Lehigh University
No. 10 Delaware
Mountain Hawks fall in overtime in a classic, 34-33
9/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Lehigh won the coin toss in the extra session and deferred to the Blue Hens, who promptly scored on their second play, a 15-yard pass from quarterback Sonny Riccio to running back Omar Cuff. Lehigh then got the ball, and after converting on a huge fourth down play, senior running back Eric Rath dove across the goal line for a touchdown, but the extra point was no good and Lehigh fell to
“I’m proud of the effort our guys gave,” said Lehigh head coach Pete Lembo following the contest. “Our coaches put together a great game plan and had our team ready to play in this environment. We showed we could compete with one of the best teams in the country and in one of the toughest places to play. I haven’t been to
The Fightin’ Blue Hens responded on their opening drive of the second quarter. Riccio capped the 11-play, 54-yard drive with a 15-yard strike to Cuff to make the score 10-6 with 10:23 remaining in the opening half. Zach Hobby’s extra point attempt was no good, and the Mountain Hawks maintained a four point halftime edge.
Lehigh received the kickoff to start the second half. The Mountain Hawks methodically drove down the field, eating nearly four minutes off the clock. However, the
Lehigh was forced to punt, and a high, arcing kick from freshman Jason Leo placed
The Mountain Hawks drove to the UD 18 yard line, but a Lehigh fumble after a catch gave possession back to the Blue Hens. Once again, the Mountain Hawks’ defense stood strong, forcing a three-and-out. Lehigh senior Greg Petrosky returned the punt 43 yard, giving the Mountain Hawks possession at the UD 33 late in the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, Lehigh faced a third-and-goal from the 15 yard line. With the Mountain Hawks heading towards the hostile
The Mountain Hawks responded with a lengthy 61 yard drive of their own. Lehigh put a six-spot on the board on the sixth play of the drive when Eric Rath broke free on a second down and eight play, scampering 20 yards for a Lehigh TD. The Justin Musiek extra point gave Lehigh a 27-13 lead with 9:54 showing on the clock.
With 7:36 left, UD’s Omar Cuff rushed one yard for his third touchdown of the night, and the extra point cut Lehigh’s lead back to seven, at 27-20.
Riccio threw for 206 yards on the evening, while Cuff rushed 23 times for 103 yards and three scores. Rath finished with 77 yards on the ground for the Brown and White, and senior Greg Petrosky returned five kicks (punts and kick offs) for 60 yards. Senior captain Anthony Graziani recorded ten tackles for the game and fellow senior Royce Morgan seemed to be all over the field with five tackles and one sack.
Lehigh is off next week with a bye, and will return to action on September 24 when the Mountain Hawks travel south to take on Virginia Military Institute. Kick off is scheduled for 1:00 with all of the action broadcast live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM, as well as lehighsports.com.
Photos copyright 2005, Chris Christian.
EXTRA POINTS … Saturday’s sellout crowd was the largest crowd to watch a Lehigh football game since 35,322 saw the Mountain Hawks take on UConn in 2003 … The Lehigh-Delaware clash was named the I-AA Game of the Week earlier in the week by The Sports Network … There will be no media luncheon this week, due to the bye on September 17. The luncheon will resume on Wednesday, September 21 at Starters. Beginning with the luncheon prior to the
