The Rams defeated the Stonehill College (SC) Skyhawks at the newly renamed Moglia Stadium, 44-0, to notch their first shutout win since 2018 and their largest margin of victory in the blossoming 2023 season.
As Tropical Storm Ophelia rolled in on Sept. 23, the Fordham football team was still able to deliver one of its more commanding victories in recent memory as the score indicates. The rainy weather was hardly a deterrent for the Rams, who entered the game as the 22nd ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Fordham’s offensive stars delivered, and its defense stood strong throughout the contest. However, what may be most remarkable is the fact that Fordham did not score its first points of the game until the second quarter.
The Rams got off to a slow start, as they were forced to punt on each of their first two possessions. The Skyhawks, on the other hand, finished the first quarter with a promising drive, pushing all the way to Fordham’s 23-yard line before they settled for a field goal. The dreary weather got the best of Stonehill’s kicker, however, and the attempt by Perry Shelbred, SC ’24, pinged off of the right upright to keep the Skyhawks scoreless.
From that point forward, the Rams took control. On the ensuing possession, Jamell James, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’27 and first-year running back, broke off a 57-yard run to land on Stonehill’s 12-yard line. Fordham’s drive stalled out soon after, but not before Brandon Peskin, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill ’24, nailed a field goal of his own to put the home team on the board with 10:41 remaining in the second quarter.
The Rams scored once more in the first half, with Julius Loughridge, FCRH ’25 and running back, punctuating a lengthy drive by pushing through various Stonehill defenders into the end zone to extend the lead to 10-0. Fordham wrapped up the first half with an impressive special teams play.
Stonehill marched into Fordham’s territory once again, hoping to swiftly respond. Upon reaching the Rams’ 13-yard line, they hit fourth down and lined up a field goal to make it a one possession game with 1:26 remaining in the half. A bad snap, however, led to Shelbred kicking the ball directly into the wall of players in front of him; James Conway, FCRH ’25, was credited with the field goal block. The home team’s double digit lead remained intact heading into the halftime break.
Fordham did the bulk of its damage in the third quarter. The Rams immediately opened with a hasty drive that concluded with a 28-yard dart from quarterback CJ Montes, FCRH ’26, to wide receiver MJ Wright, Gabelli Graduate School of Business ’24, to score the second touchdown of the game. Later in the quarter, Loughridge found the end zone once again for a 12-yard score before Montes delivered another touchdown, this time to wide receiver Mekai Felton, FCRH ’24, for 17 yards.
The Rams’ defense prevented the Skyhawks from sniffing the goal line.
The final score of the third quarter came with under a minute left. After another Stonehill possession fizzled out, the Skyhawks were forced to punt the ball away. Working with the special teams unit, Garrett Cody, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’24 and wide receiver, managed to rush toward the punter essentially untouched, blocking the punt before retrieving the ball himself and returning it all the way for a score. At the end of the quarter, Fordham owned a dominant 38-0 lead.
Aside from seeing the Rams enter numerous substitutions into the game, the fourth quarter was rather uneventful. Jack Kaiser, FCRH ’26 and running back, scored a touchdown to extend Fordham’s lead one last time, but Peskin missed the ensuing extra point, leaving the score at 44-0.
Fordham’s wide receivers all had impressive days. Cody finished with the aforementioned punt block and return while adding six receptions for 119 yards. Meanwhile, Wright and Felton each secured a touchdown. Montes tossed another two touchdown passes, bringing his season total to 13, the most of any Ram through his first four starts at quarterback. Loughridge also dominated, rushing for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
The impressive win continues Fordham’s momentum from its shocking victory against the University of Buffalo earlier this month. The team is now ranked 15th in the FCS Coaches Poll and will begin Patriot League play next week when it takes on Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
