WORCESTER, Mass. — In one of the most hyped games in FCS this season, the first matchup between two ranked Patriot League teams since 2013 lived up to the billing — with No. 5/8 Holy Cross and No. 22/15 Fordham trading leads and leaving a crowd of 17,592 fans on the edge of their seats at Fitton Field from wire to wire.
Ultimately, it was the home team that prevailed in dramatic fashion, with the Crusaders securing a 53-52 victory over the Rams in overtime to remain undefeated.
Fordham (6-2, 2-1 Patriot League) needed just one play to score in overtime, with quarterback Tim DeMorat completing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dequece Carter to open the overtime period. The Crusaders (8-0, 4-0 Patriot League) responded with a more drawn-out drive, needing five plays, culminating in a nine-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Matthew Sluka to sophomore receiver Justin Shorter.
Holy Cross opted to go for the two-point conversion. Sluka handed off to Shorter, who crossed and tossed the ball to senior wide receiver Ayir Asante who completed the reverse sweep and rushed into the end zone for the walkoff victory.
The Crusaders finished with a season-high 607 yards of offense — their first game with 600+ yards since the 2017 season — paced by Sluka's stellar outing. He finished with career highs in rushing yards (174) and passing touchdowns (four), while also scoring a touchdown on the ground and passing for 291 more yards. Sluka earned the Dr. Edward N. Anderson Award as the MVP of Holy Cross' Family Weekend.
Junior wide receiver Jalen Coker caught three touchdown passes, totaling 131 receiving yards on the day. Shorter's 127 receiving yards were a career-best. Senior running back Peter Oliver scored a pair of touchdowns and finished with 95 yards on the ground.
.@AyirAsante IS THAT GUY!!!
A WALK OFF TWO-POINT CONVERSION AT FITTON!
CRUSADERS WIN!#GoCrossGo pic.twitter.com/jIBGToIHjq
— Holy Cross Football (@HCrossFB) October 29, 2022
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Crusaders scored on their opening drive, with Sluka connecting with Coker for a 58-yard touchdown. After a field goal from Fordham, Oliver rushed in for a six-yard touchdown to extend the Holy Cross lead to 14-3 with 5:26 remaining in the opening quarter.
- The teams traded touchdowns, with the Crusaders eventually taking a 21-10 lead with 5:50 left in the first half on a keeper from Sluka. Fordham rallied to score two more touchdowns to take a 24-21 lead into halftime.
- Fordham's lead grew to 31-21 with 3:30 left in the third on a keeper from DeMorat. Oliver responded with a five-yard touchdown run to bring Holy Cross within three just 1:21 later.
- Right out of the gate in the fourth quarter, senior kicker Derek Ng hit a 23-yard field goal to even things up at 31 apiece.
- Just minutes later, Julius Loughridge had a 34-yard rush to put Fordham back ahead, 38-31. Two-and-a-half minutes after that, Coker hauled in a 12-yard pass from Sluka to make it a 38-38 game.
- Carter scored on a 38-yard pass from DeMorat to put Fordham back ahead, 45-38, with 5:48 remaining.
- With 1:24 left on the clock in regulation, Coker caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Sluka; Ng connected on the point after to make it a 45-45 contest.
- Fordham couldn't score in the final moments of the game, but DeMorat's touchdown pass put the Rams ahead in the opening frame of overtime. The Crusaders answered back, with Shorter's touchdown and Asante's two-point conversion securing the victory.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- The 17,592 fans marked the highest-attended game at Fitton Field since 1990, when a matchup against Lehigh brought in 17,848 spectators.
- The win marked the 100th career win as a head coach for the Crusaders' Bob Chesney. He is 100-41 in his 13th season across three different head coaching stops (Salve Regina, Assumption, Holy Cross).
- Holy Cross has now won six straight Ram-Crusader Cup matchups.
UP NEXT:
- The Crusaders will host Lehigh in a Patriot League showdown at Fitton Field on Nov. 5. Kickoff is set for noon.
- Tickets can be purchased at goholycross.com/tickets or by calling 1-844-GO-CROSS.
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October 30, 2022 at 07:59AM
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No. 5/8 Holy Cross secures walkoff victory over No. 22/15 Fordham - Holy Cross Athletics
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