Lehigh University Athletics
Graziani visit to Harvard an enjoyable one
10/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Express-Times
Walking into Harvard Stadium to pound out a convincing victory did a lot more than give
That big-game battering the Mountain Hawks put on Harvard solidified them as one of the top I-AA teams in the nation -- both in their minds and in others.
"It seems like it's been a long time since we won a big game," Lehigh linebacker Anthony Graziani said after Lehigh crushed Crimson's 13-game winning streak with Saturday's 49-24 thumping. "This was a big game. They had the winning streak going. We were able to come up here and play our type of game."
The Mountain Hawks had to at least wonder if they were still capable of that when the moments matter most. They lost at
They lost by a point to eventual national champion James Madison in the first round of last year's NCAA playoffs. And they lost by a point in overtime at unbeaten
That's 0-for-3 in Lehigh's last three big-game settings. So a win at No. 15 Harvard was instrumental in removing any big-game doubt that may have been creeping into the minds of the Mountain Hawks.
Sure, Lehigh was ranked higher in the national polls -- the Mountain Hawks entered Saturday at No. 11 in The Sports Network ratings and at No. 14 in the ESPN/USA Today poll while Harvard was ranked 15th in both.
But Harvard was unbeaten in 10 games last season to win the Ivy League, which doesn't participate in the NCAA playoffs, and won their first two games of this season. Then Graziano and Lehigh came to town and created all kinds of problems for the Crimson.
"This is a good win," Lehigh coach Pete Lembo said. "We have a tendency to not enjoy wins like this as much as we should."
Maybe because big moments have been lacking lately at Lehigh. A 21-14 victory over then-defending Patriot League champion Colgate in last season's eighth game was the last time Lehigh showed up big on the national stage.
Funny, but Lehigh's defense bottled up Colgate's Walter Payton Award winning-running back
Jamaal Branch in that game -- the same way it held Harvard's NCAA rushing leader Clifton Dawson to 59 yards on 15 carries Saturday.
And Graziani, a fifth-year senior and Lehigh quad-captain from
Against Harvard, he helped win a big game with big plays.
Graziani got started early, recording a sack of talented Harvard quarterback Liam O'Hagan on the second Crimson possession.
Later in the first quarter, Graziani picked off an O'Hagan pass in the end zone to protect Lehigh's 7-0 lead. Graziani later snagged another interception and broke loose for a second sack.
He finished with six tackles and led a Lehigh defensive charge that harassed Harvard and had Crimson coach Tim Murphy wondering whether or not to replace O'Hagan with Richard Irvin as the starting quarterback.
"He seems to step up and make plays in the biggest games," Lembo said of his star middle linebacker, who has been battling through an assortment of injuries. "That goes back to the character of the kid and the things we saw in him when we recruited him. The other thing he did well (Saturday) is he stayed focused and he didn't press, played very collected. He's playing at less than 100 percent."
Still, Graziani's aches were soothed for the moment by a big win.
"It feels great," Graziani said of Saturday's performance.
Especially when it brings back a feeling of confidence.
This story appeared in the Monday, October 3 edition of The Express-Times. Used with permission.
