Lehigh University
Holy Cross
Mountain Hawks run over Crusaders
9/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Worcester, MA – Lehigh survived cold and rainy conditions to improve to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the Patriot League with a convincing 21-12 victory over Holy Cross, the Mountain Hawks sixth straight victory over the Crusaders. Coupled with Colgate’s 9-7 win over Towson, Lehigh now once again controls its own destiny as it bids for a fifth straight Patriot League title.
The 17th ranked team in the country was once again led by their outstanding running back, junior Jermaine Pugh, who rushed 20 times for 144 yards and one touchdown. Pugh has been the most consistent offensive weapon for Lehigh this year, but he continued to receive help from junior David Wilson and freshman Eric Rath. The Brown and White’s ground game accumulated over 200 yards total, making sophomore Kyle Keating’s job at quarterback that much easier.
Lehigh jumped on Holy Cross early in the first quarter when senior co-captain Matt Salvaterra blocked a punt, and Trevor Micklos recovered for the score. Lehigh then went to their ground game to preserve the lead in the awful weather conditions, and that strategy seemed to work very well. The Mountain Hawks surprised everyone in the stadium however, when Keating hit freshman Aaron Argenta with a beautiful 28-yard fade for the score and a 14-0 lead.
Holy Cross did make an attempt at a comeback, pulling to within 21-12, but junior Lawrence Williams, as he did at Buffalo, made a late interception sealing the victory. Lehigh received several solid contributions, including Thomas McGeoy who had eight tackles, including several big stops on Holy Cross’s running back, Gidedon Akande. Michael Cloud had a big game from his defensive end position with four tackles, including three for a loss and one sack. Eric Rath again played well rushing for 13 yards, catching one pass and returning two kicks for 59 yards. Kyle Keating was very relaxed, even though he had to deal with the rain and mud all day long. He finished with 63 yards passing, one touchdown and no interceptions.
"Under very difficult circumstances, I am proud of the way our guys competed,", head coach Pete Lembo said. "Our defense gave the offense excellent field position, especially in the first half and we were able to capitalize with some big plays."
Lehigh looks for its third straight win next week, when the Mountain Hawks travel to the Bronx to tangle with Fordham. Kickoff is set for 12:37 from Jack Coffey Field.
Scoring
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Lehigh | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Holy Cross | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
Team Stats
Lehigh | Holy Cross | |
First Downs | 13 | 19 |
Yards Rushing | 202 | 198 |
Yards Passing | 63 | 123 |
Total Yards | 265 | 321 |
Penalties | 7-65 | 4-30 |
Time of Possession | 30:45 | 29:15 |
Passing
Player | Att-Cmp-Int | Yds | TD |
Kyle Keating, Lehigh | 10-4-0 | 63 | 1 |
Brian Hall, Holy Cross | 29-15-1 | 123 | 1 |
Rushing
Player | Carries | Yards | TD |
Jermaine Pugh, Lehigh | 20 | 144 | 1 |
David Wilson, Lehigh | 15 | 58 | 0 |
Gideon Akande, Holy Cross | 22 | 122 | 0 |
Receiving
Player | Catches | Yards | TD |
Aaron Argenta, Lehigh | 1 | 28 | 1 |
Eric Rath, Lehigh | 1 | 14 | 0 |
Adam Bergen, Lehigh | 1 | 13 | 0 |
Ari Confesor, Holy Cross | 4 | 25 | 1 |
Defensive
Player | Solo Tackles | Assisted Tackles | TFL | Int. | Sacks |
Thomas McGeoy, Lehigh | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Lawrence Williams, Lehigh | 6 | 2 | .5 | 1 | 0 |
Michael Cloud, Lehigh | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
David Dugan, Holy Cross | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
