Football Comes Up Short vs. Dartmouth

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Bronx, N.Y. – Though Halloween is a few weeks away, the Fordham University football squad tried a trick today that they hoped would turn into a treat in the form of an onside kick attempt to open the second half. Unfortunately for the Rams the trick did not result in a treat as the ball did not travel the requited ten yards and Dartmouth used the field position to take a 13-6 lead, a lead the Big Green wouldn't surrender as Fordham fell to Dartmouth, 30-13, in front of a Homecoming crowd at Moglia Stadium.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 1-6 while Dartmouth improves to 4-1.
 
Grad student linebacker James Conway led the Fordham defense with 17 total tackles, bringing his career total to 539, eleven shy of Boomer Grigsby's (Illinois State) NCAA FCS record of 550. Included in his 17 stops were 1.5 for loss and he also forced a fumble and broke up a pass.
 
Grad student linebacker Andrew Osmun also recorded double figures in tackles with eleven, including one for loss.
 
Offensively, junior quarterback Gunnar Smith completed 21 of 35 passes for 238 yards and one touchdown with six of the passes going to sophomore wide receiver Jack Freeburg for 64 yards and the one score.
 
How It Happened
• Dartmouth jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Fordham responded to tie it at 3-3 with 4:42 remaining in the second quarter when Bennett Henderson connected on a 29-yard field goal.
 
• Dartmouth scored to go ahead 6-3 before the Rams got on the scoreboard again to even things up at 6-6 on Henderson's second field goal of the game, a 22-yarder on the final play of the half.
 
• Dartmouth took a 13-6 lead on their first possession of the second half and bumped it to 16-6 late in the third before Fordham put a touchdown on the board to close the gap with 11:37 remaining in the fourth quarter and make it a 16-13 game. The score came on a five-yard touchdown passes from Smith to Freeburg.
 
• But two Dartmouth touchdown passes in the fourth quarter gave the Big Green the 30-13 final.
 
Game Notes
• Conway has recorded double figure tackles in six of the seven games this year.
 
• Senior defensive lineman Claudy Robinson and senior defensive back Alex Kemper returned to action for the Rams after missing two games due to injury.
 
• Fordham won the turnover battle 2-1, recovering two fumbles.

By the Numbers
7 – Field goals made this year by Bennett Henderson.
 
7 – Different Fordham players to catch at least one pass today.
 
17 – Career field goal made by Henderson, tenth on the Fordham career list.
 
181 – Career punts for Will Haslett, seventh all-time on the Fordham career list.

539 – Career tackles for James Conway, a school and Patriot League record.
 
7,727 – Career punting yards for Will Haslett, moving him into fourth on the Fordham career list
 
What's Next?
• The Rams return to Patriot League play next Saturday, October 25, as they host defending league champions, Lehigh University, at Moglia Stadium at 1:00 p.m.
 
• It will be the 37th meeting between Fordham and Lehigh on the gridiron.
 
• The Mountain Hawks lead the all-time series, which started in 1923, 26-10.
 
• Lehigh took last year's meeting, 33-19, in Bethlehem, on October 26 as Jaden Green rushed 167 times for 147 yards and one score.
 
• The Mountain Hawk win last year snapped a three-game Fordham winning streak in the series, including a 38-35 win at Moglia Sta­dium in 2023 as Brandon Peskin connected on a 45-yard field goal, his third of the game, as time expired to lead the Rams to the Homecoming win.
 
Portions of this story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.