Most people know by now that Lehigh’s game at Colgate on Saturday was delayed for an hour, and eventually permanently halted with about four minutes to play by a rare thunderstorm that hit upstate New York in November.
What many may not know, however, is that the Mountain Hawks were a bit delayed getting to Utica, New York, where the team always stays the night before a road game at Colgate.
“It was interesting,” Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill said. “One of the buses broke down on I-81 about 10 minutes from the Pennsylvania/New York border, and we all had to cram into two buses. But it was all fine.”
And that, in a nutshell, is how this special Mountain Hawks football season has gone. The team has had its share of obstacles but has found a way to overcome whatever gets in its way to post an 11-0 record and put itself on the cusp of a second straight Patriot League championship.
Of course, there’s one more major obstacle to go, and it will come on arguably the largest stage Lehigh Valley sports has to offer – the latest edition of college football’s most-played rivalry.
Lehigh travels to Lafayette for a 12:30 p.m. game Saturday for meeting No. 161 in the storied series between the area’s two Division I programs, and while it’s always special, it’s extra special this time because the winner gets a championship trophy and the automatic bid into the FCS playoffs.
The Leopards, who won the league crown two years ago, are much more formidable than the team Lehigh beat 38-14 last year a Goodman Stadium.
Lafayette, like Lehigh, is 6-0 in the league and 8-3 overall with only one of the three losses coming against another FCS program, Princeton, 38-28 on Sept. 27. The other two defeats were against FBS foes, Bowling Green and Oregon State.
Certainly, the Leopards have the attention of the Mountain Hawks with an offense that leads the league in scoring and total offense.
“It’s fun,” Cahill said. “This is why you come to Lehigh to play in a rivalry game like this. What they have done this season has been remarkable, and what we’ve done this season has been fun. The rivalry you want to be a part of and this year it has come down to this game for the Patriot League championship. I couldn’t think of anything better for the Lehigh Valley. I’m really proud of what we’ve done, and hats off to Coach [John] Troxell and his staff for what they have done.”
While the campuses, alumni, fans, and players will get all fired up as the buildup continues through the rest of the week, the mutual respect between the coaching staffs has become obvious.
On Tuesday at Lafayette’s weekly media availability, Troxell had nothing but great things to say about Cahill and the Lehigh staff, and on Wednesday at Lehigh’s weekly presser, Cahill returned serve.
“It’s hard to win football games, and what they have done has been tremendous, and we’re proud of what we’ve done,” Cahill said. “Their offense is really good, and it’s not just Kente Edwards, although he is really talented and he’s fun to watch. You know I won’t be excited to see him on Saturday, but he is fun to watch. But with them, it’s also their quarterback, their offensive line that has done a great job. Their offensive line has really jelled, and the quarterback [Dean DeNobil] has been in their system for several years now, and he puts the ball where it’s supposed to be and knows when to take a risk and not to take a risk. Plus, the receivers are extremely talented. If the ball is thrown to them, they’re going to make the play. So, they spread you thin with their offense, and it’s going to be a real good task for us defensively.”
Lehigh’s defense has been up to the task in every game this season, but especially down the stretch. Since winning a 44-30 shootout with Penn on Sept. 27, the Mountain Hawks have not allowed an opponent to score more than 13 points in a game, and in their last six games, they have allowed a total of 36 points.
They have surrendered just 12.3 points, 66.8 rushing yards, tops in FCS football, and 268.6 total yards per game.
Lehigh’s Matt Spatny and Tyler Ochojski have combined for 18 of the team’s 39 sacks. As a team, the Mountain Hawks have 75 tackles for loss, adding up to 349 yards. They have also intercepted 10 passes and recovered six fumbles, giving the team a plus-10 in turnover ratio.
Combine the defensive dominance with a potent ground game on offense that has rushed for 225.8 yards per game, and it’s easy to understand why Lehigh has had the ball for more than six minutes per game on average (33:19 to 26:41) and why they have been able to outscore teams 364-135.
Not since 2001 has Lehigh begun a season with an 11-0 mark, and not since has the program won 12 games in a season.
All of those stats and things like being ranked No. 4 in the country in both national FCS polls have meant little to a team that has been driven by its focus on the next play, the next drive, the next practice, and the next game.
They are not about to change their ways now, not with a championship within their grasp.
“This team has done such a good job of avoiding what everybody else is saying,” Cahill said. “They hear about the rankings. They hear about a lot of stuff. Everything is in their face. They can see people say how good we were supposed to be and how good we are and you just have to shut all of that and focus on what we can control. Can we have a great Wednesday practice? Can we have a great Thursday practice? Can we be great on Friday and then show up on Saturday and be the best version of Lehigh football we can be and win the game? That’s the goal and that’s what we want to do. And we play a great version of Lehigh football and lose, you tip your cap and say that’s a good ballclub over there and we know we’re going to get their best effort, too. Our kids are focused. They have been all year.”
