Bitter taste is all that's left for Lehigh
11/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Long after the crowd of 16,017 had left Goodman Stadium for their postgame tailgates and traffic jam late Saturday afternoon, Lehigh linebacker Anthony Graziani walked across the field one last time.
It was one of the toughest walks of Graziani's life.
The former Pen Argyl star had come back for a fifth year at Lehigh and had fought through injuries to have another stellar season that could result in another all-league selection. He was all over the field in making 12 tackles Saturday, including three for losses and two sacks.
But it wasn't supposed to end the way it did at Goodman Stadium, not with a heart-breaking, last-minute loss to
Graziani and the rest of the seniors had to deal with the finality of the situation Sunday. They had one last team meeting at about the same time ESPNews released the pairings for this year's I-AA field; a field that will include both Colgate and Lafayette from the Patriot League.
The fact that Lehigh (8-3, 4-2) won going away at Colgate, 50-34, on Oct. 29 and was one play away from beating the Leopards probably made the bad feelings a bit worse.
Coach Pete Lembo admitted, ''This is a tough day. Losing to
At the same time, he graciously congratulated the Leopards on their second straight I-AA berth.
''I'm certainly happy for them,'' he said. ''They beat us fair and square. They made the plays they needed to make. I'm sure their win over Richmond earlier in the season weighed heavily on the committee's decision, especially considering how well Richmond has played since then.''
Lembo was also happy for the league, which received two playoff spots for the second straight year, indicating that the Patriot League is gaining respect.
''Any time the league gets two berths, it's good for everybody,'' Lembo said. ''It shows the strength of the league and the credibility we're gaining.''
Still, the seven-team Patriot League hasn't risen to the level where three members are going to get berths. So, Lembo was not surprised or angry his team didn't get a call Sunday morning.
With no game next week to prepare for, Lembo and staff could begin plans for 2006.
But Lembo didn't want to do that without paying tribute to the seniors who made the 2005 season one of the most memorable of his eight seasons — five as head coach — at Lehigh.
''It was a super senior class,'' he said. ''We had 23, which was our largest in my time here and I am so appreciative of what they brought to the program for four years. They took advantage of their opportunities and developed into well-rounded young men who are well-prepared for the future.
''It was a diverse group. We had a strong local contingent, but also we had guys like Will Mitchell from
Lembo wishes they'd had one more good experience to take with them, but a roller-coaster ride of a game ended with
Most will focus on the 37-yard TD pass from Pat Davis to Jonathan Hurt on fourth-and-10 with 46 seconds left.
Lembo, however, knows that many other plays factored into the final outcome, including special teams miscues that cost his team 10 points, and the fact that Lehigh didn't score despite having three straight possessions that began at midfield or closer to start the game.
''It was a game we could look back on and point at a lot of things,'' he said. ''Although we had improved considerably in the secondary, we've had trouble defending long balls all year and to its credit, Lafayette kept trying to go deep and got one on that last play. And we've also had trouble with what I call our four-minute offense and that's the ability to run the ball when we absolutely need to run it.''
Had Lehigh, ranked 12th in the nation entering the game, been able to gain one or two first downs late,
But Sunday was not a time to wonder what might have been. It was a time to reflect on the good season 2005 was.
''To go up to Harvard and end the nation's longest win streak, to be the first Patriot League team to win at Colgate in four years, to overcome key injuries and tough losses to Delaware and Holy Cross. … this team still has a lot to feel good about,'' he said.
The days ahead may not be easy, especially as Lehigh reads about
''This is one of the most difficult days of my career,'' Lembo said. ''But we'll all get through it and come back even more determined. It's a shame we have to wait another 364 days to play
keith.groller@mcall.com
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This story originally appeared in the Monday, November 21 edition of The Morning Call. Used with permission.
