Mountain Hawks set to visit NDSU in FCS Quarterfinals Saturday

12/6/2011 5:37:00 PM | Football

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh looks to advance to the FCS semifinals for the first time since 1980 as the Mountain Hawks meet No. 2 national seed North Dakota State Saturday inside the Fargodome. The Mountain Hawks racked up 482 yards of total offense in their second round playoff game at Towson, but it was a safety by junior Tom Bianchi with 5:14 to play that propelled Lehigh to a 40-38 victory.
 
North Dakota State defeated James Madison 26-14 in its playoff opener on Saturday. The Bison were ranked No. 1 in the FCS earlier in the season and own a win over FBS member Minnesota. The winner of Saturday's game will face the winner of the Georgia Southern-Maine game in the semifinals next week.
 
On a day where both offenses were dominant, Lehigh junior Tom Bianchi delivered Lehigh the go-ahead points in last weekend's win at Towson. With the game tied at 38 in the fourth quarter, Bianchi sacked Tiger quarterback Grant Enders in the end zone for a safety, which put the Mountain Hawks up 40-38. Bianchi finished with two tackles, and the safety, which was the first for Lehigh since September 15, 2007 at Princeton. The North Caldwell, N.J. native now has 21 tackles and 3.5 sacks on the season.
 
Lost in Lehigh's win at Towson was the effectiveness of sophomore Tim Divers in both punting and placekicking. Divers was a perfect 5-for-5 on extra point attempts and booted a 22-yard field goal on Lehigh's first possession of the game. He also made the most of his two punting opportunities, placing both inside the 20. His second punt pinned Towson at its nine yard line and led to Tom Bianchi's safety two plays later. A three-time Patriot League Special Teams Player of Week, Divers is tied for the team lead in scoring with 70 points. He is 11-for-17 on field goals and 37-for-41 on extra points. He is averaging close to 37 yards per punt and has had only 15 of his 44 punts returned.
 
While Lehigh has played its last two games without injured tailback Zach Barket, the other Zach in Lehigh's backfield has picked up his game. Sophomore fullback Zach Hayden had four receptions for 39 yards in the win over Towson including a career-long 14 yard reception as part of Lehigh's 99-yard second quarter touchdown drive and helped clinch the Mountain Hawks' victory with a ten yard reception from Chris Lum on 4th-and-3 in the final minute. In addition, Hayden made two tackles on special teams, including a key stop on a Towson fake punt on the game's opening drive. For the season Hayden has eight receptions for 62 yards and two touchdowns and has made eight tackles as well.
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North Dakota State captured the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship and automatic NCAA playoff berth with a 7-1 conference record to go along with its 11-1 overall mark. The Bison tied Northern Iowa for the MVFC title but defeated the Panthers 27-19 in their head-to-head meeting. North Dakota' State opened its season with a 42-6 rout of Lehigh's arch rival, Lafayette, while the Bison also downed FBS member Minnesota 37-24 in Minneapolis on September 24. NDSU's only loss was a 27-24 home setback to Youngstown State on November 12.
 
Last week the Bison downed James Madison 26-14 in the second round of the playoffs behind 154 rushing yards and a touchdown from tailback D.J. McNorton. McNorton and Sam Ojuri have combined for 1,677 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. North Dakota State boasts an especially tough defense that ranks second nationally, allowing just under 15 points per game. Three of NDSU's All-MVFC first team selections were on defense: defensive end Coulter Boyer, cornerback Marcus Williams and linebacker Chad Wilson. The Bison also take care of the football as they are plus-15 in turnover margin with 23 takeaways and just eight turnovers.
 
Lehigh and North Dakota State will meet for the first time on the gridiron Saturday afternoon. The Mountain Hawks have met two members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference all-time with both meetings coming in the playoffs. In 2000 Lehigh traveled to Macomb, Ill. and walloped Western Illinois 37-7, while last year Lehigh defeated Northern Iowa 14-7 in the first round at the UNI-Dome. Saturday's game will be Lehigh's first in the state of North Dakota.
Saturday's game gets underway at 4 p.m. (EST) from Fargodome in Fargo, N.D. ESPN holds the television rights to the Division I Football Championship, and all FCS playoff games – including the Lehigh-NDSU contest – can be viewed online on ESPN3.
 
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, giving fans a 24/7 online destination that delivers thousands of live sports events annually. It is available at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. ESPN3 is currently available in more than 70 million homes. It is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.
 
The Lehigh-NDSU game will also air in the Lehigh Valley on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320, with pregame coverage beginning at 3 p.m. (EST), while the audio broadcast will be streamed on Lehighsports.com for free through Lehigh's partnership with Stretch Internet.
 
Photography © 2011, Mark Campbell.
 
Date:
December 10, 2011
Event:
NCAA FCS Playoffs, Quarterfinals
Opponent:
No. 2 North Dakota State Bison
Kickoff:
3:05 p.m. (CT)
Stadium:
Fargodome/18,700/Artificial Turf
Location:
Fargo, N.D.
Tickets:
Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or through North Dakota State
Lehigh's Record:
11-1 overall, 5-0 Patriot League
NDSU's Record
11-1 overall, 7-1 MVFC
Series:
First meeting
Television
ESPN3 with Trey Bender and Jay Taylor
Radio
ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM with Matt Kerr and Steve Lomangino beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Internet Broadcast:
Lehighsports.com (audio), ESPN3 (video)
Key Stats:
The Mountain Hawks' 40 points against Towson were the most ever scored by Lehigh or any Patriot League team in a FCS playoff game.
• Lehigh ranks in the top five nationally in total offense and passing offense.
• North Dakota State boasts the nation's No. 2 scoring defense, allowing 14.8 ppg.
Behind Enemy Lines:
 
 
 

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