PatriotFB Notebook (.PDF)

PATRIOT LEAGUE WEEK TWELVE GAMES
•Lehigh and the League’s top rushing offense (235.0 ypg) aims to extend its FCS-long 15-game regular-season winning streak against Colgate, who possess the League’s top passing offense (288.5 ypg).
•Bucknell hosts Holy Cross, which has won the last six meetings between the two teams.
•Fordham travels to Georgetown for its final League game of the season, with the Rams and Hoyas both looking to snap multi-game slides. The teams have split their last two meetings, with each team winning on its home field.
•Lafayette, the League’s second-best scoring offense (33.6), travels to play Richmond, which boasts the League’s second-ranked scoring defense (21.6) in the first meeting between the two programs since 2005. The Leopards won the last meeting, 7-0, in Easton.
 
LEHIGH REMAINS NO. 4 IN BOTH POLLS AFTER EXTENDING FCS-LONG REGULAR-SEASON WIN STREAK; LAFAYETTE RETURNS TO THE POLLS, CHECKING IN AT NO. 25 IN AFCA COACHES POLL
Lehigh remained No. 4 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and Stats Perform Poll for the second straight week, the program’s highest poll position since ranking No. 4 on Sept. 24, 2002. In 2002, the Mountain Hawks climbed as high as No. 2 after Week Two. On Saturday, head coach Kevin Cahill and the Mountain Hawks extended their FCS-long regular-season winning streak to 15 games with a 38-3 victory over Holy Cross to remain as one of five undefeated teams in the FCS. Lehigh was also picked No. 4 in the FCS Committee Top 10 rankings when it was released on Nov. 1. Lafayette re-entered the rankings, checking in at No. 25 with the AFCA Coaches Poll after a 59-24 victory over Colgate in Week Eleven.
 
FORDHAM LINEBACKER JAMES CONWAY TWO TACKLES SHY OF BREAKING NCAA DI TACKLES RECORD
Fordham Sr. LB James Conway is two tackles shy of breaking the NCAA DI career tackles record, currently held by Troy LB Carlton Martial, who recorded 577 tackles from 2018-2022. Earlier this season, Conway tallied 16 tackles in the Rams’ loss vs. No. 7 Lehigh (Oct. 25) to surpass Illinois State’s Boomer Grigsby’s 21-year-old FCS career tackles record (550). Conway became the first League player to surpass 500 total tackles and just the fifth FCS player since 2000. He has recorded 140 tackles in 10 games to lead the FCS with 12.0 tackles per game.
 
2025 Patriot League Football Standings (as of November 13)

School	PL	PL Pct.	Overall	Overall Pct.
No. 4/4 Lehigh	5-0	1.000	10-0	1.000
No. 25/rv Lafayette	5-0	1.000	7-3	.700
Richmond	3-3	.500	6-4	.600
Georgetown	2-3	.400	5-5	.500
Bucknell	2-3	.400	5-5	.500
Colgate	2-3	.400	4-6	.400
Holy Cross	1-4	.200	1-9	.100
Fordham	1-5	.167	1-9	.100

ONLINE SCHEDULE | ONLINE STATS
 
EDWARDS AND YODER AMONG FCS RUSHING LEADERS
Lafayette Jr. RB Kente Edwards rushed for a career-high 260 yards in the Leopards’ 59-42 win vs. Colgate in Week 11 to climb to fourth in the FCS in rushing yards per game (129.0). The five-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week has two 200-yard performances this season and is third in the FCS with 15 rushing touchdowns. Lehigh Jr. RB Luke Yoder is 10th in the FCS, averaging 104.4 yards per game and 13th in the nation with 11 rushing touchdowns. Yoder has eclipsed 100 rushing yards in five games and has at least one rushing TD in eight of Lehigh’s 10 games. The two backs are also among the FCS leaders in yards per carry (ypc), with Edwards leading the nation at 7.82 ypc and Yoder ranking fourth at 6.91 ypc.
Rk. Name, School, Rush yds/gm.
4. Kente Edwards, Lafayette, 129.0
10. Luke Yoder, Lehigh, 104.4
42. Jaden Green, Lehigh, 70.8
46. Savion Hart, Georgetown, 68.0
 
FOUR LEAGUE RECEIVERS AMONG FCS TOP 20
Georgetown Sr. WR Jimmy Kibble has caught for 90 or more receiving yards in his last five games to lead the Patriot League and rank third in the FCS with 916 receiving yards. Lehigh Sr. WR Geoffrey Jamiel had three straight 100-yard receiving performances (Sept.20-Oct. 11), including a career-high 182 against Columbia (Sept. 27) to rank fifth in the FCS with 862 yards. Bucknell Jr. WR Sam Milligan is 11th among FCS receiving leaders with 811 yards. Milligan has three 100-yard games this season and is seventh in the FCS with eight touchdown receptions. Colgate Jr. WR Reed Swanson rounds out the League’s top four, ranking 15th in the FCS with 778 yards on four 100-yard performances this season. Swanson and Jamiel are tied for 17th in the FCS with seven touchdown grabs.
Rk. Name, School, Rec. Yds.   
3. Jimmy Kibble, Georgetown, 916
5. Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh, 862
11. Sam Milligan, Bucknell, 811
15. Reed Swanson, Colgate, 778
 
THREE LEAGUE TEAMS AMONG FCS SACKS LEADERS
Lehigh leads the Patriot League and ranks third in the FCS with 3.70 sacks per game (spg) after posting 4.0 sacks in a 38-3 win over Holy Cross in Week 11. The Mountain Hawks are led by Sr. LB Tyler Ochojski (0.90) and Sr. DL Matt Spatny (0.88), who rank 10th and 11th, respectively, in the FCS in spg. Richmond is 12th in the nation, averaging 2.90 spg, with Sr. DL Camden Byrd leading them and ranking 21st in the FCS with 0.75 spg. Lafayette is 22nd in the FCS, averaging 2.50 spg, led by Jr. DL Jaylon Joseph, who is tied with Byrd for 21st in the nation in spg.
Rk. School, Gm, Sacks/gm.     
3. Lehigh, 10, 3.70
12. Richmond, 10, 2.90
22. Lafayette, 10, 2.50
 
LEHIGH AND LAFAYETTE RANKED IN FCS SCORING TOP 30
Lehigh (33.7) and Lafayette (33.6) are 25th and 26th, respectively, in the FCS in scoring offense. The Leopards’ 62 points vs. Bucknell in Week Seven were their highest single-game total since 1944. Lehigh and Lafayette possess two of the best rushing attacks in the nation, with the Mountain Hawks ranking fourth in rushing offense (235.0), with 27 of its 44 TDs coming on the ground. The Leopards have been impressive on the ground, ranking 15th in rushing offense (205.8), with 28 rushing touchdowns out of 46 total trips to the end zone.
 
FOUR PL PASSERS AMONG FCS PASSING LEADERS
Four Patriot League QBs rank among the FCS top 40 in passing yards through 11 weeks. Fordham Jr. QB Gunnar Smith leads the League and is 18th in the FCS with 2,200 yards in 10 games. Lafayette Sr. QB Dean DeNobile is second with 2,102 passing yards. Colgate Jr. QB Jake Stearney is third in the League with 1,945 passing yards, while leading the League and ranking 21st in the FCS with 17 touchdown passes. Lehigh So. QB Hayden Johnson ranks fourth in the League in passing yards (1,931) and leads the League in passing efficiency (154.5), to place 18th in the FCS.
Rk. Name, School, Passing Yds.
18. Gunnar Smith, Fordham, 2,200
23. Dean DeNobile, Lafayette, 2,102
36. Jake Stearney, Colgate, 1,945
39. Hayden Johnson, Lehigh, 1,931
 
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 and Smith are tied for 10th in the FCS in interceptions per game with 0.40. Two more League players, including Lafayette’s Ryan Gadson (0.38 ipg) and Richmond’s Lee Bruner IV (0.33 ipg), who rank inside the FCS top 30. Colgate is third in the FCS with 13 interceptions, while Lafayette is ninth with 11.
Rk. Name, School, INTs./Gm.
10. Quincy Briggs, Georgetown, 0.40
10. Mekhai Smith, Lehigh, 0.40
 
THREE LEAGUE WRs ON FCS ACTIVE RECEPTIONS LIST
Colgate’s Treyvhon Saunders leads all active FCS pass catchers and is fifth in League history with 230 receptions, two behind Lehigh’s Ryan Spadola for fourth in the League record book. Lehigh Sr. WR Geoffrey Jamiel is third among FCS receivers with 211 career receptions, seven short of making the League’s career top 10 list. Lafayette Sr. WR Elijah Steward is seventh with 176.
Rk. Name, School, Receptions
1. Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, 230
3. Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh, 211
8. Elijah Steward, Lafayette, 176
 
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 23.5 in four seasons in Bethlehem, including 2.0 sacks vs. Columbia in Week Seven. Richmond Jr. DL Camden Byrd is 11th among FCS active leaders with 16.5 sacks. Spatny (7 sacks) and Byrd (6.5 sacks) are fourth and fifth, respectively, in the League this season.
 
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.