Graziani honored as Lehigh moves into top ten
11/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Bethlehem, PA - Lehigh senior linebacker Anthony Graziani was named the Patriot League’s Defensive Player of the Week after his performance in Saturday’s league win over the nationally ranked Colgate Raiders. Graziani made a career-high 18 tackles and was part of the group that held last year’s Payton Award winner, Jamaal Branch, to only 29 rushing yards. Graziani, a local product from Pen Argyl, leads Lehigh with 66 tackles on the year, and his interception against Colgate, one of three for Lehigh on the day, was his second of 2004. He also has 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Branch, who had been averaging nearly 4.4 yards per carry and 125 yards per contest this season, needed 16 carries to gain his 29 yards, for an average of only 1.8 yards per carry. For his part in the team’s outstanding defensive play, Graziani was also named a I-AA.org all-star this week. The win over a ranked opponent pushed Lehigh into the top ten in a major survey for the first time since the 2002 campaign. In the latest Sports Network poll, Lehigh jumped from No. 12 to No. 9, and in the ESPN/USA Today survey, Lehigh moved from No. 13 to No. 12 nationally. Lehigh (7-1 overall, 3-0 Patriot) returns to the gridiron on Saturday, when the Mountain Hawks visit Team 1. Southern 2. 3. Furman 4. 5. 6. 7. James Madison 8. 9. Lehigh 10. 11. Cal Pol 12. Wofford 13. William & Mary 14. 15. 16. Harvard 17. 18. Stephen F. Austin 19. Villanova 20. Penn 21. 22. Northwestern State 23. UC Davis 24. Colgate 25. Team 1. Southern 2. 3. Furman 4. 5. 6. 7. James Madison 8. 9. 10. Wofford 11. Cal Poly 12. Lehigh 13. William & Mary 14. 15. Harvard 16t. Stephen F. Austin 16t. 18. 19. Penn 20. Villanova 21. 22. Northwestern State 23. UC Davis 24. 25. ColgateSports Network Top 25
ESPN/USA Today Top 25
