Lehigh University
5-5 , 2-3
Bucknell
2-8 , 0-5
Lehigh's defense and ground game lead to win
11/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
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LEWISBURG,
Bucknell received the opening kick off and after gaining a first down in Lehigh territory, fumbled the ball on the very next play and junior linebacker Tim Diamond scooped it up and raced 58 yards for a touchdown putting the Mountain Hawks ahead 7-0 with 13:09 left on the first quarter clock.
“I liked the way the game started, I thought we came out with the intensity we needed to,” head coach Andy Coen said afterwards. “That touchdown from Timmy was exactly what we needed. It gave the whole team a real shot in the arm.”
The Mountain Hawk defense again came up big as they stuffed the Bison on a fourth-and-one giving Lehigh the ball at its 27-yard line. From there the Mountain Hawks executed a crisp 14-play drive that ended when Threatt scored from one-yard out to give the Brown and White a 14-point lead with 2:42 left in the quarter. That score made it three consecutive weeks that Threatt rushed for a touchdown since moving to his hybrid quarterback/wide receiver position. The two teams then exchanged fumbles on consecutive plays and as the clock expired Bucknell had the ball in Lehigh territory.
The Bison cashed in on the Lehigh turnover as Terrance Wilson scored on a four-yard rush to cut the Mountain Hawks lead in half with 12:24 left in the opening half. Bucknell made it a four-point game when Will Carney booted a 37-yard field goal with 2:31 left, giving the ball back to Lehigh with a chance to add to its lead just before intermission. The Mountain Hawks had their sights set on the end zone as they were executing their two-minute drill, but Chris Bokosky threw a late interception ending the Lehigh drive and sending the teams into halftime with the score 14-10 in favor of Lehigh.
Lehigh gained 123 yards in the opening half, including 36 on the ground by
The Bison gained 174 total yards led by
“I said to the kids at halftime when are we going to end the mistakes?” Cone questioned afterwards. “We were pretty straight-forward with them at halftime. I thought they did an excellent job of responding. That’s the type of effort and execution we have been looking for in that second half.”
After receiving the opening kickoff of the second half, Lehigh marched down the field and put together another solid drive that featured a steady diet of running in a variety of ways. The Mountain Hawks handed the ball off to
Lehigh got the ball back on Bucknell’s first punt of the afternoon and again executed a solid drive that mixed and matched the pass and the run. After Threatt gave a great second effort on a crucial fourth down play, the Mountain Hawks were whistled for holding, pushing them back ten yards. It did not matter however as Bokosky hit Fitzgerald on the very next play and the junior tip-toed his way down the sideline and dove into the end zone for his second score of the season. That made it a 28-10 game with 57 ticks left in the third quarter.
With 9:51 left in the game Lehigh all but sealed the win as Threatt completed the scoring hat trick with a brilliant play-action option roll out that resulted in a 29-yard touchdown and featured a series of jukes and stiff arms. That put the Mountain Hawks in front by 25 points.
Lehigh wound up with 382 yards of total offense, including the 238 on the ground. Bokosky threw for 136 yards on a 13-of-20 showing, with his favorite target being Fitzgerald who caught three passes for 37 yards. Junior Nick Johnson hauled in three passes as well in his return from injury, while Walker and Threatt both caught two passes. Bucknell finished the day with 182 yards, but only eight in the second half. Ryan Smith led the Bison with 32 yards rushing, while Bumpers picked up 23 yards on three carries.
Lehigh returns to action next weekend when the Mountain Hawks play host to archrival
EXTRA POINTS … Saturday’s game was one of only two Lehigh contests this season that was not televised … Bucknell honored its senior class prior to the game, which consisted of 15 players and three former players who now assist the program as student assistants … Jaren Walker enters the final week of the season as Lehigh’s leading rusher. If that stands following the Lafayette game, he will become the first true freshman to lead the Mountain Hawks in rushing since 1985 when Lee Blum led the Brown and White with 714 yards … Fitzgerald’s touchdown catch was the first for a Lehigh receiver since Fitzgerald caught a 15-yarder in the opening half versus Holy Cross … Threatt’s three rushing touchdowns were a career-high … with a win next weekend Lehigh will sew up its tenth consecutive winning season, which would tie the Patriot League record set by Colgate.
Team Stats
LEHIGH 7, BUCKNELL 0
LEHIGH - Diamond, Tim 58 yd fumble recovery (Leo, Jason kick)
LEHIGH 14, BUCKNELL 0
LEHIGH - Threatt, Sedale 1 yd run (Leo, Jason kick), 14 plays, 73 yards, TOP 6:22
LEHIGH 14, BUCKNELL 7
BUCKNELL - Wilson,Terrance 4 yd run (Carney, Will kick), 7 plays, 32 yards, TOP 2:54
LEHIGH 14, BUCKNELL 10
BUCKNELL - Carney, Will 37 yd field goal 14 plays, 57 yards, TOP 7:15
LEHIGH 21, BUCKNELL 10
LEHIGH - Threatt, Sedale 1 yd run (Leo, Jason kick), 15 plays, 77 yards, TOP 7:06
LEHIGH 28, BUCKNELL 10
LEHIGH - Fitzgerald, Mik 17 yd pass from Bokosky, Chris (Leo, Jason kick) 11 plays, 53 yards, TOP 5:04
LEHIGH 35, BUCKNELL 10
LEHIGH - Threatt, Sedale 29 yd run (Leo, Jason kick), 6 plays, 53 yards, TOP 3:38
LEHIGH 38, BUCKNELL 10
LEHIGH - Leo, Jason 33 yd field goal 9 plays, 29 yards, TOP 4:15
