2018 Holy Cross Crusaders football team
The 2018 Holy Cross Crusaders football team represented the College of the Holy Cross as a member of the Patriot League during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Bob Chesney, Holy Cross compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 4–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the Patriot League. The Crusaders played their home games at Fitton Field in Worcester, Massachusetts.
| 2018 Holy Cross Crusaders football | |
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| Conference | Patriot League |
| Record | 5–6 (4–2 Patriot) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Patrick Murphy (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Scott James (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Fitton Field (capacity: 23,500) |
| 2018 Patriot League football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Colgate $^ | 6 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Holy Cross | 4 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgetown | 4 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lehigh | 2 | – | 4 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lafayette | 2 | – | 4 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fordham | 2 | – | 4 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bucknell | 1 | – | 5 | 1 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Previous season
The Crusaders began the 2017 season led by 14th-year head coach Tom Gilmore for the first seven games of the season before he was fired following a 2–5 start. Offensive coordinator Brian Rock was named interim head coach for the final four games. They finished the season 4–7, 3–3 in Patriot League play to finish in a three-way tie for third place.
Preseason
Preseason coaches poll
The Patriot League released their preseason coaches poll on July 26, 2018, with the Crusaders predicted to finish in fourth place.[1]
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colgate | 71 (11) |
| 2 | Lehigh | 63 (3) |
| 3 | Fordham | 45 |
| 4 | Holy Cross | 40 |
| T–5 | Bucknell | 31 |
| T–5 | Lafayette | 31 |
| 7 | Georgetown | 13 |
Preseason All-Patriot League team
The Crusaders placed four players on the preseason all-Patriot League team.
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Offense Blaise Bell – WR |
Defense Teddy Capsis – DL Neil Vorster – DL Ryan Brady – LB |
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 1:00 p.m. | at Colgate | Stadium | L 17–24 | 5,304 | |
| September 8 | 1:00 p.m. | at Boston College* | ACCN Extra | L 14–62 | 40,311 | |
| September 15 | 1:00 p.m. | Yale* | Charter TV3 | W 31–28 OT | 7,397 | |
| September 22 | 1:00 p.m. | Dartmouth* |
| Charter TV3 | L 14–34 | 7,175 |
| September 29 | 1:00 p.m. | Bucknell |
| Charter TV3 | L 16–19 | 8,275 |
| October 6 | 1:00 p.m. | at New Hampshire* | NBC Sports Boston | L 0–28 | 6,497 | |
| October 12 | 7:00 p.m. | at Harvard* | ESPN+ | L 31–33 | 10,056 | |
| October 27 | 1:00 p.m. | Lehigh |
| Charter TV3 | W 56–0 | 1,779 |
| November 3 | 12:30 p.m. | at Lafayette | W 40–14 | 3,914 | ||
| November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | Fordham |
| Stadium | W 17–13 | 2,988 |
| November 17 | 12:30 p.m. | at Georgetown | W 32–31 | 1,803 | ||
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Game summaries
At Colgate
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 17 |
| Raiders | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
At Boston College
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Eagles | 21 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 62 |
Yale
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| Crusaders | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
Dartmouth
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Green | 3 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
| Crusaders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
Bucknell
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bison | 0 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 19 |
| Crusaders | 7 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 16 |
At New Hampshire
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wildcats | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
At Harvard
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 31 |
| Crimson | 9 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 33 |
Lehigh
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Hawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Crusaders | 7 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 56 |
At Lafayette
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 0 | 17 | 23 | 0 | 40 |
| Leopards | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Fordham
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Crusaders | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 17 |
At Georgetown
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders | 5 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 32 |
| Hoyas | 7 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 31 |