Lum named Offensive POY; Lehigh places 16 on All-League teams
11/22/2011 3:53:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh senior quarterback Chris Lum re-wrote the Mountain Hawks single season record book in 2011 and after helping lead Lehigh to a 10-1 regular season he was recognized as the Patriot League' Offensive Player of the Year on Tuesday. Lum was also named the All-Patriot League first team quarterback for the second straight year, leading a list of 16 Mountain Hawks that earned All-League honors.
The Mountain Hawks' 16 selections were tops in the Patriot League and featured 11 first-team selections, which tied for the second most in league history. Lehigh established league records with nine first team offensive selections and ten offensive selections overall.
In eleven games this year, Lum has completed 67 percent of his passes for a school record 3,739 yards and a record-tying 31 touchdowns. A five-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week, Lum tied a school single-game record with six touchdown passes versus New Hampshire and set a personal career high with 413 passing yards in the win over Fordham. After leading the nation for most of the year, Lum currently ranks third in the nation in total offense, averaging 348.64 yards per game. Perhaps the most important stat for a quarterback and a team is wins, and Lum has done that, as he owns a 20-3 record as a starting quarterback over the last two years.
Lum is the first Mountain Hawk to be named Offensive Player of the Year since Josh Snyder in 2001. He is also one of 20 candidates for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top player in the FCS.
Both of Lum's top receiving targets, junior Ryan Spadola and senior Jake Drwal earned first team honors. Spadola set the Patriot League's single-season record with 1,462 yards to go along with 83 receptions and ten touchdowns en route to first team accolades for the second straight year. Drwal's performance was almost as impressive as the reliable senior caught 77 passes for 912 yards and nine scores. Despite suffering a season-ending injury in Lehigh's championship clinching win over Georgetown, junior Zach Barket earned first team honors at running back. Barket is Lehigh's leading rusher with 706 yards and four touchdowns, and added another five touchdowns on the receiving end. He rushed for 188 yards and totaled four touchdowns in a late October win at Colgate.
Both of Lehigh's top two tight ends were recognized with first-team laurels. Junior Jamel Haggins emerged as a threat in the middle of the field, with 221 receiving yards and a score, while senior Mark Wickware was named to the first team as a fullback/H-back as he caught 13 passes this year and was a reliable blocker in the run game.
Lehigh's offensive success would not have been possible without the work of the offensive line, and on Tuesday four Mountain Hawks earned All-League recognition including three who were named to the first team. Senior center Jim Libeler anchored the line and was joined on the first team by senior left tackle Troy McKenna and junior right tackle Mike Vuono. Versatile senior captain Keith Schauder was named to the second team after seeing time at four different positions on the line this year before settling in at right guard.Defensively, the Mountain Hawks have been as dominant late in the season as the offense was earlier in the year. Six Mountain Hawks earned All-League honors, with senior defensive lineman Ben Flizack and senior linebacker Mike Groome earning spots on the first team. Lehigh enters the playoffs ranked seventh nationally in rushing defense and ninth in the nation in scoring defense.
Groome, the preseason Defensive Player of the Year, makes his second straight appearance on the first team after once again leading Lehigh in tackles with 94. He also ranked second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss and added 1.5 sacks and four interceptions, which tied for the team lead.
Flizack earns first team honors after being named to the second team last year. He finished the regular season as Lehigh's leader in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (12) and topped all Lehigh defensive linemen with 36 tackles.Lehigh also placed four men on the second team defense: senior lineman Andrew Knapp, junior nose guard Sajjad Chagani and junior defensive backs Bryan Andrews and Billy O'Brien.
Knapp earns second team honors for the second straight year after finishing with 18 tackles, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Chagani won the starting nose guard spot and responded with 27 tackles, including four for loss and two sacks.
The Mountain Hawks broke in four new starters in the secondary and two of those men finished the regular season with All-League honors. Andrews firmly established himself as Lehigh's top cover corner, leading the team with eight pass breakups and tying Groome for the team lead with four interceptions. He picked off two passes against Georgetown, and ran the second one back 26 yards for a touchdown, which put Lehigh in control of the contest. O'Brien started all 11 games at strong safety for Lehigh, tying for second on the team with 47 tackles. He also recorded a sack and added an interception and two pass breakups.
Georgetown captured two of the other three remaining awards, with senior defensive lineman Andrew Schaetzke named Defensive Player of the Year and Kevin Kelly voted Coach of the Year. Lafayette running back/return specialist Ross Scheuerman was named Rookie of the Year.
After winning their tenth Patriot League football championship in 2011, No. 6/6 Lehigh earned a bye into the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The Mountain Hawks will travel to Maryland to face the Towson Tigers at Johnny Unitas Stadium on Saturday, December 3. Game time has yet to be announced by the NCAA.
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