The Raiders again played its brand of smash-mouth football and again smashed even more school records on Saturday as they beat Lafayette 65-41 at Andy Kerr Stadium.
߲ݴý established school and Patriot League records with 755 yards total offense and 531 yards rushing in its sixth win of the season, and was led again by quarterback Gavin McCarney and taiback Jordan McCord, who continue to give opposing defenses fits.
The school’s previous total offense mark of 707 yards lasted exactly 14 days – set Oct. 20 against Georgetown – while the rushing record of 501 dated to a 1975 win over Lafayette.
McCarney set school records for total offensive yards in a game (512), rushing yards by a quarterback in a game (288) and a season (1,010), and consecutive games throwing a touchdown pass (12). McCarney teamed with McCord (203) to become ߲ݴý’s first pair of 200-yard rushers in the same game.
McCord finished with four rushing touchdowns in a game for the second time this season, and topped the 200-yard rushing mark for the first time since 2009 when he had a pair in consecutive weeks. McCord leads the Patriot League with 1,368 rushing yards.
“The offensive line did a great job; opened up a lot of seams,” said McCord, who is now ninth on the ߲ݴý career chart with 2,804 yards and eighth on the season list. “And Gavin is great. He’s a great quarterback. When they key on me, he pulls it. And he’s so fast, they can’t catch him. And then I take some of the pressure off him as well.
“We just work off each other and love playing with each other. We’ve got a great offense going right now.”
Saturday’s results pushed ߲ݴý’s (6-3, 4-0, Patriot) winning streak to five games. The Raiders next play Lehigh, which is a perfect 9-0 overall and 3-0 in the Patriot League, in a huge match-up Saturday in Bethlehem, Pa. Kickoff is 12:30 p.m., with CBS College Sports televising the game.
The winner is assured an automatic berth in the NCAA championship playoffs.
“That’s all you can ask for – a chance to control your own destiny,” said ߲ݴý coach Dick Biddle said. “We’ve got to shore up on defense. Lehigh’s a great program but so is ߲ݴý. They know how to play us and we know how to play them. It’s a great thing for the Patriot League.”