Football Edged by Lafayette, 28-23

BRONX – When the Fordham defense took the field for the first possession of today's Patriot League game against Lafayette College and the fans saw number 48 running out, it almost seemed like that moment when Superman emerges from the phone booth. For those not in the know, number 48 is Fordham senior linebacker James Conway, who should become the Patriot League career tackles leader and who missed the first five games of the year due to injury. Conway didn't show any signs of rust as he led the Rams in total tackles but Fordham couldn't overcome two costly turnovers, falling to the Leopards, 28-23, before a Family Weekend crowd at Moglia Stadium.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 0-6 overall, 0-1 in the Patriot League, while Lafayette improves to 3-2 overall, 1-0 in the League.
 
Conway finished with 13 total tackles, including 0.5 for loss, while grad student linebacker Mike Courtney added ten, including one for loss.
 
Offensively, senior running back Julius Loughridge carried 23 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns while junior quarterback Jack Capaldi gained 62 net yards on eight rushes with one score. Capaldi also completed 21 of 39 passes for 157 yards.
 
The Fordham special teams unit helped the Rams mount a fourth quarter comeback attempt. Trailing 28-17, with 7:25 remaining senior Matt Jaworski got through the Lafayette line and blocked a Christian Bush punt from the Lafayette 36. The ball was recovered by the Leopards but back on their own nine.
 
After a delay of game penalty was called on Lafayette, Loughridge gained two yards on the first play and then punched it in from the two to cut the Fordham deficit to 28-23 when the two-point conversion failed.
 
Lafayette then drove to the Fordham 16 but a 33-yard Jack Simonetta field goal attempt was tipped at the line and the Rams took over on their own 20 with 3:29 on the clock. The Rams managed to drive to the Lafayette 30 with 29 seconds left but four straight incomplete passes halted the comeback try with five seconds on the clock.
 
The Leopards jumped out to a 7-0 lead early in the first and then took advantage of a Fordham turnover to score later in the first to take a 14-0 lead after one.
 
On the ensuring possession, Fordham moved from its own 25 to the Lafayette nine where Loughridge capped the drive with a scoring run to cut Fordham's deficit to seven, 14-7, early in the second.
 
Later in the second the Rams were facing a fourth-and-one from the Lafayette 38 when Capaldi faked a handoff to Loughridge and rumbled around the right side and to the end zone to knot the game at 14 with 2:51 left in the half.
 
The Rams took the second half kickoff and drove to the Lafayette 21 where Bennett Henderson connected on a 38-yard field goal to give the Rams a 17-14 lead midway through the third.
 
The Leopards responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that finished with a one-yard scoring rush to take a 21-17 lead with 2:20 remaining.
 
On the ensuring possession Lafayette's Saiku White stepped in front of a Capaldi pass and brought it to the Fordham nine where the Leopards needed just one play to make it a 28-17 game.
 
Takeaways
• James Conway has recorded double figures in tackles in seven straight games and ten of his past eleven games dating back to last year.
 
• Grad student wide receiver Garrett Cody, who had missed the previous two games, also returned to the lineup for the Rams, catching three passes for 27 yards.
 
• The rushing touchdown was the first of Capaldi's career.
 
• The Rams fell despite compiling more total offense than Lafayette (323-301).
 
• Fordham also had more first downs than the Leopards (18-12).
 
• It was only the second home game of the year for the Rams, who play their next two back on the road (at Holy Cross and at Lehigh).
 
By the Numbers
6.0 – Tackles for loss recorded by the Rams.
 
22 – Career rushing touchdowns for Julius Loughridge, ninth all-time at Fordham.
 
50.0 – Punting average for Will Haslett (three punts for 150 yards with a long of 57).
 
72 – Rushing yards for
 
400 – Career tackles for James Conway, third on the Fordham career list.
 
2,556 – Career rushing yards for Julius Loughridge, seventh all-time for the Rams.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams continue the 2024 season by traveling to Worcester, Mass., for a Patriot League matchup with Jesuit rivals Holy Cross on Fitton Field on Saturday, October 12, at 1:00 p.m.
 
• The game will be the annual Ram Crusader Cup game.
 
• It will be the 62nd meeting between Fordham and Holy Cross on the gridiron.
 
• The Crusaders lead the all-time series, which started in 1902, 34-25-2, includ­ing a 49-47 win last year on October 28 at Moglia Stadium as Jonathan Fuller rushed for 116 yards and two scores and Joe Polansky completed 20 of 33 passes for 337 yards and three scores and a two-point conversion failed for the Rams with under a minute remaining.