Patriot League Release
CFPA Release

HAMILTON – Recognition for a job well-done is flowing into the Colgate Raider camp.
 
The Raiders moved alone into first place in the Patriot League on Saturday with a thrilling 31-29 win over then-No. 11 Fordham. Three key participants were Jake Melville on offense, and Kyle Diener and Cameron Buttermore on defense. All three have been recognized for their spectacular play.
 
Melville and Diener are Corvias Patriot League Football weekly award winners – Melville on offense, Diener on defense. Melville also earned honorable mention as National FCS Performer of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards.
 
Melville completed 17-of-26 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown against no interceptions, and he carried 16 times for 112 yards and two scores. It was the junior quarterback's first 100-yard rushing game of the year and fourth of his career, and he topped 1,000 yards rushing for his career.
 
Diener batted down Fordham's two-point conversion pass attempt with no time left on the clock to preserve Saturday's victory. The junior linebacker notched 10 tackles, 1½ tackles for loss and a sack, posting his third double-digit tackle game of the season. He leads the Raiders with 73 total tackles.
 

Buttermore was named Madness Defensive Player of the Week for the Patriot League by CollegeSportsMadness.com. The senior linebacker registered a career-high 12 tackles, two sacks and an additional TFL. Colgate's defense posted 12 tackles for loss in the game and eight sacks.
 
The Raiders, now 4-4 overall and 3-0 in the Patriot League, are back in action Saturday at Lafayette in a 1 p.m. kickoff.

Diener Up for FCS Player of the Week
Diener is one of four nominees for the American Sports Network's FCS Player of the Week.
 
Voting is underway and the polls close at 3 p.m. Eastern time Friday. The winner will be announced on Saturday's broadcasts.

Vote HERE for Colgate's Kyle Diener!
 
Three Times 1,000
Not only did Melville eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark for his career on his first carry of the game, but teammate John Wilkins placed his name on the list as well after rushing for 31 yards in the game.
 
With Demetrius Russell already well over the 1,600-yard mark, Colgate for possibly the first time in program history has three players on the same team with at least 1,000 career rushing yards.
 
Wilkins reached the milestone with a 2-yard carry on third-and-2 late in the third quarter. He now has 1,008 yards and stands 32nd on Colgate's all-time list.
 
Melville busted through the 1,000-yard barrier with a 44-yard scamper on Colgate's first offensive play. He wound up with 112 rushing yards and has 1,111 for his career.
 
Russell gained 34 yards Saturday to increase his total to 1,622.
 
First-Half Efficiency

Colgate had just four possessions during Saturday's first half, but here's how they ended: TD, TD, TD, field goal. The Raiders likely would have made it 4-for-4 in the touchdown column except the first-half clock was expiring and they were forced to settle for a 24-yard Jonah Bowman field goal.
 
Colgate led Fordham 24-9 at the break en route to its 31-29 victory.
 
Eight Sacks Tops Patriot, Tied for Third Nationally
Colgate's eight sacks in Saturday's game were the most in the Patriot League this season and tied for the third-most in all of FCS.
 
The breakdown went like this: Buttermore two sacks for minus-10 yards, Alex Campbell 2-10, Curt Mitchell 1-9, Diener 1-5, Brett Field, 1-4, with Christian Hardegree and Charles Cairnie sharing a sack for minus-3.
 
Uplifting Athletes Total
Colgate's chapter of Uplifting Athletes raised approximately $4,500 Saturday in support of ependymoma research. The touchdown drive was aided by four touchdowns scored in the 31-29 win over Fordham.