2003 Colgate Raiders football team
American college football season
The 2003 Colgate Raiders football team was an American football team that represented Colgate University during the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season . Colgate was undefeated in the regular season, won the Patriot League championship and played in the Division I-AA national championship game .
In its eighth season under head coach Dick Biddle , the team compiled a 15–1 record (12–0 in the regular season). John Frieser, Tem Lukabu and Sean McCune were the team captains.[1]
The Raiders outscored opponents 480 to 303. Colgate's undefeated (7–0) conference record placed first in the Patriot League standings.[2]
Colgate started the year unranked in the Division I-AA national poll , but as the season-long win streak developed, the Raiders steadily climbed in the rankings. They debuted at No. 24 in mid-September and were ranked No. 6 at the end of the regular season.
The Raiders were seeded No. 4 in the Division I-AA national playoffs. After three playoff wins, Colgate lost to Delaware in the national championship game. In the final poll of the year, Delaware was ranked No. 1 and Colgate No. 2.
Colgate played its home games, including its first two playoff games, at Andy Kerr Stadium in Hamilton, New York .
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 6 at Georgetown
W 20–19 2,406 [3]
September 13 at Buffalo *
W 38–15 20,324 [4]
September 20 at Dartmouth * No. 24
W 31–9 6,920 [5]
September 27 Towson No. 22
W 26–7 7,467 [6]
October 4 at Cornell * No. 19
W 27–24 4,142 [7]
October 11 at Princeton * No. 17
W 30–3 14,096 [8]
October 18 Yale * No. 18
Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY W 52–40 7,895 [9]
October 25 Bucknell No. 16
Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY W 50–6 8,655 [10]
November 1 at Lafayette No. 12
W 47–31 [1]
November 8 No. 24 Lehigh No. 10
Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY W 17–10 [1]
November 15 Fordham No. 7
Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY W 14–3 4,673 [11]
November 22 at Holy Cross No. 6
W 45–38 10,166 [12]
November 29 No. 5 UMass * No. 6
W 19–7 4,197 [13]
December 6 No. 10 Western Illinois * No. 6
W 28–27 5,287 [14]
December 13 at No. 13 Florida Atlantic * No. 6
W 36–24 12,857 [15]
December 19 vs. No. 3 Delaware * No. 6
L 0–40 14,281 [16]
References
^ a b c "Colgate Athletic History: Football" (PDF) . Hamilton, N.Y.: Colgate University. pp. 13–14 and 27. Retrieved June 15, 2020 .[permanent dead link ]
^ "Football All-Time Year-by-Year Results". Patriot League Football Record Book (PDF) . Center Valley, Pa.: Patriot League . 2020. p. 9. Retrieved August 10, 2020 .
^ "Colgate 20, Georgetown 19" . Democrat and Chronicle . Rochester, N.Y. September 7, 2003. p. 7D – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Colgate 38, Buffalo 15" . Democrat and Chronicle . Rochester, N.Y. September 14, 2003. p. 7D – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Colgate Rides Back's 3 TDs" . Press & Sun-Bulletin . Binghamton, N.Y. September 21, 2003. p. 7C – via Newspapers.com . Attendance figure in "New England Summaries". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. September 21, 2003. p. C13.
^ Bump, Larry (September 28, 2003). "Colgate Blows by Towson" . The Baltimore Sun . Baltimore, Md. p. 16E – via Newspapers.com .
^ Feaver, Christopher (October 6, 2003). "Cornell's Rally Falls Short" . The Ithaca Journal . Ithaca, N.Y. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com . Attendance figure in "Ivy League Summaries". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. October 5, 2003. p. C19.
^ "Colgate 30, Princeton 3" . Courier News . Somerville, N.J. Associated Press . October 12, 2003. p. C-8 – via Newspapers.com . Attendance figure in "Ivy League Standings, Summaries". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. October 12, 2003. p. C15.
^ Hine, Tommy (October 19, 2003). "Yale Makes a Mess of It" . Hartford Courant . Hartford, Conn. pp. E10, E15 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Housenick, Tom (October 26, 2003). "Raiders Exploit Bison Breakdowns" . The Daily Item . Sunbury, Pa. p. D3 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Brennan, Sean (November 16, 2003). "Rams' Playoff Bid Ends" . Daily News . New York, N.Y. pp. 60, 79 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Gearan, Jay (November 23, 2003). "Colgate Dodges Shocker; HC Can't Quite Contain Branch". Telegram & Gazette . Worcester, Mass. p. D6 – via NewsBank . Attendance figure in "Atlantic 10, New England Summaries". Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. November 23, 2003. p. C16.
^ Burris, Joe (November 30, 2003). "Winter Blunderland: It's No Joy Ride as UMass Can't Weather Colgate" . Boston Sunday Globe . Boston, Mass. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Muder, Craig (December 7, 2003). "Branch's Late TD Lifts Colgate over W. Illinois" . Press & Sun-Bulletin . Binghamton, N.Y. pp. 1B – via Newspapers.com .
^ Hutton, Ted (December 14, 2003). "End for Owls: Dominant Raiders End FAU's Playoff Run" . Sun-Sentinel . Fort Lauderdale, Fla. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com .
^ Tresolini, Kevin (December 20, 2003). "Blue Heaven: Delaware Routs Colgate, Wins First I-AA Crown" . Sunday News Journal . Wilmington, Del. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com .
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
Champion – Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens