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WORCESTER, MA (10/24/09) -- Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph threw four touchdowns and ran for two more as the Crusaders (6-1, 2-0 Patriot League) handed Colgate its first loss of the season 42-28 on a rain-soaked Fitton Field. 

 

Like the rest of Division I-FCS, the Raiders (7-1, 2-1 Patriot League) simply had no answer for the dominant Randolph, the two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. The fifth-year senior completed 20-of-30 passes for 288 yards, and he also rushed 14 times for 116 yards, the latter stat being a Holy Cross record.

Randolph did throw three interceptions, one returned for a touchdown by junior cornerback Coreé Moses (Newington, Conn.), another intercepted by junior linebacker Zach Smith (Thorafare, N.J.) early in the second half, and yet another picked off by senior linebacker Garrington Spence (Anaheim, Calif.) late in the fourth quarter. Moses' interception return was Colgate's longest since 2005, and Smith's pick was the first of his career.

 

Wide receiver Bill Edger was Randolph's prime target all day, as he caught 9 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, most of them on slant patterns.

 

Junior quarterback Greg Sullivan (Monroe, N.Y.) was Colgate's offensive leader, completing 18 of 32 passes for 176 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 13 carries for 53 yards.

 

Randolph threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Edger on the game's opening drive. Holy Cross had a 3rd-and-goal from the 15-yard line, and Randolph found Edger after a cornerback slipped, leaving the receiver wide open to make a diving touchdown catch.

 

Colgate was forced to punt on its next drive, giving the ball to Holy Cross at the Crusader 30. On the drive's second play, Randolph locked into Edger on an out pattern on the sideline and fired a pass that was read perfectly by Moses and returned 37 yards for a touchdown. The ensuing PAT from Evan Colborne (Tampa, Fla.) tied the contest 7-7.

 

Holy Cross engineered a 71-yard touchdown drive, capped by another 3rd-and-goal touchdown slant pass down the middle of the field, this time a 9-yarder from Randolph to Nick Cole. On the drive, Randolph found Edger three times for 56 yards.

 

Colgate responded by driving into Holy Cross territory, but the drive ended on an incomplete pass from 4th-and-7 at the Crusader 34. Six plays later, Randolph snuck into the end zone for his first rushing touchdown of the game.

 

The Raiders responded with a touchdown drive of their own. On 1st-and-10 from the Holy Cross 31, Sullivan faked a handoff to sophomore running back Nate Eachus (Drums, Pa.) and lofted a play action pass to senior wide receiver Pat Simonds (Sidney, N.Y.), who took advantage of a miscommunication in the Holy Cross secondary and caught a well-thrown touchdown pass. The PAT cut the Crusader lead to 21-14.

 

Arguably the game's biggest non-scoring play occurred on the kickoff, as Holy Cross return man Alex Johnson received the kick and ran 59 yards to the Colgate 32. Randolph then threw a 17-yard pass to Cole before finding Freddie Santana for a 15-yard touchdown. Facing Randolph, Santana caught the ball at the 5 then did a 180 spin to his left, evading his defender and diving into the end zone. Holy Cross took a 28-14 lead into halftime.

 

Both teams failed to score on their opening second half drives. Colgate was forced to punt the ball away, and Holy Cross drove 53 yards before Colgate's Smith jumped a route and forced Randolph's second interception. The Raiders used this momentum to garner a 9-play, 55 yard drive capped by a four-yard touchdown pass from Sullivan to junior tight end Nick Cvetic (Clifton, N.J.). Sullivan found Cvetic in a crowd in the back of the end zone for that touchdown. After the PAT, the Crusaders led 28-21.

 

Special teams hurt the Raiders, however, as Holy Cross was given a short field and started with the ball on the 50-yard line after a good return. Seven plays later, Randolph ran into the end zone for his second one-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown, giving the Crusaders a 35-21 lead. The big play on the drive was a 3rd-and-14 rush from Randolph that went for 23 yards, as he juked one defender and gave the Crusaders a first-and-goal at the three. Third down conversions greatly led to Holy Cross' success, as the Crusaders were 6-8 in that endeavor.

 

The Raiders would not quit, and engineered a tough 11-play, 73 yard drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown run from Eachus. Right before that play, Sullivan found wide receiver Ty Henry (Orlando, Fla.) for a 20-yard pass on 3rd-and-9 to keep the drive alive. Henry had a career-high six catches for 57 yards on the day. After the Eachus touchdown, Holy Cross held a 35-28 advantage.

 

Holy Cross delivered the final blows on its final drive. A Randolph 9-yard pass to Edger on 3rd-and-7 at the Colgate 36 down the middle of the field kept the chains moving, but Randolph then looked to tight end Alex Schneider. Schneider caught an 18-yard pass to move the ball into the red zone, and then he grabbed a 5-yard touchdown pass by leaping high in the back of the end zone for the game's final touchdown with 9:26 remaining. Colgate never got further than the Holy Cross 28 on its last two drives, and the game ended with the Crusaders on top.

 

Up next for Colgate is a home game during Family Weekend against Lehigh (2-5, 2-0 Patriot League) on Saturday, October 31 at 1 p.m.

 

Game Notes…The Raiders went 3-5 on fourth down conversions…Colgate last made three interceptions against Lehigh in a 21-7 win on November 1, 2007…Eachus has scored a rushing touchdown in all four games he has played this year...This was the Raiders' first regular season loss since dropping a 42-21 game against Furman on September 13, 2008.