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2003 Colgate Raiders football
Patriot League champion
Conference Patriot League
Record15–1 (7–0 Patriot)
Head coach
Captains
  • John Frieser
  • Tem Lukabu
  • Sean McCune
Home stadium Andy Kerr Stadium
Seasons
←  2002
2004 →
2003 Patriot League football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 Colgate $^   7 0     15 1  
No. 23 Lehigh   6 1     8 3  
Fordham   4 3     9 3  
Bucknell   4 3     6 6  
Towson   3 4     6 6  
Lafayette   2 5     5 6  
Georgetown   1 6     4 8  
Holy Cross   1 6     1 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

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

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
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

  1. ^ 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]
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ "Colgate 20, Georgetown 19". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, N.Y. September 7, 2003. p. 7D – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Colgate 38, Buffalo 15". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, N.Y. September 14, 2003. p. 7D – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ Bump, Larry (September 28, 2003). "Colgate Blows by Towson". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Md. p. 16E – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ Hine, Tommy (October 19, 2003). "Yale Makes a Mess of It". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. pp. E10, E15 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Housenick, Tom (October 26, 2003). "Raiders Exploit Bison Breakdowns". The Daily Item. Sunbury, Pa. p. D3 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Brennan, Sean (November 16, 2003). "Rams' Playoff Bid Ends". Daily News. New York, N.Y. pp. 60, 79 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.