Football Drops Season Finale at Colgate

Hamilton, N.Y. – Author Frank Herbert, best known for the 1965 novel Dune, once said "There is no real ending. It's just the place where you stop the story." Today the story stopped for the Fordham University football squad as the Rams fell to Colgate University, 21-14, in a Patriot league game at Andy Kerr Stadium.
 
With the loss, Fordham closes out the season with a 6-5 overall record, 2-4 in the Patriot League, while Colgate ends the season with a 6-5 overall record, 4-2 in the conference.
 
Sophomore quarterback CJ Montes completed 22 of 38 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown and he ran for the other Fordham score. His top target on the day was grad student wide out MJ Wright, who caught seven passes for 85 yards while senior wide receiver Mekai Felton hauled in five passes for 58 yards and one touchdown.
 
Defensively, junior linebacker James Conway led the Rams with 12 total tackles, seven solo, while sophomore linebacker Marc Pretto added eight stops, including one for loss.
 
The Rams trailed 21-7 when Matt Jaworski broke through the line and blocked a Colgate punt attempt, giving Fordham the ball on the Colgate 16. Two plays later, Montes found Felton in the end zone to cut the Fordham deficit to seven, 21-14, with 3:26 left.
 
The Raiders mange to get the clock down to 38 seconds before being forced to punt but the Rams were called for a roughing the kicker penalty to give the ball back to Colgate to end the game.
 
After a scoreless first half, Colgate took a 7-0 lead on its first possession of the second half.
 
Later in the quarter the Raiders scored on a 28-yard run to take a 14-0 lead.
 
The Rams then got on the board when Montes capped a 13-play, 76-yard drive with a one-yard rush to make it a 14-7 game 29 seconds into the fourth quarter.
 
The Rams got called for a personal foul on the ensuing kickoff and another later in the drive as Colgate took advantage of the penalties to score on an 11-yard run to take a 21-7 lead with 11:02 remaining.
 
On the ensuing possession Fordham drove to the Colgate eight but a fourth down pass was batted at the line and fell incomplete with 6:06 remaining.
 
Takeaways
• CJ Montes closes out his first season at Fordham completing 241 of 374 passes for an even 3,000 yards with 26 touchdowns and just one interception.
 
• The Fordham defense held an opponent scoreless in the first quarter for the second straight game and the fourth time this year.
 
• The defense also held its second opponent of the season scoreless in the first half.
 
• The Rams forced three fumbles, recovering one, and intercepted two Colgate passes, one each by Nahil Perkins and Mathani Paul-Swinson.
 
• Fordham punter Will Haslett downed three of his five punts inside the Colgate 20.
 
• The Rams had a 12 and 13-play drive in the second half.
 
• The Rams were held scoreless in the first quarter for the second straight game and scoreless in the first half for the first time this year.

• All four Fordham Patriot League losses this year were by eight points or fewer.
 
By the Numbers
4 – Interceptions this year by Nahil Perkins, including one today.
 
7 – Tackles for loss recorded by Fordham, led by 3.5 from Matt Jaworski.
 
13.5 – Tackles for loss this season for Matt Jaworski.
 
26 – Touchdowns passes thrown by CJ Montes this season, tied for the seventh most for a Fordham quarterback in a season.

109 – PATs for Brandon Peskin, good for third on the Fordham career list.
 
129 – Tackles for James Conway in 2023, his third straight 100-tackle season of his career, and the fifth most in a season for a Ram.
 
185 – Career receptions for MJ Wright, moving him into sixth on the Fordham career list.
 
241 – Completion by CJ Montes this year, the seventh most in a season for a Ram.
 
386 – Career tackles for James Conway, fourth all-time at Fordham.

1,146 – Rushing yards this season for Julius Loughridge, the tenth best single season in school history.
 
2,887 – Career receiving yards for MJ Wright, sixth on the Fordham all-time list.
 
3,000 – Passing yards this season for CJ Montes, the ninth best single season in Fordham history.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams are scheduled to open the 2024 by traveling to Bowling Green, Ohio, to take on the Bowling Green State University Falcons on Thursday, August 29.