Football Gets By Bucknell, 27-21

Bronx, N.Y. – Grad student defensive lineman Alfonzo Dixon IV had the all of the defensive linemen pose with him for his Senior Day photo on Saturday. Later in the day, the defensive line stood strong again, recording five sacks, including one from junior defensive lineman Matt Jaworski on the final play of the game as the Rams got by Bucknell University, 27-21, in a Patriot League game at Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field.
 
With the win, Fordham improves to 6-3 overall, 2-2 in the Patriot League, while Bucknell falls to 3-6 overall, 1-4 in the League.
 
Junior linebacker James Conway led the Fordham defense with 14 total tackles, including one for loss, while Dixon and senior defensive back Nahil Perkins each finished with seven stops, with one of Dixon's being a sack. Jaworski chipped in with six tackles, including two sacks.
 
Offensively sophomore quarterback CJ Montes completed 18 of 33 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns with seven of those passes going to grad student wide receiver MJ Wright for 145 yards and one score and three others going to grad student receiver Garrett Cody for 129 yards, including a 91-yard scoring reception. Junior running back Julius Loughridge recorded another 100-yard rushing day with 105 yards on 20 carries.
 
After a Brandon Peskin 44-yard field goal with 1:50 remaining gave Fordham a 27-21 lead, the Bison took the ensuing kickoff and drove to the Fordham 42 with seven seconds left. After Bucknell was whistled for a false start penalty, Jaworski got to Bison quarterback Ralph Rucker in the backfield, sacking the signal caller to end the game.
 
Fordham led 17-10 at the half and held Bucknell on the Bison's first possession of the second half. The Rams took over on their own nine following a punt. On the first play from scrimmage Montes connected with Cody at the Fordham 30 and Cody raced the rest of the way for the score.
 
Early in the fourth Bucknell blocked a Fordham punt and one play later made it a 24-21 game after a passing score and two-point conversion.
 
Takeaways
• The game was Julius Loughridge's fourth straight 100-yard rushing game and his sixth of the season.
 
• Fordham sophomore quarterback CJ Montes has thrown 24 touchdown passes in his first nine games as the Ram starting quarterback, the second most for a Fordham starter in his first season (Kevin Anderson had 25 touchdown passes in his first nine game in 2015 while Mike Nebrich threw 22 scoring passes in his first year as the Fordham starter in 2013).
 
• Montes recorded his fifth 300-yard passing game of the year.
 
• The Rams entered the game having thrown the most touchdown passes of any NCAA FCS school over the past two years.
 
• James Conway recorded his fourth straight double-digit tackle game and his seventh of the season.
 
• MJ Wright had his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the year and the eighth of his career.
 
• Garrett Cody notched his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the year and the sixth of his Fordham career.

• It was the second straight game that Wright and Garrett each had more than 100 receiving yards.
 
• Junior defensive lineman Matt Jaworski recorded his third straight games with two sacks.
 
• The Rams held the Bison to 96 net rushing yards in the game, the fourth time this year Fordham held an opponent to less than 100 rushing yards in a game.
 
• The Fordham offensive line did not allow a sack today.
 
• Each team recorded a blocked punt in the game.
 
• All three Patriot League games on the day were decided by a touchdown or less (Colgate defeated Lafayette, 37-34, in overtime, and Holy Cross defeated Lehigh, 28-24).
 
• The game was Fordham's Salute to Service Game as the Rams honored retired U.S. Army Colonel John A. Bivona, a 1989 Fordham grad who was a member of the Fordham ROTC, at halftime.

• Fordham is now 12-3 at Moglia Stadium over the past three years.
 
• 16 Rams who were making their final appearance at Moglia Stadium were honored before the game.
 
By the Numbers
5 – Sacks by Fordham.
 
7 – Quarterback hurries by the Rams.
 
9 – Tackles for loss in the game for Fordham.

11 - Consecutive wins for the Rams over Bucknell.
 
13 – Field goals kicked this year by Brandon Peskin, sixth most in a season for a Ram.
 
21 -Career receiving touchdowns for MJ Wright, tied for sixth best all-time at Fordham.
 
24 – Touchdowns passes thrown by CJ Montes this season, the seventh most for a Fordham quarterback in a season.

91 - Length of touchdown pass from Montes to Cody, the fourth longest pass in Fordham football history.
 
106 – PATs for Brandon Peskin, good for third on the Fordham career list.
 
107 – Tackles for James Conway in 2023, his third straight 100-tackle season of his career.
 
171 – Career receptions for MJ Wright, ninth on the Fordham career list.
 
359 – Career tackles for James Conway, fourth all-time at Fordham.

1,039 – Rushing yards this season for Julius Loughridge as he becomes the eleventh Ram to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
 
2,716 – Career receiving yards for MJ Wright, moving him into sixth on the Fordham all-time list.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams return action by traveling to Easton, Pa., to face the Lafayette College Leopards for a Patriot League game on Saturday, November 11 at Fisher Stadium at 12:30 p.m.
 
• This will be the 41st meeting between Fordham and Lafayette on the gridiron.
 
• The Leopards lead the all-time series, which started in 1903, 25-14-1, but Ford­ham has taken the past two, including a  45-10 win at Lafayette last year on November 5 as Tim DeMorat completed 32 of 45 passes for 482 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for a pair of scores.
 
• The Fordham win in 2021 snapped a three-game Lafayette winning streak in the all-time series.
 
• Fordham is 14-18 against Lafayette since joining the Patriot League.
 
• The Rams are 6-9 against Lafayette at Moglia Stadium, 8-14-1 at Lafayette and 0-2 at the Polo Grounds.