Box Score

WASHINGTON -- That's nine straight Patriot League wins and counting for Colgate after the Raiders dismantled Georgetown 34-14 here Saturday.

Colgate improved to 2-0 in this year's conference race and climbed atop the standings alongside Lafayette (more on that later in this story).

Gavin McCarney tossed three touchdown passes for just the second time in his career and also rushed for a score as Colgate compiled a season-high 309 yards on the ground. McCarney's previous three-TD passing game also came against the Hoyas, last year in Hamilton.

"Coming off last week we had a great first half today," McCarney said, referencing the comeback at Holy Cross. "We stepped back a little in the third quarter, but the defense helped us out. I'm very pleased with what we're doing offensively."

McCarney completed 20 of 28 passes for 248 yards, and added another 109 on the ground. Early Saturday, McCarney topped 5,000 career passing yards to become just the third quarterback in FCS history to eclipse that mark along with 2,500 rushing yards.

The senior from Jefferson Township, N.J., has 5,243 yards through the air and 2,676 on the ground, joining Appalachian State's Armanti Edwards (2006-09) and Morehead State's David Dinkins (1997-2000) as the only three to meet both standards.

McCarney topped 300 yards of total offense (359) for the 11th time to extend his Colgate career record. He's now third in career total offense at 7,919 and fifth in passing.

"He's a great player," Colgate head coach Dick Biddle said. "He was a Walter Payton Award candidate last year and he's a Walter Payton candidate this year in my opinion. We've asked him to do much more this year than he did last year and that's a tribute to him.

"He's one of the best to ever play at Colgate and he's going to have a lot of records."

Taking Care of Business
Colgate's win was Biddle's 80th in Patriot League competition against 24 losses. He also improved to 10-1 against Georgetown and avenged the only blemish to that record from two years ago at Multi-Sport Field.

"Any time you win on the road, you're taking care of business," Biddle said. "We did the things we needed to do to win. We were able to run the ball and we were able to stop the run. You do that and you've got a great chance at winning."

Colgate scored touchdowns on four of its five first-half possessions, with drives covering 78, 69, 85 and 91 yards. The final march pushed the Raiders in front 27-7 heading into intermission and was capped by McCarney's 5-yard TD pass to freshman John Maddaluna III.

McCarney found nine different receivers in the game. Maddaluna led the way with seven receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns – all season-high numbers. Brian Lalli added three for 39 and C.J. Stempeck caught his first TD of the season.

"A lot of the older guys are banged up, so I'm just trying to do what I can do," Maddaluna said. "The line played great and gave Gavin time to sit back and throw the ball. We've just got to make plays."

The offense also got a boost from a healthy Demetrius Russell at tailback. The sophomore has been limited by an ankle injury suffered in practice late last month, but he appeared back to form with 138 rushing yards on 29 tries against the Hoyas.

"Yeah, it felt good," said Russell, who scored the game's first TD. "We had a good rhythm going and the O-line just blew them off the ball. The offense goes as far as the offensive line takes it, and they were just blowing them off the ball. We were rolling in that first half."

Colgate converted six of seven third-down tries during those opening 30 minutes.

Limiting Damage
Sloppy play throughout the third quarter kept the Raiders from riding to a more comfortable margin. For the first three drives of the period, Colgate missed a short field goal, fumbled a punt return attempt and then threw an interception. The latter play set Georgetown up for a short TD drive that trimmed the Raiders' lead to 27-14 with 2:29 left in the third.

"The only reason the game was anywhere near close was because of mistakes we made in the third quarter that gave them field position," Biddle said. "Most of the things in this game that hurt us were self-inflicted.

"We need to clean those things up."

Colgate's defense limited the damage, holding Georgetown to just 54 rushing yards and 311 total. It's part of an encouraging trend for the Raiders heading into the heart of their Patriot League schedule.

"We're gelling as a unit," said Demitri Diamond, who tied for team tackle honors with nine and also pounced on a fumble. "Each week is about building that cohesiveness and chemistry together. We have great athletes, but that doesn't mean anything if the guys don't play together. That's something we're focusing on as a unit."

The season's first four games saw Colgate allow an average of 334.3 rushing yards, but that number is down to 108.5 over the last four. Not surprisingly, the Raiders have won three of those four.

"It comes down to coaching and getting every guy prepared for every level of the game, from the starters to the backups to the guys on the bench," Diamond said. "Everyone's into it and everyone's focused."

Vinny Russo tied Diamond with nine tackles and added a sack, while Adam Bridgeforth made eight tackles. Kris Kent and Bobby Stup chipped in five tackles apiece, with Wendell Lewis braking up four passes.

"There were a couple of times we had sudden changes and just went out there with some enthusiasm," Russo said. "We knew if we stopped the ball, we would be OK.

"No matter where we are on the field, it's just another chance to play football."

Saturday's win improved the Raiders to 3-5 overall and 2-0 in the Patriot League. Georgetown dropped to 1-7 and 0-2.

Colgate's nine-game winning streak in Patriot League play dates to the end of the 2011 season, when the Raiders defeated Bucknell to finish that year on a positive note. The Bison (3-4, 1-2) are next on Colgate's schedule and will arrive at Andy Kerr Stadium playing their best football of the season.

While Colgate was knocking off Georgetown, Bucknell was surprising Lehigh in Lewisburg by a 48-10 count. Lafayette also won in impressive fashion with a 41-23 triumph at Holy Cross.

Kickoff next Saturday is 1 p.m.

Raider Reel: Colgate and Lafayette are 2-0 in the Patriot League, followed by Lehigh at 1-1. Holy Cross and Bucknell are 1-2, with Georgetown at 0-2 … McCarney passed current Raiders assistant coach Greg Sullivan on the career chart during Saturday's game. Sullivan passed for 4,996 yards from 2007-10 and now coaches running backs … Fullback Ed Pavalko added a career-high 67 yards Saturday on five carries … Stempeck now has seven touchdowns on just 22 career receptions … The 100-yard rushing game was Russell's second this season. He had 144 at New Hampshire … Colgate had the ball for 36:49, including 10:36 of the fourth quarter … The Raiders were penalized a season-low one time for 10 yards. They entered the game as the least penalized team in the Patriot League in both number and yards ... Colgate also converted a season-high 31 first downs.