Lehigh University Athletics
No. 8 Villanova visits No. 22 Lehigh on Saturday
9/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
No. 22 Lehigh welcomes the No. 8 Villanova Wildcats to Goodman Stadium in a match-up of two nationally ranked teams. Both squads struggled at times in their respective season openers last week, but both earned victories. Lehigh overcame a sluggish first half to roll past Stony Brook 25-2, while the Wildcats built a 20-0 fourth quarter lead and hung on to top Bucknell. In addition, both are trying to bolster their standing on the national scene. Lehigh and Villanova each narrowly missed out on at-large playoff berths in the 2003 season. The Mountain Hawks held the Seawolves ground game in check, as Stony Brook posted -30 yards rushing on the ground. The Lehigh secondary also came up big, forcing five interceptions on the afternoon. Offensively, Eric Rath led the Lehigh charge in his return to the lineup, rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown. Villanova enters Goodman Stadium with a 1-0 record in 2004 after downing Patriot League foe Bucknell in week one. The Wildcats return 31 letterwinners and nine All-Atlantic-10 performers from a 2003 team that, like Lehigh, narrowly missed an at-large berth in the NCAA playoffs. Villanova was ranked as high as No. 2 nationally during the 2003 campaign. Lehigh leads the all-time series between these two schools, four games to two, though they have not met since 1927. The Wildcats have won the last two meetings (1925, 1927), with both wins coming via shutout. The series began with a convincing 71-0 Lehigh victory in 1903. That game was played in Saturday’s game kicks off at 1:00 from Goodman Stadium. Tickets are still available, and may be purchased by calling (610) 7LU-GAME, or by visiting the ticket page on the Lehigh web site. The game can be seen on Service Electric 2 Sports and FSN Pittsburgh. It can be heard live in the Date: September 11, 2004 Opponent: No. 8 Villanova Wildcats Kickoff: 1:07 pm Stadium: Goodman Stadium/16,000/Natural Grass Location: Tickets: Tickets are still available by calling (610) 7LU-GAME or clicking on the link above Lehigh’s Record: 1-0 overall, 0-0 Patriot League Villanova’s Record: 1-0 overall, 0-0 Series: Lehigh leads, 4-2 Television: Service Electric 2 Sports, FSN Pittsburgh, DirecTV channel 628 Radio: ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM with Matt Kerr and Kody Fedorcha at noon Internet Broadcast: www.lehighsports.com Weekly Luncheon: Luncheons are held the Wednesday prior to each game at Starter’s Restaurant on Rte. 378 in Game Notes: Key Stats: • Through the first week of play, the Lehigh defense is tops in the Patriot League in fewest points allowed (two), fewest yards rushing allowed (-30), and fewest yards per play allowed (3.0). • The Wildcats were 4-2 away from Villanova Stadium in 2003, including a victory over Division I-A Temple. • The last common opponents these two teams shared were Colgate and Fordham in 2002. The Wildcats were 2-0 against the pair, while Lehigh was 1-1. • Villanova is 13-0 against the Patriot League since 1990. • Lehigh has the best winning percentage (83.56%) of any I-AA school over the last six seasons. Behind Enemy Lines:
