Football Falls at Holy Cross

Worcester, Mass. – It was national Joe Day today and the Rams were hoping that would bring some luck to head coach Joe Conlin. Despite playing its first game in over a year, Fordham gave everything the defending Patriot League champions Holy Cross could handle, falling to the Crusaders, 34-24, in the annual Ram-Crusader Cup game.
 
The loss overshadowed sophomore wide receiver Dequece Carter, who caught eleven passes for 155 yards and one touchdown.
 
Junior quarterback Tim DeMorat showed why he was selected as the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year as he completed 39 of 56 passes for 440 yards, all career-highs, and two scores.
 
Fordham wasted no time in getting on the board, taking the opening kickoff and driving to the Holy Cross 46 where DeMorat hooked up with Carter for a 7-0 lead.
 
A pair of Holy Cross field goals made it a 7-6 game after one but Trey Sneed put the Rams up 14-6 with a one-yard plunge early in the second. The Crusader got the score back later in the half as they blocked a Nick Leinenweber punt and fell on it in the end zone to make it 14-13 Rams.
 
The Rams had a chance to extend the lead late in the half but DeMorat was picked off in the endzone with four seconds left.
 
Holy Cross struck first in the second half to take a 20-14 lead but a 19-yard Leinenweber field goal cut the Fordham deficit to three, 20-17, with 1:38 left in the third.
 
The Crusaders scored late in the third and midway through the fourth to take a 34-17 before Fordham answered with a 30-yard pass from DeMorat to MJ Wright with 6:49 remaining for the day's final score.
 
Takeaways
• Holy Cross retains possession for the Ram-Crusader Cup for the fourth straight year and now lead the Ram-Crusader Cup series, 19-16.

•  The 440 passing yards by DeMorat is the third best single game in Fordham history.
 
• The Rams amassed 526 yards of total offense to just 362 for Holy Cross.
 
• The Rams converted on two of five fourth down attempts.
 
By the Numbers
39 – Completions for Tim DeMorat, a career-high
 
440 – Passing yards for Tim DeMorat, a career-high
 
488 – Days between games for the Rams
 
What's Next?
• The Rams are scheduled to host Colgate University on Jack Coffey Field next Saturday, April 3, at 4:00 p.m.