FOOTBALL GAME CENTRAL

THIS WEEK
Sat., Sept. 10 – at Holy Cross (Worcester, Mass.), 1:05 p.m.

The Colgate Raiders (1-0) will begin Patriot League play on Saturday, Sept. 10 when they travel to Holy Cross (0-1). Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. at Fitton Field.

THE SERIES
This will be the 74th meeting between Colgate and Holy Cross, with the Crusaders leading the all-time series 39-29-5. Holy Cross has won the last two matchups including a 42-28 victory in Worcester in 2009.

WEBSITES
Complete Colgate football information, including releases, statistics, records and features can be found on Colgate's official website at www.goColgateRaiders.com

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THE COACHES
Colgate head coach Dick Biddle, who has the most wins in school history, is in his 16th season at the helm of the Raiders. His overall record is 121-55, and 10-5 against Holy Cross.

Holy Cross head coach Tom Gilomore is in his eighth season with the Crusaders and has compiled an overall mark of 45-34 and is 3-4 against Colgate.

HOLY CROSS NOTEBOOK
The Crusaders (0-1) will try to claim their first victory of the season on Saturday after dropping their home opener last weekend to No. 25 Massachusetts, 24-16.

Holy Cross was led by senior quarterback Ryan Taggart who completed 23 of 44 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Minutemen. Last season Taggart connected on 185 of 317 passes for 1,899 yards and 14 touchdowns.

On defense the Crusaders are lead by senior linebackers C.J. Martin and Ricky Otis. In the season opener Otis recorded 10 tackles and two for a loss, while Martin recorded six tackles. Last season Otis led Holy Cross with 108 tackles and was named to the all-Patriot League first team.

EACHUS, McCARNEY RECEIVE CFPA HONORS
Senior running back Nate Eachus and sophomore quarterback Gavin McCarney have been recognized by CollegeFootballPerformance.com for their achievements against Albany.

Both Eachus and McCarney earned College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) Honorable Mention for their respected positions. Eachus ran for a game-high 165 yards and scored the game winning touchdown in overtime, while McCarney collected 324 yards of total offense and four scores in his first collegiate start. McCarney finished the game completing 17-of-24 passes to six different receivers for 210 yards, while carrying the ball 21 times for 114 yards.

RAIDERS PICKED SECOND IN PL PRESEASON POLL
Colgate was picked to finish second in the Patriot League preseason poll of head coaches and sports information directors the announcement came during the annual football media day.

Defending champion Lehigh topped the poll with a total of 58 points and eight first place votes, while the Raiders placed second with 55 points and six first place votes. Holy Cross 38 points and Lafayette 36 points were selected third and fourth in the poll, followed by Georgetown (fifth, 19 points) and Bucknell (six, 16 points).

In addition to the preseason poll, the Patriot League named senior running back Nate Eachus the preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Eachus is the second-straight Raider to earn this preseason honor as Greg Sullivan was named the preseason Player of the Year last year.

CAREER RUSHING CHART
All-American running back Nate Eachus, is climbing up the Colgate record books. He currently has 3,887 rushing yards and 48 touchdowns, both rank fourth overall. Eachus needs 1,113 yards to become just the third Raider amass 5,000 yards in a career, while he needs 1,735 yards to break the all-time rushing record of 5,621 set by former teammate Jordan Scott '07. Scott also holds the all-time record in rushing touchdowns with 57.

EACHUS, OTTANELLI NAMED TO LINDY'S PRESEASON TEAMS
Running back Nate Eachus was named to the Lindy's 2011 All-FCS Offensive first-team, while offensive lineman Vittorio Ottanelli was named to the second-team. As a team the Raiders were ranked No. 23 in the magazine's Preseason Top 25.

600 AND COUNTING
Last season the Colgate football team became just the 15th program in FCS history to reach 600 wins after topping Cornell 44-3 on Oct. 16. Colgate now has an all-time record of 604-447-50. The Raiders are also the ninth winningest program in the FCS over the last decade. Since 2000, Colgate has posted a recorded 90-39 and won four Patriot League titles.

BY THE NUMBERS
• Colgate has won 33 of its last 46 games.
• Colgate has won 70 of its last 91 Patriot League games.
• Colgate has won 31 of its last 46 games decided by nine points or less.
• Colgate has won 42 of its last 51 games at Andy Kerr Stadium.

THE BIDDLE ERA
Colgate head coach Dick Biddle is in his 16th season with the Raiders and has an overall mark of 121-55. He has achieved the best winning percentage (.686) of any Colgate coach with seven or more years at the helm of the Raiders. Biddle is also the first Colgate coach to ever record nine straight seasons with seven or more victories. He has been named Patriot League Coach of the Year four times while guiding the Raiders to six Patriot League titles and six appearances in the FCS (formally I-AA) playoffs.

In 2003, Biddle was named the American Football Coaches Association Division I-AA National Coach of the Year after leading the Raiders to a 15-1 record, and to the national championship game of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

COLGATE VS. NON-CONFERENCE TEAMS UNDER BIDDLE
In 16 seasons under head coach Dick Biddle, the Raiders are 50-35 against non-conference teams for a winning percentage of .593. They have a 35-8 mark against the Ivy League and are 5-2 against the Northeast Conference.

COLGATE VS. PATRIOT LEAGUE TEAMS UNDER BIDDLE
In the last 16 seasons, the Raiders are 70-20 against Patriot League teams under head coach Dick Biddle for a winning percentage of .778.

UP NEXT
Colgate will continue its road swing as it travels to Dartmouth on Saturday, Sept. 17. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at Memorial Field.