After a three loss road trip to be forgot­ten, the Colgate football team jumped back on the winning track with a pair of victories. First, senior running back Nate Eachus re­turned to action and ran all over Fordham on the way to a 38-14 win. This past week, Colgate flew to a victory of 26-14 over Mon­mouth on the arm of sophomore quarterback Gavin McCarney. Suddenly, a season that ap­peared to get worse each week began showing signs of a new beginning and hope.

Colgate jumped to a quick lead over Ford­ham when McCarney found first-year full­back Ed Pavalko in the endzone for a seven-yard touchdown pass. Fordham responded early in the second quarter with a passing touchdown, but Colgate quickly grabbed hold of the game and never let go. First-year Joe Uglietto nailed a 20-yard field goal, con­tinuing his strong season. Six minutes later, Nate Eachus added to the lead with a 16- yard run. Eachus had missed the previous few weeks, but immediately made his presence felt in his return. The senior rushed for 220 yards on the day, and he added three catches for another 39 yards.

In the second half, Colgate continued to find the endzone. Gavin McCarney ran for two scores, from seven and sixteen yards out. He also found sophomore Daniel Cason for a four-yard touchdown pass. McCarney was 11-for-17 with 157 yards, along with his 71 rushing yards. With Colgate well ahead, Fordham scored on a short run to close out the game. The 38-14 win saw terrific days for Eachus and McCarney, 58 receiving yards for Jonathon Mputu and a pair of intercep­tions by senior Adam Lock and first-year Mike Armiento. Additionally, the Raiders managed twenty-six first downs and con­verted seven of eleven third down attempts. Colgate showed that it could still dominate on any given Saturday.

This past week, Colgate continued its strong play against Monmouth. However, Monmouth proved to be a true challenge, as the two teams traded touchdowns twice in the first half. Monmouth struck first, but the Raiders responded with a 15-yard catch by first-year tight end Charles Stempeck. Monmouth then found the endzone a sec­ond time, but, once again, the Raiders re­sponded. Gavin McCarney pushed in for a one-yard rushing score. It seems that Mc­Carney rushes for a touchdown every week this season.

Colgate took control in the second half, outscoring Monmouth 14-0. McCarney threw a 22-yard pass to Cason early in the third to take the lead. Cason led Colgate with 71 yards receiving, while junior Chris Looney added 41 yards and senior Dan Ba­sil picked up 32 yards. The Raiders opted to try the two-point conversion, which they converted on a McCarney run. Eachus then closed out the scoring on the day with a one-yard run in the fourth quarter. However, Uglietto missed his third extra point of the game, keeping the score at 26-14. Eachus had 139 yards rushing, along with 29 receiv­ing yards. McCarney led the offense with 204 passing yards and 60 rushing yards. Once again, the Colgate defense hauled in two interceptions, one from junior Jordan McCord and one from sophomore safety Connor Frey. The Raiders also accomplished something that they have been unable to do thus far – win on the road.

Colgate seems to be turning the cor­ner this season. Back-to-back wins has the team playing well on both sides of the ball. The passing and running games are both currently effective and the defense is keep­ing opponents off the scoreboard. This Saturday, Colgate looks to continue their winning ways on Homecoming weekend. The Raiders have Cornell at home at 1:00 p.m.

Contact Ben Arledge at [email protected].