LAFAYETTE AND LEHIGH RANKED IN FCS SCORING TOP 25
Lafayette (34.7) and Lehigh (33.0) are 18th and 23rd, respectively, in the FCS in scoring offense. The Leopards’ 62 points vs. Bucknell in Week Seven were their highest single-game total since 1944. The Leopards and Mountain Hawks possess two of the best rushing attacks in the nation, with Lehigh ranking fifth in rushing offense (236.4), with 18 of its 30 TDs coming on the ground. The Leopards have been just as impressive on the ground, ranking 16th in the FCS in rushing offense (207.9) and ranking third in the FCS with 22 rushing touchdowns.
 
DENOBILE AND RUCKER IV ARE HISTORICALLY ACCURATE
Lafayette Sr. QB Dean DeNobile and Bucknell 5th-year QB Ralph Rucker IV are third and fourth, respectively, among current FCS career leaders in completion percentage. DeNobile has completed .665 (530-797) of his pass attempts to rank third in Patriot League history. Rucker has completed .654 (566-866) of his passes to rank fifth in League history. Rucker is also ninth among FCS active leaders in passing efficiency (149.67).
Rk. Name, School, Career Comp. Pct.
1. Michael Nebrich, Fordham (2012-14), 68.79
2. Matt Bassuener, Georgetown (2004-07), 67.62
3. Dean DeNobile, Lafayette (2023-pres.), 66.49
4. Ryan O’Neil, Lafayette (2008-11), 65.60
5. Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell (2023-pres.), 65.14
 
THREE LEAGUE WRS ON FCS RECEPTIONS TOP 10 LIST
Colgate’s Treyvhon Saunders leads all active FCS pass catchers and is fifth in League history with 230 receptions, two shy of Lehigh’s Ryan Spadola for fourth in League history. Lehigh Sr. WR Geoffrey Jamiel is third among FCS receivers with 197 career receptions, while Lafayette Sr. WR Elijah Steward is tied for seventh with 172.
Rk. Name, School, Receptions
1. Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, 230
3. Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh, 197
7. Elijah Steward, Lafayette, 172
 
SPATNY THIRD AMONG FCS CAREER SACKS LEADERS
Lehigh Sr. DL Matt Spatny, the Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, is third among active FCS leaders in total sacks with 21.5 in four seasons in Bethlehem, including 2.0 sacks vs. Columbia in Week Seven. Richmond Jr. DL Camden Byrd is 10th among FCS active leaders with 14.5 sacks. Spatny (5 sacks) and Byrd (4.5 sacks) are second and third, respectively, in the League this season. 
 
LEHIGH’S NICK GARRIDO PERFECT IN 2025
Lehigh Sr. PK Nick Garrido has been automatic for the Mountain Hawks through seven games. Garrido has connected on all seven field-goal attempts to rank tied for first in the FCS in field-goal percentage. He is also 30-for-30 on PATs. Garrido ranks third among active FCS placekickers, making 84.0 percent (21-of-25) of his career field-goal attempts.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE SPECIAL TEAMS TOUCHDOWNS IN 2025
The Patriot League has seen six kick and punt returns during the 2025 season, beginning with a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns in Week One.
*Richmond So. WR Isaiah Dawson returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter against Lehigh. *Holy Cross So. WR Alijah Cason ran back a kickoff for 97 yards in the fourth quarter against Northern Illinois.
*Georgetown Jr. WR Nicholas Dunneman returned a punt for a 65-yard score vs. Wagner in Week Two.
*Lafayette long snapper Dylan Aguilera returned a blocked punt 18 yards for a score in the Leopards’ Week Six win vs. Fordham. *Bucknell’s Milligan returned a blocked punt 11 yards for a score in a loss vs. Lafayette in Week Seven.
*Richmond Sr. WR Ja’Vion Griffin got into the act with an 87-yard punt return to lift the Spiders over Colgate in Week Seven.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
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 who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.