Archive For The “Vad Lee” Category
It was still very much a game after the first quarter.
After James Madison took their opening drive and drove 72 yards in 8 plays to go up 7-0, Lehigh responded with a perfectly-executed pass from junior QB Nick Shafnisky to freshman RB Dominic Bragalone over the middle, where the speedy running back from South Williamsport, PA showed a burst of speed, outracing the entire James Madison secondary to tie the game at seven.
They absorbed the Dukes’ first wave of offense, and showed a sign that they might be able to get into a shootout with James Madison.
But in short order, the Dukes offense, pelting the Lehigh defense in waves, proved to be overwhelming.
Buoyed by 334 yards passing by QB Vad Lee, 286 yards rushing by a bevy of backs and a big special teams play converted into a touchdown, the Dukes scored 31 unanswered points in about a 14 minute span in the second quarter to overwhelm the Mountain Hawks.
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It was still very much a game after the first quarter.
After James Madison took their opening drive and drove 72 yards in 8 plays to go up 7-0, Lehigh responded with a perfectly-executed pass from junior QB Nick Shafnisky to freshman RB Dominic Bragalone over the middle, where the speedy running back from South Williamsport, PA showed a burst of speed, outracing the entire James Madison secondary to tie the game at seven.
They absorbed the Dukes’ first wave of offense, and showed a sign that they might be able to get into a shootout with James Madison.
But in short order, the Dukes offense, pelting the Lehigh defense in waves, proved to be overwhelming.
Buoyed by 334 yards passing by QB Vad Lee, 286 yards rushing by a bevy of backs and a big special teams play converted into a touchdown, the Dukes scored 31 unanswered points in about a 14 minute span in the second quarter to overwhelm the Mountain Hawks.
Read more »
We break down the James Madison game – and we give our fearless prediction, below the flip.
This will be the Dukes’ second game of the season, after last week’s shellacking of non-scholarship Morehead State, 56-7.
They never really took their foot off the gas.
The Dukes racked up a school-record 713 yards against the hapless Eagles, including three position players rushing for over 100 yards. Morehead State only turned over the ball twice, but the frenetic-pace-of-play Dukes still managed to execute 90 plays on offense and probably could have gotten up to 100 plays had they not relented just a little in the 4th quarter.
It’s not enough for Lehigh to hold James Madison to less than 713 yards in order to have a chance. They’ll need to do more.
In a typical Lehigh football season, there is one early “stretch game” that tests the Mountain Hawks in regards to their potential stature in thw wider FCS world.
There’s little question that Lehigh’s trip to Harrisonburg, Virginia is going to be that test.
Last year, first year head coach Everett Withers guided the Dukes, whose fan base expects FCS playoff appearances and deep playoff runs, probably exceeded expectations, going 9-4 and making the playoffs in his first year as James Madison head coach.
In 2015, the Dukes will be in an unfamiliar place – living up to the expectations.
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It’s no secret I don’t take losses well.
Despite the fact that I picked JMU to win, and logically, I saw the task of beating JMU as a tough one for these young Mountain Hawks, starting over a dozen new names, emotionally I can’t separate the logical and emotional sides of my brain very well. When the Lehigh offense was driving down the field with about a minute to play, I saw the win at the end of tunnel of light.
It would have made my day, given me a rush of adrenaline that would have carried me through the day, and perhaps a good chunk of the week.
But it didn’t happen. The adrenal rush never happened. I drove home, the loss not sitting well with the Chinese food we ate, nor the breakfast I ate. The food didn’t taste good. The tiredness took over.
Something funny happened, though, on the way to next week.
A spark of “faith” that after one game, things might be OK.
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It could be that a bolt of lightning, which hit ground supposedly eight miles from Murray Goodman stadium, helped short out a possible Lehigh victory.
Going into halftime, all the electricity was on Lehigh’s side.
Sophomore CB Brandon Leaks unleashed a powerful hit on scrambling JMU QB Vad Lee, stopping him a yard short of the end-zone pylon and giving Lehigh a 21-10 lead going into halftime.
Momentum was all Lehigh in an incredible first half for the Mountain Hawks.-
Before that lightning came down, that is.
The strike – if there actually was a strike, because I didn’t see or hear it – caused a half-hour delay at halftime, despite nothing but blue skies with some clouds at Murray Goodman stadium.
But the lightning gave James Madison, gathering under a tree right before the second half began, the power surge they needed to earn the victory.
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| JMU S Dean Marlowe (AP) |
We break down the James Madison game and we give our fearless prediction below the flip.
The Dukes have only met Lehigh twice in their history. One time was the “7th-and-goal” game in the I-AA playoffs.
The other was back in 1980, during one of the more stellar Engineer football seasons under head coach John Whitehead.
The Brown and White played a tough schedule, including Colgate, Army, and five teams that would, at one point, end up in the CAA: Delaware, Maine, Rhode Island, Northeastern, and, of course, JMU.
Lehigh went 9-0-2 that regular season, thanks to the efforts of WR Mark Yeager, one of the best wideouts in the small-college circuit. The ties came against Colgate and Army, which meant the Engineers would win the Lambert Cup with ease. They’d lose in the I-AA playoffs to Eastern Kentucky, coached by hall-of-famer Roy Kidd.
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(Photo Credit: AP)
What’s in a game?
You’re a typical Lehigh fan. You know Lehigh is playing James Madison next weekend. You know that the Dukes have been a pretty good football team over the years. After reading this fantastic Lehigh blog you found, you learned of that national championship they won with QB Justin Rascati, after that championship run that started with converting that 7th-and-goal against the Mountain Hawks in the playoffs.
But then you read a recap of James Madison’s game last weekend against Maryland, and then you don’t know what to think.
The Terps are a FBS team, playing their very first game as a member of the Big 10 against the Dukes, coasted to a 45-0 lead against James Madison and were never really threatened. You read about mistakes, penalties, scoring only in garbage time. You might have caught some of the BTN broadcast, showing a sullen QB Vad Lee angry at himself after his second interception.
What’s in that game? Does it mean anything, in the grand scheme of things, in regards to Lehigh’s chances this Saturday?
Read more »
(Photo Credit: AP)
What’s in a game?
You’re a typical Lehigh fan. You know Lehigh is playing James Madison next weekend. You know that the Dukes have been a pretty good football team over the years. After reading this fantastic Lehigh blog you found, you learned of that national championship they won with QB Justin Rascati, after that championship run that started with converting that 7th-and-goal against the Mountain Hawks in the playoffs.
But then you read a recap of James Madison’s game last weekend against Maryland, and then you don’t know what to think.
The Terps are a FBS team, playing their very first game as a member of the Big 10 against the Dukes, coasted to a 45-0 lead against James Madison and were never really threatened. You read about mistakes, penalties, scoring only in garbage time. You might have caught some of the BTN broadcast, showing a sullen QB Vad Lee angry at himself after his second interception.
What’s in that game? Does it mean anything, in the grand scheme of things, in regards to Lehigh’s chances this Saturday?
Read more »
(Photo Credit: AP)
What’s in a game?
You’re a typical Lehigh fan. You know Lehigh is playing James Madison next weekend. You know that the Dukes have been a pretty good football team over the years. After reading this fantastic Lehigh blog you found, you learned of that national championship they won with QB Justin Rascati, after that championship run that started with converting that 7th-and-goal against the Mountain Hawks in the playoffs.
But then you read a recap of James Madison’s game last weekend against Maryland, and then you don’t know what to think.
The Terps are a FBS team, playing their very first game as a member of the Big 10 against the Dukes, coasted to a 45-0 lead against James Madison and were never really threatened. You read about mistakes, penalties, scoring only in garbage time. You might have caught some of the BTN broadcast, showing a sullen QB Vad Lee angry at himself after his second interception.
What’s in that game? Does it mean anything, in the grand scheme of things, in regards to Lehigh’s chances this Saturday?
Read more »
