On This Date Presented by Belmont Realty
 
With the 2020 fall sports season canceled by the COVID-19 outbreak, we at Fordham have decided to dig back through our archives and provide our fans with content on some of the outstanding teams and student-athletes who have graced Rose Hill over the years.
 
November 3, 2007 (Bronx, N.Y.)  – Box Score | Photo Gallery - Prior to the season, Fordham head coach Tom Masella wrote three goals for the Rams on the board in the Fordham locker room. They were to regain the Liberty Cup from Columbia, win the Patriot League championship and practice on Thanksgiving Day. Fordham took care of the first goal back on September 15th with a 27-10 win over the Lions.

Today the Rams took care of the other two goals, clinching at least a share of the Patriot League title and earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Football Championships Subdivision (FCS) playoffs with a 24-21 win over Holy Cross on Jack Coffey Field.
 

In the locker room after the game, Masella told his squad that it's time to set another goal before leading the team in the singing of The Ram. Singing the song started as a tradition earlier this year as Masella would have the team belt it out after every win. The difference today was that it was Masella's turn to lead the performance.

"First, my hat's off to Holy Cross," said Masella. "They played hard and the game came down to a bounce of the ball and it bounced our way today. I am so proud of this team. They made all the plays they had to and that's a tremendous credit to our seniors. They've been that way all year."

The win, Fordham's sixth in a row in front of a sold-out crowd of 8,300, puts the Rams at 8-2 overall on the year, a perfect 5-0 in the Patriot League, while Holy Cross falls to 6-3 overall, 3-1 in the conference. The win also clinches at least a share of the Patriot League crown for the Rams and sends Fordham to its second ever NCAA FCS playoff, the first since 2002.

The Rams also regained possession of the Ram-Crusader Cup after losing it to Holy Cross following last year's loss. Fordham has now won six of the last seven match-ups with the Crusaders.

The game featured the top two offenses in the Patriot League but it turned into a defensive battle, thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Noel, which brought gusty winds to Jack Coffey Field.

"I told the TV guys during the week that it wouldn't be a high scoring game," said Masella. "We run very similar offenses and so our defenses are used to it. And it was also hard to throw the ball with the high winds today."

The Rams countered the winds with a strong running game, led by senior running back Jonte Coven, who gained a career-high 167 yards on 29 carries, including a 61-yard touchdown run.

"We've been waiting for this moment for four years," said Coven. "And now that it's here it's a phenomenal feeling."