WORCESTER, Mass. — The No. 11/15 Holy Cross football team's comeback attempt fell short against Lafayette, with the Crusaders falling 38-35 on Saturday, Oct. 21.
Holy Cross senior quarterback Matthew Sluka rushed for a career-best 330 yards on 28 carries — seven yards shy of the program single-game record — amid rainy conditions, while also scoring three touchdowns on the ground.
His 330 rushing yards are the most ever by a Division I quarterback, at either the FBS or FCS level.
Junior running back Jordan Fuller scored a touchdown and finished with 95 rushing yards.
Senior wide receiver Jalen Coker caught a touchdown and had 49 receiving yards. His performance makes him the program's all-time leader in career receiving yards, with 2,371 in his Holy Cross career.
The Crusaders totaled 514 yards of offense, including 429 rushing yards.
Fifth-year linebacker Jacob Dobbs finished with 14 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for a loss of five yards, a half sack and a quarterback hurry. Junior safety Curtis Harris-Lopez tallied seven tackles.
Lafayette running back Jamar Curtis, who finished with 229 rushing yards and two touchdowns, was named the winner of the Anderson Award as the Family Weekend MVP.
The loss ends an impressive run of 18 consecutive wins in Patriot League contests for the Crusaders (4-3, 2-1 PL). The Leopards (6-1, 2-0 PL) remain undefeated against FCS opponents.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Lafayette needed seven plays to score on its opening drive, taking a 7-0 lead with 8:34 to go in the first quarter.
- Holy Cross responded on its next drive, with Sluka scoring on fourth down on a 29-yard touchdown run to even up the score at 7-7.
- Lafayette jumped ahead to a 21-7 lead with 10:22 remaining in the second quarter after a quarterback keeper by Dean DeNobile and a 53-yard touchdown reception by Dallas Holmes.
- A 32-yard field goal pushed the Lafayette lead to 24-7 with 9:12 left in the third quarter.
- Sluka's 70-yard touchdown run made it a 24-14 contest with 7:42 remaining in the third. Less than a minute later, though, Carson Persing caught a 43-yard touchdown to push the lead to 31-14.
- Sluka again kept the ball for a four-yard touchdown, bringing the Crusaders within 31-21 with 1:01 to go in the third.
- The Crusader defense used a fourth-down stop at the start of the fourth to get the ball back at their own five-yard line. On the ensuing drive, a 40-yard completion from Sluka to Coker helped set up an eventual 19-yard touchdown carry by Fuller, making it a 31-28 game with 7:58 left.
- Lafayette staged a nine-play, 75-yard drive over the next five minutes and 40 seconds, with Curtis eventually scoring on a 41-yard rush to regain a 38-28 lead.
- On the Crusaders' next drive, Sluka ran for 41 yards on a fourth and 12 to put the Crusaders at the three-yard line. He then passed to Coker for a three-yard touchdown, cutting the score to 38-35 with 58 seconds remaining.
- Holy Cross was unable to recover the onside kick attempt, and Lafayette was able to take a knee to end the game.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Sluka surpassed the 3,000 rushing yard-mark in his career, with 3,233 — he ranks third in program history in that category.
- Sluka also moves into a tie with teammate Fuller for career rushing touchdowns for second in program history; Fuller and Sluka each have 36 touchdown rushes in their careers.
- Sluka is only the second Crusader ever to rush for more than 300 yards in a game; the record holder is Gill Fenerty, who had 337 against Columbia in 1983.
- Coker's 2,371 career receiving yards surpass previous record holder Ari Confesor, who had 2,352 from 2000 to 2003.
- Dobbs now has 410 career tackles, moving him into fourth place in program history in that category. He is just the fifth Crusader to record over 400 tackles in his career. He also moves into a tie for third place in program history with 44 tackles for loss, one TFL shy of tying the program record.
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The Crusaders hit the road for the next three weeks, starting with a road Patriot League matchup against Fordham on Saturday, Oct. 28. Kickoff in The Bronx is set for 1 p.m.
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross football team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
Twitter - @HCrossFB | @goholycross
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October 22, 2023 at 05:51AM
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No. 11/15 Crusaders come up short against Lafayette - Holy Cross Athletics
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