Three seasons ago, when the Fordham football team was in the throes of a 1-11 campaign, the chance of playing a nationally televised game on a Friday night in the not-so-distant future was, shall we say, remote.
But the long shot came in, and at 6:30 p.m. Friday, the 4-1 Rams will battle 2-2 Lafayette at Jack Coffey Field in a game that can be seen on CBS Sports Network (and heard on WFUV 90.7 FM).
“It’s a tremendous testament to our program and players,” Fordham coach Joe Moorhead said Thursday. “We’ve accomplished enough things to be a team of the caliber to play on national TV on a Friday night.
“It’s league game No. 2, the reigning Patriot League champion, hopefully a sellout crowd. I told the guys after practice this week, ‘It doesn’t get any better than this.’ ”
Last week, in its Patriot League opener, Fordham crushed Holy Cross, 45-16, but struggled to contain dual-threat quarterback Peter Pujals, who combined for 332 total yards.
This week, the Rams have to deal with running back Ross Scheuerman, who leads the Leopards in rushing and receiving. Lafayette also could lean heavily on the senior, as Blake Searfoss will replace the injured Drew Reed (shoulder) under center.
“He poses a tremendous challenge,” Moorhead said of Scheuerman. “He’s a big kid, at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds. He runs downhill and is a north-south runner, but he can also break off long runs. They use him in the pass game and try to match him up against linebackers. You have to be aware of him on every down and distance. He’s a threat every time he touches the ball.”
Though Moorhead tried to downplay it, there’s a revenge angle in the game. Last season, the Leopards handed the Rams — who were without star quarterback Mike Nebrich — their only defeat of the regular season, 27-14.
“I wouldn’t say that’s the primary motivational factor,” he said. “The kids understand that Lafayette defeated us soundly and prevented us from the undefeated regular season. Lafayette deserves credit because they outcoached and outplayed us. Our league games count, and we have to take care of business in order to play in the postseason.”