Jack Coffey Field was sold out for the Senior Day ceremony and the final regular season home game on Saturday afternoon with a crowd of 9,192 attending. The relatively small numbers of seniors on a team dominated by underclassmen were honored with their families on the field immediately prior to the start of the contest.
Fordham head coach Joe Moorhead, who has been their coach for all of their four seasons at Fordham, saluted them with words of praise after the conclusion of the Rams (8-2, 4-1) victory over the Bucknell Bisons (4-5, 1-3), “You really can’t say enough about our senior class. They were the architects of our success. The work they put in and the foundation they built is an era of unprecedented success for Fordham. ”
He then enumerated examples of that success, “Patriot League champions, two appearances in the NCAA FCS Playoffs, a record of 37-12, and two victories over FBS teams.” He feels a special pride in those teams and the players because the era began with his first year as head coach of Fordham. Fordham has not lost two consecutive games since Moorhead became coach.
The previous week’s two point loss to Colgate, 31-29, may cost the Rams a second consecutive Patriot League title. After a day of savoring the 24-16 victory over Bucknell, Moorhead plans to help prepare his team for their final regular season game against the Georgetown Hoyas in Washington, D.C. The bye week on November 21 for the Fordham Rams unfortunately does not arrive until their season has ended.
The Rams may qualify for the FCS playoffs regardless of whether or not they capture the title in the Patriot League as they can enter as one of the at-large teams. Moorhead stated, ‘I would put our body of work up against anyone for an at-large bid.”
During Saturday’s game, Fordham twice came from behind to tie the score at 10 at the end of the first half. Fordham’s defense held the Bisons to only six points in the second half. An interception of a Bucknell pass for a two point conversion by Fordham’s Bronx native George Dawson, with Fordham leading, 17-16, and only 1:44 remaining, turned the game around as Chase Edmunds rushed for a touchdown on the next Fordham drive. Moorhead remarked, “George’s play and our being able to finish it off was clutch.” The game ball was presented to the defense.
The Rams are sorry to leave their Bronx campus as they been victorious in 19 of their last 20 games at Jack Coffey Field. They hope they are able to return in the playoffs to again excite their rooter in the Bronx.