Halloween weekend is a time for frights and terrors. But the scariest specter haunting Fordham University Football was the threat of a winless season, a feat that hadn’t occurred since 1999.
Entering a Week 10 matchup against the 2-6 Colgate University Raiders, Fordham successfully exorcized their demons, pulling off a thrilling 20-14 come-from-behind victory in front of their home fans at Moglia Stadium. For the first time in 2024, the Rams got to ring the bell right outside the Rose Hill Gym, celebrating a hard-fought win.
“I’m really proud of the guys,” said head coach Joe Conlin. “In a season filled with adversity, they haven’t flinched.”
Fittingly, it was a game ripe for celebration.
Senior Julius Loughridge ran all over the Colgate defense, netting a season-high 153 yards on 6.1 yards per carry and adding his seventh rushing touchdown of the season.
Senior linebacker James Conway recorded eight tackles in a strong game for the Rams’ defense. It brings him to 425 on his career, tying the Fordham tackles record set by current outside linebackers coach and 2021 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Greenhagen.
Graduate student defensive back Nahil Perkins picked off two balls in the first half, raising his Patriot League lead to five and putting him one shy of the FCS lead.
But it was an unlikely hero who led the Rams to victory.
Freshman quarterback Tripp Holley made his first collegiate start against the Raiders, but it was junior quarterback Jack Capaldi who led the comeback effort, leading the Rams to 20 points in the second half and throwing the game-winning touchdown to graduate student Mekhi Felton in the final five minutes.
Capaldi had taken the reins from junior CJ Montes back in mid-September after Fordham’s starting gunslinger was injured in Week 3. But Capaldi had struggled in the role, throwing three touchdowns to five interceptions and completing passes at below a 47% clip entering the contest against Colgate.
It all came to a head in Week 9 against Lehigh University, when Capaldi was benched in favor of Holley after the offense managed just three points in three quarters of play.
With the two battling in practice throughout the week, head coach Joe Conlin gave the nod to Holley. But despite his exciting collegiate debut the week prior, Holley struggled in his first game at Rose Hill.
He completed six of nine passes for 39 yards but was sacked four times, fumbling twice. It was the second fumble that ended his day, as Colgate recovered at the Fordham 10-yard-line, setting up an 8-yard receiving touchdown by Reed Swanson that broke the scoreless tie late in the second.
“Tripp was doing some good things early, I thought he threw some nice balls,” remarked Conlin. “I think once he got hit a couple times, his feet in the pocket were a little unsteady. He got off his reads a little bit there, and we thought Jack coming off the bench would maybe give us a spark, and to his credit, it did.”
Capaldi entered for the Rams’ final two drives but threw an interception with just over a minute left in the half.
Fordham entered halftime trailing 7-0, shutout at half for the third time this season. But they were lucky to only be trailing seven.
With Colgate marching deep into Rams territory twice, Perkins kept the game close, intercepting Colgate quarterback Jake Stearney twice in the final five minutes and 22 seconds. The second one was particularly impressive as Perkins lunged to deflect the ball and then dove forward to catch the ball before it hit the ground, giving Fordham possession with 36 seconds left.
Evidently, something shifted at halftime as the Rams found the endzone three times in the second half.
Loughridge’s 13-yard rushing touchdown tied the game 7-7 in the opening five minutes of the third, but the Raiders were quick to respond, as Stearney scrambled for 27 yards and a score to retake the lead.
Then Capaldi brought Moglia Stadium to its feet in the final seconds of the third. Taking it left on the read option, the junior quarterback showed off his wheels, evening up the game once more with a career-long 41-yard rushing touchdown.
He’d find Felton at the back pylon with 5:23 left in the fourth, giving the Rams their first lead of the day. But just in case the Fordham fans were breathing too easily, freshman kicker Bennett Henderson banged the extra point off the post, keeping the lead at six.
Colgate quickly took the ball to midfield, spawning pessimistic visions and nightmares of yet another heartbreaking loss.
The Fordham defense was having none of that. Rushing off the edge on third-and-8, senior Matt Jaworski sacked Stearney with 2:39 to play. After being held without a sack in his first seven games, the Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year had now recorded a sack in the last two games — and this one was pivotal.
Thanks to a running into the kicker penalty charged to Colgate, the Rams would hold the ball for the remainder of the game, entering victory formation for the first time this season to secure the 20-14 victory.
The Rams improve to 1-8, but some wins are about more than just the record.
A Fordham team that had failed to close out wins against Stony Brook University, Lafayette College and the College of Holy Cross finally executed in the fourth quarter.
After completing just 1 of 5 passes in the first half, Capaldi was a near-perfect 11-12 in the second half. He ended his day 12-17 for a career-high 70.5%completion rate, throwing for 117 yards with one touchdown and one interception, adding a 41-yard touchdown on the ground as well.
Loughridge, meanwhile, had a game that Conlin praised as “probably the best of his career.” Loughridge picked up 153 yards on the ground against one of the best linebacker units in the league, led by Patriot League-leading tackler Cole Kozlowski. Despite Colgate consistently stacking the box against him all game long, Loughridge managed to have his most productive game of the year and his fourth-most productive rushing game of his four-year career. He’s just shy of averaging 100 yards per game on the season with a Patriot League-leading 99.5.
Felton only recorded two receptions, but his 12-yard touchdown proved to be the difference maker. It’s the first of the season for Felton, who recorded a team-high eight last year in a Montes-led offense.
The game was won by clutch touchdowns, but it was the defense that kept Fordham in the ballgame when the offense sputtered.
“The defense, what can you say about those guys,” chuckled Conlin. “The corners played great. We got to their quarterback, especially in a key situation. And really killed that last drive of theirs.”
The Rams held a strong Colgate rushing attack to just 76 yards, the fewest Fordham has allowed all season.
“It was huge,” said Conlin. “That was the challenge of the team, and those guys accepted it. They absolutely did it.”
Conway’s pursuit of the Fordham tackling record became more of an afterthought thanks to Saturday’s thrilling finale, but it should not be overlooked. Just three games into his senior year in the Bronx, the All-American has already tied Greenahagen’s mark, which tied the Patriot League record back in 2022.
The new Patriot League mark of 432 was by Holy Cross’ Jacob Dobbs last season, leaving Conway tied for second place, eight shy of becoming the conference’s all-time tackles leader. He can appear in one more game this season while still retaining a medical redshirt and an extra year of eligibility.
Fordham will look to build off of their win, hitting the road one final time next Saturday to battle with 4-5 Bucknell University. Sporting a 2-1 conference record, the Bison are one of three Patriot League teams still in contention for the conference title. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from Pennsylvania.
