It’s not every day when you see a college football team win five straight games. However, when it does happen, you must be sure to not miss out on the action. Your next opportunity to keep up with the Rams is this upcoming Saturday when Fordham hosts Lehigh University. The Fordham Rams, who are currently 6-1, will face off against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, who are 3-3.

The Rams have a lot to be proud of as they march onto Jack Coffey Field. Just a week ago, they defeated Holy Cross in an overtime thriller, with a final score of 47-41. Not only did they protect their own turf, but retained the Ram-Crusader Cup as well. The excitement began in the waning moments of the game when the Crusaders forced overtime with a field goal on the final play of regulation. Subsequent to winning the coin toss, Fordham’s coach, Joe Moorhead, took a gamble by opting to defend first. Well, it paid off because they limited the opposition to six yards and three plays; this then gave Fordham a chance to capitalize and they certainly did. Sophomore running back, Chase Edmonds, rushed for 18 yards on three carries to set up  a final touchdown run, finishing up the afternoon with 162 total rushing yards. Quarterback Kevin Anderson put on a show himself by rushing for 115 yards, and passing for another 194 yards. Anderson connected with senior receiver and native New Yorker, Ben Johnson, for two of his touchdowns. It was a great day in the Bronx, and even a greater one for Edmonds, who climbed up the ladder securing the fifth spot on Fordham’s all-time rushing yards list.

Surely the Rams were successful against the Crusaders, but history is not on their side against the Mountain Hawks. Saturday’s matchup will be the 28th all time meeting between these two teams, with Lehigh leading 23-4. With another challenger in town, the Rams will have to plan accordingly against Lehigh’s experienced head coach Andy Coen. At the same time, history can be rewritten and Fordham has been really good at that. They have been successful in the past two meetings, including a 48-27 victory at Lehigh last October.

One key factor to keep in mind as Saturday’s game nears is that Coach Moorhead’s squad has the highest overall winning percentage of all teams in the Patriot League thus far. Much of this is due to the offensive powerhouse he has created. The numbers are without a doubt there. Fordham claims the top rushing, scoring, and total offense in the Patriot League, consisting of 38.9 points per game, 199.1 yards per game, and 468 yards per game, respectively.

The second key factor to keep in mind ahead of this weekend’s game is that a duo-combo between Edmonds and Anderson is a matchup nightmare for any team. Edmonds leads the league with 149.4 rushing yards per game, while his quarterback, Anderson leads the league with the highest passing efficiency. Edmonds leads both the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as well as the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in rushing touchdowns with fifteen touchdowns so far this season. Edmonds was also named the College Sports Madness Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week earlier on Monday.

The third key factor to keep in mind for Fordham is that they have a defense led by Jihaad Pretlow. In the previous week’s team victory over Holy Cross, he returned three kickoffs for 172 yards, recorded three tackles, and even had an interception which gave Fordham its first lead of the game in the second quarter. The 5’11” junior defensive back was undoubtedly well-deserved in being named the Corvias Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week this past Monday.

You’ve heard the facts. You know what to expect. Therefore, be sure to pack the Jack this upcoming Saturday. The 1:00 p.m. kickoff along with a forecast in the high 50s should make for a great day of football.