PatriotFB Notebook - Week Four | Notes from Around the League
 
COLGATE VS. VILLANOVA AND HOLY CROSS VS. LAFAYETTE HIGHLIGHT WEEK FOUR CONTESTS
•Colgate at Villanova - For the second time this season, two ranked Patriot League teams face off, with No. 22 Villanova hosting No. 23 Colgate. The Raiders and Wildcats squared off in Week Two last season, with the Villanova edging Colgate, 24-17.
•Holy Cross at Lafayette - The Crusaders and Leopards meet in what will be Lafayette’s first League game this season. They have split the last four meetings, with each game being decided by eight points or fewer.
•Patriot League vs. The FBS - Bucknell travels to Pitt and William & Mary faces Duke in a pair of ACC matchups to conclude the League’s nine-game schedule against FBS opponents this season. The last Patriot League team to beat an FBS foe was Fordham, who downed Buffalo, 40-37, on Sept. 9, 2023.
•Patriot League vs. FCS - Four Patriot League teams face non-conference FCS opponents in Week Four, including two Ivy League foes. Patriot League teams are 7-3 against FCS teams this season.
 
WEEK FOUR
Saturday, September 26
Bucknell at Pitt (ACCNX), Noon
Holy Cross at Lafayette (ESPN+), 12:30 p.m.
Columbia at Georgetown (ESPN+), 12:30 p.m.
Lehigh at Penn (ESPN+), 1 p.m.
Stony Brook at Fordham (ESPN+), 1 p.m.
Furman at Richmond (ESPN+), 2 p.m.
Colgate at Villanova (ESPN+), 2:30 p.m.
William & Mary at Duke (ACCNX), 3:30 p.m.
 
A NEW ERA OF PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL: PATRIOT LEAGUE IN THE POLLS
•AFCA COACHES POLL - Four Patriot League teams are in the AFCA Coaches Poll entering Week Four. Lehigh remained No. 7 with a win over Dartmouth. Richmond climbed to No. 19 after defeating Georgetown, while Villanova moved up one spot to No. 22 after beating LIU. Colgate entered the poll at No. 23 with a win over Cornell. William & Mary fell from the poll and is receiving votes after a loss to Fordham.
•STATS PERFORM FCS TOP 25 POLL - Lehigh moved up one spot to No. 6 and Villanova slipped one spot to No. 23 in this week’s Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll. Colgate, Richmond and William & Mary are all receiving votes.
 
2026 Patriot League Football Standings (as of Sept. 23)

School	PL	PL Pct.	Overall	Overall Pct.
No. 7/6 Lehigh	3-0	1.000	4-0	1.000
No. 23/rv Colgate	2-0	1.000	3-1	.750
No. 19/rv Richmond	2-0	1.000	3-1	.750
No. 22/23 Villanova	1-1	.500	2-2	.500
Fordham	1-1	.500	1-3	.250
Rv/rv William & Mary	1-2	.333	2-2	.500
Lafayette	0-0	.000	1-2	.333
Bucknell	0-2	.000	1-3	.250
Georgetown	0-2	.000	0-2	.000
Holy Cross	0-2	.000	0-4	.000

ONLINE SCHEDULE | ONLINE STATS
 
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. This is the 37th year the Campbell Trophy, regarded as the “Academic Heisman,” has been awarded to recognize the best football scholar-athlete in the nation for combined 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)
 
YODER AMONG FCS CAREER RUSHING LEADERS
Lehigh RB Luke Yoder posted his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game, totaling 150 yards and two touchdowns in the Mountain Hawks’ win over Dartmouth. Through three weeks, Yoder has 3,636 career rushing yards to rank second among active FCS leaders, behind only Montana’s Eli Gilman. Yoder is 11th among Patriot League career rushing leaders entering Week Four, 60 yards behind Lehigh’s Rabih Abdullah (1993-97). Yoder is also third among active FCS rushers with 41 career touchdowns, ninth-best in League history. 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, 4,086
2. Luke Yoder, Lehigh, 3,636
3. Beau Brungard, Youngstown St., 2,886
 
BYRD ESTABLISHES HIMSELF AMONG FCS SACKS LEADERS
Richmond’s Camden Byrd is fourth in the FCS, averaging 1.13 sacks per game through four weeks. Byrd has had at least a half sack in three of the Spiders’ four games. The Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year ranks second among all FCS players in career total sacks with 22.0.
Rk. Name, School, Career total sacks
1. Ckelby Givens, Southern U., 38.0
2. Camden Byrd, Richmond, 22.0
3. Lance Byndon, Stony Brook, 17.0
 
THREE LEAGUE TEAMS AMONG FCS TAKEAWAY LEADERS
William & Mary is second in the FCS in turnovers gained (11) and ninth in turnover margin (+1.25). The Tribe had six takeaways against Delaware State in Week Two. Two more League teams rank in the top 20 in the FCS in turnovers gained, with Colgate (8) and Lehigh (7) ranking eighth and 20th, respectively. Colgate’s Christian Magliacano (Jr., LB) is  12th (0.75) and William & Mary’s Cade Ellis (0.50) and Villanova’s Jamie Tyson (0.50) are tied for 18th in interceptions per game.
 
RAIDERS DEFENSE MAKING ITS MARK THROUGH FOUR GAMES
Colgate’s defense has been among the best in the FCS through four games. The Raiders lead the Patriot League and are second in the FCS in red zone defense (0.364), while ranking fifth in the nation in scoring defense (11.0). They have been among the nation’s top 20 in rush defense (111.3) and passing defense (147.0) highlighted by Tymir Wynn (Sr., DB), who ranks 14th in the FCS with 1.75 passes defended per game, and fourth among all active FCS players with 26 career passes defended. Christian Magliacano (Jr., LB) ranks 17th in the FCS with 1.63 TFLs per game, while Trooper Price (Sr., LB) is averaging 9.0 total tackles per game.
FCS Category, Rank (Stats)
Passing Defense, 10 (147.0 yds/gm)
Red Zone Defense, 2 (0.364)
Rushing Defense, 17 (111.3 yds/gm)
Scoring Defense, 5 (11.0 pts/gm)
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE LONGEST PLAYS OF 2026
Colgate’s Jake Stearney (Sr., QB) threw an 85-yard touchdown pass to Matt Fogler (So., WR) on the Raiders’ second play from scrimmage in a 20-7 win over Cornell in Week Three, the longest play in the League this season, and the longest in the League since Georgetown completed a 95-yard touchdown pass on Nov. 11, 2023. Bucknell’s Nate Olson (Fr., DB) recorded a 77-yard interception for a touchdown in a 20-7 loss to Penn in Week Three.
Category, Player(Team), Yards
Pass Play, J. Stearney to M. Fogler (GATE), 85
Rush, Andrew King (W&M), 67
Field Goal, Max Lipinski (W&M), 51
Punt, Josh Leff (GU), 69
Punt Return, TJ Cadden (BUCK), 47
Kick Return, Kameron Vance (LAF), 48
Interception Return, Nate Olson (BUCK), 77
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE WINS VS. FBS OPPONENTS
Patriot League teams will play their final two of nine FBS opponents during the 2026 season this week, with games against ACC opponents Pittsburgh and Duke. 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 28
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
 
FOGLER AMONG FCS TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS LEADERS
Colgate’s Matt Fogler (So., WR) is fifth in the FCS with four touchdown receptions through four games. The reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year caught an 85-yard touchdown pass on the Raiders’ second play from scrimmage in a 20-7 win over Cornell. He also caught three touchdown passes, including a 64-yard reception, in a  win over Holy Cross in Week One. He leads a group of five Patriot League receivers who rank in the FCS top 20 in touchdown receptions.
FCS Rk. Name, School, Rec. TDs
5. Matt Fogler, Colgate, 4
17. Bryce Allen, Richmond , 3
17. Lincoln Fisher, Holy Cross , 3
17. Sam Milligan, Bucknell, 3
17. Nick Palumbo, Lehigh, 3
 
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.