Forum › Forum › Lehigh Sports › Lehigh Football › So where are we?? › Reply To: So where are we??
I think the expectation for next year should be a return to the playoffs. I won’t say a league championship/automatic bid because every league game can be a grind.
The pieces are in place on offense to have one of the most explosive units in FCS. The skill position talent is as good as the 2011 team, if not better imo. TP and Bragalone are the best RB/WR combo since Jean/Braswell in ’98. When you look at the depth at RB and WR it is scary good relative to the rest of the league and even nationally. QB will be interesting. Shafnisky has to be able to stretch the field. If he can’t then the offense will never fully take off.
Defense remains the wildcard. I can’t believe the staff remained as is after the worst defense I’ve seen since the 2005 Temple Owls(look up that points against). Even a decent defense next year could produce a Top 20 team. However, if the unit does not improve then something has to be done and the HC should take a lot of heat.
Lehigh has all the resources to be the best program in the league. Overall, it has been the last 25 or so years but recently there’s been some missed opportunities. The 2012 absolutely got robbed of a playoff bid. 2013 ended in bitter disappointment. Yet, it still produced some good moments, the win over UNH/Princeton and a Top 25 ranking for much of the year.
It is time to return to the playoffs and put together a run. Colgate got it done this year in surprising fashion. I said 3-4 years ago that when the dust settled from the transition to scholarships that Lehigh and Colgate would once against be the dominant programs. The right culture exists at those two schools for success over the long run.
I’ll be shocked if the Colgate and Lehigh aren’t picked 1-2 in the preseason poll given the coaching change in the Bronx. I think Lehigh will get some consideration for the Top 25 based on their offense alone. Next year will be very interesting for sure….
