EASTON, Pa. (Interstat) — David Lynch threw four touchdown passes and Holy Cross defeated Lafayette 38-30 in an NCAA Football Championship Division game Saturday at Fisher Stadium. The visiting Crusaders improved to 1-4, while Lafayette’s record is now 1-3. Holy Cross scored 10 points in the first quarter, 20 in the second and eight in the third. Lafayette scored 10 in the first, seven in the second, six in the third and seven in the fourth. The Crusaders’ win came after Lafayette had moved the ball effectively through the air for much of the afternoon.

Holy Cross opened the scoring at 10:56 of the first quarter when Joseph Williams rushed up the middle for a 3-yard touchdown. Owen Saraceno made the extra point. Lafayette answered at 6:20 of the first when Daniel Lipovski connected with Carson Persing on a 35-yard touchdown pass, and Jack Simonetta’s extra point tied the game. In the second quarter, Simonetta made a 33-yard field goal before Saraceno answered with a 28-yard field goal for Holy Cross. Lynch then found Lincoln Fisher for a 26-yard touchdown, with Saraceno’s kick good. Lipovski hit Mason Kuehner for a 20-yard touchdown, and Simonetta converted. Saraceno missed a 44-yard field goal attempt with 20 seconds left before halftime. Holy Cross added eight points in the third quarter, and Lafayette scored six in the third and seven in the fourth.

Lipovski completed 21 of 39 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns and ran four times for 21 yards. Lynch, Holy Cross’s top star, completed 22 of 37 passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns and rushed twice for 2 yards.

Brandon Albert paced Lafayette’s tackle chart with five stops. Darrick LeBeouf added four tackles. Darien Riley recorded six tackles. Callahan Blair made eight tackles and two quarterback hurries. Beckham Dee finished with eight tackles. Dhonte Jackson also had eight tackles. Ethan Hosak caught one pass for 10 yards. Kameron Vance caught two passes for 51 yards. Mason Kuehner was a major factor with 10 receptions for 152 yards, two punt returns for 32 yards and three touchdowns. Lafayette’s team recorded one punt for zero yards. Koven Smith did not record a statistic. Ethan Weber carried five times for six yards. Carson Persing ran once for seven yards, caught six passes for 96 yards and scored one touchdown. Malachi Gamble ran five times for 13 yards. Jakyre Henley ran 12 times for 17 yards, caught two passes for minus-3 yards and returned one kick for 17 yards. Donnie Williams made two tackles. Christian Bush punted four times for 175 yards. Jack Simonetta did not record a statistic. Justin Cook made one tackle. Kandler Happe made one tackle. Cairo Moore made one tackle. Xavier Johnson made one tackle. Ahmir Crawley made one tackle. Jalen Edwards made one tackle. Ethan Moss punted five times for 182 yards. Jeremiah Polk made two tackles. Sean Kabengele made three tackles. Michael Vaughn made three tackles and one quarterback hurry. Sean Curtis made three tackles and two quarterback hurries. Joey Shimko made three tackles. Christian Watson made three tackles. Paul Widerman made four tackles and one quarterback hurry. Will Miller made four tackles. Joseph Williams ran 12 times for 50 yards, caught one pass for seven yards and scored one touchdown. Datrell Jones ran 10 times for 44 yards, caught one pass for six yards and returned one kick for 22 yards. Jake Croce ran 10 times for 33 yards. Nick Diamond ran three times for three yards. Holy Cross’s team did not record a statistic. Lincoln Fisher caught seven passes for 105 yards, returned one punt for 12 yards and scored one touchdown. Ty Curran caught four passes for 43 yards, returned one kick for 35 yards and scored two touchdowns. Mason McSweeney caught three passes for 43 yards and one touchdown. Drae Tyme caught three passes for 16 yards. RJ Newton caught one pass for five yards. Luke Petitta caught two passes for five yards. Vin Ferrara made two tackles. Colin Mackey did not record a statistic. Adam Due made five tackles, one sack, one quarterback hurry and one interception. Tyler Georgs made five tackles.

Holy Cross’s defense held Lafayette to six points in the third quarter, which proved important as the Leopards added seven in the fourth. The Crusaders did not score in the fourth quarter but had built enough of a cushion. Lafayette threw for more than 300 yards, while Holy Cross countered with more than 200 passing yards. The Leopards also got a strong receiving game and a productive day on special teams. Holy Cross’s passing game produced several big plays, and its running game helped control possession. Special teams also played a role, with both teams punting multiple times and returning kicks and punts for yardage.

Holy Cross had lost its first four games before Saturday, including a 38-28 setback to Yale in its most recent outing. The Crusaders had also fallen at Miami (Ohio), at Colgate and at home to Lehigh. Lynch had completed 16 of 38 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns in the Yale game. The victory ended a four-game losing streak for Holy Cross. Lafayette’s record now stands at 1-3. The Leopards had played Columbia, Marist, Connecticut and Georgetown earlier in the season. Holy Cross will next play at William & Mary. The Crusaders then visit Harvard, host Bucknell, host Richmond, visit Georgetown, host Villanova and host Fordham. Lafayette will host Richmond next. The Leopards then visit Bucknell, visit Fordham, host Villanova, visit William & Mary, visit Colgate and host Lehigh.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Holy Cross 25, Lafayette 24. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Lafayette with a 68.4 percent probability to win. Holy Cross had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +5.5. The total score of 68 went under the over/under line of 47.5.