Peskin Kicks Football over Lehigh, 38-35

Bronx, N.Y. – Since it was Homecoming for the Fordham football squad on Saturday it's appropriate that the Rams take to heart a quote from one of their most famous football alumnus, Vince Lombardi, who once said "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up." After getting knocked down by a loss last weekend, Fordham found itself knocked down multiple times in today's Patriot League game with Lehigh University. But the Rams continued to get up and senior kicker Brandon Peskin sent the Ram fans home happy, connecting on a career-long 45-yard field goal as time expired to lead Fordham to a 38-35 win at Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field.
 
With the win, Fordham improves to 4-2 overall, 1-1 in the Patriot  League, while Lehigh falls to 1-5 overall, 0-1 in the League.
 
Peskin, who tied the game at 35 with his second field goal of the game, a 42-yarder with 1:54 remaining, drilled the game-winner after the Rams moved 62 yards on seven plays, the big play an 11-yard completion from sophomore quarterback CJ Montes to grad student receiver Garrett Cody who went out of bounds with one second on the clock.
 
The Rams brought the field goal unit out and, after a Lehigh timeout, Peskin drilled his kick and Fordham fans celebrated as the ball went through the uprights.
 
Junior running back Julius Loughridge led the Fordham offense, gaining 170 of the Rams' 212 rushing yards on the day, with two touchdowns, while Montes completed 34 of 48 passes for 382 yards, all career-highs, and one score. Grad student receiver MJ Wright caught a game-high ten passes for 101 yards and a touchdown while Cody finished with seven catches for 85 yards.
 
Defensively the Rams were led by junior linebacker James Conway, who recorded 12 tackles, including one for loss, while senior defensive back Nahil Perkins and sophomore linebacker Marc Pretto each made seven stops.
 
The winning drive was set up by the defense, who held the Mountain Hawks on third on four from the Lehigh 47, thanks to a timely pass breakup from grad student defensive back Cameron Blair on third down, forcing Lehigh to punt the ball back to Fordham with 52 seconds remaining.
 
Takeaways
• The game marked the official dedication of Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field with a special pregame ceremony for Joe Moglia, FCRH '71, an award-winning football coach and transformational business executive, who is just the fourth alumnus to be honored with the Fordham Founder's Award as well as induction into Fordham's Hall of Honor and its Athletics Hall of Fame. He is also a member of Fordham Prep's Hall of Honor and Football Hall of Fame, and received an honorary doctorate from the University in 2009.

• CJ Montes has thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of the first six games. His 17 touchdown passes over his first five career starts are the most for any Fordham quarterback.
 
• Montes recorded his third 300-yard passing game of the season.
 
• MJ Wright did most of his damage in the second half when he caught seven passes for 61 yards (he had three catches for 40 yards in the first half).
 
• Brandon Peskin's previous career-long field was 42 yards, which he did at Buffalo earlier this year.
 
• Peskin is now 9-for-10 in field goals this season.
 
• Julius Loughridge recorded his third 100-yard rushing game of the year and the eighth of his career.
 
• MJ Wright recorded his second 100-yard receiving game of the year and the fifth of his career.
 
• Junior punter Will Haslett only punted once but it was good for 57 yards and was downed on the Lehigh two.
 
• Fordham has now won eight straight games at Moglia Stadium.
 
• Over the past two years, the Rams are 11-2 at Moglia Stadium.
 
• The Rams have won three straight over Lehigh.
 
• Fordham is 39-19 against Patriot League opponents over the past eleven years.
 
• The Fordham Rams have thrown the most touchdown passes of any NCAA FCS school over the past two years (75).
 
By the Numbers
9 – Field goals made this season by Brandon Peskin, tied for eighth most in a season for a Ram.
 
38 – First downs for Fordham, a season-high.
 
45 – Home wins for Fordham since 2012.
 
45 – Rushes for the Rams today, a season-high.
 
77 – Wins for the Rams since 2012, the most for any New York City football team.
 
156 – Career receptions for MJ Wright, 12^th on the Fordham career list.
 
212 – Rushing yards for the Rams.
 
316 – Career tackles for James Conway, fifth all-time at Fordham.
 
382 – Passing yards for CJ Montes, a career-high.
 
594 – Total offense yards for the Rams, a season-high.
 
1,257 – Career receiving yards for MJ Wright, moving him into fourth place on the Fordham all-time list.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams close out the non-conference portion of their schedule with a trip to Stony Brook, N.Y., to face the Stony Brook University Seawolves in Kenneth LaValle Stadium next Saturday, October 14, at 3:30 p.m.
 
• This will be seventh meeting between Fordham and Stony Brook on the gridiron.
 
• The all-time series is tied, 3-3, but the Rams have taken the past two meetings.
 
• Fordham won last year's meeting, 45-14, at Moglia Stadium as Tim DeMorat completed 27 of 39 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns and Julius Loughridge rushed for 111 yards and two scores.