Football Falls at Holy Cross

Worcester, Mass. – Worcester, Mass. – When two teams meet in a rivalry game, records usually go out the window. Such was the case today as Fordham and Holy Cross squared off in the annual Ram Crusader Cup game on Fitton Field. Unfortunately for the Rams, the Crusaders came back from a 10-0 halftime deficit to defeat Fordham 17-13.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 1-9 overall on the season, 1-4 in the Patriot League, while Holy Cross improves to 4-6 overall, 3-2 in the conference.
 
Freshman quarterback Tim DeMorat completed 32 of 53 passes, both season-highs, for 278 yards and one score with senior tight end Isaiah Searight catching eight passes for 110 yards and one touchdown and senior wide receiver Austin Longi grabbing nine passes for 78 yards. Sophomore kicker Andrew Mevis contributed to the offense with a pair of field goals, including a 54-yarder at the halftime horn, the second longest in Fordham history.
 
Freshman linebacker Ryan Greenhagen led the defense with a season-high 12 tackles, eleven solo, with one sack, while sophomore linebacker Glenn Cunningham finished with eleven stops, including four for loss.
 
The Rams couldn't overcome some costly turnovers as the Crusaders took advantage of a blocked punt and a fumble recovery to score ten of their 17 points.
 
Fordham jumped out to a 10-0 lead thanks to a 58-yard connection from DeMorat to Isaiah Searight on the first possession of the game and a 54-yard Mevis field goal as time expired in the first half.
 
But the Crusaders blocked a Mevis punt midway through the third quarter and turned it into a 23-yard touchdown pass to cut the Fordham lead to three, 10-7.
 
Later in the third, Holy Cross took over on the Fordham 42 following a short punt and, four plays later, took a 14-10 lead on a five-yard scoring strike.
 
The Rams were driving in the fourth quarter but a Fordham fumble was recovered by Holy Cross on the Fordham 47 and Holy Cross would go on to kick a 37-yard field goal with 7:37 left to take a 17-10 lead.
 
The Rams cut it to 17-13 on a Mevis 34-yard field goal late in the fourth and Fordham had one last chance for the win, driving to the Holy Cross 29 where a DeMorat pass to Joe Ferraro fell incomplete as the final horn sounded.
 
Takeaways
•  With his touchdown catch, senior tight end Isaiah Searight tied the school record for career touchdown receptions by a tight end with ten (ties Stephen Skelton's mark set from 2007-2010).
 
• With his 110 receiving yards, Searight became the fourth tight end to record 1,000 career receiving yards, joining Dan Light (1,594 from 2011-14), Stephen Skelton (1,313 from 2007-2010) and Jim Walls (1,021 from 1996-1999).
 
• Senior defensive back Dylan Mabin recorded his first career interception.
 
• The first quarter touchdown was Fordham's first, first-quarter touchdown of the season.
 
• Holy Cross has now won two straight against the Rams and lead the all-time series, 29-25-2, and the all-time Ram Crusader Cup series, 17-16.
 
By the Numbers
 4- Tackles for loss recorded by Glenn Cunningham, tying his season-high set two weeks ago against Lafayette.
 
8 – Tackles for loss recorded by the Rams, who entered the game ranked 19th in the NCAA FCS in TFLs.
 
11 – Tackles for loss recorded by Glenn Cunningham, who entered the game leading the Patriot League and ranking fifth in the NCAA FCS in TFL, over the past three games.
 
11 – Touchdown passes thrown by DeMorat this year, a Fordham freshman record.
 
32 – Completions by freshman quarterback Tim DeMorat, a season-high (previous high was 19 vs. Bryant).
 
54 – Yard field goal by Andrew Mevis, one shy of the school and Patriot League record of 55 set by Patrick Murray in 2012.
 
110 – Receiving yards by Isaiah Searight, his third career 100-yard receiving game.
 
135 – Completions this year by DeMorat, second most all-time for a Fordham rookie.
 
190 – Career receptions by senior Austin Longi, who had nine today, moving him ahead of Sam Ajala (2011-2014) and Jason Caldwell (2007-2001) and into third place on the Fordham all-time list.
 
1,093 – Career receiving yards for Searight, third best among all Fordham tight ends.
 
1,520 - Passing yards in 2018 for DeMorat, the second most for a freshman in school history.
 
2,412 – Career receiving yards for Longi, who had 79 today, moving him ahead of Tebucky Jones, Jr. (2013-2014) and into fifth place on the Fordham career list.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams close out the 2018 season with a trip to Lewisburg, Pa., to face the Bucknell University Bison in a Patriot League contest in Christy Mathewson Stadium next Saturday, November 17, at 12:00 p.m.
 
• It will be the 34th meeting between Fordham and Bucknell the gridiron.
 
• The Bison lead the all-time series, which started in 1929, 18-15, but Fordham has taken the past five meetings, including a 20-9 win on Jack Coffey Field last November 18 as Chase Edmonds closed out his Fordham career by rushing for 185 yards and two scores and Austin Longi returned a punt a school-record 90-yards for a touchdown.
 
• Fordham is 12-16 against Bucknell since joining the Patriot League with the Bison winning the first nine meetings.
 
• The Rams are 9-10 against Bucknell as the home team (4-9 on Jack Coffey Field and 3-1 at the Polo Grounds) and 6-8 in Lewisburg.