Brian Wentzel makes a catch in the end zone during the game. The Rams won 53-23 against St. Francis (PA). Samuel Joseph/The Fordham Ram
By Max Prinz
Fordham football picked up right where it left off last season, defeating St. Francis (Pa.) in convincing fashion, 52-23. The Rams were led by a trio of touchdown passes from senior quarterback Mike Nebrich and the sparkling debut performance of freshman running back Chase Edmonds.
Nebrich, the Patriot League’s preseason Player of the Year, received the lion’s share of attention heading into Saturday night’s game, but it was Edmonds who delivered the star performance. The young Ram ran for 181 yards in his Fordham debut, a freshman record. He also racked up 119 return yards, finishing the night with an all-purpose yards total of 300.
“From the second (Edmonds) stepped on campus for summer workouts, he’s conducted himself like a fifth-year senior,” head coach Joe Moorhead said. “His approach to the game, his practice habits, work out habits- he treats the game with the respect it deserves.”
Running back was certainly a question mark for the Rams after the departure of Carlton Koonce, a 1000-yard rusher last season. Fortunately, Edmonds was more than ready to step up and take a leadership role on offense.
“It’s a good first step,” Edmonds said. “That’s one thing coach always emphasized to us during camp, was that the running back position was a question mark. I’ve always been doubted my whole career and Fordham was the one school that believed in me, so I just wanted to go out there and prove to everybody and show who I am really am.”
- Jordan Chapman, a defensive backfield, helped the Rams get their first victory of the season. Samuel Joseph/The Fordham Ram
Edmonds set the tone early for the Rams, returning the opening kickoff 65 yards. A fumble brought an end to that first drive, but Nebrich orchestrated a 54-yard drive that led to a field goal on the second drive and the Rams never looked back. Fordham jumped out to a 24-0 point lead by the middle of the second quarter and looked fully in control of the game.
The Rams were not, however, a team without concerns. Nebrich was just 11-26 on the night and the run defense surrendered 244 yards to St. Francis running back Khairi Dickson. The Rams were missing two top players in seniors Sam Ajala and Stephen Hodge, a fact that was, at times, glaringly obvious.
“I think the effort was there,” Nebrich said. “It was definitely different with the new formations and some of the new guys out there and Brian (Wetzel) and Tebucky (Jones) switching spots, but once we kind of figured things out I think we got rolling a little bit. But, just going off the numbers, I have a certain standard that I just did not get to today.”
The run defense, another concern entering the season, struggled in the second half. A similar performance against next week’s opponent, Villanova, may be spell trouble.
“I think we got worn down a little in the second half,” Moorhead said. “Certainly we’re going to have to make a marked improvement against a team like Villanova that runs the heck out of the football.”
Moorhead admitted that the play was initially flat, but the Rams’ first game of 2014 was never really in doubt. That the team was able to handle St. Francis with relative ease despite missing a number of players and incorporating freshmen, was something Moorhead said made him proud.
“We do not make excuses, nor do we accept them,” Moorhead said. “Next man in. They are going to do as good or better of a job than the person they replaced. I learned that our team has resolve.”
That resolve will be very important in next week’s matchup with Villanova. Nebrich said the team is ready and willing for a challenge.
“They’re a good football team,” Nebrich said. “We believe that we can come out on top just like we did last year, but it’s going to be a be a battle.”
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Max Prinz is Sports Editor for The Fordham Ram.
