Fordham running back Carlton Koonce ran for 232 yards and three touchdowns, setting the school’s single-season rushing record, but the Rams fell short, losing 41-39 Saturday in a thrilling season finale at Jack Coffey Field.
“You have to tip your cap to Colgate,” Fordham coach Joe Moorhead said. “I hope to see them do well in the playoffs and represent the Patriot League well.”“Our team came out, played four quarters and showed it could compete with any team in the country.’’
In a game that featured 1,155 yards of total offense, the Rams (6-5), who were ineligible to win the league’s title because they offer scholarships to football players, hung with the Raiders for the majority of the game, even heading into halftime with a 16-14 lead.
Fordham, which led 16-14 lead at halftime, scored a late touchdown after Ryan Higgins connected with Brian Wetzel on a 19-yard strike that left the Rams (6-5) a two-point conversion away from tying the game with 43 seconds left. Fordham failed to convert or to recover the ensuing onside kick, leaving Colgate (8-3) to run out the clock.
“After the [touchdown] play with Brian, I walked into the huddle, told everyone I loved them and this was it, do-or-die,” Higgins said. “The [two-point] play worked in practice all week. It just didn’t go our way.”
The Raiders were led by their dual rushing attack of quarterback Gavin McCarney (178 yards, one TD) and Jordan McCord (141 yards, three TDs).
The teams combined for 1,155 yards in total offense.
“Colgate came in with a great game plan,” Rams linebacker Mike Martin said. “We knew it was going to be a fight for four quarters.”
Koonce, a senior, broke the Rams’ single-season rushing record, passing Kirwin Watson’s 1,477-yard mark set in 2003 and finishing with 1,596 yards on the season.
“Obviously it’s cool to have the record, but it would have been twice as nice to have the ‘W’ on top of that,” Koonce said. “[The record] was a group effort and goes to show how we dominate the line of scrimmage.”
The difference was, Fordham settled for field goal attempts five times throughout the game. Patrick Murray, a preseason All-American, was uncharacteristically off, missing on two tries, from 49 and 55 yards, and had an extra point blocked. Murray did connect twice, from 38 and 21 yards.
Fordham’s defense helped kept the Rams close, with sophomore safety Jake Dixon intercepting McCarney once and recovering a red-zone fumble. Junior cornerback Ian Williams also contributed a red-zone interception in the second quarter.
“We just wanted to get the ball to our offense because we know they can score,” Martin said. “Offense always gets all of the glory, but that doesn’t bother our defense.”