THE BASICS:
• Score: Holy Cross 24, Lafayette 14
• Records: Holy Cross 3-6, 1-2 PL; Lafayette 3-5, 1-2 PL
• Location: Fisher Stadium, Easton, Pa.
• The Lead: Sophomore quarterback Peter Pujals (Glenview, Ill.) accounted for 250 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, to lead the Holy Cross football team to a 24-14 victory over Lafayette at Fisher Stadium. Pujals rushed 26 times for 115 yards and a touchdown, while completing nine of 15 passes for 135 yards and another score.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Crusaders opened the scoring at the 3:28-mark of the first quarter on an 11-yard touchdown run by freshman tailback Diquan Walker (Clearwater, Fla.).
• Holy Cross then used a three-yard scoring run by Pujals and a 29-yard touchdown pass from Pujals to sophomore wide receiver Jake Wieczorek (Cumming, Ga.) to make the score 21-0 in the second quarter.
• Lafayette responded with a 14-yard scoring strike from Drew Reed to Ross Scheuerman to make the score 21-7 at halftime.
• On the opening drive of the third quarter, Reed found Justin Adams for a 23-yard touchdown, cutting the Crusaders' lead to 21-14.
• But the Holy Cross defense would not let the Leopards score again, and junior placekicker Connor Fitzgerald (Bloomington, Ind.) added a 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to conclude the scoring.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• As a team, Holy Cross rushed the ball 66 times for a season-best 269 yards, while recording 404 yards of total offense.
• The Crusader defense limited the Leopards to just 115 rushing yards and 307 yards of total offense on the day, in addition to forcing two turnovers.
• Holy Cross also had a huge advantage in time of possession, holding onto the ball for 37:55.
• Sophomore tailback Gabe Guild (Overland Park, Kan.) finished the game with 71 rushing yards on 15 carries.
• Sophomore wide out Brendan Flaherty (Beverly, Mass.) added a team-high three receptions for 49 yards.
• Junior cornerback Steven Martinez (Dallas, Texas) led the Crusader defense with eight tackles and a pass breakup.
UP NEXT:
• Holy Cross is off next week, before playing host to Lehigh on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 12:35 p.m.
