Box Score Nov. 24, 2007
Final Stats |
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Amherst, Mass. -
As the Fordham Rams were leaving the field following their 49-35 NCAA Division I Championship loss to Massachusetts, the sense of sadness was quickly being replaced by a sense of accomplishment and optimism.
The sense of accomplishment came as the players and staff started to look back at the amazing season, how they were able to accomplish all their goals and how they managed to come close to knocking off the seventh-ranked team in the country.
The optimism came from the fact that this is a young Fordham squad; the team will return eight of its eleven starters on each side of the ball.
Today on UMass' McGuirk Stadium, the Ram offense gave the Minutemen defense, a defense that entered the game ranked eighth in the NCAA FCS in total defense (287.0 yards/game) and eleventh in scoring defense (16.36 points per game), everything they could handle before coming up short in the end.
"I'm so proud of the way the guys played and competed today," said Fordham head coach Tom Masella. "We hung in there and made some big plays on offense but we got worn down towards the end. But I loved the effort the team gave today."
The offense was led by sophomore quarterback John Skelton, who had a hand in all five Fordham scores, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for two others, setting a Patriot League playoff game record, surpassing the four by Colgate's Chris Brown in 2003. He completed 24 of 46 passes for 281 yards on the day, his second straight 200-yard day and his seventh of the season.
The Rams trailed by seven at the half, 28-21, but took the second half kickoff and drove 69 yards on six plays with Skelton hooking up with Richard Rayborn with a 19-yard scoring pass to knot the game 2:30 into the half. Skelton completed all four passes on the drive for 63 yards.
The Minutemen answered with an 80-yard drive, taking a 35-28 lead with 9:05 left in the third when Chris Zardas took a short pass from Liam Coen and turned it into a 33-yard touchdown.
Massachusetts threatened to take a 14-point lead on its next possession, driving down to the Fordham two where a Coen pass was tipped in the end zone and intercepted by Fordham's James Crockett. Skelton then drove the Rams downfield, completing four of five passes to put the ball down on the Massachusetts 16. After Jonte Coven picked up five yards on a rush, Skelton was flushed out of the pocket but as he scrambled he found Sylvester Clarke in the end zone to tie the game at 35 with 11:59 left.
Once again, the Minutemen responded with a scoring drive of their own, moving 83 yards on nine plays, with Matt Lawrence scoring on a 13-yard rush to put Massachusetts up for good, 42-35, with 9:25 remaining.
On the ensuing possession, the Rams took over on their own 20 but on third down and five, Skelton's pass over the middle was picked off by Charles Walker and returned to the Fordham 22. Six plays later, Lawrence scored from two yards out to give the Minutemen a 49-35 lead with 5:15 left in the game.
"They were blitzing all day and on that play the linebacker dropped back in coverage and I didn't expect him to be there," said Skelton on the interception.
The loss did little to temper the Fordham effort on the day as the Rams gave the two-time Colonial Athletic Conference champions, a squad which features 16 NCAA BCS transfers, everything they could handle. Massachusetts, who advanced to the NCAA I-AA championship game last year, has gone 23-4 over the past two years, with one of the losses to Boston College earlier this year and one to Appalachian State in the I-AA championship game last December.
"Massachusetts is a great team with great players," said Masella. "We showed that we can compete with them today but we just need a few more players to match-up in a 60-minute game."
It looked like the Minutemen would run away with the game, scoring on their first two possessions. Massachusetts took the opening kickoff and drove 67 yards on eleven plays with Coen finding Ian Jorgensen with a seven-yard scoring strike 4:56 into the game for a 7-0 lead. The Minutemen converted three third downs on the drive, the big one a third-and-ten call on the Fordham 28 where Coen found J.J. Moore with a 13-yard completion.
The Rams appeared to go three and out on their first possession but a roughing the kicker call on the punt gave Fordham a fresh set of down. But when the Rams couldn't move the ball, Massachusetts took over on its own 26 following a punt. The Minutemen quickly made it a 14-0 game, covering the 74 yards on just five plays with Lawrence taking it in from the one with 6:12 left in the first. Coen completed two pass on the drive for 64 yards.
The Rams got on the scoreboard later in the quarter, taking over on their own 18 following a punt. Three plays netted eight yards and Fordham lined up to punt, but the ball was snapped to up-back Nick Magiera who ran it up the middle for a 38-yard gain, bringing the ball down to the Massachusetts 36. After a five-yard gain from Quasand Lewis, Skelton found Asa Lucas with a short pass over the middle which Lucas turned into a 28-yard gain. Two plays later, Skelton went up over the pile from the one to cut the Fordham deficit to seven, 14-7, with 55 seconds left in the first.
A Dato punt midway through the second pinned Massachusetts back on its own three but on the first play from scrimmage, Coen connected with a wide open Moore on the right sideline for a 37-yard gain. Coen proceeded to move the Minutemen down to the Fordham 12 where he hit a diving Rasheed Butler in the end zone for a 21-7 Massachusetts lead with 8:18 left in the half.
On their next possession, the Rams moved the ball from their own 16 to the Massachusetts 49 where the drive stalled and Dato punted the ball into the end zone.
The Fordham defense held the Minutemen to three plays and Magiera broke though the line on the punt attempt and deflected the ball, which was recovered by the Rams on the Massachusetts 35.
Three plays netted only one yard for the Rams but on fourth down, Skelton found David Moore over the middle with a short pass and Moore broke a tackle, bringing the ball down to the Massachusetts eight. Two plays later, Skelton found Cody Kritzer with a three-yard touchdown pass to make it a 21-14 game with 2:46 remaining in the half.
Jeremy Horne returned a short kickoff 38 yards to the Fordham 41 and it took only one play for the Minutemen to find the end zone as Coen completed a short pass to Rasheed Rancher on the right and Rancher took it across the field and down the left sideline for the score and a 28-14 Massachusetts lead with 2:26 left in the half.
On their next possession, the Minutemen took over on their own ten following a punt and on the second play of the drive, Coen connected with Rancher deep down the left side but Kennith Thompson forced a fumble on the Fordham 42 and Isiejah Allen picked up the ball and returned it to the Massachusetts 26.
The Rams couldn't gain any yards on the first two plays of the drive but in third down, Skelton found James Caldwell over the middle and Caldwell was able to escape his defender and bring the ball down to the one with three seconds left. On the final play of the half, Skelton snuck the ball in to cut the Fordham deficit to seven at the break, 28-21.
Lucas led all Fordham receivers with eight catches for 107 yards, his second straight 100-yard receiving day, while Rayborn made five catches for 79 yards and the one touchdown. Coven led the Rams rushing game, picking up 42 yards on nine carries.
Matt Loucks led the Fordham defense with a game-high 14 tackles, eight solo, while Ryan Kleve added nine stops, including 1.5 for a loss, and Allen and Crockett each chipped in with seven tackles.
