Fordham Football Season Recap

Saturday afternoon on November 22nd, the #9 ranked Fordham Football Patriot League Champions finished off their regular season 10-2 with a hard fought 42-31 loss to FBS team the Army Black Knights. The loss came after a strong 9-game winning streak by the Rams. They had a phenomenal 2014 season, went undefeated in the Patriot League, broke a few school records, and even made it to Sports Center Top 10 once again; they clearly earned their spot in the playoffs. Here’s a recap with some highlights from each game this season:

8/30 – Saint Francis University – W 52-23

• The #11/12 Rams win at Jack Coffey Field marked the 8th straight win at Coffey, setting a school record for the longest home winning streak since the opening of the venue in 1970
• Freshman running back Chase Edmonds (#22) set the school freshman rushing record in his collegiate debut with 181 yards on 19 carries and 2 touchdowns
• The 52 points on the board is the most points scored in a season opener at Coffey, surpassing the 51 points in last year’s season opener against the University of Rhode Island
• The Rams gained 427 yards of total offense

9/6 – #7/10 Villanova University – L 6-50

• The game at Villanova, PA was televised on the American Sports Network
• The Rams could not get the run game going, rushing for just 18 net yards, and were not able to pass protect correctly
• The game was delayed over an hour due to a lightning storm in the area
• Chase Edmonds had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown which was unfortunately called back due to an illegal block call on Fordham

9/13 – University of Rhode Island – W 54-7

• Freshman running back Chase Edmonds set a school freshman record with 231 rushing yards on just 22 carries and a whopping 4 touchdowns
• The Homecoming game had a crowd of 6,979
• The Rams scored 30 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter for a more than strong 47-0 lead, but URI prevented a shutout in the 4th quarter with a 10-play, 98-yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass
• Senior quarterback Michael Nebrich (#12) led the offense to a total of 654 yards

9/20 – Columbia University – W 49-7 

• Fordham Football retains the Liberty Cup for another year in their 5th consecutive win over the Lions. The Rams lead the competition 9-4
• The defense held the Lions to just 165 yards of total offense and only allowed them to cross midfiled once before executing a late scoring drive to prevent the shutout
• Nebrich led the Rams once again to a total of 653 offensive yards with 32 of 48 completed passes for 435 yards and 4 touchdowns, tying his career-high scoring passes and recording his 5th career 400-passing-yard game surpassing John Skelton’s 4

9/27 – Holy Cross – W 45-16

• The Rams bring home the Ram-Crusader cup in their first Patriot League game of the season with a win in Worcester, MA
• Senior tight end Dan Light (#84) is from nearby Sutton, Mass. and could have been a Crusader but he chose to be a Ram instead. He had 42 yards on 4 catches and 1 touchdown
• The offense amassed a total of 493 offensive yards 
• Nebrich passed for 4 touchdowns and ran for 1, bringing his career total to 48 and putting him just behind first place career record holder John Skelton with 69
• Fordham dominated in possession time, controlling the ball for 42:10 to Holy Cross’s 17:50

10/3 – Lafayette College – W 42-18

• The home game was televised on CBS Sports Network. It was a revenge game since Lafayette was the team who ruined the Rams perfect regular season last year and became Patriot League Champs by default
• The defense held the Leopards to just 68 net rushing yards; Graduate student and defensive lineman Brett Biestek (#90), a.k.a The Beast, led the defense with a game-high 9 tackles including 4 sacks
• The Rams gained 524 yards of total offense, 3rd 500+ yard game of the season. Previously, Lafayette only allowed an average 287 yards per game, 11th best in the FCS
• The kicking unit successfully pulled off an onside kick as senior kicker Michael Marando (#94) put the ball in the air towards the sideline where senior defensive back Jordan Chapman (#10) leapt to tip the ball into the hands of a teammate who took possession of the ball at midfield
• The Fordham Women’s Basketball team received their 2014 Atlantic 10 Championship rings at halftime

10/11 – University of Pennsylvania – W 60-22

• Senior quarterback Michael Nebrich (#12) set a school record for passing yards with 566 on 36 of 47 completed passes (most yards by any FCS quarterback this season) and tied the school record for scoring passes with 6 touchdowns
• Nebrich connected with 5 senior receivers at Jack Coffey Field: Tebucky Jones, Jr. (#5) 10 catches for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns, Sam Ajala (#1) 8 catches for 199 yards and 1 touchdown, Brian Wetzel (#24) 1 touchdown, Marcus Jones (#7) 1 touchdown, Dan Light (#84) 1 touchdown
• Freshman running back Chase Edmonds (#22) became the first freshman in all of school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. He is also the fastest Ram to reach 1,000 yards because he reached 1,011 in just the 7th game! He had 22 carries for 101 yards and 1 touchdown on the day
• The offense hauled in a whopping 730 yards, a school-record, passing the previous 700 yards set last year against Holy Cross. It was also the most total yards in a game by any FCS team this year
• The defense is not to be forgotten though. Senior linebacker Austin Hancock (#44) had a game-high 12 tackles including 8 solo, 2.5 for loss, and 2 sacks, tying his career-high in tackles. Senior linebacker De’Nard Pinckney (#14) recorded a ceerer-high 11 tackles including 10 solo, 3 for loss, and an interception. Sophomore linebacker George Dawson (#6) also recorded 10 tackles 
• Fordham improved its home game winning streak to 11 games

10/25 – Lehigh University – W 48-27

• The Rams were close to perfect in their Patriot League matchup at Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem, PA, scoring on their first 7 possessions and 8 of 9 in the game thanks to a strong running game (winning their first ever game at Lehigh)
• Fordham amassed a season-high 296 rushing yards led by someone who you should be familiar with by now, freshman running back Chase Edmonds who had 32 carries for 197 yards and tied the school rushing scoring record with 5 touchdowns
• Sophomore running back Kendall Pearcey (#3) recorded his first career 100-yard game with 103 yards on a mere 7 carries
• The Rams scored over 40 points and gained over 500 offensive yards for the 7th time in 8 games!

11/1 – Colgate University – W 37-13

• Starting quarterback Michael Nebrich got hurt early in the game at Jack Coffey Field and senior second string quarterback Peter Maetzold (#6), a.k.a. Pistol Pete, took over for the Rams; he completed 27 of 38 passes for 279 yards and 3 touchdowns on top of rushing 8 times for 35 yards
• The defense held Colgate to a mere 41 passing yards and just 6 points for a total of 59 minutes and 29 seconds. The Raiders scored a TD on a 32-yard pass in the final 31 seconds of the game; The defense also picked off 3 passes and recorded a safety
• Sophomore linebacker George Dawson (#6) led the defense with 8 tackles including 6 solo, 1 for loss, and an interception
• This was Fordham’s first win of the season scoring less than 40 points
• Surprisingly, senior kicker Michael Marando (#94) missed 2 extra points, his first 2 PAT misses of the season (we’re going to chalk those up to the crazy wind during the downpour that occurred all game long) 

11/7 – Bucknell University – W 30-27 (OT) 

• The Friday night game in Lewisburg, PA was broadcast live on CBS Sports Network
• Senior quarterback Peter Maetzold started the game and completed 24 of 34 passes for 285 yards and 2 touchdowns
• The Rams trailed by 7 with 3:15 left in regulation time after a Bucknell touchdown. Fordham showed it’s power in a 1 minute and 10 second 4-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game at 24 on a 4-yard touchdown by freshman running back Chase Edmonds
• Bucknell still had 2 minutes in regulation time and made it to the Fordham 45 before their quarterback, Trey Lauletta, got sacked by senior defensive lineman DeAndre Slate (#99). Slate led the defense with 12 tackles including 6 solo, and 1.5 sacks
• Fordham won the coin toss and chose to defend first (gutsy move). An incomplete pass and a sack by sophomore defensive lineman Justin Vaughn (#91) (his first of the season) later, the Bison were forced to kick a field goal which gave them a 27-24 lead
• Maetzold connected with senior wide receiver Tebucky Jones, Jr. (#5)in the left corner of the end zone on a 10-yard pass for a touchdown that led the Rams to a thrilling overtime victory, clinching the 2014 Patriot League title!
• Edmonds had his 9th 100+ yard game of the season and his 2 touchdowns made 20 on the year, tying with Kirwin Watson (2003) for the Fordham single-season record
• If that wasn’t exciting enough for you, there was a grill fire that smoked up the field and delayed the game for about 20 minutes

11/15 – Georgetown University – W 52-7

• 32 seniors walked proudly onto the field accompanied by their families before the game in honor of Senior Day at Jack Coffey Field as the fans cheered in respect and admiration and with a very bittersweet feeling
• With the 9th straight win, the #7/8 ranked Fordham Rams accomplished an undefeated 6-0 Patriot League season, clinching the outright Patriot League Championship; the boys received their championship hats and trophies on the field immediately following the game
• The win marked the 13th straight win at home, tying with Coastal Carolina for 2nd longest active home winning streak in the FCS (North Dakota State University is in 1st with a 20-game active winning streak)
• The offense gained 496 total yards and scored over 50 points for the 5th time this season
• The defense held the Hoyas to just 80 passing yards and 7 points
• Special teams even blocked two punts
• Seemingly hurt once again, quarterback Michael Nebrich had to sit out and let Maetzold take over the ranks. Pistol Pete, as usual, did not disappoint. He completed 15 of 19 passes for a whopping 285 yards and 2 touchdowns
• Senior wide receiver Brian Wetzel (#24) had 9 catches for 103 yards and 1 touchdown accompanied by fellow Texan senior wide receiver Sam Ajala (#1) who gained 124 yards on just 3 receptions and a touchdown
• Sophomore running back Kendall Pearcey (#3) gave Edmonds some relief and carried the ball 14 times for 89 yards and 3 touchdowns
• Edmonds had 1 touchdown bringing his total to 21, beating the record for most rushing touchdowns in a season as well as making his scoring total 132 pints, surpassing Watson’s previous 126 points; 1,470 rushing yards on the year is good for 3rd best in single-season school history
• Senior defensive lineman Brett Biestek (#90) was definitely in beast mode as he recorded 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks
• Senior placekicker Michael Marando (#94) connected on a 27-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter bringing his career total to 41, tying Brian Colsant’s school record set from 1998-2001; his 7 PATs brought his season total to 54, just 9 shy of his own record last season. Marando has also set the school record for career PATs made with 133
• The Rams were so confident in getting this win that they sent in all the second and third string players out on the field; Sophomore quarterback Kevin Anderson (#14), a.k.a. Sunshine, had his first game appearance of the season and capitalizes on a blocked punt to score his first 5-yard rushing touchdown

11/22 Army – L 31-42

• The hard-fought loss to FBS opponent Army at Michie Stadium in West Point, NY, which was televised on CBS Sports Network, snapped the Rams 9-game winning streak and brought their regular season to 10-2; Army improved to just 4-7 with a final game left against Navy
• Army air-dropped 5 cadets onto the middle of the field prior to the start of the game and fired earthshaking cannons just about every time they could: after kickoff, after every score, after every punt… They also extended a beautiful American flag across the entire field during half time
• Back in action, senior quarterback Michael Nebrich completed 27 of 38 passes for 352 yards and 3 touchdowns
• Senior wide receiver Brian Wetzel (#24) had 12 receptions for 193 yards and 1 touchdown
• Although Fordham out-gained Army in total offensive yards 471-430, the Rams just could not defend against the Army rushing onslaught with their triple option offense
• Senior kicker Michael Marando had the first score of the game with a 40-yard field goal 2:48 into the game. His 42nd career field goal is a school record
• After what seemed like a 3-and-out for the Rams, Fordham lined up to punt, but instead, sophomore punter Joseph Pavlik (#19) took the snap and threw a high-hanging pass to the end zone where 5’10 senior defensive back and special teams player Marc DeSisto (#25) was able to out-jump 4 Army defenders for a touchdown! (One of the most exciting plays i have ever seen! I couldn’t believe it had actually worked!)
• Army blocked a Fordham punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown, effectively shifting the tide of the game, now 14-10 at the half
• Even throughout the offensive rush attack that ensued, the ever resilient Rams did not give up: Nebrich connected with Wetzel over the middle of the field for a 65-yard scoring catch; Nebrich also found senior wide receiver Tebucky Jones, Jr. for an 8-yard touchdown; Senior tight end Adam Malkiewicz (#80) caught a tipped pass over the middle of the field and ran it 51 yards for his first career touchdown 
• Defensively, senior linebacker Austin Hancock (#44) finished with a career-high 19 tackles including 12 solo followed by senior linebacker De’Nard Pinckney with 11 and senior defensive back Jake Dixon (#36) with 10 
• Edmonds gained 69 rushing yards bringing his season total to 1,539 good for 2nd place in single-season school history just 57 yards shy of Carlton Koonce’s 2012 record

The Rams finished the regular season ranked as the #9 FCS team in the nation. During the NCAA Selection Show Party on Sunday at the Rose Hill Gym, the Rams found out that they will be facing the Sacred Heart Pioneers (9-2) in the first round of the FCS Playoffs for the second year in  a row. The Rams beat the Pioneers last year 37-27 on Jack Coffey Field and they are looking for a repeat! The winner of the Saturday, November 29th, 12 o’clock game at Coffey will move on to face the #1 overall FCS seed New Hampshire on December 6th, at 1PM in Durham, New Hampshire. All games will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

Let’s shed some of those holiday turkey calories and show that we are #ProudToBeARam by cheering on our Fordham Rams against the Pioneers on Saturday!

Ticket prices are as follows:

Students – Free with Fordham ID

Chairback Loge – $20 each

General Admission – $15 each

*Senior Citizen General Admission (65 and older) – $10 each

*Child General Admission – $5 each

*Available only on Game Day and upon availability 

NOVEMBER 29th. NOON. JACK COFFEY FIELD. FORDHAM VS SACRED HEART. PLAYOFFS. BE THERE!!!

#RoadToFrisco #FearTheRam

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