Box Score Sept. 15, 2007
Final Stats
Bronx, N.Y. -
For Ram fans it was worth the wait. Due to paperwork issues with the NCAA Clearinghouse, Fordham freshman running back Xavier Martin was forced to sit out the Rams' first two games of 2007. But after being cleared to play earlier in the week, Martin made up for lost time, rushing 25 times for 157 yards and three touchdowns to lead Fordham to a 27-10 Liberty Cup win over Columbia University on Jack Coffey Field. With the win, the Rams reclaim the Liberty Cup, which had been housed at Columbia the past two years.
Martin was impressive in his debut, bouncing off tackles and picking up extra yardage after being hit. He was joined in the 100-yard club by senior Jonte Coven, who gained a career-high 139 yards on 28 carries, his second 100-yard game of the year. The 157 yards gained by Martin were the second most for a Fordham freshman on the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, behind Kirwin Watson's 161 rushing yards against Holy Cross as a freshman in 2000.
The game also marked the first time a pair of Fordham running backs gained more than 100 yards in a game since the Rams made to the move to the NCAA FCS.
"I was upset that I couldn't play the first two games because I've never missed a game before," said Martin. "But I'm happy to be playing now."
Not to be outdone, the Fordham defense also had a say in the win, holding the Lions to 59 net rushing yards and intercepting two Columbia passes.
The Rams got on the board first, taking over on their own 39 following a punt. Martin quickly gained 17 yards on three carries to place the ball on the Columbia 44 and then he and Coven shared carries to get the ball down to the 33. The drive almost stalled there as quarterback John Skelton threw an interception on third down but the play was negated by a Columbia penalty, giving the Rams a first down on the Columbia 28. Four plays later, Martin took the ball around the left side and into the end zone from the 14 for a 7-0 Fordham lead with 3:08 remaining in the quarter.
The 7-0 lead would hold until Fordham's second possession of the second quarter when the Rams took over on their own 38 following a missed 55-yard field goal attempt from Columbia's Jon Rocholl.
Martin supplied the power for the Rams, rushing three times for 61 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown romp to give Fordham a 14-0 lead with 5:53 left in the half.
Earl Hudnell picked off a Craig Hormann pass on the Columbia 35 on the third play of Columbia's ensuing possession, giving the Rams excellent field position. Fordham kept the ball on the ground, rushing seven times to move the ball down to the three but on third and goal from the three, Skelton was unable to connect with Asa Lucas and Adam Danko came on to boot his first collegiate field goal, a 20-yarder, to put the Rams up 17-0 with 24 seconds left before the half.
Austin Knowlin returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards for the Lions, giving Columbia the ball on the Fordham 36 with 16 seconds left. Hormann connected with Jordan Davis with a five-yard pass to put the ball on the 31 where Rocholl kicked a 49-yard field goal as time expired in the half to cut Columbia's deficit to 14 at the break, 17-3.
The Rams took a 24-3 lead on their second possession of the third quarter, taking over on their own 43 following a punt. Fordham picked up 51 of the 57 yards on the ground, including the last four by Martin for a 24-3 Fordham lead with 6:36 left in the third.
Two plays later, Hudnell picked Hormann off for the second time in the game, returning the interception 30 yards to the Columbia 15. After the drive started with a holding penalty on the Rams, Fordham was unable to pick up a first down and Danko converted a 32-yard field goal to give Fordham a 27-3 advantage with 4:31 remaining in the quarter.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Lions managed a nine-play, 94-yard drive, capped by a seven yard touchdown pass from Hormann to Knowlin with 1:37 remaining to make the final score 27-10.
"I thought this team would come out ready to play tonight and they certainly did," said Fordham head coach Tom Masella. "I give a lot of the credit to the seniors who practiced hard all week for his game. I think we bounced back well after last week and played extremely hard."
Dominique Owens paced the Fordham defense, recording ten total tackles, seven solo, including one for loss while Isiejah Allen and James Crockett each recorded four stops.
The Rams will next be in action next Saturday, September 22nd as they host the University of Dayton Flyers on Jack Coffey Field for Homecoming 2007 at 1:00 pm.
Notes
The 323 net rushing yards by the Rams are the most for a Fordham team since the Rams gained 344 against Bucknell in 2005...The last time Fordham had two 100-yard rushers in a game was on October 8, 1988 when Rick Hollawell (132) and Eddie Pearson (112) did it...The two interceptions by Hudnell marked the first time a Fordham defender picked off two passes in one game since All-American Tad Kornegay intercepted a school-record three passes in a game twice in the 2004 season...Senior punter Ben Dato punted seven times for 319 yards (45.6 yards/punt) and placed two inside the Columbia 20...After throwing for over 200 yards in the first two games of the year, Skelton threw for just 51 yards tonight...The Rams evened the series in the battle for the Liberty Cup, 3-3, but still trail in the all-time series, 11-5.
