College Sports

Jamar Curtis has 229 yards, 2 TDs to help Lafayette top Holy Cross 38-35; Matthew Sluka records 330 rushing yards in loss

The Crusaders fell to 4-3 on their season with Saturday's defeat.

Matthew Sluka's 330 rushing yards were a career high. Mark Stockwell/Boston Globe

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Jamar Curtis rushed for a career-high 229 yards on 30 carries with two touchdowns and Lafayette knocked off Holy Cross 38-35 on Saturday for the Leopards’ fourth straight win.

Curtis burst through the middle and sprinted 41 yards for a 38-28 lead with 2:18 left before Matthew Sluka hit Jalen Coker with a 3-yard touchdown with 58 seconds remaining. The Leopards recovered an onside kick to seal the outcome and snap the Crusaders’ 18-game Patriot League winning streak, one short of their own record set from 1988-92.

Lafayette came in averaging 200 rushing yards per game with Curtis averaging over 116. He helped Lafayette get off to its first 6-1 start since 2009 and ensure its first winning season since 2009.

Advertisement:

Dean DeNobile was 12-of-17 passing for 262 yards and touchdown passes to Dallas Holmes and Carson Persing for the Leopards (6-1, 2-0 Patriot League) and DeNobile also had a rushing TD. Elijah Stewart made five catches for 99 yards.

Sluka rushed for a career-high 330 yards on 28 carries with three touchdowns but was just 7-of-21 passing for 85 yards. Jordan Fuller added another 95 yards and a touchdown.

DeNobile’s 53-yard TD pass to Holmes gave the Leopards a 21-7 lead at halftime.

The Crusaders (4-3, 2-1), ranked 11th in the FCS coaches poll, got within 31-28 midway through the fourth quarter on Fuller’s 19-yard TD run.

Advertisement:

The Crusaders had 514 yards offense to Lafayette’s 498.

Get the latest Boston sports news

Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.

To comment, please create a screen name in your profile

Conversation

This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com