This Week in Patriot League Football – Week Nine (10.24.24)

PatriotFB Week Nine Notebook (.PDF)

 
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN TO PATRIOT LEAGUE FOOTBALL GAMES THIS WEEK
All seven Patriot League football teams are in action on Saturday, with all four games on ESPN+. Lehigh hosts Fordham to kick off Saturday’s action, with coverage beginning at noon. Colgate will take on Merrimack for the first time in series history, beginning at 1 p.m. Holy Cross puts its 2-0 League mark on the line against Lafayette, with the opening kickoff scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Fisher Stadium. Bucknell travels to Georgetown for a 2 p.m. meeting to conclude the day of games.
 
BUCKNELL’S THOMAS AND GEORGETOWN’S SAFFOLD SELECTED TO JERRY RICE AWARD WATCH LIST
Bucknell freshman running back Tariq Thomas and Georgetown freshman defensive lineman Isaac Saffold were among the 30 FCS student-athletes selected to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List, presented annually by Stats Perform to the FCS freshman player of the year. Thomas, a three-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week, is sixth in the League in rushing yards per game (51.0 ypg). Saffold has recorded 18 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks for the Hoyas through seven games. Fordham All-American and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer Chase Edmonds won the Jerry Rice Award in 2014.
 
CONWAY CLOSING IN ON LEAGUE TACKLES RECORD
Fordham Sr. LB James Conway has recorded 30 tackles in two games this season to bring his career total to 417, ranking sixth in Patriot League history, three behind Holy Cross legend Rob McGovern. Conway is 15 tackles away from matching Crusaders’ All-American Jacob Dobbs (432), who passed Fordham’s Ryan Greenhagen, Lehigh’s Lee Picariello and Holy Cross’s David Streeter’s mark of 425 last season. Conway is the FCS active leader in tackles and tackles per game (11.58).
PATRIOT LEAGUE CAREER TOTAL TACKLE LEADERS
1. Jacob Dobbs, Holy Cross (2019-23), 432
2. Ryan Greenhagen, Fordham (2018-22), 425
2. Lee Picariello, Lehigh (1988-91), 425
2. David Streeter, Holy Cross (1993-96), 425
5. Rob McGovern, Holy Cross (1986-88), 420
6.  James Conway, Fordham (2021-pres.), 417
 
2024 Patriot League Football Standings (as of Oct. 24)

ONLINE SCHEDULE | ONLINE STATS
 
LEAGUE DEFENSIVE BACKS CLIMBING FCS ACTIVE LEADER LISTS
Lafayette Sr. DB Saiku White ranks seventh among FCS active leaders with eight career interceptions after picking off a pass in the Leopards’ 28-23 victory over Fordham in Week Six. Fordham Sr. DB Nahil Perkins is tied for 17th among the FCS active leaders with seven career interceptions. Perkins is tied for the Patriot League lead with three interceptions this season. He is also sixth among active FCS players with 32 career passes defended, behind Lafayette Sr. DB Gabe DuBois, who is fourth in the FCS with 34. DuBois has broken up 10 passes in the Leopards’ last three games, including five in a Week Six win at Fordham. DuBois and Perkins are tied for third in the FCS with 1.7 passes defended per game this season.
 
CLERVEAUX RUSHES TO TWO PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Holy Cross So. RB Jayden Clerveaux eclipsed his career-high in rushing yards in consecutive weeks, totaling 324 in two weeks while claiming Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week twice. Clerveaux rushed for 159 yards on 30 carries in a 19-16 win over Fordham on Oct. 12. One week later, the Everett, Mass. native rushed for 165 and two touchdowns on 27 carries in a 35-34 loss at Harvard. After carrying just four times in the first two weeks, Clerveaux’s workload has increased with the injury to All-America RB Jordan Fuller in Week Three. Clerveaux ranks fourth in the League in rushing.
No. Name, School, Rushing yards per game
1. Julius Loughridge, Fordham, 94.3
2. Luke Yoder, Lehigh, 93.7
3. Jamar Curtis, Lafayette, 87.0
4. Jayden Clerveaux, Holy Cross, 67.1
 
THREE AMONG FCS TOTAL TACKLES TOP 10
Colgate Jr. LB Cole Kozlowski, the reigning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week, leads the League and is third in the FCS in total tackles per game, averaging 11.1 through seven games. Two more Patriot League linebackers are among the FCS top 10 in the category. Bucknell So. LB Gavin Willis is seventh in the FCS with 10.1 tackles per game after a career-high 19 tackles against Cornell (Oct. 19). Holy Cross Sr. LB Frankie Monte is third in the League and ninth in the FCS with 9.6 tackles per game. Monte recorded 16 stops vs. Fordham (Oct. 12).
FCS TOTAL TACKLE LEADERS FROM THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
FCS Rank. Name, School Total Tackles per Game
3. Cole Kozlowski, Colgate, 11.1
7. Gavin Willis, Bucknell, 10.1
9. Frankie Monte, Holy Cross, 9.6
 
TWO LEAGUE QBS AMONG FCS PASSING EFFICIENCY LEADERS
Holy Cross Sr. QB Joe Pesansky and Bucknell Sr. QB Ralph Rucker IV are among the NCAA DI FCS Top 25 in pass efficiency through eight weeks. Pesansky has helped the Crusaders to a 2-0 start in League play and leads the League in pass efficiency (149.3). He is also 13th in the FCS with 14 passing touchdowns. Rucker is second in the League in pass efficiency (147.2) and leads the League and 25th in the FCS in points responsible for per game (13.0 ppg).
PATRIOT LEAGUE QBs AMONG FCS PASSING EFFICIENCY LEADERS
No. Name, School, Passing Efficiency
20. Joe Pesansky, Holy Cross, 149.3
23. Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, 147.2
 
COLGATE’S SAUNDERS RANKS WITH FCS RECEPTIONS LEADERS
Colgate Jr. WR Treyvhon Saunders leads the Patriot League and is fourth in the FCS with 7.3 receptions per game. In Week Five, he tied the League’s single-game record with 16 receptions in a loss at Penn. Saunders matched former Lehigh All-American WR Troy Pelletier, who set the record with 16 grabs against Georgetown on Oct. 14, 2017. Saunders’s previous career-high was 10 receptions against the Hoyas in 2023. The FCS single-game record is 24 receptions, shared by Chas Gessner (Brown, 2002) and Jerry Rice (Miss. Val. St., 1983).
 
PL RETURN SPECIALISTS AMONG FCS’S BEST THIS SEASON
The Patriot League boasts several of the FCS leaders in kick return average and punt return average through the season’s first six weeks, with three players among the nation’s top 25 in each category. Cadden is third in the FCS in kickoff return average, at 32.1 yards per return. Lafayette Fr. Mason Kuehner is also third in the FCS in punt return average (18.3), while Cadden leads the nation with two punt returns for touchdowns.
PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYERS AMONG FCS KICKOFF RETURNERS
No. Name, School, Kickoff Return Avg.
7. TJ Cadden, Bucknell, 28.8
11. Jaden Green, Lehigh, 26.7
15. Winston Moore, Colgate, 25.8
PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYERS AMONG FCS PUNT RETURNERS
No. Name, School, Punt Return Avg.
2. Mason Kuehner, Lafayette, 17.1
5. TJ Cadden, Bucknell, 16.1
21. Nicholas Dunneman, Georgetown, 10.0
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE FEATURES THREE 2,000-YD RUNNING BACKS
Three Patriot League running backs have compiled more than 2,000 career yards to rank among the top 25 active rushers in the FCS. Fordham Sr. RB Julius Loughridge, who ranks fourth among active FCS players in rushing yards per game (91.2), is 10th among active players in rushing yards (2,644). Lafayette Jr. RB Jamar Curtis has rushed for 2,534 yards into his third season with the Leopards after leading the League and ranking second in the FCS last season with 132.7 rushing yards per game. Holy Cross Sr. RB Jordan Fuller is 25th among FCS active runners with 2,092 yards and first with 44 rushing touchdowns. He has not played since suffering an injury at Bryant in Week Three.
PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYERS AMONG FCS RUSHING LEADERS
No. Name, School, Rushing Yards
10. Julius Loughridge, Fordham, 2,644
14. Jamar Curtis, Lafayette, 2,534
25. Jordan Fuller, Holy Cross, 2,092
 
HOYAS RANK THIRD IN FCS IN SACKS PER GAME
Georgetown’s defense leads the Patriot League and is third in the FCS, averaging 3.0 sacks per game through seven games. The Hoyas’ 21 sacks have been for a loss of 121 yards, including four sacks for 17 yards in a 17-0 victory at Lafayette in Week Seven. Three Hoyas are among the League’s leaders in the category with So. DL Cooper Blomstrom’s 6.0 sacks leads the League. He is second in the League and 13th in the FCS with 0.86 sacks per game. Gr. LB David Ealey III (0.50 spg) and Sr. DL Cole Pascucci (0.33 spg) are among the League’s top 10 in sacks.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.