Fordham Football suffered their fourth defeat of the season on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Lafayette College Leopards 24-16 in Easton, Pa.
The Rams drop to 6-4 on the season and 2-3 in Patriot League play. This loss essentially removes any chance that Fordham had remaining for an at-large postseason berth. On the other hand, Lafayette improves to 8-2 overall and 4-1 in the league. They currently sit in first place in the Patriot League, ahead of College of the Holy Cross due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.
For the first time since the opening week of the season, Fordham’s offense was held to under 20 points. The Rams actually outgained the Leopards in terms of offensive yardage, but they weren’t able to punch the ball into the endzone until the fourth quarter.
Lafayette received the ball to begin the game, but Fordham’s defense forced a quick three-and-out to give Montes and the offense possession. Fordham punted the ball right back after a holding penalty derailed their first drive, and the first quarter ended in a scoreless tie with both sides struggling to move the ball early.
In the second quarter, Fordham got on the board first courtesy of a 29-yard field goal from senior Brandon Peskin. Lafayette immediately responded with a touchdown drive of their own. Running back Jamar Curtis, who torched Fordham all day with 204 yards on the ground, broke the ball into Rams territory with a 40-yard run. Curtis added two touchdowns later in the game and was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. The Leopards then capped off their drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Dean Denobile to Elijah Steward.
Fordham’s next drive started from their own eight-yard line, but the Rams were able to methodically move the ball deep into Lafayette territory. They were ultimately stopped on a third-and-short from inside the Lafayette 10-yard line, forcing a short field goal attempt from Peskin. Peskin hooked the 26-yard try wide left, with the Rams squandering a major opportunity to put points on the board.
The score remained 7-3 heading into the halftime break as both defenses were taking center stage. Junior James Conway led the way for Fordham’s defense, recording 10 tackles on the day along with one tackle for a loss.
Junior James Conway led the way for Fordham’s defense, recording 10 tackles on the day along with one tackle for a loss.
In the third quarter, Lafayette expanded their lead after the Rams went three-and-out to begin the half. Denobile hit Steward for a 24-yard completion to set up the Leopards at the Fordham one-yard line, and Denobile then punched the ball in himself for the touchdown.
That drive took almost eight minutes off the clock in the third quarter, meaning Fordham would only get one more offensive possession before the fourth. Once again, Fordham’s typically high-powered offensive unit was forced to punt the ball back to the Leopards. A Lafayette field goal early in the fourth quarter made it 17-3, with Fordham needing a big performance down the stretch to get back into the game.
The Rams finally got moving offensively on their next possession. Montes completed key passes to graduate student MJ Wright, senior Mekai Felton and junior Garrett Cody to set Fordham up with a first-and-goal situation from the Lafayette one-yard line. Montes then scored on a quarterback keeper, cutting the Lafayette lead down to 17-10.
But Jamar Curtis ensured that it didn’t stay a one-possession game for long. On the first play of Lafayette’s ensuing possession, Curtis ripped a 72-yard run all the way down to the Fordham 12-yard line. He then finished his own work with a short three-yard score, extending Lafayette’s lead to 24-10.
With just 6:55 remaining, the Rams needed to work quickly. They were able to cut the lead back down to one score thanks to a 15-yard touchdown from Montes to junior Julius Loughridge, but Peskin was unable to convert the extra point. At 24-16 with 3:25 left, Lafayette was able to convert a key fourth down on a run from Curtis to ice the game. Fordham wouldn’t get the ball back, and Lafayette kneeled down to run out the clock and secure the 24-16 win.
Fordham’s offense ultimately waited too long to get going in this one. That, combined with the defenses’ inability to stop the run and Peskin’s special teams blunders, spelled doom for the Rams. Fordham will be back in action this Saturday in their season finale against Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y. That game is set for a 1 p.m. start and can be streamed live on ESPN+ or listened to on WFUV 90.7.
