Patriot League Notebook – Week One (.PDF) |
Notes from Around the League
A NEW ERA OF PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL CONTINUES IN WEEK ONE
•Patriot League Play Continues - Lehigh travels to Georgetown in search of its 19th straight regular-season victory, which would mark the third-longest streak in program history. Colgate hosts Holy Cross after a 2025 meeting that saw the Raiders erase an 18-point second-half deficit to earn a 29-28 win. Bucknell and Villanova meet for the 29th time, but the first time since 2021, with the Wildcats winning the last 11 matchups.
•Patriot League vs. FBS - Lafayette travels to UConn and Fordham heads to North Dakota State for the first two of nine games Patriot League teams will play against FBS opponents in 2026. The last League team to defeat an FBS opponent was the Rams, who downed Buffalo, 40-37, on Sept. 9, 2023.
•Patriot League vs. MEAC - Richmond travels to Howard and William & Mary hosts Delaware State in two of the four games Patriot League teams will play against MEAC opponents in 2026. The PL went 2-0 against the MEAC in 2025.
A NEW ERA OF PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL: PATRIOT LEAGUE IN THE POLLS
•AFCA COACHES POLL: Four Patriot League teams appeared in the AFCA Coaches Poll for the first time in League history when it was announced on Monday. Lehigh climbed one spot to No. 10 from its preseason ranking after a 35-10 win at Holy Cross. Villanova checked in at No. 17, and William & Mary entered the poll at No. 19 after its dramatic win against the Wildcats on Friday. Richmond also entered the poll at No. 23 after a 35-14 victory over Bucknell in its season opener.
•STATS PERFORM FCS TOP 25 POLL: No. 10 Lehigh, No. 17 William & Mary and No. 18 Villanova all appeared in this week’s Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, with Richmond receiving votes. This marks the first week since the postseason poll of the 2009 season in which three Patriot League squads were ranked. In that final poll, conducted by The Sports Network, Patriot League champion Holy Cross was No. 14, Colgate was No. 21 and Lafayette was No. 24.
2026 Patriot League Football Standings (as of Sept. 2)
| School |
PL |
PL Pct. |
Overall |
Overall Pct. |
| Colgate |
1-0 |
1.000 |
1-0 |
1.000 |
| No. 10/10 Lehigh |
1-0 |
1.000 |
1-0 |
1.000 |
| No. 23/rv Richmond |
1-0 |
1.000 |
1-0 |
1.000 |
| No. 19/17 William & Mary |
1-0 |
1.000 |
1-0 |
1.000 |
| Georgetown |
0-0 |
.000 |
0-0 |
.000 |
| Lafayette |
0-0 |
.000 |
0-0 |
.000 |
| Bucknell |
0-1 |
.000 |
0-1 |
.000 |
| Fordham |
0-1 |
.000 |
0-1 |
.000 |
| Holy Cross |
0-1 |
.000 |
0-1 |
.000 |
| No. 17/18 Villanova |
0-1 |
.000 |
0-1 |
.000 |
ONLINE SCHEDULE |
ONLINE STATS
PATRIOT LEAGUE WINS VS. FBS OPPONENTS
Patriot League teams will face nine FBS opponents during the 2026 season, including two in Week One. Since 2000, the Patriot League has recorded eight victories against FBS (formerly I-A) opponents, with the last coming in Fordham’s 40-37 victory at Buffalo in 2023. Fordham and Holy Cross have three FBS wins apiece, while Colgate and Lehigh each have one.
Patriot League FBS Victories Since 2000
Sept. 9, 2023 - Fordham 40, Buffalo 37
Sept. 10, 2022 - Holy Cross 37, Buffalo 31
Sept. 4, 2021 - Holy Cross 38, UConn
Sept. 4, 2015 - Fordham 37, Army 35
Sept. 14, 2013. - Fordham 30, Temple 29
Sept. 13, 2003 - Colgate 38, Buffalo 15
Aug. 29, 2002 - Lehigh 37, Buffalo 26
Sept. 7, 2002 - Holy Cross 30, Army 21
WILLIAM & MARY, VILLANOVA DEBUT IN INSTANT CLASSIC
TRIBE COMEBACK RECEIVES NATIONAL ATTENTION
William & Mary and Villanova made their Patriot League debut Friday in an instant classic. The Tribe erased a 10-point deficit in the final 53 seconds in a dramatic comeback victory that has received more than 4.6 million views on the ESPN @SportsCenter post on X and 43.5 million online impressions on various media outlets.
TRIBE’S LIPINSKI RECEIVES NATIONAL WEEKLY HONORS
Max Lipinski (Jr., PK) was named the Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the Tribe’s win over Villanova on Friday. Lipinski booted a career-long 45-yard field goal as time expired to complete a 10-point comeback in the final minute of the game, which also included a 40-yard field goal. His five made field goals broke a single-game program record, as he connected from 22, 39, 41, 40 and 45 yards. Colgate’s Danny Shaban (Jr., RB), Villanova’s Omari Bursey (So., LB) and W&M’s Cade Ellis earned honorable mentions for offensive, defensive and rookie of the week, respectively.
YODER SECOND AMONG FCS CAREER LEADERS
Lehigh RB Luke Yoder, the 2025 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns in the Mountain Hawks’ season-opening win at Holy Cross. His performance gave him 3,197 career rushing yards to rank second among active FCS leaders, behind only Montana’s Eli Gilman. Yoder is 18th among Patriot League career rushers entering Week One. Yoder is also third among active FCS rushers with 33 career touchdowns. He has rushed for more than 1,000 yards and at least 10 touchdowns in the last two seasons to lead Lehigh to consecutive Patriot League titles.
Rk. Name, School, Career rush yds
1. Eli Gilman, Montana , 3,753
2. Luke Yoder, Lehigh, 3,197
3. Beau Brungard, Youngstown St., 2,714
SHABAN TURNS IN A HISTORIC PERFORMANCE FOR RAIDERS
Colgate’s Danny Shaban (Jr., RB) rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries to lead the Raiders to a 24-14 season-opening victory at Fordham. Shaban marked the first Colgate rusher to top 200 yards in a single game since QB Gavin McCarney (288) and RB Jordan McCord (203) both eclipsed the mark in a 65-41 win over Lafayette on Nov. 3, 2012. After one week, Shaban leads the FCS in rushing yards (214) and all-purpose yards (240).
MORE PATRIOT LEAGUE FCS STATS LEADERS
Thirteen Patriot League football student-athletes sit atop FCS statistical categories after Week Zero, including three of the League’s weekly award winners.
*Holy Cross’ Cam Boone (So., DB) and Lehigh’s DJ Brown (Sr., DB) are tied for the FCS lead in passes defended (3).
*Lehigh’s Luke Yoder (Sr., RB) leads the FCS in rushing and total touchdowns (3) and scoring (18.0).
*Richmond’s Camden Byrd (Gr., DE) leads the FCS in sacks (3.0).
*W&M’s Cade Ellis (Fr., DB) sits atop the FCS leaderboard in interceptions per game with two.
*W&M’s Max Lipinski (Jr., PK) leads the FCS in field goals per game (5.0) and field-goal percentage (1.000)
*Six Patriot League players are tied among a group of 63 for the FCS lead with one forced fumble.
TWO NOMINATED FOR 2025 GOOD WORKS TEAM
Richmond’s Carter Glassmyer and William & Mary’s Davin Dzidzienyo are among the nominees for the 2026 AFCA Allstate Good Works Team. Allstate and the AFCA announced 162 nominees for the honor, recognizing college football players and coaches for their commitment to community service and leadership beyond the gridiron. The 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team will be announced in September and will include 22 student-athletes and one honorary head coach. One student-athlete will also be selected as team captain and receive the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy.
A NEW ERA OF PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL: THE POWER OF 10
•In July, the Patriot League unveiled its football-specific brand identity and slogan, “The Power of 10,” marking the beginning of A New Era of Patriot League Football as the League enters the 2026 season with 10 football-playing institutions for the first time in its 41-year history.
• “The Power of 10” campaign reflects both the strength coming with expansion and the collective success that has long defined Patriot League football, creating one of the nation’s premier FCS conferences.
• Collectively, the Patriot League’s 10 football members have won two FCS national championships, advanced to 12 FCS national semifinals and reached the quarterfinal round 22 times, earning 42 FCS postseason wins.