Lehigh University
Fordham
Lehigh rallies past Fordham in overtime
9/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Bronx, NY – Sixteenth ranked Lehigh and Fordham squared off in a battle for the top spot in the Patriot League standings and in the end, it was the four-time defending champion Mountain Hawks that had the upper leg. Junior Matt Douglas kicked a 46-yard field goal in overtime to send Lehigh to its seventh victory of the season with a 26-23 come-from-behind victory over the Rams. Lehigh improved its record to 7-2, 3-1 in the league, putting it in a three-way tie for first place in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks continue to control their own destiny as they continue to soar towards their fifth consecutive Patriot League title.
Douglas’s game winner followed a game-tying field goal with 35 seconds remaining in regulation that sent the Lehigh faithful into a frenzy. Lehigh began the scoring early when Douglas kicked the first of his four field goals from 24-yards out and the Mountain Hawks were on their way. Junior Chad Schwenk back at the quarterback helm scored Lehigh’s first touchdown of the day with a one-yard plunge that gave the Mountain Hawks a 10-3 lead. That was the last time that Lehigh would be ahead until Douglas’s dramatic kick in overtime.
Junior Jermaine Pugh went over 100 yards for the seventh game this season as he rushed for 156 yards, becoming just the ninth back in Lehigh history to go over the 1,000 yard mark for the season. He again received help from junior David Wilson who gained 48 yards on the ground and had a great day of blocking for Pugh and Chad Schwenk. Freshman receiver Aaron Argenta had the biggest day of his Lehigh career, as he caught six passes for 65 yards and one touchdown and was aided by junior Steve Hluschak had two huge catches in the fourth to keep the game-tying drive alive. Schwenk had a nice game as he threw for 124 yards on twelve completions, with one touchdown and looked comfortable returning to the lineup.
Matt Fordyce had three field goals for Fordham, but missed two crucial kicks late in the game. Once again the Lehigh defense was as stingy as ever as the Mountain Hawks shutout Fordham in the second half. Juniors Mike Taggart, Thomas McGeoy and Mike Gregorek were solid as they clogged up the middle and put pressure on the Rams quarterback, Kevin Eakin, all day long. But, the biggest stars of the day may have been the Lehigh secondary, playing minus an injured Matt Salvaterra, which kept Fordham’s air attack 187 yards under their season average of 278.
Lehigh returns to Goodman Stadium next week, as the Mountain Hawks will play host to Colgate in a game that will go a long way in deciding the league champion. Kickoff is set for 12:37. Only general admission tickets remain and Lehigh officials expect to approach a sellout. Tickets for the contest may be purchased by calling (610) 7LU-GAME.
Scoring
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
Lehigh | 10 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 26 |
Fordham | 10 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
Team Stats
Lehigh | Fordham | |
First Downs | 23 | 12 |
Yards Rushing | 204 | 152 |
Yards Passing | 124 | 95 |
Total Yards | 328 | 247 |
Penalties | 9-64 | 6-42 |
Time of Possession | 37:24 | 22:36 |
Passing
Player | Att-Cmp-Int | Yds | TD |
Chad Schwenk, Lehigh | 24-12-1 | 124 | 1 |
Kevin Eakin, Fordham | 20-10-1 | 95 | 1 |
Rushing
Player | Carries | Yards | TD |
Jermaine Pugh, Lehigh | 42 | 156 | 0 |
David Wilson, Lehigh | 9 | 48 | 0 |
Kirwin Watson, Fordham | 24 | 170 | 0 |
Receiving
Player | Catches | Yards | TD |
Aaron Argenta, Lehigh | 6 | 65 | 1 |
Mike Kelleher, Lehigh | 1 | 9 | 0 |
Steve Hlushak, Lehigh | 2 | 15 | 0 |
Alemayo White, Fordham | 2 | 35 | 0 |
Defensive
Player | Solo Tackles | Assisted Tackles | TFL | Int. | Sacks |
Sam Perryman, Lehigh | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Lawrence Williams, Lehigh | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Michael Taggart, Lehigh | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Dan McGrath, Fordham | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
