WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross football team plays its second straight home game this week when it faces Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 1:00 p.m. The game between the Crusaders and the Raiders will be televised live by Charter TV3 and the Patriot League Network, and can be heard on WEEI 1440 AM in Worcester.
This will be Family Weekend at Holy Cross, with the Most Valuable Player of the game taking home the
Dr. Edward N. Anderson Award. It will also be Worcester School Day, with general admission tickets available to all Worcester School employees for just $5.00 each. In addition, the first 500 fans to enter Fitton Field will receive free Holy Cross cups courtesy of UMass Memorial.Â
Holy Cross stands at 3-4 so far this year with a 1-0 mark in the Patriot League. The Crusaders had won two straight games, defeating Bucknell (21-14) and Brown (47-31), before falling to Harvard (31-21) last week. Holy Cross currently ranks 23rd in the nation in turnover margin (+0.7 turnovers per game) and 22nd in fewest penalties (5.3 penalties per game).
Junior quarterback
Connor Degenhardt has led the Crusader offense by hitting on 115 of 223 passes for 1,462 yards and seven touchdowns, while senior running back
Domenic Cozier has rushed the ball 71 times for 340 yards and three scores. Junior wide out
Tenio Ayeni has posted a team-best 29 receptions for 350 yards and two touchdowns, with sophomore wide receiver
Spencer Gilliam adding 24 catches for 397 yards and two scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, senior defensive back
Chris Riley leads the team with 51 tackles, two tackles for loss and two interceptions. Junior defensive back
Joe Lang has added 50 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups, while freshman linebacker
Jacob Dobbs has totaled 47 tackles, two quarterback sacks, an interception and three fumble recoveries.
The reigning Patriot League champion, Colgate stands 1-7 overall this season with an 0-2 mark in the conference. After dropping their first seven games of the year, the Raiders posted a 21-20 victory at Cornell last week.Â
Junior quarterback Grant Breneman has led the Colgate offense by completing 86 of 135 passes for 923 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions. Junior running back Malik Twyman has carried the ball 73 times for 318 yards and five scores, while sophomore wide out Garrett Oakley has totaled 36 receptions for 501 yards. Senior linebacker Nicholas Ioanilli has led the Raider defense with 62 tackles, a forced fumble and three pass breakups, with sophomore linebacker Milton Braasch adding 49 tackles, a forced fumble and four tackles for loss.
This week's game will be the 82nd all-time meeting between Holy Cross and Colgate on the gridiron. The Crusaders lead the all-time series 40-36-5, but the Raiders have won the last seven games.
After the contest with Colgate, Holy Cross will travel to Lehigh for a 12:30 p.m. game on Saturday, Nov. 2.
