Looking at Lafayette

Mark Leggiero leads the Leopard "D"

The Leopards are without doubt the most complete and balanced team the Lions will face all year.

In short, Lafayette has a good QB, a good RB, a good WR, a great defense, and a great kicker.

If you're pining away for that team that barely beat us last year, (13-3 at Wien Stadium), forget it. Remember that the Leopards top rusher, Maurice White, left that game very early with an injury. If not for that, Lafayette may have won by a lot more.

On the other hand Columbia left A LOT of points on the table in that game, blowing a number of red zone chances. This is a much improved Lions team, especially on offense.

But this post is about Lafayette.

The Leopards have some great experienced weapons on offense.

Senior QB Rob Curley is completing 66% of his passes, throwing for 231 yards per game, and has eight TD passes versus just two picks after four games.

Senior RB Maurice White averages 4.9 yards per carry.

Junior WR Mark Layton already has 359 receiving yards and six TD catches.

Meanwhile, the stingy Lafayette defense has allowed just 13.2 points per game and is led by an All-America candidate linebacker Mark Leggiero.

Another major concern is Andrew Poulson on the defensive line. He's joined up front by an emerging star in Ian Dell.

If Lafayette has a defensive weakness, and that's an IF, it's the secondary which is giving up 200 passing yards per game. If the Lions get decent pass protection for M.A. Olawale, that could become a factor.

I said at the top that the Leopards have a great kicker... but I may have lied. Davis Rodriguez has a gun for a leg and had been "lights out" his first two seasons, but he started out very slow this year at 3-for-8 on FG's and his longest one this season is a 31-yarder.

Columbia has never won at Lafayette, (although they did notch a tie in 1995), and this is surely one of the better Leopard teams they've faced over the decades.

If you want to learn more, Lafayette has just released its games notes here.