By Emmanuel Berbari

Looking for a bounce-back performance ahead of Patriot League play, the Fordham Rams ran straight into the freight train that was the Yale Bulldogs, particularly on the offensive side, falling 41-10 in front of a near -sellout crowd at Jack Coffey Field.
“Obviously a disappointing result tonight,” said head coach Andrew Breiner. “We did not execute in any of the three phases of the game at a high enough level.”
The Bulldogs came into the game as the Ivy League’s premier offense, having averaged 52.5 points in their first two games. That did not change against a struggling Fordham football team.
“It’s a great balance of play-calling and productivity,” said Breiner. “They are big, physical and get downhill. They force you to defend both the run and the pass.”
Deshawn Salter punched in the Bulldogs’ first touchdown early in the first quarter with a 38-yard score. His explosive run down the far-left sideline foreshadowed the rest of the game.
The senior tailback, who came into the game averaging 7.4 yards per carry, had his first breakout performance of the 2017 campaign, crossing the pylon thrice amidst an eight-carry, 118-yard masterpiece.
“I am really impressed with how hard he runs the football,” said Breiner. “You hit him once, and a lot of times that is not enough to get him on the ground.”
Teaming up with freshman running back Zane Dudek, the Bulldogs created a lethal two-man punch out of the backfield. The Kittanning, Pennsylvania native had two touchdowns, carrying the ball nine times for 61 rushing yards of his own.
Yale finished with 283 yards on the ground as a team and converted on all three of its red zone opportunities.
Yale sophomore quarterback Kurt Rawlings had himself a fine day at the office as well, exploiting a weak Rams secondary. Entering with a completion percentage of 69.8, the youngster somehow improved, completing 18 of 20 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown.
“We need to play fundamental defense better,” said Breiner. “Great defenses do the fundamental things really well. Right now, that is not where we are at.”
The Bulldogs’ stellar execution quickly weathered all of the excitement that came with Chase Edmonds’ return to the lineup.
After missing the previous two weeks, Fordham’s senior standout played well, but not quite well enough to override the team’s other glaring weaknesses.
Edmonds finished with 16 carries for 87 yards before exiting with an apparent injury–perhaps re-aggravating that same left ankle he injured. He missed the majority of the second half.
“Some of the runs that got out were vintage Chase,” said Breiner. “Hopefully we continue to see him return to form.”
The Rams did not test their luck, keeping the borderline-pro out of action in a blowout. They can only hope that their offensive focal point is feeling 100 percent by next week, when each and every contest has playoff implications.
Partly due to Edmonds’ second-half absence, Fordham finished just 5-for-16 on third down conversions.
The injury bug did not stop at the team’s superstar, but also sidelined backup running back D’Angelo Palladino, who later returned, and wide receivers Corey Caddle and Jonathan Lumley at various points in the game. Caddle played in only one drive.
Fordham will be back in action next Saturday, when the team starts Patriot League play and a three-week road stretch in Easton, Pennsylvania against Lafayette.
“The number one football goal of our program is to win a Patriot League Championship,” said Breiner. “Where we are at right now is not good enough [to accomplish that].”
The Rams enter the most pivotal stretch of the season after one of their most difficult losses to swallow. Breiner’s squad will not have home-field advantage again until Oct. 28, when it returns to the Bronx to hosts Lehigh.
“It’s a six-round playoff,” said Breiner. “Round one is next week, and we are going to get ready.”