PatriotFB Notebook - Week Eleven | Notes from Around the League
PATRIOT LEAGUE TITLE AND AQ ON THE LINE IN WEEK ELEVEN
•Mountain Hawks Can Clinch League Crown and AQ - Lehigh can clinch at least a share of its third straight Patriot League title with a win over Richmond on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks could also lock up its third straight berth in the FCS Playoffs with a win and a Villanova loss to Holy Cross.
PATRIOT LEAGUE TITLE ON THE LINE IN WEEK ELEVEN
•
Villanova at Holy Cross - The two hottest teams in the League meet in Worcester, as Holy Cross puts its five-game League winning streak on the line against Villanova’s four-game winning streak. The last time the teams met was in the second round of the 2021 FCS Playoffs, when the Wildcats earned a 21-16 win.
•
Georgetown at Fordham - The Hoyas have won two of the last three games against the Rams, including a 14-0 win in D.C. last season. Fordham is 18-5 against Georgetown since the Hoyas joined the PL in 2001.
•
Bucknell at William & Mary - The Bison and Tribe are looking to snap seven-game and six-game Patriot League losing streaks on Senior Day in Williamsburg, Va. W&M is 6-0 in the series which began in 1986.
•
Lafayette at Colgate - The Leopards outlasted the Raiders in a 59-42 shootout last season at Fisher Stadium. Colgate’s Matt Fogler hauled in a career-high three touchdown receptions.
•
Lehigh at Richmond - The Mountain Hawks and Spiders last two meetings have been decided by seven points or fewer, including a Lehigh FCS Playoff win in 2024. A win would give Lehigh at least a share of its third straight League crown.
Week Eleven Schedule - Saturday, November 14
Villanova at Holy Cross (ESPN+), Noon
Georgetown at Fordham (ESPN+), Noon
Bucknell at William & Mary (ESPN+), 1 p.m.
Lafayette at Colgate (ESPN+), 1 p.m.
Lehigh at Richmond (ESPN+), 2 p.m.
2026 Patriot League Football Standings (as of Nov. 11)
| School |
PL |
PL Pct. |
Overall |
Overall Pct. |
| No. 15/17 Lehigh |
6-1 |
.857 |
8-2 |
.800 |
| Rv/rv Villanova |
5-2 |
.714 |
6-4 |
.600 |
| Holy Cross |
5-2 |
.714 |
5-5 |
.500 |
| NR/RV Richmond |
4-3 |
.571 |
6-4 |
.600 |
| Colgate |
4-3 |
.571 |
5-5 |
.500 |
| Lafayette |
3-3 |
.500 |
4-5 |
.444 |
| Georgetown |
3-3 |
.500 |
3-5 |
.375 |
| Fordham |
3-4 |
.429 |
3-7 |
.300 |
| William & Mary |
1-6 |
.143 |
3-7 |
.300 |
| Bucknell |
0-7 |
.000 |
1-9 |
.100 |
ONLINE SCHEDULE |
ONLINE STATS
YODER CLIMBING PATRIOT LEAGUE CAREER CHARTS
Lehigh RB Luke Yoder leads the Patriot League and the FCS in rushing yards with 1,452 yards through 10 games. The reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year is climbing the Patriot League career leaderboards in several rushing categories. Against Colgate, Yoder passed Lafayette’s Joe McCourt and Colgate’s Nate Eachus to move into sixth in League history. He sits second behind Eli Gilman (Montana) among active FCS rushers with 4,519 yards. His 18 rushing touchdowns lead the FCS this season, while his 48 career rushing touchdowns are tied with Colgate’s Jamaal Branch and Fordham’s Kirwin Watson for fifth in League history. He is third among active FCS rushing touchdown leaders behind Gilman (64) and Youngstown State’s Beau Brungard (57).
PATRIOT LEAGUE CAREER RUSHING YARDS
| PL Rk. |
Name, School |
Career Rush Yds. |
| 4 |
Rich Lemon, Bucknell (1993-96) |
4,742 |
| 5 |
Kirwin Watson, Fordham (2000-03) |
4,617 |
| 6 |
Luke Yoder, Lehigh (2023-pres.) |
4,519 |
PATRIOT LEAGUE CAREER RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
| PL Rk. |
Name, School |
Career Rush TDs |
| T-5 |
Jamaal Branch, Colgate (2000-04) |
48 |
| T-5 |
Kirwin Watson, Fordham (2000-03) |
48 |
| T-5 |
Luke Yoder, Lehigh (2023-pres.) |
48 |
MILLIGAN MAKES HISTORY WITH WEEK 9 PERFORMANCE
Bucknell’s Sam Milligan (Sr., WR) became the first player in Patriot League football history to score a touchdown by throwing, rushing and catching a pass in the same game in the Bison’s 31-30 loss to then-No. 21/20 Lehigh.
PASSING: Milligan threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Nowinski in the first quarter.
RUSHING: Milligan rushed for a 19-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
RECEIVING: He caught a 19-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to become Bucknell’s career leader in touchdown receptions.
CURRAN, FOGLER AMONG FCS RECEIVING TD LEADERS
Holy Cross’ Ty Curran (Jr., WR) has recorded all seven of his League-leading touchdown receptions in League play. The junior has two-touchdown performances against Lafayette, William & Mary and Bucknell, helping the Crusaders win five straight League games to climb back into the title race.
Colgate’s Matt Fogler (So., WR) is also among the FCS leaders in touchdown receptions and two other receiving categories through Week 10. The reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year is second in receiving yards per game (105.4) and 11th in receptions per game (6.50) after catching 10 passes for 180 yards at Richmond (Oct. 24). The Cincinnati, Ohio, native has a touchdown reception in eight of his past 12 games dating back to the 2025 season.
FCS RECEIVING TOUCHDOWN LEADERS
| Rk. |
Name, School |
Rec. TD |
| 21 |
Ty Curran, Holy Cross |
7 |
| 33 |
Matt Fogler, Colgate |
6 |
| 51 |
Sam Milligan, Bucknell; Luke Fisher, Holy Cross; Matt Kuehner, Lafayette |
5 |
WILLIAMS LEADING CRUSADERS INTO TITLE RACE
Holy Cross’ Joseph Williams (So., RB) threw a 17-yard touchdown pass on a trick play to lift the Crusaders to a 27-24 comeback win over Georgetown and improve to 5-2 in League play, one game behind Lehigh.
Beyond the trickery, Williams has keyed Holy Cross’ five-game League winning streak, rushing for seven touchdowns and passing for another during the streak. Through seven League games, his 642 rushing yards and eight touchdowns are both second behind Lehigh’s Yoder. His 206-yard, three-touchdown performance vs. Richmond marked career highs.
PATRIOT LEAGUE RUSHING LEADERS (LEAGUE GAMES)
| Rk. |
Name, School |
PL Rush Yds./Gm. |
| 1 |
Luke Yoder, Lehigh |
155.1 |
| 2 |
Joseph Williams, Holy Cross |
91.7 |
| 3 |
Jamell James, Fordham |
77.0 |
LEHIGH REMAINING STRONG ON THE GROUND
Through 10 games, the Mountain Hawks are second in the FCS in rushing offense, averaging 254.0 yards per game, with Luke Yoder (Sr., RB) ranking first in rushing yards per game (145.2) and second in rushing touchdowns (18).
Lehigh has also been stout against the run on defense, holding opponents to 99.9 rushing yards per game to rank fourth in the FCS. Lehigh’s success running and stopping the run has helped the Mountain Hawks post an 8-2 record, ranking No. 15 in the AFCA Poll and No. 17 in the Stats Perform Poll.
FCS RUSHING OFFENSE
| Rk. |
Team |
Rush Yds./Gm. |
| 1 |
South Dakota State |
259.3 |
| 2 |
Lehigh |
254.0 |
| 3 |
Southern Utah |
247.0 |
FCS RUSHING DEFENSE
| Rk. |
Team |
Rush Yds./Gm. |
| 1 |
Butler |
87.5 |
| 2 |
South Carolina State |
88.9 |
| 3 |
Austin Peay |
97.6 |
| 4 |
Lehigh |
99.9 |
VILLANOVA SURGING AT THE RIGHT TIME
The Wildcats are 4-0 since back-to-back losses to Colgate and Morgan State knocked them out of the AFCA and Stats Perform polls. During their four-game winning streak, Villanova has defeated No. 12/11 Lehigh (24-18) and shut out Richmond (30-0), which had been receiving votes in both polls.
The Wildcats have been balanced, averaging 229.0 passing yards and 183.0 rushing yards per game (412.0 yards of total offense). Pat McQuaide (Gr., QB) has completed 68 of 99 passes for 892 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions, while the Wildcats’ pass defense has held opponents to 102.3 yards per game.
VILLANOVA’S PATH TO THE AQ: The Wildcats would need to win their remaining two games against Holy Cross and Georgetown, with Lehigh losing one game to either Richmond or Lafayette.
SPIDERS’ FCS SACK LEADERS FEATURE TRIO OF LEAGUE’S BEST
Richmond ranks second in the FCS, averaging 3.30 sacks per game after an eight-sack performance vs. Colgate on Oct. 24. The unit features three of the League’s top four players in the category, all of whom rank among the FCS top 50.
Camden Byrd, who is second among active FCS career leaders with 27.5 sacks, ranks third nationally this season with 1.00 sack per game. Daniel Sellers (Jr., LB) is sixth in the FCS, while Blake Houser (Jr., LB) and Villanova’s Omari Bursey (So., LB) are tied for 49th.
FCS SACKS PER GAME LEADERS
| FCS Rk. |
Name, School |
Sacks Per Game |
| 3 |
Camden Byrd, Richmond |
1.00 |
| 6 |
Daniel Sellers, Richmond |
0.94 |
| T-49 |
Blake Houser, Richmond |
0.55 |
| T-49 |
Omari Bursey, Villanova |
0.55 |
EIGHT NAMED CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALISTS
Eight Patriot League football student-athletes were selected among the record 206 semifinalists (45 from the FCS) for the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented annually to college football’s premier scholar-athlete. The Patriot League’s eight semifinalists matched the Ivy League’s total, tying the highest mark in the FCS. Now in its 37th year, the Campbell Trophy, regarded as the “Academic Heisman,” recognizes the nation’s top football scholar-athlete for academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
PATRIOT LEAGUE SEMIFINALISTS
Sam Milligan (Bucknell); Luke Vogeler (Colgate); Gunnar Smith (Fordham); Chigozie Oge-Evans (Georgetown); Spencer Adams (Lafayette); DJ Brown (Lehigh); Carter Glassmyer (Richmond); Sean McElwain (William & Mary)
PATRIOT LEAGUE LONGEST PLAYS OF 2026
Two Patriot League long plays came in Week 10. Holy Cross’ Jake Croce returned a kickoff 51 yards to set up a touchdown in a win over Georgetown (Nov. 7). William & Mary’s Carter Boyd had a 71-yard punt in a loss to Lafayette (Nov. 7). The previous Patriot-League long came when Lafayette’s Jakyre Henley scored on touchdown runs of 74 and 72 yards in the Leopards’ 40-31 loss to Richmond in Week Five, the two longest carries of the season in the League.
PATRIOT LEAGUE LONGEST PLAYS
| Category |
Player (Team) |
Yards |
| Pass Play |
J. Stearney to M. Fogler (GATE) |
85 |
| Rush |
Jakyre Henley (LAF) |
74 |
| Field Goal |
Max Lipinski (W&M) |
51 |
| Punt |
Carter Boyd (W&M) |
71 |
| Punt Return |
Hassan Mahasin (GU) |
71 |
| Kick Return |
Jake Croce (HC) |
51 |
| Interception Return |
Nate Olson (BUCK) |
77 |
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.