HAMILTON, N.Y. — The Holy Cross football team cruised to a 38-7 victory in its Patriot League opener at Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 5. 

Senior wide receiver Justin Shorter had a dominating performance, catching four touchdowns and totaling a career-best 140 yards on 11 receptions. Senior quarterback Joe Pesansky completed 25 of his 28 passes for 289 yards in the air. Sophomore running back Jayden Clerveaux totaled 72 yards on the ground. Junior receiver Max Mosey was all over the stat sheet, completing a 21-yard pass, scoring a rushing touchdown and catching two passes for 28 yards. 

In a staunch defensive effort by Holy Cross (2-4, 1-0 Patriot League), three different Crusaders secured an interception: senior safety Jake Jarmolowich, sophomore cornerback Eli Thompson and sophomore cornerback Cam Jones. Sophomore linebacker Drew Spinogatti had a team-high nine tackles, while senior linebacker Frankie Monte tacked on eight tackles and a fumble recovery with a 12-yard return. Sophomore Cam Santee totaled six tackles and forced a fumble. 

Holy Cross has won 22 of its last 23 Patriot League contests and five straight against Colgate (1-5, 0-1 Patriot League). 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• The Crusaders and Raiders played to a scoreless first, thanks in part to an interception by Jarmolowich at the Holy Cross 20-yard line to thwart a potential Colgate scoring drive. Holy Cross marched down the field, with a 38-yard completion by freshman receiver Alijah Cason helping set up a 39-yard field goal attempt for sophomore kicker Daniel Porto, who connected to give the Crusaders a 3-0 lead at the start of the second quarter.
• Colgate immediately responded on the next drive, with a 57-yard touchdown off of a flea flicker to give the Raiders a 7-3 lead. 
• Pesansky completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Shorter on the next drive, putting Holy Cross ahead 9-7 with 9:50 left. The two connected again later in the quarter, with a nine-yard touchdown that extended the Crusader lead to 16-7 with 49 seconds remaining in the half. 
• Santee forced a fumble early in the third quarter that was recovered by Monte and returned to the Crusaders' 29-yard line. That set the stage for another scoring drive for the Crusaders, which was capped by back-to-back receptions for Shorter — a 40-yard pass, followed by a 15-yard touchdown with 6:47 to go in the third. 
• Pesansky and Shorter connected for a touchdown once more early in the fourth, with a 15-yard catch. A pass to senior tight end Jacob Petersen for a successful two-point conversion extended the Crusader lead to 31-7 with 11:15 left in the game. 
• Mosey's touchdown rush with 3:18 left pushed the Holy Cross lead to 38-7. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Shorter is the first Crusader since 2015 to score four touchdowns in one game (Brendan Flaherty vs. Lafayette, 10/24/2015), tying the program record for single-game touchdown receptions. He is the fourth player in Holy Cross history and 11th player in Patriot League history with four touchdown receptions in a single game. 
• Of Shorter's 13 career touchdown receptions, seven have come against Colgate. 
• Pesansky's completion percentage (89.3 percent) is the second-highest completion percentage in a single game in Holy Cross program history — trailing only Phil O'Neil's 90 percent vs. Connecticut in 1968. 
• Holy Cross has held Colgate to just seven points in each of the last two matchups.
• Thompson has three career interceptions — all against Colgate. 

UP NEXT: 

• The Crusaders return to FItton Field for a Homecoming contest against Fordham on Saturday, Oct. 12. 
• Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the Holy Cross ticket website or by calling 1-844-GO-CROSS. 

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