Football Falls at Colgate, 31-29

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Hamilton, N.Y. - Two teams entered the Fordham-Colgate game with perfect Patriot League football records on Saturday and only one emerged unscathed, but it took until the final play of the game before a winner was declared and, unfortunately for the Rams, it was the Raiders who took away a 31-29 win at Andy Kerr Stadium.
 
With the loss, which snaps a six-game winning streak, number 11 Fordham falls to 7-2 overall, 3-1 in the Patriot League, while Colgate improves to 4-4 overall, 3-0 in the conference.
 
The Colgate defense worked on containing Fordham sophomore running back Chase Edmonds, who entered the game leading the NCAA FCS in rushing yards, and Edmonds was held to 51 yards on 18 carries. But junior quarterback Kevin Anderson took advantage of the Colgate decision, completing 34 of 49 passes for 378 yards, all career-highs, and four touchdowns.
 
 

After leading receiver Robbie Cantelli left the game with an injury in the first quarter, the Fordham freshman receivers stepped up as Austin Longi grabbed ten passes for 107 yards and two scores while Corey Caddle hauled in five passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns.
 
The Rams scored twice in the final 27 seconds, including on the final play of regulation to make it a two-point game, 31-29. Fordham went for two following the final touchdown and on the first attempt Colgate was called for interference, giving the Rams one more shot. But Anderson's pass attempt was knocked down at the line to end the game.
 
Trailing 31-16, the Rams took over on their own 26 after the defense held Colgate on a fourth and six play. Anderson completed four of five passes to start the drive to get the ball to the Fordham 48. Three plays later, Fordham faced a third and five from the Colgate 36 when Anderson connected with Jonathan Lumley for a seven-yard gain.
 
Four plays later, facing fourth-and-two from the Colgate five, Anderson found Longi in the end zone with 23 seconds left in the game to make it a 31-23 game.
 
The Rams then executed a perfect onside kick which was recovered by Stephen Hodge, and Anderson found Jonathan Lumley with a 34-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage. Three plays later, Anderson lofted a ball into the end zone from the 20 on the final play of regulation for Jordan Allen but the Colgate defender knocked the ball loose from Allen as he was on the ground. However, an aware Caddle scooped the ball from the pile for the touchdown.
 
After Colgate jumped out a 7-0 lead 5:49 into the game, the Rams moved from their own 27 to the Colgate 13 where the drive stalled and Makay Redd came on to boot a 30-yard field goal to make it a 7-3 game with 3:15 left in the first.
 
A Colgate touchdown at the end of the first quarter made it a 14-3 game before Fordham drove to the Colgate 16 but a penalty and a sack moved the Rams back to the Colgate 22 where Redd had a 39-yard field goal attempt blocked.
 
The Raiders turned the blocked field goal into a touchdown to build a 21-3 lead with 3:03 remaining in the half.
 
The Rams came back, covering 65 yards on seven plays in just 2:20, the big play a third down pass from Anderson to Kendall Pearcey that picked up nine yards to keep the drive alive.
 
On the next play, Anderson found Corey Caddle with a 22-yard gain which was followed by a six-yard scoring strike to Caddle to make it a 21-9 game with 43 seconds left.
 
The Raiders were able to get to the Fordham seven and kicked a 24-yard field goal with one second left to take a 24-9 at the half.
 
The Fordham defense came up big on Colgate's first second half possession, holding the Raiders on a fourth and one from the Fordham 44. The Fordham offense moved the ball to the Colgate 31, thanks to a 22-yard connection from Anderson to Jordan Allen, but the drive later stalled and the Rams missed on a 41-yard field goal attempt
 

Late in the third, Fordham took over on its own 35 following a fumble recovery still trailing 24-9. On third and ten, Austin Longi grabbed a pass from Anderson to pick up 27 yards and, later in the drive,  the Rams faced a fourth and two from the Colgate five when Anderson found Caddle in the end zone to make it a 24-16 game.
 
The Raiders responded with a score to go up 31-16 with six minutes left.
 
Hodge led the Fordham defense with a game-high 13 tackles, eight solo, including one for loss, while JQ Bowes made seven stops, five solo, including one for loss.
 
The Rams return to action next Saturday, November 7, as they host the Bucknell University Bison on Jack Coffey Field at 1:00 p.m. for Senior Day.
 
Notes
The Rams entered the game second in the NCAA FCS in turnovers gained with 22 but only forced one against Colgate.
 
The loss snapped a ten-game Fordham Patriot League winning streak. The Rams are now 14-2 against Patriot League opponents over the past three years (the Rams were a perfect 6-0 last fall and 5-1 in 2013, though the games in 2013 did not count in the league standings).
 
The 15-point halftime deficit was Fordham's largest on the year.
 
Edmonds now has 3,282 career rushing yards in just 23 career contests, moving him ahead of Chip Kron and into third place on the Fordham all-time rushing list.
 
Anderson's previous career-highs were 29 completions on 36 attempts for 377 yards at Penn.
 
Anderson has 25 touchdown passes in 2015, the fifth best total in Fordham history.
 
Fordham freshmen receivers accounted for 21 receptions for 272 yards and four touchdowns.
 
The Rams scored 20 points in the fourth quarter for the second straight game.