Archive For The “Villanova” Category
“It’s a game of inches,” head coach Andy Coen said after the Mountain Hawks had just fallen to nationally-ranked Villanova on a hot, humid, thick September evening. “I just told these two guys walking across the field here (senior LB Colton Caslow and junior WR Troy Pelletier), it really is a game of inches. We were this close to beating a very good football team.”
Indeed they were, even if, after a disappointing loss last week to Monmouth, many across the nation had written off Lehigh’s chances of an upset of the team ranked No. 19 in the FCS Coaches’ Poll.
Stung from a first half against Monmouth when they failed to score a single point, Lehigh battled hard in the first half and played “outstanding” Coen said, as the Mountain Hawks jumped to a 14-6 lead. After missing a field goal falling behind 20-14, Lehigh rallied to retake the lead, and after falling behind one last time, the defense forced a stop and handed the ball back to the offense, with a chance to win.
But it came down to one play – converting a challenging 4th and 10, and a big pitch-and-catch that ended up just short of the yardage necessary to keep the drive going.
Last week, it seemed to many fans for it to be nearly impossible for the Mountain Hawks to be able to compete with the No. 19 team in the nation. Instead, here was Lehigh, inches away, just short of sending the home fans to bed without victory cigars.
Not going to the game at the Main Line, and you want to know how to catch tonight’s game?
Never fear. LFN’s here.
Thanks to Villanova’s game notes and Brian Ewart and the gang over at VUHoops.com, which is the source of most of this research (and, of course, my years of expertise following Lehigh football.)
One last plug of the Q&A Brian did over at VUHoops.com with me, and some other good content from their site.
Of note: VU Hoops: 3 Things To Know About Lehigh
“In the pre-season, Lehigh’s offense was not only touted as high powered, but was generally considered the biggest strength of the team. Last week they seemed to be sleep walking early on against the Monmouth. In the first half, the offense was held to just 49 yards and no points. Despite a decent showing by their defense, the Hawks went into halftime down 7-0.
“However, in the second half, senior QB Nick Shafnisky lead the team to 190 yards and 3 TD’s. It turned out to be too little too late, but they could easily ride that momentum into week 2. Lehigh is a pass first team with lots of options at receiver and some talented tight ends, so Nova’s secondary will need to be on top of their game Saturday. They’re no Pitt, but if the Mountain Hawks offense is clicking, Villanova’s defense will have another tough test on their hands.
Lehigh fans’s reaction to the big task ahead of them this weekend seemed to echo what head coach Andy Coen said in this week’s Lehigh Football Report from LehighSports.com.
“Their defensive line. Holy Cow,” he said. “Their technique, their defensive end – ready for these numbers? He’s 295 lbs, 6’7, and he’s got an arm span that you can’t believe and he just wreacks havoc. It’s not just him. It’s a defensive philosophy that Villanova has had for the last 10, 12 years, and they’ve always played great defense.”
When look at Lehigh’s #NarrativeStreet this week, we can start there – the Mountain Hawks will be going up against “an FBS-level defense,” as Andy said.
Villanova is listed as No. 22 in the STATS Top 25 poll this week, and No. 19 in the Coaches’ poll. Lehigh, as has been the case since 2014, is unranked.
Additionally, since resuming play against the Wildcats in the modern era in 2004, Lehigh is 1-4 against Villanova.
So, simple matter for Lehigh to put the Monmouth loss behind them and kick off the rest of the 2016 football season with a win, right?
Not exactly.
That the Villanova game this Saturday will be a big challenge appears to be something head coach Andy Coen, junior OL Tim O’Hara and the rest of the Mountain Hawks are quite aware, but that doesn’t mean that anyone will be backing down.
“The message we’re going to have is don’t get on the bus unless you think you’re going to win the game,” Coen said. “So, we’re looking forward to it.”
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Villanova is listed as No. 22 in the STATS Top 25 poll this week, and No. 19 in the Coaches’ poll. Lehigh, as has been the case since 2014, is unranked.
Additionally, since resuming play against the Wildcats in the modern era in 2004, Lehigh is 1-4 against Villanova.
So, simple matter for Lehigh to put the Monmouth loss behind them and kick off the rest of the 2016 football season with a win, right?
Not exactly.
That the Villanova game this Saturday will be a big challenge appears to be something head coach Andy Coen, junior OL Tim O’Hara and the rest of the Mountain Hawks are quite aware, but that doesn’t mean that anyone will be backing down.
“The message we’re going to have is don’t get on the bus unless you think you’re going to win the game,” Coen said. “So, we’re looking forward to it.”
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As we hit the 92 day mark before the 2016 Lehigh football season officially starts, it’s time to take a look at the overall schedule – and opponents – the Mountain Hawks will be facing.
Every Lehigh football fan knows that their Rival of Rivals, Lafayette, is only 18 miles away from Bethlehem.
What fans may not know is that, by drawing a circle around Lehigh on Google Maps, you can surround seven of the Mountain Hawks eleven 2016 opponents. (The site NCAA Savant has an interactive, zoomable map that shows the schools quite clearly.)
The only FCS programs within the circle that Lehigh doesn’t play are Delaware, Wagner, and Columbia.
Lehigh will be hosting Monmouth, Bucknell, Fordham, and Princeton, all of whose fan bases are within two and a half hour’s drive, and will have “road trips” to Penn, Villanova, and Lafayette, which couldn’t be easier for Lehigh football fans.
However, if you wanted to earn frequent flyer miles supporting Lehigh football, you had better hope the Mountain Hawks make the FCS playoffs.
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(Photo Credit: The Oregonian)Even though Lehigh isn’t taking on any FBS teams this season, it’s not too early to take a look at the 2016 college football schedule and look at some of the games that pit FCS teams vs. FBS teams and look for potential ups…
If you’d like, you can check out my FCS Top 25 vote below.
The story of the week in James Madison after their loss to Richmond wasn’t the fact that College Football Gameday was there, nor was it about their big CAA conference loss, which took them out of the drivers’ seat for the CAA title and conference autobid.
It was the fact that their superstar quarterback, QB Vad Lee, sustained an injury that would require surgery and take him out for the remained of the season.
The play didn’t look like much. The Dukes, who were already down by two touchdowns, saw Lee simply try to make something happen on a routine 2 yard run left. A shoestring tackle by Richmond’s linebacker wasn’t particularly dirty, though in retrospect it looked like his foot was tackled awkwardly.
A play afterwards, Lee remained in, and collapsed after hucking a deep pass, and his incredible career at JMU was done.
Villanova 26, Lehigh 21 Postgame Thoughts: It’s Not How You Start, But How You Finish
By LFN |
I like winning.Who doesn’t?Admittedly, it is a bit of a selfish impulse on my part. It is always easier to recap a heroic made-for-TVesque Lehigh win than a loss. Narratives and nicknames flow like water when games have outcomes like that.N…
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