HAMILTON — As the snow picked up and the clock neared 7 p.m., Colgate players and personnel knelt at Andy Kerr Stadium’s 50-yard line. Dan Hunt, the Raiders’ fifth-year head coach, remained standing.

“I know you guys are scared,” Hunt said to his team, “but we have the opportunity to do something we’ve never done. Trust me, this isn’t impossible.”

Hunt didn’t hide the fact that his team was facing the No. 1 team in the FCS, a lower tier of Division I football: North Dakota State, which he refers to as “the Alabama of their league.” The Bison sport former players such as Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, and they’re undefeated this season.

A strong defense fueled the Raiders (10-1) 2018 season amid their own FCS title run. They’ve tied the FCS record with five shutouts, won their 10th Patriot League title and lost only once all season, to an FBS team that’s now ranked in the AP Poll (No. 22 Army). After playing their first home playoff game in 15 years, a 23-20 win over James Madison, the Raiders are two games away from emulating their 2003 Division I-AA title appearance.

“We’ve always been the team who works harder than others,” Hunt said. “But these seniors are a little bit unique. They decided that we’re going to make noise at a national scale. Everything we used to do at a 10, now we do at an 11.”

Colgate’s 2017 class was plagued by players who were either unable to play or transferred, linebacker T.J. Holl said. And while the Raiders still finished with a Patriot League title and a 7-4 record, they could have achieved more. This season, Holl and running back James Holland Jr. highlight the senior class with 105 total tackles and 1,154 rushing yards, respectively.

Because the Raiders are an FCS program without summer school sessions, players can leave campus during the summer. Many used to leave campus. But this year’s seniors stayed automatically, Holl said, inviting over half of the team to cut their three-month break to just two weeks.

“These guys kind of ratcheted it up,” Hunt said.

In the offseason, players made their own food, planned their own lifts and organized film sessions together. They don’t have the luxuries FBS programs like Syracuse have such as large-scale practice facilities and more specialized instruction. But they can’t just focus on football, either. Linebacker Dillon Deiuliis commuted to Syracuse for an insurance company. Fifth-year senior Alec Wisniewski used to work for a stockbroker. Some worked in construction. Others did odd jobs.

The university’s location — in a village of 4,122 people in central New York — and a requirement for athletes to meet rigorous academic standards doesn’t help the Raiders attract top talent, Hunt said. They face a dual challenge of balancing coursework near the Ivy League level, players said, while building their skills on the field.

Colgate started its first nine games undefeated and eclipsed their win total from last year on Nov. 3, but players point to the Army game, a 28-14 defeat on Nov. 17, as the key moment of the season. The Raiders were within one touchdown in the fourth quarter to the now AP No. 22 Black Knights, but a seven-minute, 13-play drive ended its hopes at a comeback.

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“Our kids realized we could play with anyone,” Hunt said. “Physically, we weren’t overmatched. We held our own. I think that helped us playing in this game.”

During Saturday’s win over No. 6 James Madison, Colgate defensive line coach Josh Ison hustled down the stairs from the coaching box. He was en route to the Raiders’ halftime meeting on the other side of Andy Kerr Stadium. Another coach was running a few steps behind him. “The defense has to step it up,” Ison told him.

The Raiders had given up only one touchdown by halftime on Saturday afternoon, but James Madison had amassed 215 yards and 10 points — both exceeding Colgate’s season averages (5.7 points and 201.7 yards allowed per game). But in the second half, Ison’s message resonated.

Last Saturday, Hunt said he just wanted a battle against James Madison. As their offense stalled with a fumble to start the second half, the Raiders defense came alive, picking off JMU’s quarterback twice after halftime and five times overall. With the game tied in the fourth quarter, Colgate stopped the Dukes’ fake punt attempt, driving for a game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock.

This week, the Raiders turn their attention to North Dakota State. They’re the underdog for the second-straight week. They’ll try to exploit holes, fix weaknesses mid-stride and see who has more energy left as their bid for the program’s first FCS title carries on.

Published on December 5, 2018 at 11:09 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21