In its first conference game of the season, the football team (4-1 overall, 1-0 Patriot League) trounced the Bucknell Bison (1-3 overall, 0-1 Patriot League) 56-22 at Saturday’s Homecoming game. This marks head coach John Troxell’s 100th career head coaching win.
The Homecoming game saw over 4,200 spectators pack the stands of Fisher Stadium to cheer on the Leopards. The game also marked the Leopards’ third straight victory, giving them a 3-0 home record for the first time since 2009.
“Of course, league play is understood by us all, but we take every opponent seriously with extreme focus,” sophomore wide receiver Elijah Steward wrote in an email. “Mindset is the same: win the day and get 1% better at every chance.”
The Maroon and White offense erupted for its best performance this season, surpassing 50 points for the first time since 2009. Sophomore quarterback Dean DeNobile continued his successful start, passing for career highs both in yards with 229 and touchdowns with four.
Sophomore running back Jamar Curtis, the Patriot League’s leading rusher, ran for yet another 100-yard-plus game, marking his fourth of the season, alongside both a rushing and a receiving touchdown. Additionally, first-year running backs Kente Edwards and Ethan Bruce and first-year wide receiver Carson Persing all found the end zone for the first time in their careers.
“I think confidence and mindset is what sets us apart this year,” Steward wrote regarding the offense’s improvement. “Having more time together each day helps us build chemistry and flow more comfortably as a unit.”
The Leopards’ defense also continued to impress in a game where offense was the day’s top story. The Maroon and White totaled seven sacks for the second straight game and added an interception by senior defensive back Neriyan Brown. Senior linebacker Billy Shaeffer, who accounted for half of the total sacks on Saturday, said that the defense was successful in making Bucknell’s offense “one-dimensional.”
“We were stopping the run pretty well and made them start passing the ball,” Shaeffer said. “Then we put pressure on them up front and made the quarterback feel uncomfortable in the pocket.”
Sixth-year Shaeffer, the most experienced Leopard on the roster and one of the few senior starters on defense, praised the team’s younger defensive linemen who have exceeded expectations thus far.
“They’re a really talented group,” Shaeffer said. “It’s important to lead them in the right direction, and with the amount of experience we have on defense, it hasn’t been hard to.”
After their first possession ended in a punt, the Maroon and White offense was unstoppable for the remainder of the first half. Following a missed Bucknell field goal, both Curtis and junior running back Jermaine Conyers punched the ball in the end zone on back-to-back drives.
Lafayette’s defense stopped Bucknell again at the beginning of the second quarter. First-year running back Troy Bruce, who has shined on special teams thus far this year, then made one of the key plays of the game as he blocked the ensuing punt. The Leopards offense took over near midfield as DeNobile found Persing for his first touchdown on the day, extending the lead to 21-0.
DeNobile tacked on his remaining three scores in the second quarter, including a 63-yard strike to Steward for Lafayette’s longest play from scrimmage in 2023. With a 30-point advantage at halftime, a 4-1 record seemed all but inevitable.
“Being 4-1 sets the tone pretty well for us,” Shaeffer said. “We know how special this group can be, but we’re still far from where we want to be. It’s up to us to keep getting better and work on the little things.”
The team’s dominant performance on Saturday resulted in strong Patriot League recognition, as three players took home weekly awards. DeNobile, Shaeffer and Bruce received Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week honors, respectively. This is the second time DeNobile and Shaeffer have received these awards in their careers, with DeNobile now winning in back-to-back weeks.
The Leopards will face their final non-conference opponent of the 2023 campaign tomorrow as they look to advance to 5-1 with a win against the Princeton Tigers (2-1 overall).
Gene • Oct 9, 2023 at 6:46 pm
Excellent reporting by football knowledgeable Dan Sullivan.