Box Score Oct. 25, 2008
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Bronx, N.Y.-Frustrating. It was a word that Fordham head coach Tom Masella brought up many times during his postgame press conference and a word that could sum up the feelings of the Rams. One week after shutting down a powerful Yale team with a 12-10 win, the Rams returned to Patriot League action in front of a wet Homecoming crowd and fell to Lafayette, 48-13, on Jack Coffey Field.
With the loss, the Rams drop to 3-4 overall on the year, 0-3 in the Patriot League, while 24th-ranked Lafayette improves to 6-1 overall, 2-0 in the conference.
"I can't figure our guys out," said Masella. "We faced pretty much the same offense today that Yale ran last week and we couldn't stop them. But give Lafayette credit as they are a very good football team that was banged up but they came out and played well."
Consistency was another word that was mentioned in the postgame press conference as the Rams fell for the third time this year following a win.
"We can't be up and down the way we are and be a good football team," said Masella. "We have to go back to work and try to put a couple of good weeks together."
The Leopards wasted little time in getting on the board, taking the opening kickoff and driving 88 yards on six plays to take a 7-0 lead 2:34 into the contest. On the scoring play, Rob Curley threw a middle screen pass to Jerome Rudolph and Rudolph took it in for the touchdown.
After the Rams were held to six plays on their first offensive possession, Lafayette took over on its own 33 following a punt and quickly scored again, covering the 67 yards on eight plays with Matt Ferber taking it in from the one with 6:15 left in the quarter to give the Leopards a 14-0 lead.
Later in the first, the Rams took over on their own 40 following a punt and on the first play from scrimmage, John Skelton found David Moore with a 47-yard completion to put the ball on the Lafayette 13. But the drive would stall on the six where Adam Danko booted a 23-yard field goal to cut Fordham's deficit to 11, 14-3, with ten seconds left in the quarter.
The Leopards responded immediately, taking the ensuing kickoff and moving 84 yards on seven plays with Rudolph covering the final 21 on the ground for the score to put Lafayette up 21-3, 2:46 into the second quarter.
Skelton answered for the Rams, completing his first three passes of the next possession for 48 yards, placing the ball on the Lafayette 15. The drive stalled on the seven and Danko connected on a 21-yard field goal to make it a 21-6 game with 9:37 left in the half.
Later in the second, Curley hooked up with Joe Russo with a ten-yard scoring strike to give the Leopards a 28-6 lead with just over two minutes left in the half, a lead that Lafayette would take into the break.
Midway through the third, Fordham drove from its own 29 to the Lafayette 17 but the Rams couldn't convert on a fourth down play and gave the ball back to Lafayette. The Leopards quickly covered the 83 yards, the big play a 40-yard pass from Curley to Shaun Adair to put the ball on the Fordham 25 where, two plays later, Rudolph took it in from the 15 for a 34-6 Lafayette lead.
Skelton and Xavier Martin woke up the Fordham offense, moving the Rams downfield as Skelton completed two passes for 32 yards and Martin picked up 30 yards on the ground. With the ball on the Lafayette 14, Skelton found Clayton Busch with a touchdown pass to cut the Fordham deficit to 21, 34-13, with 2:22 left in the third.
But Greg Stripe took the ensuing kickoff 80 yards to pay dirt for Lafayette, making it a 41-13 game just 12 seconds later.
The Leopards would tack on a 17-yard scoring run from Joe Russo with 4:15 left in the game to make it a 48-13 final.
Skelton completed 19 of 36 passes for 264 yards and the touchdown with Moore catching four passes for 88 yards, Stephen Skelton grabbing four passes for 51 yards and Richard Rayborn recording four receptions for 26 yards. Martin finished with 66 yards on 18 carries.
Defensively for the Rams, Matt Loucks, who returned to action after missing two games with an injury, made a game-high nine tackles, five solo, while Andre Delaire recorded seven stops, five solo.
The Rams will next be in action next Saturday, November 1st, as they host Marist College on Jack Coffey Field at 1:00 pm.
Notes
The loss was Fordham's fourth straight Patriot League loss dating back to last year...The Rams are now 18-16-1 all-time in Homecoming games on Jack Coffey Field...Skelton's 200-yard passing day is his seventh of the season and the 16th of his career... The touchdown pass for Skelton brings his career total to 36, placing him second on the Fordham career list, nine behind Kevin Eakin who threw 45 touchdown passes from 2000-03...Skelton now has 447 career completions and 5,421 career passing yards, both third best in school history...Danko has converted on six of his seven field goal attempts this year...The Busch touchdown was the first of his collegiate career...All football alumni in attendance were honored at halftime, highlighted by the 1968 National Club Championship team.
