It was a dreary Saturday afternoon, and dark clouds loomed over Rose Hill as the Fordham football team handily defeated the Georgetown University (GU) Hoyas, 59-38, during Family Weekend, Oct. 1. 

The first Patriot League game of the season was punctuated by cheers and a fired-up crowd. 

Students and parents made their way into the stands as the rain cleared in time for kickoff. They watched attentively as the game began on a damp field, and the Rams struggled to hold back the Hoyas. Fordham eventually found its footing in the second quarter, and the crowd cheered loudly when the Rams finally secured the lead. 

Despite not getting their engine going early, the Rams eventual takeover meant that by the end of the third quarter, they had pulled away with a considerable margin. The running backs were at the center of Fordham’s offense, with the Rams recording 277 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns.

After the win, Fordham Head Coach Joe Conlin sat down for the press conference with a sunny disposition despite the horrid weather. He praised his team’s all-around effort while remarking on the defensive lapses. He was clearly relieved that, unlike previous weeks, this game didn’t go down to the wire.

“Two turnovers in the first half is not how we want to operate … the second half, you know, was better defensively than the first, but we gotta be cleaner,” Conlin said, “Offensively I thought we executed pretty well. You know, (we) ran the ball for 277 (yards), that’s a pretty good day. Generally pleased overall.”

So far this season, the Rams have relied heavily on the passing game by star quarterback Tim DeMorat, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’23. This contest however, his job was made easier through the spectacular play of running backs Trey Sneed, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’23, and Julius Loughridge, FCRH ’25. They ran for 120 and 104 yards, respectively. Sneed ran in two touchdowns, and Loughridge contributed one of his own. 

“I think this offense makes my life really easy,” DeMorat said, “Obviously when you run for that many yards it makes my life easy, and I have great receivers to give the ball out to.”

After an extensive advance in the waning minutes of the first quarter, DeMorat launched the ball to tight end Jeff Ciccio, FCRH ’23, for a 16-yard touchdown just seven seconds into the second quarter. From that point forward, it was all gas and no brakes for Fordham.

Impressively, DeMorat himself recorded a 27-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. This capped off a sweet bounce-back victory following a heartbreaking 59-52 loss to Ohio University the week prior.  According to DeMorat, the win boosted morale and allowed the team to forget about their loss.

The Family Weekend game started out well for the Hoyas, and Fordham’s defense struggled to stop their progressive advances. Veteran quarterback Pierce Holley, GU ’23, led the offense as they plodded steadily down the field, finally scoring with a short pass to Herman Moultrie III, GU ’23. With this, the Hoyas jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the extra point.

Fordham’s first drive was snappier. Although DeMorat was sacked almost immediately, he made up for it quickly when he slung a 31-yard pass to MJ Wright, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’23. After marching his team to GU’s 23-yard line, he catapulted the ball to Sneed, who sidestepped a Hoyas defender and sprinted in for the touchdown, tying the game at seven following the extra point.

The game continued to pick up speed. In GU’s next drive, Holley made an impressive 37-yard pass to Joshua Tomas, GU ’23, right off the bat. He then whipped the ball another 42 yards to Moultrie, who strutted past the goal line for GU’s second touchdown. The Hoyas regained the lead, 14-7.

Shortly after regaining possession of the ball, the Rams fumbled on the snap. It was deftly recovered by VeRon Garrison, GU ’25. The Hoyas wasted no time and scored another touchdown, punching through the Ram’s loose defense. Things looked bleak for Fordham as they trailed 21-7 at the end of the first quarter. 

Fordham was unhappy with their early performance and resolved to fight back. After an extensive advance in the waning minutes of the first quarter, DeMorat launched the ball to tight end Jeff Ciccio, FCRH ’23, for a 16-yard touchdown just seven seconds into the second quarter. From that point forward, it was all gas and no brakes for Fordham.

Fordham’s defense also began to improve, managing to force GU to punt the ball on fourth down from their 47-yard line. The Rams quickly advanced to the Hoyas’ 4-yard line, due in no small part to three consecutive pass interference calls on the Hoyas. 

Unfortunately, the Rams dropped the ball, and what would have been a scoring pass to Sneed fell incomplete. The crowd was audibly shocked to see the Rams fail to score so close to the goal line. 

Fordham nimbly made their way across those 35 yards and scored their fourth touchdown of the quarter within the last minute.

“I don’t think it gets to anybody. The only thing that can stop us is ourselves,” DeMorat said of the turnover. “Drive killers do that obviously … We had two turnovers (this game) which obviously hurts us. We gotta clean those things up, but I think there’s no panic.” 

GU failed to capitalize on the error, and their next drive didn’t last long, ending in another underwhelming punt. Fordham regained the ball with just over 5 minutes left in the quarter. Loughridge then rushed 41 yards to acquire the field position necessary for him to score just two plays later. He rushed 12 yards down the field into the GU endzone, knotting the score 21-21. 

The Hoyas responded with another pathetic drive. They hardly advanced from the 25-yard line, eventually punting the ball. The Rams were left with 2:15 to try and take the lead before halftime. 

DeMorat hit Dequece Carter, GSBRH ’23, with a 46-yard pass, advancing the ball to GU’s 14-yard line. He then threw to Fotis Kokosioulis, FCRH ’23, for the remaining yardage putting the Rams up 28-21.

In his final scoring play, Sneed was the only Ram to get a touch, advancing all 47 yards into the endzone by himself.

GU gained a whopping 4 yards in their next drive before throwing an interception, which fell in the hands of Marc Pretto, FCRH ’26, at GU’s 35-yard line. Fordham nimbly made their way across those 35 yards and scored their fourth touchdown of the quarter within the last minute. They were now safely in the lead with 35 points to GU’s 21 going into halftime.

With such a lead at halftime, overconfidence can be an issue. DeMorat was not worried and trusted his team’s focus would carry over the second half. 

“We just gotta stay calm, even-keeled,” DeMorat said. “There’s a whole second half of football still to play, so everyone’s gotta stay locked in and focused.”

The third quarter started out fairly uneventful — it was clear after the first half that the action had reached its peak. Fordham and GU traded field goals in the first few minutes. With around six minutes left in the quarter, Sneed rushed 34 yards. A few plays later, he skipped into the endzone for the only touchdown of the quarter. Fordham was now leading 45-24 going into the fourth quarter.

“When you’re picked, you know, one or two in your league, you’re always gonna have a bull’s eye on you, so you’re always gonna get everyone’s best efforts.” Fordham Head Coach Joe Conlin

The last quarter of the game began with four touchdowns in ten minutes. First, GU scored when Holley made a 16-yard pass to Tomas within the first minute. DeMorat personally responded two minutes later with a 27-yard rushing score. Keeping it serious, he hardly celebrated as he adjusted his helmet and strolled to the sideline.  

Sneed followed with another touchdown after a faltering GU drive. In his final scoring play, Sneed was the only Ram to get a touch, advancing all 47 yards into the endzone by himself. The score was now 59-31 with only seven minutes remaining.

By now, GU had already sat their starting quarterback and replaced him with Tyler Knoop, GU ’23, signaling a change in approach. The Hoyas did bring in another touchdown with five minutes left, but it was not enough to overcome the Rams’ substantial lead. 

In their desperation, GU even went as far as to attempt an onside kick for one last shot at bringing up their score. Though a valiant try, it was too little too late. Unfortunately, the ball was not caught, leaving them trailing 59-38 as the game wrapped up. As the Rams triumphantly left the field, the Hoyas huddled on the sideline, clearly processing the loss. It is now their fourth in a row, and their eighth in the last ten games dating back to their 2021 campaign. 

“Well, you know, it’s going to be a good fight. Another conference game (and a) really good team, (Lehigh) is really well-coached, and they play a really good defense.” Conlin

Postgame, Conlin sounded off on his team’s goals for this game and the next. He thinks the Rams find strength in the standards they set for themselves.

“We talk a lot about being humble, really playing to our standards,” Conlin said, “We have standards as a team, and that’s what we focus on every week. It’s not so much the score (that matters), it’s ‘Did we meet our standards and do what we need to do to win football games?’” 

The Rams came away with a solid victory, avoiding extending a losing streak into their first conference game of the season. It was a gratifying comeback from the previous loss to Ohio, but Conlin was wary of over-hyping. He noted that the Rams are a favorite in the Patriot League, and that title comes with a burden.

“When you’re picked, you know, one or two in your league, you’re always gonna have a bull’s eye on you, so you’re always gonna get everyone’s best efforts,” Conlin said.

The Rams have now opened up their Patriot League play with a bang, and they look to keep the engine running against Lehigh University on Oct. 8. As usual, Conlin was cautiously optimistic about preparations for this next contest.

“Well, you know, it’s going to be a good fight. Another conference game (and a) really good team, (Lehigh) is really well-coached, and they play a really good defense” Conlin said. “Obviously we’re hoping to continue the run we’re on offensively, but defensively we have to do a better job against the pass. We can’t give up 395 yards passing … and expect to have sustained success.”

The Rams will then make their way back home on Oct. 15 for their last nonconference game of the season against Stony Brook University in what is sure to be a game full of highlights for both sides.

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