Patriot League Release

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (June 3, 2014) – A pair of matchups between teams expected to contend for the Patriot League football title will be shown on CBS Sports Network in 2014 as Lafayette visits Fordham on Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m. EST and Fordham goes to Bucknell on Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. EST. The Rams will also appear on the national network a third time when Fordham ventures up to Army on Nov. 22.
 
Lafayette and Fordham meet in a rematch of last year's game won by the Leopards 27-14 on Nov. 16, handing the Rams their first loss of the season after a 10-0 start. The Leopards went on to win the Patriot League title the next week, while the Rams earned an at-large berth to the FCS playoffs and beat Sacred Heart in a first-round contest before falling to Towson. The quarterbacks will take center stage as Lafayette's Drew Reed completed 72.5% of his passes for 1,887 yards and 17 touchdowns as a freshman in 2013 while Fordham's Mike Nebrich was an All-American and set numerous Patriot League single-season records including passing yardage (4,380), passing touchdowns (35) and total offense (4,893).
 
The Rams are back on CBS Sports Network when they travel to Bucknell in what could be a key late-season game in the Patriot League race. The teams played one of the most exciting games in the Patriot League in 2013 as Fordham blocked a Bucknell field-goal attempt as time expired to hold on for a 23-21 win at home on Nov. 9. The Bison are coming off a 6-5 season where they won five of the last six games, with the last-second loss to Fordham as the only defeat in that span.
 
The Rams enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in Fordham history, going 12-2 last fall, winning the first ten games of the year for the first time in school history and being ranked as high as fifth in the NCAA FCS polls, Fordham's highest ever ranking on the FCS level. Along the way, the team compiled a long list of firsts, including the first win over an NCAA FBS team (Temple), the first win over a top-ten ranked NCAA FCS team on Jack Coffey Field (Villanova), the school's first ever home NCAA FCS championship win on Jack Coffey Field (Sacred Heart) and the most nonconference wins in a season (six).
 
CBS Sports Network is the 24-hour cable home of CBS Sports. It is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers on Verizon FiOS Channel 94 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 643 (1643 in HD) and via satellite on DIRECTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information on how to get CBS Sports Network, visit CBSSportsNetwork.com.
 
In addition to football, CBS Sports Network will televise Patriot League regular and postseason men and women's basketball and men's lacrosse in the 2014-15 season.
 
The Patriot League continually demonstrates that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing its high standards. The Patriot League's athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.