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EASTON, PA ‘ Junior tailback Jamaal Branch carried 29 times for 200 yards and two touchdowns to lead undefeated and nationally ranked 51³Ô¹ÏÍø to a 47-31 Patriot League win over Lafayette at Fisher Field.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø (9-0, PL 4-0), ranked 12th in the nation, extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 15 straight victories.
Branch, who has rushed for 1496 yards, has the third highest single season rushing total in school history behind Rich Erenberg’s 1883 in 1983 and Kenny Gamble’s 1816 in 1986.
Branch is leading the nation in rushing with 166.2 yards per game and has scored 20 rushing TD’s ‘ one short of the school’s single season mark.
For the sixth time in nine games, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø scored on its first possession moving 79 yards in seven plays for a touchdown. The Raiders capped off the drive with a six-yard run by Branch for a 6-0 lead. The extra point was blocked.
After Lafayette scored on a 27-yard field goal, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø scored 28 straight points to lead 34-3 with 3:11 remaining in the first half. Branch scored his second TD on a nine-yard run, and Luke Graham picked up a 51³Ô¹ÏÍø fumble at the one-yard line and scored for the Raiders.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s fourth TD came on a 32-yard interception return by strong safety Sean McCune and then Graham caught a 41-yard pass from Chris Brown to give the Raiders their 31- point advantage.
Lafayette scored its first TD with 46 seconds left in the first half on Joe McCourt’s one-yard run.
In the third period, senior tight end John Frieser caught a 23-yard TD pass as the Raiders led 41-10. Lafayette would score the next 21 points, but 51³Ô¹ÏÍø put the contest away on Brown’s eight-yard run with 10:14 remaining.
Graham had six catches for 94 yards to move into fourth place in career receiving yardage with 1,989 yards.
GAME NOTES: 51³Ô¹ÏÍø had 472 yards of total offense ‘ 270 rushing and 202 passing ‘ The Raiders came up with three interceptions ‘ McCune, Brian Anderson and Chris Williams had the picks ‘ Tem Lukabu was the leading tackler with 14 ‘ Jeff Galletly had a fumble recovery ‘ 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s defense held the Leopards to 14 rushing yards.