Football Falls at Yale

New Haven, Conn. – Fordham football head coach Joe Conlin worked as an assistant coach at Yale University for six years before coming to Rose Hill but the Bulldogs didn't give him a warm welcome back today as Yale defeated Fordham 48-24 in the Yale Bowl.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 2-4 on the year while Yale remains unbeaten at 3-0.
 
Offensively, sophomore quarterback Tim DeMorat completed 19 of 34 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns with eight of those passes going to sophomore wide out Fotis Kokosioulis for 136 yards and one score.
 
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Ryan Greenhagen paced the Rams with 12 total tackles, ten solo, including one for loss.
 
Yale used a touchdown and field goal on its first two possessions to take a 10-0 lead before Kokosioulis took a sort pass from DeMorat and turned it into a 70-yard touchdown to make it a 10-7 game with 4:37 left in the first quarter.
 
But the Bulldogs outscored the Rams 35-3 over the next 18 minutes to take a commanding 45-10 halftime lead.
 
Fourth quarter scoring strikes from DeMorat to freshman tight end Jeff Ciccio and freshman wide receiver DeQuece Carter cut the Fordham deficit to 45-24 midway through the fourth but that was as close the Rams would get.
 
Takeaways
• Sophomore linebacker Ryan Greenhagen has recorded double digits tackles in each game this year.
 
• Sophomore quarterback Tim DeMorat has thrown at least one touchdown in every game this year.
 
• Freshman tight end Jeff Ciccio accounted for all the yards in Fordham's scoring drive early in the fourth, capped by a 33-yard touchdown reception from Tim DeMorat.
 
• It was the first time that Yale head coach Tony Reno faced off against a former assistant turned head coach.
 
• Fordham defensive coordinator Paul Rice (2013-2017) and safeties coach James Lenahan (2017) both served on the Yale staff along with Conlin.
 
• The game was play a few days after the 70th anniversary of the 1949 Fordham-Yale game that was cancelled due to one of the Yale players being diagnosed with polio. Fordham held a "Beat Polio" rally that night instead raising over $500 for the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.
 
• The game was also played just over 80 years since the first televised college football game between Fordham and Waynesburg State on Randall's Island.
 
By the Numbers
1.5 – tackles for loss for junior Jeremy Imperati, tying his career-high (set last week vs. Richmond).
 
6 – True freshman starters for the Rams.
 
22 – Career touchdown passes for Tim DeMorat, eleventh on the Fordham all-time list.
 
130 – Kickoff return yards for sophomore Fotis Kokosioulis (on five returns).
 
136 - Season-high receiving yards for sophomore Fotis Kokosioulis.
 
266 – All-purpose yards for sophomore Fotis Kokosioulis.
 
298 – Season-high passing yards for quarterback Tim DeMorat.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams open Patriot League play by traveling to Washington, D.C., to face the Georgetown University Hoyas next Saturday, October 12, at 2:00 p.m.
 
• It will be the 66th meeting between Fordham and Georgetown on the gridiron.
 
• The Rams lead the all-time series, which started in 1889, 39-23-3.