WORCESTER, Mass. — The No. 6 Holy Cross football team rolled to a 47-7 win over Colgate in the teams' Patriot League opener on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Fitton Field.
The Raiders (0-4) scored on their opening drive, but a staunch defensive effort from the Crusaders (3-1) kept Colgate off the board for the remainder of the game. Fifth-year linebacker
Jacob Dobbs earned the Turco Award as the most valuable player of the Crusaders' Homecoming game; he finished with 12 total tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks, along with two quarterback hurries.
Freshman cornerback
Eli Thompson recorded two interceptions — the first of his career — while also tallying four tackles. Rookie safety
Donovan Comestro finished with eight tackles.
Offensively, junior receiver
Justin Shorter caught two touchdowns, with 112 yards on seven total receptions. Junior running back
Jordan Fuller rushed for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Senior receiver
Jalen Coker caught two touchdown passes.
Senior quarterback
Matthew Sluka passed for four touchdowns and 186 yards, while adding in 41 rushing yards.
As a team, Holy Cross totaled 507 yards of offense, including 317 rushing yards.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Senior running back Tyler Purdy rushed for a 41-yard touchdown on the Crusaders' opening drive, giving Holy Cross a 7-0 lead just over two minutes into the game.
- Colgate tied the game up with 3:45 to go in the first with an eight-yard keeper from quarterback Michael Brescia.
- Fuller's one-yard rush put Holy Cross ahead, 14-7, with 11:54 to go in the second quarter. Shorter followed with a 24-yard touchdown reception, extending the Crusader advantage to 20-7 after a failed two-point conversion.
- Coker caught a touchdown pass on his tiptoes to move the Holy Cross lead to 26-7 with just 26 seconds remaining in the first half.
- Sluka and Coker then connected again to begin the second half, with Coker catching a six-yard pass to make it a 33-7 game with 11:59 left in the third.
- A 37-yard touchdown reception by Shorter gave Holy Cross a 40-7 lead with 4:44 to go in the third.
- The Crusaders built a 40-point cushion after Fuller ran for his second touchdown of the day on a five-yard rush with 13:02 remaining in the contest.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Holy Cross has now won 18 straight Patriot League contests and 19 straight regular-season contests against FCS opponents.
- Coker is now tied for the career program record with 22 touchdown receptions during his Holy Cross tenure.
- Fuller's 121 rushing yards marked a career best.
UP NEXT:
- Holy Cross hosts Harvard on Saturday, Sept. 30 in the EBW Football Classic at Polar Park. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
- Tickets start at just $15 and can be purchased through the Polar Park ticket office.
FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross football team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
Twitter - @HCrossFB | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrossfb | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Football | Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross
