Saturday, April 23
11:00 AM
Lehigh University
vs
Brown and White Spring Game
Annual Brown and White Spring Game set for Saturday
4/21/2016 2:33:00 PM | Football
Spring Prospectus
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the first time since its 49-35 win over rival Lafayette in November, the Lehigh football team returns to Goodman Stadium on Saturday for the annual Brown and White Spring Game. Admission is free for the game, which begins at 11 a.m. as Saturday's event will mark the 14th practice date of Lehigh's 15 practice spring segment.
While roster caps and injuries have limited Lehigh's participation numbers throughout the spring segment, 11th-year head coach Andy Coen has been pleased with the progress, especially defensively, in the spring.
"Our defense has really improved, not necessarily in the big picture but little things I've noticed," Coen explained. "The few times we've tackled, we tackled very well. We won't have an opportunity to do that again until August but that was something we really needed to improve upon. Our zone pass coverage has really improved as well. A lot of that is due to some of the different schemes we're utilizing. From a defensive standpoint I'm pleased with where we're at."
Offensively, the Mountain Hawks have been progressing well with rising senior Nick Shafnisky playing well and sophomore Brad Mayes continuing to improve with increased reps as the spring segment has progressed.
The offensive and defensive lines have been among the hardest hit by injuries in the spring but Coen has been encouraged by the emergence of lesser-experienced players on both units.
"He was such a great player and our scout team MVP last season but Harrison Kaufman has been impressive," Coen said. "His motor doesn't stop at all. He's definitely a guy that has really stepped up for us and that's going to continue. He got bigger and stronger and just loves it.
"Offensively, Micah Tennant made huge strides and we need him to step up and play guard for us," Coen continued. "He has really improved so that will be a big help there."
Coen also cited rising sophomore safety Sam McCloskey as someone who has gained confidence with more experience. He has also been impressed with the work of tight ends Zach Bucklin and Drew Paulsen.
One of the hot button topics in college football this spring has been the amount of contact at practice. Coen notes the importance of doing some tackling in practices but also has also been focused on drilling proper techniques.
"We never had a full practice that was all tackling," Coen said. "I picked about three practices where he had at times, full contact. We never put ourselves in a situation where we were doing too much. I do believe if you want to get good at these things, you have to practice them. We purchased some of those big donuts. That really helped us. We've been using a lot of the techniques that the Seattle Seahawks have utilized over the last couple of years, and those techniques have been very productive for us.
We're getting a lot better with our technique and are coaches are doing a great job of staying on top of our kids regarding technique."
Saturday's spring game will not feature full tackling, a trend that has become common on college football. While the tackling will be limited, Coen notes the importance of being back out in Goodman Stadium in a competitive atmosphere, while the Mountain Hawks look to re-enforce many of the goals they set at the start of their spring segment.
"It's important for our guys to have that hunger to be back out there," Coen said. "It will probably take a lot of the vibe away from them because we're not going to tackle, but that's become the new norm now. If we had more bodies it would be different.
"The one thing we really want to do is protect the football offensively, in particularly, fumbles," he continued. "We've been very good with that in practice. We've thrown some interceptions, but that's going to happen when you throw the ball as much as we do. When this game is over I want to make sure we don't have any fumbles. That's real important. We've done very little in the kicking game but we're trying to find a couple guys who can work on long snapping. Harrison Kauffman and Mike Baur are guys who can do that now."
Lehigh will use its 15th and final spring date on Monday for a film review of the spring game and a team lift.
Saturday's event gets underway at 11 a.m. from Goodman Stadium and admission is free. Due to technical issues Lehigh will be unable to stream video of the Brown and White spring game on the Patriot League Network on Saturday. Spring game updates will be available on Twitter @LehighFootball while a recap and video from the game will be available later Saturday on Lehighsports.com.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the first time since its 49-35 win over rival Lafayette in November, the Lehigh football team returns to Goodman Stadium on Saturday for the annual Brown and White Spring Game. Admission is free for the game, which begins at 11 a.m. as Saturday's event will mark the 14th practice date of Lehigh's 15 practice spring segment.
While roster caps and injuries have limited Lehigh's participation numbers throughout the spring segment, 11th-year head coach Andy Coen has been pleased with the progress, especially defensively, in the spring.
"Our defense has really improved, not necessarily in the big picture but little things I've noticed," Coen explained. "The few times we've tackled, we tackled very well. We won't have an opportunity to do that again until August but that was something we really needed to improve upon. Our zone pass coverage has really improved as well. A lot of that is due to some of the different schemes we're utilizing. From a defensive standpoint I'm pleased with where we're at."
Offensively, the Mountain Hawks have been progressing well with rising senior Nick Shafnisky playing well and sophomore Brad Mayes continuing to improve with increased reps as the spring segment has progressed.
The offensive and defensive lines have been among the hardest hit by injuries in the spring but Coen has been encouraged by the emergence of lesser-experienced players on both units.
"He was such a great player and our scout team MVP last season but Harrison Kaufman has been impressive," Coen said. "His motor doesn't stop at all. He's definitely a guy that has really stepped up for us and that's going to continue. He got bigger and stronger and just loves it.
"Offensively, Micah Tennant made huge strides and we need him to step up and play guard for us," Coen continued. "He has really improved so that will be a big help there."
Coen also cited rising sophomore safety Sam McCloskey as someone who has gained confidence with more experience. He has also been impressed with the work of tight ends Zach Bucklin and Drew Paulsen.
One of the hot button topics in college football this spring has been the amount of contact at practice. Coen notes the importance of doing some tackling in practices but also has also been focused on drilling proper techniques.
"We never had a full practice that was all tackling," Coen said. "I picked about three practices where he had at times, full contact. We never put ourselves in a situation where we were doing too much. I do believe if you want to get good at these things, you have to practice them. We purchased some of those big donuts. That really helped us. We've been using a lot of the techniques that the Seattle Seahawks have utilized over the last couple of years, and those techniques have been very productive for us.
We're getting a lot better with our technique and are coaches are doing a great job of staying on top of our kids regarding technique."
Saturday's spring game will not feature full tackling, a trend that has become common on college football. While the tackling will be limited, Coen notes the importance of being back out in Goodman Stadium in a competitive atmosphere, while the Mountain Hawks look to re-enforce many of the goals they set at the start of their spring segment.
"It's important for our guys to have that hunger to be back out there," Coen said. "It will probably take a lot of the vibe away from them because we're not going to tackle, but that's become the new norm now. If we had more bodies it would be different.
"The one thing we really want to do is protect the football offensively, in particularly, fumbles," he continued. "We've been very good with that in practice. We've thrown some interceptions, but that's going to happen when you throw the ball as much as we do. When this game is over I want to make sure we don't have any fumbles. That's real important. We've done very little in the kicking game but we're trying to find a couple guys who can work on long snapping. Harrison Kauffman and Mike Baur are guys who can do that now."
Lehigh will use its 15th and final spring date on Monday for a film review of the spring game and a team lift.
Saturday's event gets underway at 11 a.m. from Goodman Stadium and admission is free. Due to technical issues Lehigh will be unable to stream video of the Brown and White spring game on the Patriot League Network on Saturday. Spring game updates will be available on Twitter @LehighFootball while a recap and video from the game will be available later Saturday on Lehighsports.com.
Players Mentioned
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