Chase Edmonds Sets Patriot League Career Rushing Mark

Bronx, N.Y. – It may have taken a little longer than he wanted as injuries have sidelined Fordham senior All-American ruing back Chase Edmonds at times this year but today he became the Patriot League career rushing leader. But the Rams couldn't overcome an injury to starting quarterback Kevin Anderson as Fordham dropped the annual Ram Crusader Cup game to Holy Cross, 42-21, in Patriot League action on Jack Coffey Field.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 3-7 overall, 2-3 in the Patriot League, while Holy Cross improves to 4-6 overall, 3-2 in the conference.
 
Edmonds, who entered the game needing just eight yards to break Jordan Scott's (2005-2008) Patriot League career rushing record of 5,621, finished with 63 yards on 20 carries to bring his Patriot League rushing record to 5,677. He broke the record on a 27-yard rush on the last play of the first quarter.
 
Edmonds, who also caught one pass for 46 yards, also broke the Patriot League career all-purpose yards record, finishing the game with 7,184 all-purpose yards, breaking the former mark of 7,121 set by Fordham's Javarus Dudley from 2000-2003.
 
When the game started, Fordham fans were excited by the starting offensive backfield of Edmonds and Anderson but that excitement was short-lived as Anderson was sacked and injured on the sixth play of the game. To add insult to injury, Anderson fumbled and the ball was scooped up by Holy Cross' Nick McBeath who returned it 61 yards for a score.
 
Anderson would return to the game later in the quarter but was reinjured in the second quarter and missed the rest of the game.
 
The Rams took a 14-7 lead on a pair of Edmonds touchdown runs, the first a 10-yarder early in the second quarter and the second a seven-yarder with 10:29 left in the half.
 
But Holy Cross scored with 2:32 left in the half to tie the game at 14 and then the Crusaders scored on their first four possessions of the second half to take a commanding 42-14 lead before Austin King connected with Hunter Harris on a 26-yard scoring strike with six seconds remaining.
 
Takeaways
 
It was only the fifth game this year in which Anderson and Edmonds both started in the Fordham offensive backfield.
 
Senior Ben Hartman was forced to move from right guard to center due to an injury to starting center Dominic Lombard. Hartman, a starter at center the past two years, has now played at right guard, left guard and center this year.
 

Quarterback Austin King completed his first pass in a game since his senior year at Alpharetta High School in 2014.
 
The 42 points scored by Holy Cross are the most for the Crusaders against the Rams since a 1990 48-0 Holy Cross win.
 
The Crusaders now lead the all-time series, 28-25-2, and the all-time Ram Crusader Cup series is tied at 16-16.
 
 
By the Numbers
 
1 – Career touchdown passes by Austin King and career touchdown receptions for Hunter Harris as the two connected on a 26-yard scoring strike with six seconds left, the first collegiate score for each player.
 
2-for-3 – Fourth down conversions by each team in the game.
 
5 – Quarterback hurries by freshman linebacker Glenn Cunningham.
 
11 – Tackles by Manny Adeyeye, including a sack, a game and career-high for the graduate student.
 
43 – Consecutive games started at left tackle by senior Anthony Coyle. He is the only Rams to start every game this year on the offensive line.
 
147 – Receiving yards for Austin Longi, three shy of his career-high of 150 set earlier this year at Georgetown.
 
5,677 – Career rushing yards for Chase Edmonds, a Patriot League record.
 
7,184 – Career all-purpose yards for Chase Edmonds, a Patriot League record.
 
 
What's Next?
 
Fordham will have a week off before closing out the season by hosting the Bucknell University Bison in a Patriot League contest on Saturday, November 18, at 12:00 p.m.
 
The Bison lead the all-time series, 18-13, but the Rams have taken the past four meetings, including a 36-22 win last November in Lewisburg.