Facing third and goal and trailing in the fourth quarter, Holy Cross quarterback Joe Pesansky went back to what worked earlier.
The senior faked a handoff, then gave classmate Jacob Petersen the chance to make the grab behind the defense. The 3-yard touchdown connection stood as the winner, as the Crusaders stayed unbeaten in Patriot League play with a 19-16 win over Fordham at Fitton Field.
Petersen caught two passes for just 9 yards, but both touchdowns for Holy Cross (3-4, 2-0).
“Offensively, we were just a little bit off,” said Crusaders coach Dan Curran. “We were one play away from converting some big ones. The defense did a great job keeping us in the game . . . Just a really good quality team win.”
Sophomore Jayden Clerveaux, an Everett native, rushed 30 times for a career-high 159 yards on the day to lead the team in yardage.
“I love these guys,” Clerveaux said. “I put my body on the line for these guys. Trusting the defense and going out there and being able to be that workhorse and allowing our offense to go score is a blessing.”
Against a Fordham defense that allowed 39.5 points per game entering the day, the Crusaders were held to one Daniel Porto 49-yard field goal before the half, which came in the waning seconds.
Porto tied the game at 6 in the third quarter with a 46-yard field goal.
Later in the third quarter, Pesansky (14-of-33 passing, 150 yards, 2 TDs, INT) hit Petersen in stride for 6 yards. The tight end started as a blocker on the play and slipped into the undefended left corner of the end zone to tie the game at 13.
“Joe takes full responsibility . . . It’s awesome to have him as a leader,” Petersen said. “We have to figure out whatever we have to do to get things rolling. We start doing that and just keep going.”
With one more response necessary following a Fordham field goal, Petersen came through again, this time finding a little space to make the grab over the middle.
On the winning drive, Pesansky found senior Justin Shorter (4 receptions, 37 yards) for 11 yards on a third and 5, with a face mask penalty adding 15 yards to that. Junior Sam Slade converted a fourth and 4 with an 11-yard reception. Two face mask calls and an offside penalty against Fordham (0-7, 0-2) provided 29 yards.
“The ability to respond and make plays at the end of the game, that’s what a true leader does, and that’s what a really good quarterback does,” Curran said of Pesansky.
“He delivered today in the biggest moments.”
AJ Traub can be reached at aj.traub@globe.com. Follow him on X @aj_traub and Instagram @ajt37.