Sept. 4, 2004

Box Score

EASTON, Pa.-Lafayette's Joe McCourt had 86 yards rushing and two touchdowns to help the Leopards defeat the visiting Marist Red Foxes 48-7 at Fisher Field Saturday afternoon. The game was the season opener for both squads. After both teams went scoreless on their first possessions, senior quarterback James Luft (Lake Peekskill, N.Y.) was intercepted by Lafayette's Bryan Kazimierowski at the Red Foxes' 40. Lafayette then marched down the field and capped the drive when McCourt ran around right end for an 18-yard touchdown scamper to make the score 7-0. Following a Marist punt, Leopard quarterback Brad Maurer took Lafayette 35 yards on eight plays, culminating with a three-yard naked bootleg to the left into the corner of the end zone to double the margin. After another Lafayette drive stalled at the Marist 5, Lafayette kicker Rich Ziska tacked on three more points with a 25-yard field goal to make the tally 17-0. McCourt took control again for the Leopards shortly thereafter with 68 yards on the next Lafayette drive, ending with a six-yard touchdown run. It seemed as though the Red Foxes would escape the balance of the first half with no further damage until Maurer hit wideout Archie Fisher on a 32-yard slant pattern for the halftime margin of 31-0. Lafayette backup quarterback Pat Davis came on for the first series of the second half and drove the Leopards down for another score when he notched a 12-yard touchdown toss to fullback Brendon Green. After another Ziska field goal made the score 41-0, Lafayette had a short field to work with following a fumble by Marist's Obozua Ehikioya (West Hempstead, N.Y.) and finished off the 24-yard drive with a six-yard Alfred Benton touchdown carry. The Red Foxes dented the scoreboard with 8:10 to go in the contest when Luft engineered an 11-play, 69-yard drive, ending with a seven yard touchdown catch by junior tight end Mike Marshall (Middletown, N.J.), the first of his career. Lafayette outgained the Red Foxes 409-137 in total offense, spearheaded by the Leopards' 24 first downs to just eight for Marist. Of the 409 yards, 289 came on the ground for the victors. Ehikioya finished the day with 40 yards on eight carries, while sophomore running back Frankie Farrington (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) added 32 yards on six runs. Luft completed five passes to give him 125 for his career, one short of tying Kevin Bielen for third in the Marist I-AA record book. Sophomore wide receiver Kevin Frederick (Meriden, Conn.) had 126 yards on kickoff returns in the contest, good enough for fourth all-time in Marist's I-AA history. Defensively, senior linebacker Mike Drury (Bristol, Conn.) led the way for the Red Foxes with nine tackles, while junior defensive back David Snell (Madison, N.J.) tacked on eight stops with a pair of pass breakups. Marist will take on Wagner next Saturday, September 11 at Leonidoff Field at 7 p.m.