HAMILTON – The Raiders came up short by less than touchdown, falling 21-16 to Lafayette on Senior Day.
Special teams dictated today's game, with both teams recording a combined three fumble recoveries and two blocked punts.
The Raiders had a rocky start, fumbling at the Colgate 40 on the first drive of the game. Unfortunately for Colgate, Lafayette capitalized off the fumble with a touchdown to lead the game by seven.
After three quick downs, the Raiders were forced to punt on their second possession of the game.
Quickly moving down the field, a 28-yard pass on third down brought the Leopards to the Colgate eight-yard line. Lafayette went for the field goal on fourth down but was blocked by freshman defensive lineman Drake Hatcher to keep the Leopards lead to seven points.
Michael Brescia started the Raiders' third drive with a 10-yard rush down the middle. Junior Max Hurleman hurried for 14-yards to bring the Raiders to their own 46. Sadly, nothing more came from the offense, forcing Shelby Pruett and the special teams crew to come out for the second time in the first quarter.
The Raider defense applied pressure on Lafayette's third possession. Jackson Leak and Drew Frankel joined forces to get a tackle on the second down, Connor Meyer got his first sack of the season on third down, and Mikey Jarmolowich blocked the Leopards' punt.
On the blocked punt, there was a penalty for illegally touching by Lafayette that had the Raiders starting their drive at the Lafayette six-yard line to end the first quarter.
The second quarter started with a Raider touchdown after Brescia tossed it six yards to junior Matt Paske for the first tight end touchdown of the season. Spencer Biscoe nailed the extra point kick to tie the game at seven.
Lafayette retaliated with a 13-yard rushing touchdown to take back their seven-point lead.
The Raiders were held to three quick snaps in their second possession of the quarter. Fortunately for Colgate, Jaedon Henry recovered a fumble at the Lafayette six. Colgate capitalized off Henry's recovery with a 23-yard field goal from Biscoe to trail Lafayette by three points.
Catching a spark from the field goal, the Raider defense forced Lafayette to punt for the second time in the quarter.
Brescia opened the Raider drive with back-to-back to passes to Hurleman, but Lafayette forced a fumble on the second pass at the Colgate 50.
After the fumble recovery, the Leopards steadily made their way to the Colgate 21-yard line. The Leopards tacked on a 10-yard touchdown to extend their lead to 21-10.
The first half of play ended with three straight punts, two coming from the Raiders.
The second half started just like the first half ended, with three straight punts. This time two came from Lafayette.
Brescia connected with Garret Oakey for the first time in the game to start Colgate's second drive. The Raiders got a penalty that moved them back a bit, but Paske made up for it after nabbing one in the air from Brescia at the Colgate 33.
Henry kept the momentum going, rushing down to the Colgate 38. Brescia put on the jets, rushing 21-yards into Lafayette territory at the 37-yard line. Brescia, showing his passing skills, connected in the end zone with Oakey for a 38-yard touchdown.
The Raiders went for the extra two points but were unsuccessful, trailing Lafayette 21-16.
A penalty on Colgate during Biscoe's kickoff put the line of scrimmage at Lafayette's 27. Fortunately for Colgate, the defense forced the Leopards to punt, with the Raiders sneaking in one quick rush to end the third quarter.
Brescia opened the fourth quarter with a six-yard toss to junior Jake Ryan. Getting the first down, William Parker caught a 12-yard pass at the Colgate 24. Freshman Brady Hutchison was the next Raider to grab a pass from Brescia, this one at the Colgate 31.
Treyvhon Saunders kept the offense going, getting the first down for Colgate. A penalty on Lafayette brought the ball down to Colgate's 20. Sadly, for Colgate, they couldn't muster anything else on the drive, forcing special teams to come out again.
Colgate's defense forced the Leopards to punt for the fifth straight drive in a row to end any chance of extra Lafayette points.
Oakey started the Raiders' final drive with an 11-yard rush to the Colgate 39. Brescia rushed up for two straight snaps, but nothing more came from the drive or the game, as the Raiders could not complete the comeback.
NOTES
- Paske's touchdown is a career first for the Binghamton, N.Y. native.
- Oakey's touchdown was his first of the season.
- Jarmolowich led the Raiders in tackles for the second straight game after tallying 10 today.
- Jacob Jaworski made his season debut after taking one punt for the Raiders.
- Coleman Coco recorded a season-high nine tackles.
UP NEXT
The Raiders hit the road to Bethlehem, Pa, on Saturday, Nov. 12, for a battle with the Mountain Hawks. Kickoff against Lehigh is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside Goodman Stadium.
