Box Score Oct. 23, 2010
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Bronx, N.Y. -
Fordham quarterback Blake Wayne may want to read up on a former New York Yankees first baseman by the name of Wally Pipp. With Wayne on the sidelines due to injury, sophomore Ryan Higgins made his first varsity start, leading the Rams on a last minute scoring drive as Fordham snapped a four-game losing streak, defeating Lafayette College, 14-10, in a matchup of Patriot League schools on Jack Coffey Field.
With the win, the Rams improve to 3-5 while Lafayette falls to 1-6.
Wayne was injured at the end of the Yale game last week and Higgins was told by offensive coordinator Bryan Volk that he would be the starter this week on Monday morning. Higgins, who was in for the final three offensive plays at Yale last Saturday in his first varsity action, completed 19 of 35 passes for 185 yards in his starting debut but saved his best for last, completing all four of his passes on the final Fordham scoring drive.
"I'm just so happy for the team," said head coach Tom Masella. "I told them in the locker room that I couldn't be more proud of a bunch of guys as I am of them. It's not easy losing four straight close games but they kept coming back and it paid off for us today."
Wayne wasn't the only Ram thrown into action this week as starting running back Xavier Martin suffered an injury early in the game which thrust Darryl Whiting into the position and Whiting responded with his third career 100-yard rushing game, gaining 108 yards on 29 carries with one score, the game-winning touchdown with 47 seconds left.
The Fordham defense also had a hand in the win, holding the Leopards to just 91 rushing yards, allowing just one touchdown for the second straight game, and coming up with a big turnover when Michael Martin intercepted a pass with 22 seconds left in the game to seal the win for the Rams.
"The defense has been playing extremely well lately," said Masella. "The unit was banged up early in the year but it seems to be coming together now. They came up with some big plays today, including two fourth down stops."
On the winning drive, the Rams took over on their own 20 following a Lafayette punt after the Fordham defense held the Leopards on third and five from the Fordham 33. Higgins immediately went to work, finding
Stephen Skelton over the middle for a 21-yard gain and then hooking up with
Brad Pierre on the right for another five yards. He then found
Patrick Miller down the right sideline for a 19-yard pick-up and followed that with a seven-yard completion to
David Moore to put the ball on the Lafayette 27. The Rams then went to the ground with Whiting taking the ball down to the eight on the next play and, following a five-yard false start penalty, he gained six yards to the Lafayette seven. On the next play, Whiting burst through the middle and stretched across the goal line for the score, giving the Rams a 14-10 lead with 47 seconds remaining.
The Leopards had one last opportunity but after taking over on their own 22 following the ensuing kickoff, Martin stepped in front of a Ryan O'Neil pass at the Lafayette 39 and returned it to the 13 where the Rams kneeled on the ball to close out the game.
The game started out on a positive note for Fordham, who took an early 2-0 lead thanks to a bad snap on a Lafayette punt attempt. After going three and out the Leopards lined up for a punt but the ball was snapped over the head of punter Tom Kondash and out of the end zone for a safety 1:21 into the game.
The Rams took over on the Lafayette 49 following the free kick and were able to move to the 22 where the drive stalled and Patrick Murray came on to boot a 39-yard field goal with 10:51 remaining in the quarter. The big play of the drive was a three-yard rush from Whiting one fourth and one from the 28.
After the Fordham defense forced another three and out, the Rams got the ball on the Lafayette 47 following a short punt. On the first play from scrimmage Higgins found Aaron Mays with a 21-yard completion to put the ball on the 26 and Whiting would run the ball down to the six later in the drive but on third down and four from the six, Higgins was hit at the line and fumbled, but he recovered the fumble and Murray connected on a 35-yard field goal to put the Rams up 8-0 with 6:59 left in the first.
The Fordham defense again didn't allow the Leopards to pick up a first down and when Namdi Onyeabor partially blocked the Kondash's punt, the Rams had excellent field position, taking over on the Lafayette 33. A nine-yard completion to Jason Caldwell and a four-yard carry by Whiting moved the ball to the Lafayette 20 but Higgins then attempted a pass down to the goal line which was intercepted by Kyle Simmons and returned to the Lafayette 23.
The Leopards couldn't take advantage of the turnover but took over on their own 20 late in the quarter following a punt. Lafayette then drove down field, moving to the Fordham 17 where Kyle Hayes couldn't hold on to an O'Neil pass and Davis Rodriguez came in to attempt a 34-yard field goal but the kick sailed wide right.
On their next possession the Leopards got the ball on the Fordham 48 following a short punt and on third down and ten, O'Neil found Mark Layton on the left sideline with a 15-yard pass and Layton eluded the Fordham defenders, taking it to the end zone to cut the Lafayette deficit to one, 8-7, midway through the second.
Fordham had a chance for a score just before the half as the defense stopped the Leopards on fourth and one at midfield when Justin Yancey broke through the line and tackled Pat Creehan for a one yard loss. Higgins found Jason Caldwell with a 26-yard pass completion on the first offensive play and benefited from a pass interference call on Lafayette on a third and 23 call that gave the Rams a first down on the Lafayette 25. But the drive stalled on the 19 where Murray attempted a 36-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the half but the kick was wide left.
The Rams had the ball first in the second half and drove to the Lafayette 34 but couldn't convert on third and 21 following a pass interference call on Skelton after he made a highlight reel one-handed catch over the middle.
A 37-yard Murray punt pinned the Leopards back on their own three but Patrick Mputu was able to run the ball out, gaining 20 yards on the second play of the drive. The drive was aided by two Fordham penalties as Lafayette moved to the Fordham 19 but a third down Mputu rush was short of a first down and Rodriguez connected on a 32-yard field goal to give the Leopards a 10-8 lead with 6:40 left in the third.
The Rams answered by moving from their own 18 to the Lafayette ten, but the Leopards stopped Whiting for no gain on fourth and one from the ten and Fordham came away with no points.
The Leopards took over on their own 24 and attempted to run out the clock, moving down to the Fordham 33 but a third down O'Neil pass to Mitchell Bennett was incomplete and Lafayette punted the ball back to Fordham with 2:28 left.
Caldwell led the Fordham receivers with six catches for 61 yards while Skelton had four receptions for 42 yards.
Defensively, Jamal Haruna led all tacklers for the Rams with eleven stops, eight solo, and he also broke up two passes, while Bryson Wilson added eight solo tackles, including one for loss.
The Rams will next be in action next Saturday, October 30th as they host Georgetown University in a matchup of Patriot League schools on Jack Coffey Field at 1:00 p.m.
Notes
The game was the seventh straight game this year for the Rams that was decided by a touchdown or less... The win snaps a two-game winning streak for Lafayette in the all-time series but the Leopards still lead the all-time series, 20-8-1... The Rams are now 2-6-1 all-time when playing on October 23rd with the first win coming against TCU at the Polo Ground sin 1937... The Fordham defense held its second consecutive opponent to less than 100 yards on the ground... Caldwell's six receptions for 61 yards brought his career totals to 171 receptions for 2,427 yards, both second best on the Fordham all-time lists... Murray punted seven times for 266 yards (38.0 yards/punt) with two of the punts being downed inside the five... The Rams entered the game tied for seventh in the NCAA FCS in fewest penalties per game (4.57) but where whistled for a season-high 13 infractions today for 107 yards... The game marked the debut of freshman Tom Fisher on the offensive line... Fisher had previously appeared as a tight end but was moved to the offensive line this week.
