Nov. 23, 2007
Fordham makes its second trip to the NCAA Division I Football Championship, traveling to Massachusetts in a game that will be televised live on ESPNU at Noon on Saturday. The Rams won their first-ever outright Patriot League title, and the first for any team since 2003. Fordham last went to the postseason in 2002, when it knocked off Northeastern in the first round before falling to Villanova in the quarterfinals.
Patriot League Football Release - 11.19.07 
The Rams added to their accolades on Tuesday, as Head Coach Tom Masella was named Patriot League Coach of the Year and freshman running back Xavier Martin was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year. The Rams led all Patriot League schools with 12 players on the All-League teams. Masella, a former Massachusetts assistant, is also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award given to the top coach in the Football Championship Subdivision.
No. 23/25 Fordham Rams (8-3, 5-1) at No. 7 Massachusetts Minutemen (9-2, 7-1 CAA), First Round, NCAA Division I Football Championship
McGuirk Stadium, Amherst, Mass: Noon (ESPNU)
Series: First Meeting
Fordham Head Coach Tom Masella, Wagner, 1981
Career Record 28-37 (6th season) overall/11-11/6-6 (2nd season) at Fordham
Massachusetts Head Coach Don Brown, Norwich, 1977
Career Record 87-35 (11th season) overall/35-13 (4th season) at Massachusetts
Fordham meets Massachusetts for the first time in school history in the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship...The game will be nationally televised live on ESPNU beginning at Noon...Fordham and Massachusetts faced three common opponents: Colgate, Holy Cross and Rhode Island...The Rams were 3-0 against those teams, while Massachusetts went 2-1...Fordham won at Colgate and Rhode Island and at home against Holy Cross, while Massachusetts won at Colgate and at home against Holy Cross, but lost at Rhode Island in overtime...This will be the fourth postseason game for a Patriot League team against Massachusetts, making them the most-played opponent in Patriot League postseason history...The Patriot League has a 1-2 mark against Massachusetts, with a win by Colgate in the first round in 2003 on its way to the national title game...Patriot League champion Lafayette fell, 35-14, at Massachusetts a year ago as the Minutemen advanced to the national title game....Patriot League teams have a 7-14 all-time mark in the postseason, with a 5-9 record in the first round...The League is 4-10 all-time against the CAA (formerly Atlantic 10) in the postseason, but does have a 4-6 mark in the first round...The Patriot League has faced at least one CAA opponent in every season since first entering the playoffs in 1997...Massachusetts earned the CAA automatic bid to the playoffs after sharing the title with Richmond...The winner of the game faces the winner of the Eastern Illinois/Southern Illinois game in the quarterfinals
Fordham Notebook Fordham won its second all-time Patriot League Championship, and first outright title....The Rams sealed their playoff spot when they knocked off Holy Cross, 24-21, to claim the Patriot League's automatic postseason spot on Nov. 3...It was the first outright crown for any Patriot League team since 2003...Fordham had its six-game winning streak snapped in the 38-24 loss to Bucknell Saturday...Fordham was picked to finish sixth in this year's Patriot League preseason poll...The Rams had one of the best turnarounds in the FCS this season, improving from 3-8 a year ago to 8-3 this season...Fordham played in the postseason once before, in 2002, and has a 1-1 record...Both games were against teams from the CAA, with the Rams beating No. 4 seed Northeastern in the first round and losing at Villanova in the quarterfinals...Head Coach Tom Masella is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award given to the top coach in the Football Championship Subdivision...Masella was named Patriot League Coach of the Year on Tuesday, while freshman running Xavier Martin earned Rookie of the Year honors...The Rams led all Patriot League schools with 12 All-League selections, and running back Jonte Coven, linebacker Earl Hudnell and punter Benjamin Dato were all First-Team choices.
Fordham game notes
Massachusetts game notes
Fordham Massachusetts game articles
Patriot League Announces 2007 Football All-League Teams and Major Awards
