WEST POINT, N.Y. – No. 6 FCS Colgate walked out of Army's Michie Stadium here Saturday with a pretty good indication that this year's Raider football team can play with anyone.
Hopefully, the NCAA football playoff selection committee agrees.
Colgate spotted FBS bowl-bound Army a two-touchdown lead but then played its best football as the game went along. The host Black Knights prevailed 28-14, dealing Colgate its first loss of the season.
Trailing 14-0, defense put the Raiders on the board.
Alec Wisniewski's big hit on Army quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr., forced a fumble.
Tyler Castillo picked it up and roared 35 yards for a touchdown with 5:52 left in the third quarter to pull the Raiders within seven.
It was Colgate's fourth defensive score of the season and the second this year for Castillo.
After Army extended its lead to 21-7 on the first play of the fourth quarter, Colgate answered with a 10-play, 79-yard drive that narrowed the margin to 21-14 with 9:26 showing.
James Holland Jr., scored the TD from 10 yards out, capping a drive that saw the senior rush six times for 62 yards. Holland matched his career rushing high with 166, averaging 9.2 yards per attempt.
Army the secured its seventh straight victory by driving 75 yards over a 7:20 stretch to score with 2:06 to play. The Black Knights matched Colgate with their ninth win of the season.
The Raider loss snapped Colgate's 14-game winning streak.
Army entered the game rated among the top third of the FBS and Colgate's toughest opponent by far this season. The Raiders under
Dan Hunt have played one FBS opponent in each of his five seasons, and this may have been the most talented foe yet.
But Colgate played its way to its closest margin against an FBS opponent since the Raiders knocked off Buffalo 40-19 back in 2003.
Colgate quarterback
Grant Breneman was sidelined for the second game in a row. Senior
Sage Attwood finished 11-of-16 for 63 yards and helped the Raiders play turnover-free.
T.J. Holl was the tackle leader with a game-high 18 – matching his collegiate best. Wisniewski and
John Steffen set career highs with 13 and 11 tackles, respectively.
Bottom Line
• Army 28, Colgate 14
Won-Lost Records
• Colgate is now 9-1.
• Army improved to 9-2.
Stats of the Game
• Colgate's defense held Army to 261 rushing yards, matching the Black Knights' season low. Their 4.4 yards per rush also tied a season low.
• Army outgained Colgate only 286-251 in total yards despite a 65-44 advantage in plays.
• Head coach
Dan Hunt's favorite stat during this season's run to 9-0 was the fact that the Raiders had never trailed in a game. Not once.
• Colgate also had not allowed a first-quarter point, and both streaks came to an end on Army's TD midway in the period for 7-0.
• The Raiders when they did hit big plays in the first half had two wiped out by penalty, much to the dismay of the Colgate coaching staff.
• The second of those two would have resulted in a pass play to
Thomas Ives inside the Army 5.
• Holland with his rushing effort eclipsed not only 1,000 yards for the season but also 3,000 for his career.
• He's the eighth Raider in program history to top 3,000 career rushing yards, and the first since
Jordan McCord back in 2012.
• Wisniewski finished with 11 tackles, the forced fumble for a TD and another diving pass breakup.
• Wisniewski's high school teammate, Army senior tailback Darnell Woolfolk, scored three of the four Black Knight TDs among his 23 carries for 89 yards.
•
Caleb Fell and
Jacob Esarco posted seven tackles apiece for the Raiders. Esarco's number set a career high and Fell tied his collegiate best.
From the Sources
•
Colgate head coach Dan Hunt: (On the game) "We got down 14-0 relatively early and things weren't going our way. We caught a few bad breaks. But they never stopped fighting, and that's just what this team has done all year. They play with great energy, great passion. We needed a spark and the defense gave us a spark with the score, and then the offense picked up from there.
"Overall, against a good quality team – and that's what Army is – I'm happy we were able to run the ball. Our defense played pretty well to hold that team to 28 points. That's a great football team, and I'm proud of my team for how they never stopped competing."
•
Colgate tailback James Holland Jr.: (On his day) "It was just a great opportunity. Big stage like this, everyone in our locker room was looking forward to it. We knew they were a very talented team and very fundamentally sound, but our offensive line did a great job opening up holes and I just took advantage of the opportunity."
•
Colgate defensive back Alec Wisniewski: (On the hit that caused the fumble return TD) "Against the triple-option, you've got to stay to your assignments and it was a flow away from me. I was running to get the pitch and if you do your assignment, good things will happen."
Listen to the rest of the Colgate postgame press conference HERE.
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance at Michie Stadium 26,086.
Up Next
• Colgate learns its playoff bracket positioning during Sunday's NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Selection Announcement.
• The bracket is unveiled on ESPNU at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time.
• The field is made up of 24 teams, with the top eight teams seeded and receiving a first-round bye.
• First-round games take place the weekend of Nov. 24, with the second round set for the weekend of Dec. 1.
