When it comes to Patriot League football, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more exciting rivalry over the last decade than Fordham University and the College of Holy Cross.
Recent iterations of the Ram-Crusader Cup have been marked by high-scoring offenses, wild finishes and, much to the dismay of the Rams, Holy Cross victories.
The 39th Ram-Crusader Cup, hosted by the Crusaders in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Oct. 12 this season, may not have delivered the high-powered offense fans have grown accustomed to. It did, however, provide an exciting finish and another Holy Cross victory, as the Crusaders emerged victorious 19-16, notching their eighth straight win against the Rams and dealing Fordham a devastating conference loss in the process.
The Rams sink to 0-7 on the season but, more importantly, fall to 0-2 in Patriot League play. No team has ever won a share of the conference title with two or more losses in Patriot League history since its founding in 1986. It’s yet another gut-punch in a season that’s provided plenty, as Fordham watches their playoff hopes dwindle in mid-October.
Fordham entered the 2024 season picked third in the Patriot League preseason poll and was one of just three teams to receive a first-place vote. Unfortunately, their conference schedule kicked off with back-to-back games against the co-reigning champs, leaving little room for error.
The Rams had battled well against Lafayette College in their Patriot League opener, but a comeback effort fell just short in a 28-23 defeat during Family Weekend at Rose Hill. Nonetheless, Fordham hoped they could take the positives from a hard-fought game against the Patriot League’s preseason favorites into a crucial matchup against the Holy Cross Crusaders.
Yes, Fordham was fighting for their playoff hopes. But some matchups carry extra weight. Safe to say, this rivalry is one of them.
Fordham and Holy Cross’ history dates back to 1902. The Ram-Crusader Cup was introduced in 1951 and has occurred annually since the Rams revived their Division 1 football program and joined the Patriot League. There’s a storied history between these two programs, and it makes for excellent scene-setting — but it’s the recent history that’s come to define the current state of this rivalry.
Holy Cross has staked a claim in the last five Patriot League titles, winning the first four outright before sharing the honor with Lafayette in 2023. The Crusaders’ loss to Lafayette last season marked just their second conference defeat since 2019. Simply put, Holy Cross has been dominant. And they’ve had some of their wildest wins against the Rams.
In 2022, the Crusaders handed Fordham their only conference loss of the season, defeating the Tim DeMorat-led Rams in overtime with a double reverse on a two-point conversion to secure a 53-52 win. Last season, Holy Cross stopped senior running back Julius Loughridge on a two-point conversion attempt to seal a 49-47 win in regulation. It’s no secret that the Crusaders have served as the main roadblock to Fordham’s hopes for a Patriot League title.
But while Holy Cross eyes a sixth straight title this season, they do so without being the consensus team to beat. That’s because no team in the Patriot League had lost more talent going into the 2024 season than Holy Cross.
Bob Chesney, who became the first head coach to win five straight Patriot League titles, accepted the head coaching job at James Madison University, taking the Patriot League’s career leader in tackles Jacob Dobbs and several other key starters with him. Wide receiver Jalen Coker and right guard CJ Hanson both landed in the NFL, with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs respectively. Perhaps most notably, All-American quarterback Matthew Sluka transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for his graduate season.
Despite the roster overhaul, the Crusaders remained a challenging foe, now led by head coach Dan Curran. While neither Holy Cross nor Fordham had flourished to start their season, the stakes and intensity remained high.
Both offenses struggled out the gate, as 30-mile-per-hour gusts of wind in Massachusetts made throwing the football a difficult endeavor. With Fordham’s junior quarterback Jack Capaldi and Holy Cross’ senior gunslinger Joe Pesansky unable to find any form of rhythm throughout the first half, both sides were forced to settle for field goals.
Freshman kicker Bennett Henderson connected on a pair of field goals, including a career-high 52-yarder, which gave the Rams a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Head coach Joe Conlin had a chance to seize a two-score lead late in the first half with the Rams knocking on the door of the red zone and his kicker in range. Instead, he opted to keep the offense out for a fourth-and-2 attempt. Capaldi was swallowed up on a read option, allowing Holy Cross to drive down the field and kick a field goal as time expired.
Nonetheless, the Rams had a 6-3 lead at halftime. The question was, would they be able to keep it?
Former Fordham punter John O’Friel was quick to warn the WFUV Sports radio booth that the Rams had entered halftime tied or leading in the last five matchups against the Crusaders but ultimately fell short in all five.
O’Friel’s warning proved to be a wise one.
Daniel Porto connected on a 46-yarder early in the third quarter, evening the game 6-6. Fordham answered with a 1-yard touchdown run from Loughridge, but Pesansky was quick with a response of his own, finding tight end Jacob Petersen in the end zone.
Deadlocked in a 13-13 tie entering the fourth quarter, the Ram-Crusader Cup was going down to the wire once more.
Henderson’s leg would give Fordham a 3-point advantage early in the fourth as the freshman connected on his third field goal of the day, becoming the first Ram to hit three field goals in one game since 2017.
But Henderson’s effort unfortunately became a footnote in another Holy Cross comeback effort. Taking advantage of two Fordham face mask penalties, the Crusaders marched into the red zone. Pesansky connected with Petersen for the second time, throwing a jump ball into the back of the endzone for a 3-yard touchdown. Holy Cross assumed their first lead of the day, leading 19-16 with just over six minutes to play.
Porto missed the extra point to keep it at a 3-point deficit, but the Fordham offense was held silent on their two final drives, sealing a Holy Cross victory. It’s yet another frustrating entry in the Ram-Crusader Cup for the maroon and white as the trophy remains in Massachusetts, where it’s stayed since 2017.
It’s a difficult pill to swallow for a Fordham team that, despite an injury to their starting quarterback, has managed to remain competitive against two of the top teams in the conference and the two reigning champions.
A 5-point loss to Lafayette and a 3-point loss to Holy Cross are far from embarrassing outcomes, and it very well may bode well for future matchups this season against Patriot League opponents. Unfortunately, it might not be enough to change the ultimate outlook of the season. Fordham’s fate is likely sealed with two losses to open conference play — the Patriot League title and FCS playoffs are all but out of reach, a disappointing result for a team that entered with high expectations.
Despite the loss, the game had no shortage of impressive personal achievements.
Henderson’s 52-yard field goal in the first quarter marks the longest in the Patriot League this season. He’s the first Fordham kicker to make a 50-plus yarder since Andrew Mevis in 2018, an impressive feat for anyone, let alone a freshman. Throughout seven games, Henderson is a perfect 12-12 on extra points and six-of-eight on field goals, with his only two misses being a 56-yarder and a blocked kick, both against Dartmouth College.
The defense did its part, successfully neutralizing a dynamic Crusader offense and limiting them to just 19 points. It’s Holy Cross’ lowest output against a Patriot League opponent since 2018, which ironically was a 17-13 win over Fordham.
“I thought the defense played their tails off,” reflected Conlin. “Offensively we have to throw and catch better and we couldn’t really get the ground game going in the second half.”
Capaldi ended his day completing 10 of 28 passes for 199 yards, while Loughridge was held to a season-low 53 yards, averaging just 2.9 per carry. Despite reduced production in his last two games, Loughridge still leads the Patriot League with 94.3 yards per game.
“I’m so proud of how the guys played and their effort. It’s just frustrating,” said Conlin, who fell to Holy Cross for the seventh time as head football coach at Rose Hill.
Senior James Conway, meanwhile, is chasing history as the All-Patriot League linebacker is quickly approaching both the Fordham record and the Patriot League record for career tackles.
After making his first start of the season against Lafayette in Week 6, Conway has amassed 30 tackles in just two games, thanks to a game-high 17 vs. Holy Cross. He boasts 417 tackles in his career — eight shy of tying the Fordham mark set by outside linebackers coach Ryan Greenhagen and 15 shy of tying the Patriot League record of 432 set by Dobbs, a five-year member of the Crusaders.
Conway will have a chance to break both records next week as the Rams come off of a bye week to take on 3-3 Lehigh University. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
