HAMILTON, N.Y. – The No. 13 Holy Cross football team defeated Colgate, 35-10, to open Patriot League play on Saturday, Sept. 24.

The Crusaders (4-0, 1-0 Patriot League) held the Raiders (1-3, 0-1 Patriot League) to just 250 yards of offense. After trailing by a 10-7 margin early, Holy Cross had 28 unanswered points to secure the win.

Senior safety Terrell Prince, junior linebacker Dante Bolden and senior linebacker Jacob Dobbs each had a team-high seven tackles. Senior defensive end Jake Reichwein had 2.5 sacks for a loss of 18 yards. Senior safety Walter Reynolds and senior linebacker Liam Anderson each recorded an interception.

Junior quarterback Matthew Sluka rushed for two touchdowns and threw two more; sophomore running back Jordan Fuller rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown, while junior receiver Jalen Coker caught a touchdown and had a team-high 48 receiving yards.

Special teams play made a difference, as senior punter Patrick Haughney averaged 42.5 yards on eight punts, with five falling inside the 20-yard line. Senior cornerback Devin Haskins blocked a Colgate punt and the Crusaders recovered a muffed punt at the Colgate eight-yard line, leading to a fourth-quarter touchdown.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Crusader defense held Colgate to just five total yards of offense in the first quarter.
• Sluka got Holy Cross on the board first with 6:30 to go in the opening frame; after a 40-yard pass to senior receiver Dominik Thomas and a 12-yard rush by Fuller, Sluka carried it into the end zone himself for the three-yard score and a 7-0 lead.
• The Raiders rattled off 10 unanswered points with a field goal and five-yard touchdown run to jump into the lead by the 7:56 mark of the second quarter.
• Haskins blocked a punt to give Holy Cross the ball at the Colgate 20-yard line. After a five-yard penalty and three-yard rush, Sluka was able to connect with sophomore wide receiver Justin Shorter for a 22-yard touchdown, giving Holy Cross the lead back at 14-10 with 46 seconds to go in the first half.
• On the opening drive of the second half, Reynolds picked off a Colgate pass and returned the ball 26 yards to the Colgate 29-yard line. Holy Cross only needed one play to get on the board again, as Coker had a one-handed grab to secure a touchdown and a 21-10 lead for the Crusaders.
• A sack by Reichwein on fourth and 5 turned the ball back over to the Crusaders with 7:49 to go in the third; the play led to a touchdown rush by Fuller to give Holy Cross a 28-10 advantage.
• The Crusaders recovered a muffed punt at Colgate's 11-yard line and scored on a five-yard touchdown run by Sluka with 4:27 left in the game.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Holy Cross is now 4-0 to begin a season for the first time since 2009.
• The Crusaders earned their first win in Hamilton since the 2010 season.

UP NEXT:

• The Crusaders head to Harvard for a nonconference matchup on Oct. 1.
• Kickoff at Harvard Stadium is set for 1 p.m. 

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