Box Score Nov. 14, 2009
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| 11/14/09 - Highlights vs. Lehigh 
Bronx, N.Y. -
The Lehigh University defense found a way to "stop" Fordham's John Skelton, using the term stop loosely as the senior quarterback threw for 386 yards and three touchdowns. The Mountain Hawks' secret? Don't let Skelton throw the ball. And the easiest way to stop him from throwing the ball is to sack him, which Lehigh did nine times in the game en route to a 35-28 Patriot League win over the Rams on a wet Jack Coffey Field.
With the loss, Fordham falls to 4-6 overall, 1-4 in the Patriot League, while Lehigh improves to 3-7 overall, 3-2 in the conference.
Skelton completed 28 of 45 passes for the 386 yards on the day, breaking Fordham single season records for completions and passing yards in the process. The 28 completions brings his season total to 261, breaking Kevin Eakin's 2003 record of 247 while his 386 passing yards brings his 2009 total to 3,303, surpassing Eakin's 2003 mark of 3,072. The three scoring strikes give Skelton 21 on the year, the fourth best single season total in school history.
"In tough games all year we seem to shoot ourselves in the foot and today was no exception," said Fordham head coach Tom Masella. "We had too many penalties and too many turnovers today and didn't make enough plays while they did. But again it wasn't for a lack of effort as the kids played hard. Our offensive line is banged up and the young guys are battling. They must be doing something right as we gained over 400 yards against one of the best defenses in the league."
After seeing 56 points put on the scoreboard in the first half, 28 by each team, the defenses took over in the second half with just one touchdown scored, a 22-yard pass from JB Clark to De'Vaughn Gordon in the third quarter which proved to be the game-winner.
Both teams had chances in the second half, including the Rams who had a chance to tie the game in the final minute but a fourth down pass from Skelton to Jason Caldwell was knocked down in the end zone with 13 seconds left. The drive started at the Fordham five following a punt as the Rams had to move 95 yards in 1:50 with no timeouts. Skelton completed a short pass to Asa Lucas which Lucas turned into a 42-yard gain, giving Fordham the ball on its own 47. Skelton then found his brother, Stephen Skelton, with a 13-yard pick-up, and then hooked up with Lucas again for an 11-yard gain, placing the ball on the Lehigh 29. A completion to David Moore moved the ball down to the Lehigh 17 but Skelton was sacked on the next play for a loss of three yards. Two incomplete passes to Lucas had the Rams facing a fourth-and-13 from the 20 and Skelton tried to find Caldwell in the end zone but Bryan Andrews stepped in front of Caldwell and knocked the ball away.
Earlier in the quarter the Rams appeared to have tied the game on a seven-yard scoring strike from Skelton to Caldwell but the play was called back for an illegal formation penalty against Fordham. Skelton and Caldwell got the penalty yards back on the next play, six-yard completion, but Skelton was sacked on second down and he threw an incomplete pass on third down. Kevin Heinowitz came on to attempt a 31-yard field goal but the kick was low and deflected at the line by Andrews.
The game started out as an offensive battle with each team scoring four touchdowns in the first half, taking advantage of multiple turnovers. The Mountain Hawks got on the board first, taking the opening kickoff and driving 66 yards on eleven plays to take a 7-0 lead on an eight-yard pass from Clark to Jake Drwal 4:40 into the game.
The Rams were held to four plays in their first possession, the first play being a pass interference call against Lehigh, and were forced to punt the ball back to Lehigh from the Lehigh 46. Jarard Cribbs attempted to field a Patrick Murray punt but fumbled the ball at the Lehigh 11 and the ball rolled into the end zone where Fordham's Isaiah Leake fell on it for a Fordham touchdown.
On its first play from scrimmage on the ensuing possession, Lehigh again fumbled the ball as Jay Campbell was hit by Thomas Lloyd and coughed up the ball, which was recovered by James Crockett for the Rams on the Lehigh 35. The Rams moved the ball to the Lehigh 19 where Skelton threw a pass to the right corner of the end zone and a diving David Moore pulled it in to put the Rams up 14-7 with 6:20 left in the first.
Later in the quarter it was Fordham's turn to turn the ball over as Lucas couldn't handle a punt with Lehigh's John Veniero falling on the ball on the Fordham 36. Ten plays later, Clark connected with Gordon on a seven-yard touchdown pass to knot the game at 14 with 1:15 remaining in the first.
Another turnover figured in Fordham's next touchdown as Michael Martin stepped in front of an attempted Clark shovel pass, returning the ball from the Fordham 41 to the Lehigh 30. It only took Skelton one play to capitalize on the miscue as he and Moore hooked up for a 30-yard scoring pass to give Fordham a 21-14 lead with 11:46 left in the half.
Later in the second, a 36-yard Cribbs punt return gave Lehigh the ball on the Fordham 33. Three plays later, Clark hooked up with Gordon again, this time a 39-yard touchdown pass, to tie the game at 21 with 6:24 remaining in the half.
After the Rams went four-and-out, another long Cribbs punt return, a 60-yarder, put the ball on the Fordham 28, setting up another Mountain Hawk score. On third-and-nine from the Fordham 15, Clark ran out of the pocket to the left and made it to the end zone untouched to put Lehigh up, 28-21, with just over three minutes remaining in the second.
The teams exchanged turnovers about a minute later as Skelton was intercepted by Casey Eldemire on the Lehigh 38 and Eldemire returned it to the Fordham 31. But two plays later, Lehigh gave the ball back to Fordham when Kelvin Colbert intercepted a Clark pass on the Fordham 13 and returned it to the 18. Skelton then drove the Rams down to the Lehigh 15, completing three passes while also getting sacked once, where he connected with Moore for the third time in the half to tie the game at 28 with 50 seconds left before intermission.
Both defenses stepped up to start the second half until Lehigh took over on the Fordham 41 following a short punt. Two Campbell rushes gained 13 yards but the Rams held the Mountain Hawks to two yards on the next two plays, forcing Lehigh into a third-and-eight situation from the Fordham 22. But on the play, Clark found Gordon cutting across the middle of the end zone with a 22-yard scoring strike, giving Lehigh the lead for good, 35-28, with 3:34 left in the third.
Caldwell led all receivers for Fordham with ten catches for 128 yards while Moore finished with nine receptions for 141 yards and the three touchdowns and Lucas added seven catches for 105 yards. Darryl Whiting led all Rams rushers with 70 yards on 18 carries.
Defensively, Isiejah Allen led all Fordham tacklers with ten stops, six solo, and he forced a fumble while James Crockett added nine solo tackles, including one sack and he recovered a fumble.
The Rams will wrap up the 2009 season by traveling down to Washington, D.C., next Saturday, November 21st, to face the Georgetown University Hoyas in a Patriot League game at 1:00 PM.
Notes
Caldwell recorded his third straight 100-yard receiving game and his sixth of the season...The ten receptions and 128 receiving yards brings his season total to 71 receptions for 1,066 yards, both the third best in Fordham history...He now has 107 career receptions for 1,547 yards, both sixth best in school history...Lucas' seven catches for 105 yards bring his career numbers to 125 receptions, fifth most all-time at Fordham, for 1,943 yards, fourth best in school history...Lucas now has seven career 100-yard games...Moore's 141 receiving yards is a career-best, surpassing his 132-yard game against ODU earlier this year...The interception was Colbert's team-high fourth of the year...Skelton's career numbers are now 779 completions for 9,523 yards and 64 touchdowns, all school records...His interception in the first half snapped a streak of 144 pass attempts without an interception, dating back to the Lafayette game...The Fordham defense recorded four sacks on the day...The game was the final appearance on Jack Coffey Field for 19 seniors...Lehigh now leads the all-time series, 20-2.
