[Sly Fox]

Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania


Founded in 1826
Enrollment: 2403
Private Liberal Arts & Engineering College (No Postgrad Programs)
Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian (Perhaps for not much longer)
Conference: Patriot League
Nickname: Leopards


Official Site

Lafayette Sports Forum Message Board


Frank Tavani
10th Season as Lafayette Head Coach


2008 Schedule/Results (4-1)

• 09/06 at Marist ..................... W 28-6
  09/13 Georgetown ................ W 24-6
  09/27 Penn ........................... W 24-17
  10/04 Harvard ....................... L 27-13
  10/11 at Columbia ................. W 13-3
  10/18 at Liberty
  10/25 at Fordham
  11/01 at Colgate
  11/08 at Bucknell
  11/15 Holy Cross
  11/22 Lehigh (144th Meeting)

Most Recent Game

Lafayette Improves to 4-1 With 13-3 Road Win vs. Columbia
Lafayette defense holds Columbia to just 30 yards on the ground; Rodriguez boots two field goals

Oct. 11, 2008


Davis Rodriguez made two field goals, including a career-long of 46 yards in a 13-3 win at Columbia

NEW YORK - The Lafayette defense held Columbia to just three points, the fewest the Leopards have surrendered in 2008, while grinding out a 13-3 win on Saturday at Wien Stadium. Lafayette improves to 4-1 following the win which came against a Lions' squad whose previous three losses had come by seven points or fewer.

Despite playing without defensive starters, Andrew Poulson, Luke Schade, Neil Goldsmith and Nigel Bryant, Lafayette still managed to hold Columbia (0-4) to just 30 yards on the ground. Senior linebacker and Buck Buchanan Award contender Andy Romans made 15 tackles to follow an 18-tackle effort last week versus Harvard.

Click Here for Full Story + Game Stats & Video Clips


Key Players


#5 Rob Curley
6' 1" 200 lb Junior Quarterback
Thru 5 Games: 70-of-122 for 820 Yds Passing with 5 TDs & 3 INTs + 3 TDs Rushing



#22 Maurice White
5' 8" 205 lb Senior Running Back
Thru 5 Games: 80 Carries for 469 Yards (5.9 YPC) with 2 TDs + 10 Catches for 70 Yards



#9 Shaun Adair
5' 10" Senior Receiver
Thru 5 Games: 21 Catches for 268 Yards and 3 TDs



#17 Andy Romans
5' 11" 215 lb Senior Linebacker
Thru 5 Games: Team-High 54 Tackles including 3.5 for Loss with 1.5 Sacks, 2 Broken Up Passes, 4 QB Hurries, 1 Fumble Recovery



#60 Neil Goldsmith
6' 3" 225 lb Sophomore Linebacker
Thru 4 Games: Posted 13 Tackles and Team-High 3 INTs and 3 Breakups

[givemethemic]

5 straight road games... Yea that's got to suck!!! Was really close to being able to come in for this one... but have to wait one more week.... Looking forward to coming home!!

[rogers3]

Goldsmith would be a great candidate for a look alike- maybe he dyes his hair to avoid the stares; after all, people only stare at big red 'fros.

[Sly Fox]

Goldsmith would be a great candidate for a look alike- maybe he dyes his hair to avoid the stares; after all, people only stare at big red 'fros.

Doppleganger Thread

[carney2]

Hello, Flames and Flamettes. I am posting as a member of this week's loyal opposition. Your Mr. (Sly) Fox invited us to drop you a line if we felt the urge. I will try to give you a thumbnail update on what to expect this week:

OFFENSE: The Lafayette offense blew the doors off Pennsylvania in the first half back on September 27th. Since then, nothing - and I do mean nothing. In the second halves of the last 3 games, they have scored a total of 3 points. Frank Tavani and his offensive coordinator Bob Hefner are at heart 3 yards and a cloud of dust type guys. They are sitting on possibly the best stable of receivers in the history of the program, but have yet to unleash them. Tavani has a bit of the riverboat gambler in him and will sometimes surprise you, but he really likes to rely on inside zone blocking up front and keep it between the tackles.

DEFENSE: The defense is statistically rated very high in FCS, but they have not exactly been playing the lords of football. Still, these guys can play. Just for kicks on Saturday, and if you want to see the game a little differently, watch Lafayette's number 17, LB Andy Romans, when Liberty has the ball. He will take you to the action every time. He had 18 tackles two weeks ago against Harvard and another 15 this past week against Columbia.

INJURIES: Far too many to count. Last week the Leopards played without 5 starters (4 on defense). This week could be worse. The top 3 tailbacks went down vs. Columbia. The starter will definitely not play. It is doubtful that Tavani will take any chances with borderline cases since the Patriot League season begins in earnest next week at Fordham.

QUARTERBACK: Junior Rob Curley took over with 4 games to go last year and did quite well, winning 3 and losing 1. He was named MVP in the season ending Lehigh game, leading a late drive and throwing the winning TD pass, while playing with a broken hand. Unfortunately for Leopard fans, this season he has looked quite ordinary, making bad throws and bad decisions. We're waiting for him to break out.

I don't expect that there will be many of the Leopard faithful in the stands on Saturday. We did the Mapquest search and gasped for breath. It would require an overnight or a LONG drive north in the wee small hours. A long and arduous road trip for us is Colgate - 3 1/2 hours into the tundra. Besides, Lafayette has the best TV package in FCS football with every game, home and away, on TV. Personally, I plan to do some yard work on Saturday and then settle in front of my TV at 3:30 with a brewskie and my basset hounds.

My brethren don't like to hear this, so shhhhh. I expect a Flames victory and if the Pards can't find the keys to their offensive machine it could get ugly. I'm hoping however that it's competitive and that the guys in the white shirts don't put anymore in the infirmary. We need all hands beginning next week in the Bronx.

[bigsmooth]

thanks for the analysis and welcome to the board. sounds like you have a good plan for watching the game with some brews and the hounds. needless to say, we are happy about our team and are looking forward to playing a quality opponent.

[flameshaw]

Thanks for your update and insight into the team. Looking forward to a good game, but hope LU wins of course. Enjoy the game and stop by any time to talk a little football.

[Schfourteenteen]

Carney, I have some questions for you:

How far away from Easton are you?
What was ex-Coach Columbo's role for the Leopards?
Do you have a set of quoit boards at your house?

[MacGeek]

Personally, I plan to do some yard work on Saturday and then settle in front of my TV at 3:30 with a brewskie and my basset hounds.

Sounds good to me.

[Sly Fox]

Thanks for registering and the insight, Carney2.

It is too bad there won't be a larger presence of Leopard fans in Williams Stadium. But it is completely understandable. I think you will enjoy the gameday atmosphere at our place even through the filter of the television.

[ToTheLeft]

Hopefully there will be more of a presence than Stony Brook. I saw maybe 4 SBU fans at the game.

[carney2]

Carney, I have some questions for you:

How far away from Easton are you?
What was ex-Coach Columbo's role for the Leopards?
Do you have a set of quoit boards at your house?

I answer your 3 questions with one of my own: Do you have the number of a good psychiatrist? If not, check in with the LU Psych Dept. at your earliest opportunity for some recommendations.

But, I digress. On to the answers to your questions:

I am approximately 25 minutes from Fisher Stadium. (No one in the northeast bothers to talk in miles.)

Columbo was never a coach. His role was primarily investigatory, checking in every now and again on Bethlehem's South Mountain to determine if the ChickenSquawks might someday learn how to play this game.

I own no quoits paraphernalia of any kind. I have always found it far too strenuous.

[PAmedic]

welcome aboard Carney.

Schfourteenteen and I are about 15 minutes from you. He's on the wrong side of the free bridge and I'm just south of Williams twp.

I can make the trip down in about 6 hrs (with light traffic), but am stuck working this weekend. Five-oh can't catch a break.

I will be there next year when my guys return the favor, though.

[Sly Fox]

If you wouldn't mind, it'd be great if you could explain the Patriot League's scholarship/grant-in-aid position. It is a puzzle to most of us Big South folks based on what I saw stated in our predictions thread.

[Franks Tanks]

If you wouldn't mind, it'd be great if you could explain the Patriot League's scholarship/grant-in-aid position. It is a puzzle to most of us Big South folks based on what I saw stated in our predictions thread.

Many of you folks are predicting a big win by the Flames are in for a rude awakening. I dont believe Lafayette will win, but it will be close. Also as an FYI the Patriot League is in a down cycle but is a formidibale league. League memebr Colgate went to the National Champ game in 2003 and several of our league members have playoff wins.

Our need structure is this. We give need based aid rather then straight up schollys. In other words when we decide to offer aid to a student-athlete they dont recieve a full or half scholly. They get what a financial aid formula dictates they should recieve based on parents income etc. We offer about 55 scholarship equiliviancies and we spend a lot of money as room and board at Lafayette is about 50k a year. We spend the money--it isjust distributed somewhat differently. We also have a league wide academic index. This means that each of our players must be within a given standard deviation of our general student body. This is also problematic for recruiting as average Sat scores are about 1300 (old scale). The combination of really high academic standards and the need based aid issue do hurt recruiting.

Make no mistake however we are dead serious about winning football games. We spend more per year on our football program then many other FCS teams. Our stadium just underwent an almost 30 million dollar renovation. We have a tough team with good players and excellent coaches. You probably have more talent but I think this game will be close, but probably a flame win

[Sly Fox]

Thanks, Tanks.

I hope that clears up some of the confusion about their scholarship situation. It seems many fans in the PL would prefer to go the more traditional scholie route and they may have to at some point. But keep in mind that most PL schools have ridiculously huge endowment funds (especially Lafayette).

[Franks Tanks]

Thanks, Tanks.

I hope that clears up some of the confusion about their scholarship situation. It seems many fans in the PL would prefer to go the more traditional scholie route and they may have to at some point. But keep in mind that most PL schools have ridiculously huge endowment funds (especially Lafayette).

Lafayette does offer scholarships in other sports. We cling to the need based aid in football for no good reason other then tradition. We realize that we can spend pretty much the same amount of money by issuing scholarships and get better players and students as well. Liberty will be a very good test for us (perhaps the most talented team we have played this year) so we are looking forward to seeing how good we are.

[carney2]

If you wouldn't mind, it'd be great if you could explain the Patriot League's scholarship/grant-in-aid position. It is a puzzle to most of us Big South folks based on what I saw stated in our predictions thread.

"They" don't allow me to have that kind of information, but I will stumble and bumble along.

For starters, the Patriot League consists of the following schools:
American University (no football program)
Army (plays FBS football)
Bucknell
Colgate
Fordham (Associate member for football only)
Georgetown (Associate member for football only)
Holy Cross
Lafayette
Lehigh
Navy (plays FBS football)

Army and Navy, I guess, give "scholarships" to everyone and are not part of this conversation. Fordham is in the Atlantic 10 Conference and Georgetown is in the Big East for their other sports, and play by the rules established in those conferences for those activities.

Patriot League schools give athletic grants for mens and womens basketball and for other selected sports on a school by school basis. All football participants however, live by the rule: no athletic grants in aid for football. Pigskin financial aid is doled out on a need based formula and, theoretically, applicants with a football background fall into the same financial aid pool as all other applicants. There are three realities that overshadow all of this:

1. We all know that if the football coach wants offensive line prospect, Billy Bigbutt, he is going to apply some pressure. No different in the Patriot League. To some extent, the success of the program depends on the relationships the football people have developed with the Admissions and Financial Aid offices. If either of these offices are staffed with academic zealots or anti-jock types the program can suffer. Still, the quantity of financial aid is not unlimited, and need based formulas do ultimately come into play. A QB prospect whose father is CEO of a large bank is probably not going to see much aid. That can be a problem for anyone, with the current price tag in the $44,000 per year range.

2. After all is said and done, the financial aid packages are totaled into what are called "equivalencies." One financial aid package of full tuition, room and board is the "equivalent" of one athletic scholarship. (Remember, the student had to qualify under need based rules just like everyone else.) The Patriot League schools offer different numbers of equivalencies, with (and here I get a little [more] hazy) the top numbers currently at 55. (Remember, FCS scholarships are limited to 63.) Not everyone offers 55 - and some are not even close. At the moment Lafayette, Colgate, and maybe Lehigh and Fordham are in that range. Bucknell is trying to close the gap, while Georgetown and Holy Cross are, I believe, lagging.

3. The final piece of this unsolvable puzzle is the Academic Index, or AI, which is a complex calculation applied to each school to assure that the football team as a whole is academically representative of the student body. Every once in a while some bright guy attempts to explain it to the rest of us. Good luck. Lehigh's Chuck Burton, author of the Lehigh Football Nation blog has promised to try again someday soon. I'm revving up my gray cells - both of them - to finally get up to speed on this. All I "know" at the moment is that it is very difficult to catch and discipline cheaters. It's an honor system type of thing. When applied conscientiously however, it seems to work. Lafayette's football team (that's something like 98 people) recorded an overall GPA of 3.0 for the most recently completed semester.

"Why not just implement football grants in aid and be done with it," I heard someone from Liberty say about a minute ago. I don't have a clear answer to that other than to say that they are coming. The Patriot League was founded on - and still believes in - the Ivy League model of the student athlete.

There ya go. More than you ever wanted to know. And less than illuminating. Hopefully, one of my compatriots will chip in with better nformation.

[Sly Fox]

The explanations are greatly appreciated. Suffice it to say that the value of a Lafayette degree is a prize that still brings quality talent like Andy Romans into the Leopards fold.

[Schfourteenteen]

Schfourteenteen and I are about 15 minutes from you. He's on the wrong side of the free bridge and I'm just south of Williams twp.

I will be there next year when my guys return the favor, though.

CLARIFICATION:

I DO NOT live in Philipsburg. Phew, that will avoid Turkey Day arguements

Also for some reason I dont think we are returning. Someone who knows what they're talking about can clarify that.

[Chris Lang]

Schfourteenteen and I are about 15 minutes from you. He's on the wrong side of the free bridge and I'm just south of Williams twp.

I will be there next year when my guys return the favor, though.

CLARIFICATION:

I DO NOT live in Philipsburg. Phew, that will avoid Turkey Day arguements

Also for some reason I dont think we are returning. Someone who knows what they're talking about can clarify that.

Liberty plays at Lafayette next season, so yes, the Flames are returning the trip.

[Schfourteenteen]

K Good to know, my bad

AWESOME

[PAmedic]

K Good to know, my bad

AWESOME

never doubt me, son.

And I was being purposefully vague about your homestead's actual location so the gov't can't find you.

nimrod.

[RagingTireFire]

Dude, you are the government.

[Schfourteenteen]

K Good to know, my bad

AWESOME

never doubt me, son.

And I was being purposefully vague about your homestead's actual location so the gov't can't find you.

nimrod.

Better the govt than Easton fans thinking Im from PBurg