For only the third time ever, and the first time since 2015, Fordham Football has defeated a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent.
The Rams took down the University of Buffalo Bulls 40-37 on Saturday night in upstate New York, improving to 2-1 on the season.
DraftKings, BetMGM and FanDuel all had Buffalo as 23.5 point favorites over Fordham heading into Saturday’s contest, but the Rams flipped the script and came back to the Bronx with the upset win under their belt.
Sophomore quarterback CJ Montes delivered his second consecutive five-touchdown performance to pace Fordham’s offense, along with 309 yards passing and 40 yards rushing.
Montes struggled mightily in the season opener against the University at Albany, but these last two weeks have the New Mexico University transfer looking like a worthy heir to Tim Demorat’s throne.
He was named FedEx Ground FCS National Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
Early on, it seemed like the sports books were correct in their pre-game odds. Buffalo jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the second quarter thanks to a blocked punt and three quick scores from the Bulls.
But Montes and Fordham quickly kicked things into gear. A 46-yard grab from senior wide receiver MJ Wright got the Rams deep into Buffalo territory before Montes hit senior receiver Mekai Felton for a nine-yard score. That made it 21-10 Buffalo with over 11 minutes to go in the second quarter.
A long kick return from Ron Cook aided by a face mask penalty set up the Bulls inside the Fordham 30-yard line on the ensuing possession.
Buffalo eventually got the ball to the one-yard line, but Fordham’s defense held firm on fourth down to keep them out of the endzone.
The Rams then marched 97 yards down the field, scoring once again on a pass from Montes to Felton from 12 yards out. With Fordham down big early, a touchdown, a goal line stand and another touchdown in the span of three possessions flipped the game on its head and cut the Buffalo lead down to 21-17.
At the end of the half, a career-long 44-yard field goal from senior Brandon Peskin got the Rams within one going into the break.
If the first half was a little wild, the second was complete chaos. After Fordham’s second drive of the half stalled in Buffalo territory, the Rams opted to punt the ball away. The ensuing kick from junior Will Haslett was muffed by Cook, allowing junior linebacker James Conway to pounce on the ball and set Fordham up inside the redzone.
The Fordham offense immediately took advantage of the good field position, with Montes finding junior running back Julius Loughridge in the flat for the nine-yard score.
That gave Fordham their first lead of the night, but the extra point attempt from Peskin did not go to plan for the Rams. Buffalo’s Caleb Offord exploded off the edge and blocked the kick, with his teammate Clevester Hines III scooping up the loose ball and returning it all the way to the endzone for two points.
With the score at 26-23 Fordham, Buffalo capitalized on their momentum from the blocked kick on their next offensive possession. Sophomore running back Mike Washington punched the ball in from five yards out to put the Bulls back on top at 30-26.
That was the score heading into the fourth quarter. The Rams moved the ball back towards the Buffalo goal line thanks to another long connection from Montes to Wright but were forced into a fourth and goal situation. Down by four, Fordham head coach Joe Conlin opted to go for it from the two-yard line.
Montes was able to find senior wide receiver Garrett Cody in the corner of the endzone on fourth down, giving the Rams the lead once again at 33-30.
Buffalo immediately responded with a touchdown of their own, handing Montes and Fordham the ball back down 37-33 with eight minutes to go. As they’d done all day, Fordham’s offense marched down the field, taking valuable time off the clock as they did so.
And with two minutes and change left, Montes connected with Wright on a 15-yard for the go-ahead score.
Up 40-37, Fordham was now within touching distance of a memorable win. But last year, we saw the Rams come close to huge road wins against Ohio University and the College of the Holy Cross only to fall short right at the end.
This time, the Rams sealed the deal. Buffalo were able to move the ball to the edge of field goal range with 46 seconds left, but kicker Alex McNulty missed wide left from 54 yards out. The kick had enough distance but just sailed past the left upright, securing the 40-37 win for Fordham and sending the Rams’ sideline into euphoric joy.
“First quarter was a little ugly,” Conlin said through a smile after the game. “I was very concerned. But tremendous resilience from the guys and the staff, they did a great job of adjusting. Our kids, they never flinched and just kept fighting.”
Fordham swept the weekly Patriot League Awards for their efforts on Saturday night. Montes, Conway and Peskin were named Patriot League Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively.
Montes commanded Fordham’s offense all day while Conway did the same on defense, registering 13 tackles and a fumble recovery. Peskin was 2/2 on field goals, including a career-long effort at the end of the first half.
Elsewhere, Wright finished with 159 yards receiving and a score, Felton contributed 66 yards and two touchdowns and Cody racked up 53 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Loughridge posted 106 yards.
Beating an FBS school is a major statement from this Fordham team that struggled to close big games last season. The Rams are now ranked #22 in this week’s FCS coaches poll, tied with Southeastern Louisiana University.
Fordham now enters their bye week, with no games scheduled for this coming weekend.
They’ll be back in action at home on Saturday, Sept. 23 against Stonehill College. That game can be streamed live on ESPN+ or listened to on WFUV 90.7 FM.
