Breaking Down the Numbers

Fordham's John Skelton will face a tougher opponent this Saturday


All of a sudden, the week one opener at Fordham is looking like a bit more of a challenge after that 27-23 win at Rhode Island Saturday.

But you know me, my favorite stat is 3rd down passing. In football, it's when the chips are on the table. The offense and the defense know they have have to put their best foot forward.

So how did Fordham starter John Skelton do on 3rd down? Just okay. He went three-for-nine for 44 yards, three 1st downs, no TD's or Int's, and two sacks for a total loss of 19 yards. (FYI: A few years ago, the NCAA stopped deducting yards lost from sacks from the passing totals and started taking them away from rushing totals. I was more of a fan of the old system).

It's also worth noting that all three of Skelton's INT's came on 1st downs, something I attribute to a young QB's excitement over an aggressive play call.

The Fordham defense had some good individual efforts, led by Isiejah Allen who had 11 tackles, one of them a sack, and an interception. The man I consider to be the best overall player on the entire Ram team, Earl Hudnell, had four tackles, one of them a 13-yard sack, and "QB hurry."

But overall, the Rams gave up a startling 319 yards rushing, which is a very surprising stat in a win. Eight URI penalties really cost the home team, especially a crucial pass interference on Fordham's final drive on a 4th and 15 play.

But the stats don't tell the entire story either, as I thought Fordham's resilience despite being a generally young team was impressive.

We'll learn a lot more about the Rams this Saturday when they host Albany. The Great Danes lost to Colgate in a tough defense battle at Colgate, 13-11. Colgate only threw the ball 15 times the entire game, so Albany will be getting an entirely different look with Fordham's run and shoot offense. And Albany will also be looking


How good did Lafayette look in Saturday's 49-10 win over Marist? Well you can look at the final stats and draw your own conclusions.

Lafayette's starter, Mike DiPaola went two-for-four on 3rd down for 55 yards, and two 1st downs. That's an amazing 13.7 yards per 3rd down attempt.

Even more impressive was the Leopard running game, with four backs averaging more than six yards a carry.

On the flip side, Marist may be switching QB's for this Saturday's contest at San Diego.

Starter Matt Semerano was a woeful three-for-eleven passing, and on third down he was even worse, going one-for-six for NEGATIVE one yard, zero first downs, and three sacks. His replacement, Stephen McGrath, did much better, albeit against what was probably the Lafayette scrubs. Still, on 3rd downs, McGrath was four-for-four for 39 yards, four 1st downs, one touchdown, and only one sack.


St. X tailback Darius Ashley


In Case You Missed It...

Drew Quinn and Lou Miller's high school, Saint Xavier, defeated Maryland's Dematha high school 28-7 on national TV, (ESPN), on Sunday. For more about the culture at "St. X High," read my interview with Drew Quinn's dad Ed.