Dec. 6, 2010
Bronx, N.Y. -
(Skelton and Fordham's Moment in the NFL (NYTimes.com)
Former Fordham quarterback John Skelton made his regular season NFL debut yesterday for the Arizona Cardinals, completing three of six passes for 45 yards, in a 19-6 loss to the St. Louis Rams.
Skelton entered the game when fellow rookie quarterback Max Hall was injured while being sacked early in the fourth quarter. He completed his first pass attempt, finding Steve Breaston over the middle for a 22-yard gain that brought the ball into St. Louis territory. Skelton also completed his second attempt, a 19-yard gain to Larry Fitzgerald.
The Cardinals will next face the Denver Broncos in Phoenix on Sunday, December 12th at 4:15 PM. Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt has not decided on a starting quarterback for the game.
Skelton was the Cardinals' fifth-round draft pick last June, becoming the first Fordham football player to be drafted by an NFL team since 1968. A 2009 Second Team All-Patriot League selection, he wrapped up a record-shattering career for the Rams that fall, closing out the year completing 284 of 441 passes (64.4%) for 3,708 yards and 26 touchdowns. He set new school marks for completions and passing yards, breaking Kevin Eakin's former school records of 247 completions for 3,072 yards set in 2003 as well as breaking Steve O'Hare's completion percentage record of 63.1% set in 1997. Skelton led the NCAA FCS in passing yards/game (337.09) and was ranked second in total offense (348.18 yards/game), fourth in completions per game (25.82) and total passing yards and tenth in passing efficiency (149.95).
Skelton threw for over 300 yards eight times in eleven games in 2009, including four 400-yard games. He completed 20 of 27 passes for 420 yards and five touchdowns against Cornell on October 17th, breaking the school record of 413 passing yards set by Joe Moorhead in 1995 and coming up one shy of the school record for scoring passes of six, set by Kevin Eakin in 2003. Skelton then broke his own record two weeks later, completing 43 of 67 passes for 427 yards, all school records, against Holy Cross on October 31st. He finished one passing attempt shy of the NCAA FCS record for most pass attempts in a game without an interception, just missing the national mark of 68 set by Marshall's Tony Petersen against Western Carolina in 1987 (Peterson completed 34). Skelton surpassed his own school record of 420 passing yards in a game while breaking Matt Georgia's 1999 records of 36 completions and 65 attempts.
Following the 2009 season, Skelton was selected to play in the prestigious East-West Shrine game in January and he received an invitation to the NFL Combine.
Over his career, Skelton completed 802 passes for 9,923 yards and 69 touchdowns, all school marks. He shattered Joe Moorhead's career completions record of 518 while also surpassing Eakin's career marks for passing yards (6,112) and touchdowns (45).
