When linebacker Ryan Greenhagen graduated after the 2022 season, his 425 career tackles didn’t just mark the Fordham University record — it was the most by any player in Patriot League history.
Jacob Dobbs of the College of Holy Cross quickly supplanted him the following season, ending his Patriot League career with 432 tackles.
For a third straight season, the crown has been passed along.
In an early afternoon matchup on Saturday, Nov. 16 against Georgetown University, Rams senior linebacker James Conway carved his name into history in front of the Fordham fans, recording 11 tackles to raise his career total to 436 — the new Patriot League all-time record.
“He’s the best,” praised head coach Joe Conlin. “It’s really just a product of who he is. It’s just the consistency of four years of tremendous effort on his part.”
For Conway, who has humbly rejected ample opportunities to bask in his personal glory and deflected instead to his ultimate goal of team success, it was fitting that the Rams took center stage in a dominant 31-3 rout of the Hoyas, led by a masterful showing from Fordham’s defense.
Fordham improves to 2-9 overall, closing out Patriot League play with their second conference win in three weeks. The offense tallied a season-high 31 points while the defense held Georgetown to a season-best three points in a game, which Conlin agreed was his team’s best all-around effort.
“Just a great job by the defense, limiting their rushing game, that was really the difference,” noted Conlin postgame. “Offensively, we were able to run the ball well again. It was a good day all around.”
There was no shortage of heroes, particularly on the defensive end.
Conway’s record-breaking tackle came with 6:14 left in the third quarter, as he quickly met Georgetown running back Bryce Cox on a 1-yard carry.
“He’s one of the most impressive people I’ve been around in my life,” Greenhagen told WFUV Sports. “If there’s anybody deserving of it, it’s him.”
It’s high praise from a former FCS All-American who, just two seasons prior, held the records that Conway now stands atop. But few people are more qualified to speak on Conway’s success than Greenhagen, who spent two years playing right next to him as a linebacker before rejoining the program as an outside linebackers coach this season.
“He and I are on the same wavelength where the records, the outcomes, all of the ‘hoopla’ — that’s not really the most important part,” explained Greenhagen. “The most important part is the process that goes into these things, the passion that you have for the game, and there is nobody that has that like he does.”
When Conway arrived in the Bronx as a freshman, he was instructed by Conlin to follow Greenhagen around. Conway took those words to heart, staying behind with Greenhagen after practice every day and following a similar regiment to that of his mentor. Clearly, it paid dividends.
“It was an honor to work with him,” said Greenhagen. “It’s an honor to work with him now. He’s truly a special guy.”
But Conway wasn’t the only one making headlines.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, senior safety Trey Bradford intercepted a pass from backup quarterback Jacob Holtschlag and appeared to have a golden opportunity for a pick-six. Just 10 yards into his return, however, Bradford came up limp with a pulled hamstring.
So the senior improvised.
Turning to his right, Bradford lateraled it to a sprinting teammate, junior Alex Kemper, who outran defenders for the remaining 63 yards, speeding into the endzone to put the exclamation mark on a 31-3 victory.
Braford’s decision to lateral the ball came as a shock to everyone, including the man he decided to pass it to.
“I was about as confused as everybody else,” said Kemper. “When I got to the endzone, I kinda just turned around and had to make sure that actually just happened… It’s something you do in the backyard with your friends when you’re little. All of a sudden you’re on a big stage — 100% the craziest play I’ve ever been a part of.
“As a DB room, we talk about it — ‘If I get it and you’re right behind me, I’m gonna lateral it to you’ just as a joke,” Bradford told WFUV Sports. “But it was in the back of my head, I’ve seen Ed Reed do it, you see legends do it. I don’t know, I’ve never thought about it in an actual game before, but I’m glad it worked out.
Bradford and Kemper’s chaotic play received national attention from ESPN, SportsCenter and beyond. It was even deemed the Pop-Tarts Crazy Good Play of the Week, with Fordham Football receiving nearly 500 pop tarts for the sensational sequence.
In what feels like a footnote compared to the aforementioned headliners, senior defensive end Matt Jaworski had another dominant outing. Just one week after tallying a career-high nine quarterback pressures against Bucknell University, Jaworski matched his career-best with another nine pressures and added a tackle for loss for good measure.
The Preseason Defensive Player of the Year has now recorded a mind-boggling 34 quarterback pressures this season. For reference, the next closest in the Patriot League is Georgetown’s Cooper Blomstrom with 14.
Collectively, the Rams intercepted Holtschlag twice while holding the Hoyas ground attack to 74 yards and 2.5 per carry.
Not to be forgotten is a Fordham offense that gave the Rams a 14-0 lead by the close of the first quarter. A receiving touchdown by graduate student tight end Jeff Ciccio gave Fordham their first two-score lead of the 2024 campaign — and the Rams never looked back.
Senior running back Julius Loughridge opened the scoring by extending his touchdown streak, finding the endzone for a seventh straight week. Meanwhile, sophomore wide receiver KJ Reed hauled in the first touchdown of his collegiate career in the third quarter.
Kemper’s score was the final blow that put the game out of reach.
Loughridge, as he has been all season long, was the focal point offensively, rushing for 91 yards and a touchdown while averaging 5.7 per carry. In the process, Loughridge raised his season rushing total to 1,048, surpassing Lafayette College’s Jamar Curtis for the Patriot League lead despite having missed a game due to injury.
Conlin lauded his efforts following yet another strong showing by his lead back. “He’s incredible,” said Conlin. “He’s one of the best backs I’ve ever been around. Just a tremendous young man.”
Loughridge becomes just the fourth player in program history to rush for over 1,000 yards in multiple seasons, joining Carlton Koonce, Kirwin Watson and Fordham’s all-time rushing leader Chase Edmonds.
Despite opening the season with eight straight losses and an early end to their playoff hopes, Fordham has managed to stay engaged and play some of their best football in November. The road was far from easy this year, but the Rams can take pride in their unwavering effort, which has culminated in two straight home wins to the delight of the fans at Jack Coffey Field.
Fordham has a chance to make it three straight as they close out their 2024 season with a non-conference matchup against 4-6 Merrimack University. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23 from the Bronx.
