On yet another rainy Saturday, the Fordham football team tackled the Stony Brook University (SBU) Seawolves, 26-7. The game marked the Rams’ second victory in a row, as they defeated the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks with a walkoff, game-winning field goal during Homecoming weekend on Oct. 7.
Stony Brook and Fordham could not have gotten off to more different starts in the first quarter. The Rams’ defense successfully forced punts on each of the Seawolves’ first two offensive possessions.
CJ Montes, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’26, and Julius Loughridge, FCRH ’25, led Fordham’s offense as they seamlessly moved up the field on each of its first two drives. Both possessions resulted in field goals, and, at the end of the first, the Rams held a 6-0 lead. It would not take long for the Seawolves to respond, however, as they began a swift march down the field with time ticking and the opening quarter coming to a close.
Quarterback Casey Case, SBU ’24, connected with receiver Anthony Johnson, SBU ’26, on the second play of the second quarter for a 29-yard touchdown. Despite Fordham’s strong defensive showing in the first quarter, it quickly found itself down 7-6. Stony Brook’s touchdown served as a wakeup call for the Rams, and Fordham would not allow another Seawolf point for the rest of the game.
After that initial Stony Brook score, the offenses of both teams began to stall. They combined for four punts and one failed fourth-down conversion in the second quarter alone. Just as the game seemed to be grinding to a halt, Stony Brook began its most promising drive since the beginning of the second quarter.
On back-to-back plays, Case connected with receivers for gains of 28 and 25 yards to break into Fordham’s territory. Then, he found Johnson again with 23 seconds left for a 20-yard gain to Fordham’s 8-yard line. Following a spike, the Seawolves had three plays and 18 seconds to find the end zone.
The Rams forced an incomplete pass before Case fired a pass for a 7-yard gain. With time winding down on the 1-yard line, the Seawolves frantically attempted to push into the end zone on their fourth down. Fordham held strong and prevented Stony Brook from scoring a single point before the half, shutting down its momentum and preserving the Rams’ lead.
The Rams will spend the coming weeks preparing for a difficult matchup against the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders on Oct. 28 during Family Weekend.
The game slowed tremendously in the third quarter as Fordham attempted to move more methodically on offense. The Rams embarked on a 12-play, 5-minute and 38-second drive that featured zero incompletions and zero rushes for loss.
It appeared at one point that Fordham had scored a touchdown, but it was negated by an offensive pass interference penalty. After that call, the Rams’ drive sputtered, and they settled for a field goal attempt. It was blocked, however, and the score remained unchanged, 7-6.
The Seawolves’ ensuing drive was not nearly as successful, and it eventually resulted in a punt. In similar fashion to its first drive of the second half, Fordham ate much of the clock and meticulously moved down the field.
A series of penalties by Stony Brook extended the possession, notably a roughing the kicker penalty after the Seawolves had forced a fourth and 17 for the Rams and a defensive pass interference call that advanced the ball to Stony Brook’s 16-yard line.
Ultimately, it was Loughridge who would not be denied. Fordham closed the drive with four straight rushes by the running back, and he broke into the end zone, as time expired, to extend the Rams’ lead. The offense stayed on the field to go for a two-point conversion and make it a seven-point game, but Montes’ attempt was unsuccessful, and Fordham took a 12-7 lead into the fourth.
Stony Brook’s metaphorical wheels fell off in the final quarter. Both teams traded punts to begin the period. The Seawolves received the ball with 11:14 remaining, but after an incomplete pass and short rush, Case was sacked by Matt Jaworski, FCRH ’25. Case lost the ball, and Fordham recovered it to retake possession on the Seawolves’ 12-yard line.
A pair of rushes by Loughridge resulted in another Fordham touchdown, with the Rams now having a 19-7 lead. On Stony Brook’s next drive, an almost identical scenario played out. Running back Roland Dempster, SBU ’24, fumbled the ball on the first play but was able to quickly recover it for no loss.
Both teams would trade a couple of punts as the clock wound down and Fordham emerged with a 19-point victory.
Following another short rush, Case was sacked by none other than Jaworski and fumbled once again. This time, Fordham recovered it at Stony Brook’s 19-yard line and parlayed the turnover into yet another rushing touchdown, credited to Jamell James, FCRH ’27.
Now facing a 26-7 deficit and with only 8:17 remaining, the Seawolves needed to respond. Unfortunately, just two plays into their next possession, Case threw an interception to Nahil Perkins, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill ’24, that essentially ended the game. Both teams would trade a couple of punts as the clock wound down and Fordham emerged with a 19-point victory.
This was the first game of the season that did not feature a Montes passing touchdown, but luckily Loughridge carried the weight on offense. He finished with 154 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Fordham defense stymied the Seawolves, holding them to a single score.
Additionally, the individual effort of Jaworski shut down Stony Brook in the fourth quarter, as his two forced fumbles prevented a Seawolves response and led to two Fordham touchdowns. He earned the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week award for his efforts.
Fordham has regained a semblance of momentum following the devastating loss to Georgetown University on Sept. 30 in the opening of its Patriot League Schedule. The Rams will spend the coming weeks preparing for a difficult matchup against the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders on Oct. 28 during Family Weekend.
The Crusaders also have a pair of losses this year, albeit to tougher opponents than Fordham’s defeats. A Fordham victory in the Ram-Crusader Cup would undoubtedly have major implications for the final Patriot League standings, although Holy Cross has won their last six meetings.
