Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks enter final week of spring practice
4/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
– With the annual Brown & White spring game just over a week away, the Lehigh football team has stepped up its intensity a notch as the final week of practice begins. The Mountain Hawks will take to the Whitehead Practice Fields five more times beginning Friday prior to the yearly event inside Goodman Stadium. The Lehigh defense has started to gel, and things have been looking up for the defensive unit. The group has really come together under first year defensive coordinator Shannon Morrison in the last week or so. In particular, seniors Kaloma Cardwell and Karrie Ford have stepped up at safety and have been impressive in the secondary. “The defense has done a nice job running to the ball and pressuring the quarterback,” said Lehigh head coach Pete Lembo, into his fourth spring camp as the team’s on-field leader. “You can see the guys are really starting to grasp Coach Morrison’s message.” Meanwhile, the offense has been working on several things, in particular emphasizing third down situations. The running game has been making progress this spring as well. The group has been working on the run and the pass on an alternating, every-other-practice basis. Today’s schedule calls for stressing the passing game. The Lehigh special teams unit has been keeping busy as well, paying special attention to the kick returns. The coaches believe that the extra work here will pay off in the fall. The group has also been focusing on the kicking game. “Our punt protection has improved significantly over the last few practices,” Lembo suggests. “We need to improve our consistency on our P.A.T. (point after touchdown) unit.” On the injury front, Lehigh is in relatively good shape. Sophomore Eric Rath strained his knee in practice last week, and is likely done for the spring. Senior tight end Adam Bergen has a sore neck. While he has missed the last couple of practices, he should return soon. Meantime, with Lehigh will scrimmage again on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks will use that time to work on goal line situations, short yardage scenarios, and overtime settings. The team has three practices next week – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – prior to the spring game on April 17. The mid-week practices are open to the public and will take place at The yearly Brown & White contest will take place on the 17th at
