The sophomore offensive trio of quarterback Dean DeNobile, running back Jamar Curtis and wide receiver Elijah Steward has helped propel the football team (7-1 overall, 3-0 Patriot League) to a historic start to the season.
The Leopards currently sit in their highest-ever position in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll (16th) and the Stats Perform Poll (20th) since the inception of the Patriot League in 1986.
As part of their journeys to Lafayette, all three cited special connections that ultimately brought them to the team.
“My position coach, Coach Anthony Johnson, he’s also from where I’m from, Maryland,” Curtis said. “Just having that type of connection from my position coach, it meant a lot. And I feel like it was a special connection from day one.”
Curtis recently won FCS Player of the Week for his 229 rushing yard performance against Holy Cross.
“My coach at high school, he was actually a Lafayette alumni and played with Coach Troxell,” Steward, who broke receiving records at Holy Spirit High School, said.
“I just fell in love with the school right when I got here,” DeNobile said, citing the campus atmosphere, team facilities and the stadium as key factors in his commitment.
The offensive firepower of the trio has been a key factor behind the team’s 7-1 start. Through the team’s first eight games, DeNobile has moved the ball downfield while limiting turnovers, boasting an effective 11-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Curtis has carved up defenses with 962 rushing yards, averaging a dominant 6.5 yards per carry. Steward has been the team’s leading receiver with 28 receptions for 412 yards on the season in a productive campaign.
With three games left in the season, the offense has already surpassed last season’s totals in every major statistic, the most striking being scoring. The Leopards scored only 139 points all season in 2022 and already sit at 219 points this year.
Camaraderie is another reason behind the unique success of the team.
“We’re forming a brotherhood,” Steward said. “We’re all really close with each other.”
“I’ll do anything for these guys,” DeNobile said. “I think they would do the same for me.”
In spite of the team’s success thus far in the season, the Leopards still keep a chip on their shoulders.
“I feel like every week we just go out there and we’re excited to prove something,” Curtis said.
“I’m just really proud of this group,” Steward said. “A lot of people didn’t look at us and think that this is a football team that’s gonna do what we’re doing right now … They kind of counted us out. But I just love the fact that we’re kind of playing each game like we’re still the underdog. We’re still playing hungry to the point where we want to go out and prove everybody wrong.”
The three attributed team success to play calling and confidence between the coaching staff and players. The combination of this relationship between players and coaches in addition to the team brotherhood has enabled a culture change.
“A lot of people are not used to winning here,” Curtis said. “I feel like this team is very special, and we changed the culture.”
“We made a decision to just come together and really try to change the program,” DeNobile said.
Although the three all maintain a day-by-day and game-by-game approach, they still look forward to future success.
“It’s just a sneak peek of what’s gonna happen in the next couple of years, too,” DeNobile said. “It’s great playing with those two other guys, and we’re only going to get better from here.”
“I love being a part of this whole group and climbing the hill and all that, and I can’t wait to see what happens these next couple of years,” Steward said.
Bill • Nov 8, 2023 at 8:16 pm
These kids all came from HS’s that won a lot , this mindset is what they brought to their new team. Men who are used to winning, don’t like losing !