Box Score Oct. 2, 2010
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Fordham quarterback Blake Wayne did something today that no other Fordham quarterback has done in the history of the sport at Rose Hill. Over the past 110 varsity seasons, no Ram quarterback had rushed for more than 100 yards. But that changed today when Wayne picked up a first down with a seven yard carry late in the game to set up Fordham's final score with just under five minute remaining. But it wasn't enough for the Rams as the defense couldn't get the ball back and Fordham fell to Holy Cross, 36-31, on Fitton Field in the annual Ram-Crusader Cup game.
With the loss, Fordham falls to 2-3 on the year while Holy Cross improves to 2-3.
Wayne finished with 108 yards on 20 carries, which included a six yards loss on a sack, while also completing 19 of 30 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns.
The game also featured the reception skills of Stephen Skelton, who had been held quiet through the first four games of 2010. Today, Skelton grabbed seven passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns, including a highlight-reel one-handed scoring catch in the second quarter.
Last year when the two teams matched up it was a contest between two of the top NCAA FCS quarterbacks, Fordham's John Skelton and Holy Cross' Dominic Randolph. The team combined for more than 1,100 yards of total offense and neither team's punter saw the field. Today, Wayne and Holy Cross' Ryan Taggart did their best Skelton and Randolph impersonations, combining for more than 900 yards of total offense as both defenses struggled to corral the nimble signal callers.
Taggart didn't do as much damage on the ground as Wayne, gaining 75 yards, but it was his last two carries that sealed Fordham's fate. After the Rams pulled to within six on a six-yard Carlton Koonce rush with 3:59 left to pull the Rams to within six, 36-30, Fordham needed a defensive stop on Holy Cross' ensuing possession. But on third and six on the third play of the drive, Taggart gained seven yards to give Holy Cross a first down. Later in the drive, the Crusaders faced a third and four but Taggart again was able to dart by the Ram defenders and gain a first down, which allowed the Crusaders to run out the remaining time on the clock.
"We're banged up up front," said Fordham head coach Tom Masella, referring to the fact that the Rams were missing three defensive linemen in the game. "We're hanging in there defensively but we need some help on the defensive line."
After the Rams went three and out on the first drive of the game Holy Cross took a 7-0 lead with a 12-play, 77-yard drive, capped by a Taggart one yard rush. But the Rams responded with a scoring drive of their own, covering 66 yards on ten plays with Skelton hauling in a six-yard pass from Wayne to knot the game at seven with 5:41 left in the first. The big play of the drive came on the third play when Wayne picked up 17 yards on a third down and nine call, which seemed to ignite the Fordham offense. He also gained 16 yards on the second to last play, a third down and seven situation, to put the ball on the six.
The Fordham defense held Holy Cross to a three and out and Fordham took over on its own 47 following a punt. It took the Rams only two plays to find the end zone as Wayne hooked up with Caldwell on a 42-yard pass play deep down the middle. He followed that with a scramble around the right side, diving to the pylon for the score to give Fordham a 14-7 lead with 3:29 left in the first period.
Holy Cross came back, moving to the Fordham 24 where Rob Dornfried booted a 41-yard field goal nine seconds into the second quarter to make it a 14-10 game.
The Rams moved the ball to the Holy Cross 45 on the next possession but were forced to punt. The snap was off target and punter Patrick Murray tried to run for the first down but was stopped back at the 49. The Crusaders took advantage of the field position, moving 51 yards on seven plays with Bill Watson hitting Bill Edger with a 26-yard scoring strike to put Holy Cross up, 17-14, with 10:13 remaining in the half.
After going three and out, the Rams regained possession of the ball when Isa Abdul-Quddus forced a fumble on the punt return and the ball was recovered by Lloyd Morrison on the Fordham 48. But Fordham couldn't benefit from the turnover, turning the ball back over to Holy Cross when Wayne gained 15 yards on a fourth down rush but fumbled the ball on the Holy Cross 19 and the ball was recovered by the Crusaders.
Holy Cross took advantage of that turnover too, going on a nine-play, 81-yard drive to take a 23-14 lead on a Sam Affant 17-yard rush with 1:41 left in the half.
Wayne then executed a perfect two minute offense, driving from the Fordham 21 to the Holy Cross seven where he found Skelton in the end zone with Skelton making a spectacular one-handed grab while fighting off a defender. That made it a two-point game at the break, 23-21.
The Crusaders came out and scored on the first possession of the second half, covering 80 yards on 15 plays with Eddie Houghton covering the final yard to put the Crusaders up 30-21 midway through the third.
Fordham came right back, moving down to the Holy Cross 22 where Murray connected on a 39-yard field goal to cut the Rams' deficit to six, 30-24.
The Rams threatened later in the quarter, taking the ball down to the Holy Cross 24 but Wayne was stopped on a fourth down and two play and Holy Cross took over. The Crusaders mounted a 15-play, 76-yard scoring drive, scoring on an eleven-yard pass from Taggart to Alex Schneider with 10:05 left in the game. The big play of the drive was a fourth down and four rush from Taggart that gained six yards to keep the drive alive.
The Rams matched that score with a 15-play, 72-yard drive, pulling to within six, 36-30, on Koonce's six-yard scoring run. Wayne kept the drive with his feet, picking up seven yards on a fourth and seven play from the Holy Cross 14.
Caldwell finished with seven receptions for 119 yards.
Defensively, Ahmed Haruna led all tacklers with a career-high 13 stops, 12 solo, while his twin brother, Jamal, finished with nine tackles, eight, solo and Abdul-Quddus added seven.
The Rams will next be in action next Saturday, October 9th, as they travel to Bethlehem, Pa., to face the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks in a Patriot League game at 12:30 p.m.
Notes
Holy Cross has won three straight in the all-time series and now leads the all-time series 26-20-2 and leads in the battle for the Ram-Crusader Cup, 15-10... The 31 points scored by the Rams are the most Fordham has scored in a loss to Holy Cross in the all-time series... The 100-yard receiving game is the tenth of Caldwell's career... His seven receptions and 119 receiving yards bring his career totals to 155 receptions for 2,244 yards... He is ranked third on the Fordham career receptions list, four behind Gerry McDermott, and fourth on the career receiving yards list, ten behind McDermott... Caldwell also returned five kicks for 88 yards... Patrick Murray punted twice for 64 yards but also landed two of his six kickoffs in the end zone... It was a sort of homecoming for Fordham defensive line coach Greg Crum who is a Worcester State graduate and who coached at his alma mater from 2003-05 and at WPI from 2006-09... The game was the second on natural grass for the Rams this year and the first of three straight on grass... In a pregame ceremony Holy Cross honored six former player by inducting them into the inaugural Ring of Honor... Among those inducted was Edmund Murphy, grandfather of Fordham freshman quarterback Griffin Murphy and a quarterback for the Crusaders in the 1940's who led Holy Cross to a 55-12 upset win over Boston College in 1942.
