Allentown High School graduate Ross Scheuerman’s final collegiate game for Lafayette College was a memorable one. The Leopards played Lehigh University on Nov. 22 at Yankee Stadium in the 150th edition of college football’s longest rivalry. LAFAYETTE COLLEGE I t was a storybook ending to a college football career for the record books for Allentown’s Ross Scheuerman.
The star running back at Lafayette College played his final game for the Leopards against Lehigh University in the 150th edition of college football’s most played rivalry on Nov. 22. And he did it before 50,000 fans at Yankee Stadium, where he spent many summer days over the years watching his favorite baseball team.
Aside from playing Lafayette for a Patriot League championship, as the Leopards did last season in a victorious season finale, it doesn’t get any better than this game.
“I don’t think it gets any better,” he said before the late afternoon kickoff. “It’s extremely exciting: Yankee Stadium, playing in front of 50,000 fans. The Yankees are my favorite baseball team, and I’ve been there for a bunch of games.”
This time, Scheuerman came in as the player to watch in the matchup held at a neutral site for only the second time — the other in 1891 at a stadium in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Scheuerman is a preseason All-Patriot League selection after being a second team All-Patriot pick the past three seasons. That team will be announced later this month. He came into the Lehigh game with 887 yards rushing on 191 carries for an average of 4.6 yards per carry, as well as nine touchdowns. He has caught 54 passes for 468 yards and three touchdowns. Scheuerman leads the team in both categories. His 28 career touchdowns ties him for fifth all-time with Tim Costello, who graduated in 1991.
Lafayette went into the game against Lehigh with a 4-6 record and in a three-way tie for third place in the league at 2-3. Lehigh, at 4-6 overall and 2-2 in the league, has also struggled. Scheuerman said the reason behind the frustrating season, which follows a glorious one the year before, “is hard to pinpoint.” But he mentioned an injuryriddled offensive line has been a part of it.
“It’s a huge game that I want to win really bad every year. [It’s] the biggest game of the year,” he said.
Despite the revolving door of offensive linemen, Scheuerman stayed in the running for his second straight season rushing for 1,000 yards. He gained 1,113 yards last year and has been a perennial winner of the team’s Offensive Back Most Valuable Player Award.
“The coaches put in a game plan to get me matched up one-on-one with a safety or linebacker to create mismatches, which allows me to catch the ball and get me into open spaces,” he said.
But awards are not at the forefront for Scheuerman these days — or the fact that he was overlooked repeatedly during the season for Patriot League Player of the Week honors.
“We lost a big receiver in Mark Ross, and they needed someone to fill the spot. There were a lot of young receivers with question marks coming into the season,” Scheuerman said. “At the next level, catching the ball, as well as running the ball, is what they look at. That’s what they like: someone who can be very versatile.”
And then there’s the next level: the NFL — the dream of every talented young player. It has become reachable for Scheuerman.
“It’s a great opportunity. Every NFL team has been in the building [at Lafayette] to see me, watch film [and] watch our practices” said Scheuerman, a surprising departure from his usual modest, team-first approach that included him understating he had “a pretty good season” this fall.
He’s playing on Jan. 18 in the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl in Carson, Calif., just outside of Los Angeles. The game will be aired on ESPN. Legendary NFL coaches Dick Vermeil and Denny Green will coach the two teams of draft-eligible college players.
“I’ll be playing against great [NCAA] IA players who are all showcasing their talent,” he said. “After this game [against Lehigh], I’ll take a week off and then it’s back to training.”
He said the focus will be lifting more than running, and power more than speed. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 in a summer combine, which started getting pro scouts’ attention. It carried over to this season.
“I’ll lift extremely hard. I need to get as strong as possible,” he said. “That’s the key on the next level.”
Scheuerman showed some of that during the college season as a tenacious blocker, as well as showing a knack for breaking tackles as consistently as he eluded tacklers.
While he drums himself into top physical shape, Scheuerman will complete his undergraduate work on schedule for the spring graduation with a bachelor’s degree in economics. It’s no surprise, as Lafayette has rated among the top five colleges in the country for graduation rates for its athletes.
And with the NFL’s emphasis on drafting the complete individual, it works in Scheuerman’s favor as much as his dual role as a pass receiver this fall.