FLAHERTY BREAKS RECEPTION RECORDS: Junior wide out Brendan Flaherty broke both the Holy Cross and Patriot League single-season records for receptions this year. Flaherty finished the 2015 campaign with 106 catches for 1,082 yards and 12 touchdowns. On Nov. 14 at Bucknell, he recorded his 91st reception of the season with 13:03 left in the second quarter. That catch broke the Holy Cross single-season record, which had been held by Ari Confesor, who caught 90 passes for 1,213 yards and nine scores in 2003. Then with 4:24 remaining in the third quarter of the Georgetown game on Nov. 21, Flaherty made his 102nd reception of the year. That catch broke the Patriot League single-season record, which had belonged to Javarus Dudley of Fordham with 101 receptions for 1,439 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2003.

SENIOR SALUTE: Holy Cross had 22 seniors who played in the final game of their collegiate careers against Georgetown on Nov. 21. The members of the Holy Cross senior class were linebacker Kenny Acquah, defensive back Dabness Atkins, defensive lineman Richard Barber, defensive back Matt Bhaya, wide receiver Zach Buzzard, defensive back Coan Calabrese, defensive lineman Dewayne Cameron, placekicker / punter Connor Fitzgerald, linebacker J.T. Frank, defensive lineman Mike Galantini, defensive lineman Jacob Gonzales, offensive lineman Clint Jackman, defensive back Julian Kaminoff, defensive back Steven Martinez, defensive lineman Kobe Osei-Boaten, offensive lineman Sam Ranieri, wide receiver Kalif Raymond, wide receiver Andrew Rhodes, linebacker Ryan Smith, linebacker John Turner, running back Alex Waked and wide receiver Don Webber. These 22 players were recognized prior to the start of the game, along with team manager Jake Kelly.

PUJALS SHINES AT QUARTERBACK: Junior quarterback Peter Pujals was once again the leader of the Holy Cross offense this season. He was named first team All-Patriot League in 2015, after earning second team All-Conference honors in 2014. During the victory at Bucknell, Pujals hit on 30 of 47 passes for 304 yards and two scores, while rushing for 50 yards on 10 carries. Previously at Lehigh, he completed 27 of 55 attempts for 311 yards and three touchdowns. Pujals also played well at Fordham, connecting on 35 of 70 passes for a school-record 508 yards and four touchdowns, in addition to finishing with a school-record 526 yards of total offense. Some of his other top games this season came against Georgetown (24 of 39 for 285 yards and two touchdowns), Bryant (30 of 53 for 297 yards and two scores), Lafayette (27 of 36 for 358 yards and a career-high six touchdowns), Brown (31 of 50 for 319 yards and three scores), Albany (17 of 27 for 177 yards and three touchdowns), Towson (26 of 44 for 276 yards and a touchdown, 88 rushing yards) and Monmouth (16 of 26 for 165 yards and a touchdown, 38 rushing yards and a score). On the season, Pujals connected on 286 of 484 attempts for 3,195 yards and 28 touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 319 yards and a score on 92 carries. He has now hit on 722 of 1,191 passes for 7,809 yards and 57 touchdowns in his career, while rushing 398 times for 1,493 yards and 15 scores.

FLAHERTY MAKING BIG CATCHES: Junior wide receiver Brendan Flaherty developed into one of the top playmakers for the Crusader offense this season, and earned first team All-Patriot League honors. In the victory over Georgetown, Flaherty made 10 receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. Previously against Bryant, he caught a career-high 13 passes for 141 yards and a score, while adding a second touchdown on a three-yard rush. Flaherty also had a huge game against Lafayette, totaling seven receptions for 95 yards, while tying the school single-game record with four touchdown catches. A few of his other top performances this season came against Bucknell (11 receptions for 100 yards), Lehigh (nine catches for 121 yards), Fordham (11 receptions for a career-high 143 yards and a touchdown), Brown (12 catches for 123 yards and a score), Albany (seven receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns), Colgate (12 catches for 79 yards) and Towson (10 receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown). Flaherty's 13 catches against Bryant tied for second place on the all-time Holy Cross single-game list for receptions. On the season, he totaled 106 catches for 1,082 yards and 12 scores. Over the course of his collegiate career, Flaherty has now caught 138 passes for 1,414 yards and 13 scores.

BHAYA COMES ON STRONG: Senior strong safety Matt Bhaya was once again one of the top players in the Holy Cross secondary, and received second team All-Patriot League honors. During the victory over Georgetown, he led the team with eight tackles, to go along with an interception and two pass breakups. Previously at Bucknell, Bhaya tied for the team-lead with 10 total tackles. A few of his other top games this season came against Lafayette (five tackles and a fumble recovery), Fordham (nine tackles and an interception), Lehigh (eight tackles), Brown (five tackles, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups), Towson (10 tackles and a forced fumble) and Monmouth (five solo tackles). On the year, Bhaya ranked second on the team with 69 total tackles, in addition to posting two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and four pass breakups. In 2014, he totaled 40 tackles and four pass breakups, despite missing four games due to injury. In 2013, Bhaya ranked second on the team with 71 total tackles, to go along with two interceptions and a team-best nine pass breakups. Over the course of his collegiate career, he recorded 188 tackles, four interceptions and 17 pass breakups.

CRUSADERS ON THE SINGLE-SEASON CHARTS: A number of Holy Cross players placed their names on the school single-season record lists in 2015. Junior quarterback Peter Pujals placed third in pass attempts (484), fourth in completions (286) and fifth in passing yards (3,195), passing touchdowns (28) and yards of total offense (3,514). Junior wide out Brendan Flaherty broke the single-season record for receptions (106), while placing third in receiving yards (1,082), third in touchdown receptions (12), seventh in total touchdowns (14) and eighth in points scored (84). Senior wide out Kalif Raymond placed fifth for receiving yards (978), seventh for receptions (74), seventh for receiving touchdowns (nine) and ninth for all-purpose yards (1,543), while senior placekicker Connor Fitzgerald placed sixth for extra points made (43).

RAYMOND AN ALL-PURPOSE THREAT: Senior wide receiver Kalif Raymond was a key player for Holy Cross both on offense and in the return game this year, and was named first team All-Patriot League as both a wide receiver and a return specialist. In the victory over Georgetown, Raymond totaled 11 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown. Previously at Bucknell, he caught eight passes for 89 yards and two scores. A few of Raymond's other top performances this season came against Lehigh (288 all-purpose yards with a 31-yard touchdown reception), Bryant (198 all-purpose yards with two scores), Lafayette (career-high 11 receptions for a career-best 159 yards and two touchdowns), Fordham (nine catches for 140 yards and two scores), Brown (six receptions for 86 yards), Albany (67-yard punt return touchdown, 88 all-purpose yards), Colgate (six catches for 77 yards) and Monmouth (85 all-purpose yards, including a 31-yard punt return). On the season, he caught 74 passes for 978 yards and nine touchdowns, while leading the team with 1,543 all-purpose yards. A first team All-Patriot League selection as a return specialist in 2012, Raymond caught 155 passes for 1,683 yards and 14 scores during his collegiate career, while recording 4,059 all-purpose yards with 18 total touchdowns.

CRUSADERS CLIMB CAREER CHARTS: Several Holy Cross players are climbing the school's all-time career record lists in a number of statistical categories. Junior quarterback Peter Pujals finished the season ranked third all-time in yards of total offense (9,302), completions (722) and pass attempts (1,191), while standing fourth in passing yards (7,809) and passing touchdowns (57). Senior wide out Kalif Raymond finished his career in second place for kickoff returns (80) and kickoff return yards (1,809), fourth for punt returns (62), fifth for receptions (155) and all-purpose yards (4,059), and sixth for punt return yards (464). In addition, senior placekicker Connor Fitzgerald ended his career ranked ninth all-time in field goals made (20) and extra points made (68), while junior wide out Brendan Flaherty finished the season 10th all-time in receptions (138).

DEFENSE POSTS TWO SHUTOUTS: The Holy Cross defense recorded two shutouts during the 2015 season. The Crusaders defeated Lafayette 42-0 on Oct. 24, while beating Albany 37-0 on Oct. 3. In the Lafayette game, Holy Cross held the Leopards to just 250 yards of total offense and 15 first downs on the day, while forcing four turnovers. Against Albany, the Crusaders held the Great Danes to just 203 yards of total offense and 10 first downs. The 203 total yards were the fewest by a Holy Cross opponent since Georgetown had only 196 yards on Nov. 17, 2012, while the 10 first downs were the least since Bucknell only picked up 10 first downs on Oct. 6, 2012. The Crusaders have now posted two shutouts in a single season for the first time since 1990, and have six total shutouts during Tom Gilmore's tenure as head coach. Holy Cross also held two other opponents to single-digits this season, beating Bucknell 23-7 and Georgetown 45-7. The last time the Crusaders held four opponents to less than 10 points in the same year came in 1992.

CRUSADERS IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE: Now in its 30th season of play in the Patriot League, Holy Cross owns an all-time record of 89-79 (.530) in conference action. The Crusaders won their last conference championship in 2009, clinching the title with a 28-26 victory over Lafayette to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. Holy Cross' six Patriot League championships (all of them outright) have come in 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 2009. The Crusaders are tied for the second-most championships in conference history, behind only Lehigh with 10 titles. In 2009, Holy Cross won five Patriot League games for just the fourth time in school history. The Crusaders previously went 5-1 in 2008, while posting 5-0 conference records in 1990 and 1991.

HEAD COACH TOM GILMORE: A two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year (in 2006 and 2009), Tom Gilmore just concluded his 12th season as the head football coach at Holy Cross in 2015. He has guided the Crusaders to an overall record of 66-69 during his time at Holy Cross, with eight winning seasons in his 12 years on Mount St. James. In 2009, Gilmore led the Crusaders to an overall record of 9-3, the Patriot League championship and a trip to the NCAA playoffs. A finalist for the 2009 Eddie Robinson Award, Gilmore led the Crusaders to winning records in seven straight seasons from 2005-2011, including 7-4 marks in 2006, 2007 and 2008, along with winning streaks of six games (in 2008) and five games (in 2006 and 2009). Two of Gilmore's players, Dominic Randolph (2007, 2008 and 2009) and Steve Silva (2005), have been named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, with Silva earning first team All-America honors. Gilmore has also led the Crusaders to four victories over ranked opponents, three of which came in 2009. Prior to his time at Holy Cross, Gilmore served as an assistant coach at Lehigh (2000-2003), Dartmouth (1992-1999), Pennsylvania (1986, 1990-1991) and Columbia (1987-1989). An Academic All-American at Pennsylvania, Gilmore graduated in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in computer mathematics. He was named the Ivy League Player of the Year as a senior and helped lead the Quakers to four consecutive Ivy League titles.

BHAYA & PUJALS SERVE AS CAPTAINS: Holy Cross had two captains for the 2015 football season. Senior strong safety Matt Bhaya and junior quarterback Peter Pujals were named the team's captains by head coach Tom Gilmore following the conclusion of spring practice. Bhaya and Pujals, who were also both captains during the 2014 campaign, are the 12th and 13th players in school history to serve as a team captain for more than one season. Previous multi-year captains were George Connor (1905-1906), Raymond Lynch (1916-1917), Thomas Lamb (1969-1970), Craig Cerratani (1977-1978), Ed Kutschke (1985-1986), John Aloisi (1998-1999), David Puloka (1999-2000), Brian Hall (2001-2002), Steve Silva (2004-2005), Casey Gough (2006-2007) and Dominic Randolph (2007-2008-2009).

DEFENDING THE HOME TURF: Holy Cross has enjoyed great success at Fitton Field over the years, including a 4-2 mark at home in 2015. The Crusaders, who played their first game at Fitton Field in 1903, have posted an all-time home mark of 375-183-27 (.664). From Oct. 11, 2008-Oct. 9, 2010, Holy Cross had a streak of 13 straight victories at home. The Crusaders had a perfect 6-0 mark at Fitton Field in 2009, and finished the 2011 campaign with a winning record at home for the sixth straight season. Fitton Field is the second-oldest stadium still used for Division I college football, behind only Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania (opened in 1895).

CRUSADERS AMONG PATRIOT LEAGUE LEADERS: Several Holy Cross players ranked at or near the top of the Patriot League standings in a number of statistical categories, at the conclusion of the regular season. Junior quarterback Peter Pujals led the conference in passing yards (290.5 yards/game) and total offense (319.5 yards/game), while standing third in pass efficiency (129.1 rating). Junior wide out Brendan Flaherty stood first in receptions (9.6 catches/game), first in receiving yards (98.4 yards/game) and second in scoring (7.6 points/game), while senior wide out Kalif Raymond ranked first in punt returns (10.0 yards/return), second in all-purpose yards (140.3 yards/game), second in receiving yards (88.9 yards/game), second in kickoff returns (23.9 yards/return) and third in receptions (6.7 catches/game). In addition senior placekicker / punter Connor Fitzgerald was first in field goals made (0.8 made/game), third in punting (40.4 yards/punt) and fifth in scoring (6.4 points/game), while junior free safety Luke Ford ranked fourth in interceptions (0.3 picks/game). As a team, Holy Cross led the conference in passing offense (295.7 yards/game) and punt returns (11.0 yards/return), while standing second in scoring defense (22.6 points/game), total defense (277.8 yards/game), passing defense (222.5 yards/game) and turnover margin (+0.8 turnovers/game).