WORCESTER, Mass. — Paced by a season-best 323 rushing yards and a shutdown defensive effort in the final three quarters, the Holy Cross football team upset No. 19/21 Richmond in a 33-14 victory on Saturday, Oct. 31 at Fitton Field.
The win marked Holy Cross' first victory over a ranked opponent since the 2022 season, and their first over a higher-ranked opponent since 2021.
Sophomore running back
Joseph Williams posted his best game to date for the Crusaders, recording a career-best 206 yards on the ground and scoring three touchdowns. Junior running back
Jake Croce scored two touchdowns, and junior running back
Datrell Jones finished the game with 80 yards on 14 carries.
The Crusader offense line did not concede any sacks, quieting a Richmond defense that entered the game as the national leader in sacks (31).
Holy Cross shut out the Spiders across the final three quarters, with senior captain
Adam Due again leading the Crusader defense with 14 tackles and a half sack. Junior cornerback
Juju Tackie had his first interception as a Crusader and finished the day with six tackles. Junior defensive end
Cooper Ackerman totaled six tackles and had a sack, while senior safety
Garrett Baldwin recorded seven tackles on the day. Senior captain
Carlo Crocetti had four quarterback hurries.
With four consecutive wins in Patriot League action, Holy Cross improves to 4-2 in conference play. The win was also the Crusaders' 400th at Fitton Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Spiders scored on their opening drive to take a 7-0 lead with 10:53 to go in the first quarter. The Crusaders responded with an extended drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown run by Williams to even things up with 3:51 left in the first.
- After a strong defensive stand by the Crusaders, a fumble on the punt return gave Richmond the ball back at the 16-yard line. From there, they were able to score on an 11-yard touchdown pass to go up 14-7 with 45 seconds left in the first quarter.
- Williams scored again on a three-yard carry to bring Holy Cross within 14-13 with 7:08 left in the second quarter. On Richmond's next drive, Tackie picked off a pass at the Crusader 26-yard line to stop the Spider offense and regain possession. From there, the Holy Cross defense was locked in, not allowing another point through the remainder of the game.
- Croce got the scoring started in the second half for the Crusaders. After long runs by Williams and Jones, Croce took back-to-back direct snaps and rushed to the end zone for a two-yard touchdown and a 19-14 lead for the Crusaders with 3:07 left in the third.
- On their next drive that extended into the start of the fourth quarter, Richmond missed a 35-yard field goal attempt, and Williams exploded for a 62-yard touchdown run to extend the Crusader advantage to 26-14 with 10:58 remaining.
- The Holy Cross defense forced another three-and-out, and Croce capped off a nine-play drive with a two-yard score to put the game out of reach at 33-14 with 5:01 left.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Williams' performance was the first 200-yard rushing game by a Crusader since a 228-yard showing by Jordan Fuller at Lehigh in the 2023 season. Williams has recorded over 100 yards in four consecutive games and elevated his career high in each of the last three; he ranks second in the Patriot League with 850 rushing yards this season.
- Holy Cross rushed for over 300 yards as a team for the first time since the 2023 season.
- The Crusaders most recently defeated a ranked opponent in a 2022 FCS playoff game against #15 New Hampshire. This marked the first regular-season win over a ranked opponent since a victory over #22 Fordham in 2022, and the first upset over a higher-ranked opponent since defeating #20 Monmouth on the road in 2021.
- Due has recorded double-digit tackles in back-to-back games, and now ranks fourth in the conference with 83 tackles on the year.
UP NEXT:
- The Crusaders hit the road to face Georgetown in Patriot League action on Saturday, Nov. 7.
- Kickoff in Washington, D.C., is set for 12:30 p.m.
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