Fordham Football Defeats Colgate University in Regular Season Finale, 52-38

The Fordham football team won its regular season finale against the Colgate University (CU) Raiders on Nov. 19 by a score of 52-38. For the majority of the game, the Raiders were able to keep the score within reach, but Fordham’s overwhelming offense pulled away in the end. 

The Rams allowed Colgate to get out to an early 10-7 edge, but an 11-yard touchdown to Fotis Kokosioulis, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’23, gave Fordham a lead it would not relinquish for the rest of the contest with 4:01 left in the first quarter. 

Colgate’s quarterback Michael Brescia, CU ’25, pushed the Fordham defense to its limits. Brescia threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns, adding another touchdown and 85 yards on the ground. He led the Colgate offense to its highest point total of the year, but it was not enough to overcome Fordham’s scoring onslaught. 

Brecia’s statistics pale in comparison to those of Tim DeMorat, FCRH ’23. DeMorat threw for 454 yards, eclipsing the 450-yard mark for the sixth time this season. He also tossed six touchdowns, tying the Fordham record for touchdowns thrown in a single game—- set by Kevin Eakin, FCRH ’04, Mike Nebrich, FCRH ’15, and himself on two other occasions this year.. 

DeMorat also broke the regular season passing touchdowns record for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). He now sits at 53 passing touchdowns this year, averaging 4.3 per game. Furthermore, he set the Patriot League record for single-season passing yards with 4,561 this season as well as the Patriot League career passing touchdowns record with 120. 

Additionally, he broke the record for career touchdowns responsible for, which includes both passing and rushing touchdowns, setting the new mark at 137. All of these double as Fordham football records. Following the conclusion of the regular season, DeMorat was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. 

The capstone play of the victory-securing drive was a pinpoint 32-yard connection between DeMorat and his electric deep-threat Dequece Carter, GSBRH ’23.

However, DeMorat was not the only Ram to etch his name into the record books on Saturday. Kokosioulis caught his 14th touchdown of the season with 10:36 remaining in the second quarter to extend Fordham’s lead to 21-10. That tied him with Javarus Dudley, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’04, whose 2003 campaign set the record for the most receiving touchdowns in a single Fordham season. Kokosioulis also passed Dudley to claim the record of most career receiving touchdowns with 35. 

Despite the record breaking, Colgate remained within striking distance for most of the game. After a long bout of back-and-forth touchdowns, Brescia found the endzone late in the fourth quarter to cut Fordham’s lead to seven, 45-38. 

The Fordham offense stepped up to close the game out. Colgate attempted an onside kick to get the ball back with 7:12 left in the fourth quarter, but the Rams recovered it and took advantage of the shortened field. 

In only three plays, Fordham put the game out of reach. The capstone play of the victory-securing drive was a pinpoint 32-yard connection between DeMorat and his electric deep-threat Dequece Carter, GSBRH ’23. Carter’s second touchdown of the game gave Fordham a commanding 14-point advantage with just over six minutes remaining in the hard-fought contest. 

At times he has been overshadowed by the Rams’ dynamic aerial attack, but an unsung hero for Fordham’s offense has been captain Trey Sneed, Graduate School of Arts and Science  (GSAS) ’24. He finished the game with 230 rushing yards and a touchdown. 

It was Sneed’s fourth game of the season with over 100 rushing yards, surpassing 1,000 on the season. The Rams’ ability to run the ball undoubtedly contributed to their dual-threat success throughout the season. 

Fordham’s success this season has flowed through its exhilarating offense. The Rams averaged 50.2 points per game. This included over 600 yards per game on average. For comparison, Fordham only averaged 33.6 points per game last season. 

The Rams offense leaned unflinchingly on DeMorat, who threw for over 4,500 yards, as well as three 1,000-yard receivers — Kokosioulis, Carter and M.J. Wright, GSBRH ’23 — and a 1,000-yard rusher in Sneed. When you add that all up, you get one of the most potent offenses in the FCS and in Fordham history. 

Fordham narrowly avoided a devastating blow during its finale. On a rush by Brescia with just under a minute left in the third quarter, star linebacker Ryan Greenhagen, GSAS ’23, missed a tackle and fell to the turf, landing awkwardly. Greenhagen was helped off of the field with Fordham’s medical staff and the scene was reminiscent of his season-ending injury from last year. Losing such a key cog of the defense would have spelled disaster for the Rams’ defense, but luckily Greenhagen returned to the game. 

With the victory the Rams moved to 9-2 on the season, as well as 5-1 in Patriot League play, finishing second to the College of the Holy Cross. Fordham’s performance earned itself a qualification for the FCS Championship tournament. This marks the Rams’ first qualification for the playoffs since 2015, when Fordham was swiftly eliminated in the first round by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. 

Fordham’s defense will be integral to its success, as it has struggled throughout the season to put opposing teams away and frequently found itself in high-scoring slugfests. Opponents have averaged over 30 points per game against the Rams and the Fordham defense has its toughest challenges awaiting it. 

The Rams will face the University of New Hampshire on Nov. 26 at 2 p.m. in the opening round of the postseason. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. A victory would set them up for a rematch with their Patriot League rivals: the eighth-seeded Holy Cross Crusaders. The 2022 season has already been historic for the Rams, but with such a potent offense it is possible that there remains plenty of history for this Fordham team to make.

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