Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh to cap spring season with Brown and White game Saturday
4/18/2013 10:28:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh football team will close out its 2013 spring practice segment on Saturday, April 20 with the annual Brown and White Spring Game, held inside Goodman Stadium. The event, which begins at 10 a.m., will once again feature a modified scoring system pitting the Lehigh offense versus the defense.
Saturday's game will afford head coach Andy Coen the opportunity to see a large number of Mountain Hawks in live game action as they conclude their spring season. Coen has liked what he's seen from his team throughout the spring, but knows there's plenty of work to be done over the summer, and room for improvement as the Mountain Hawks head into the 2013 season which begins September 7 when Lehigh hosts Central Connecticut State at Goodman Stadium.
“We're still a very young football team, particularly on the defensive side of the ball,” said Coen, who enters his eighth season. “I've seen a lot of great effort. We just haven't gotten to a level of execution that we're comfortable with. There's a lot of football left to be played before we step on the field, and that's how I always feel after spring. I don't think anybody's ready to play a game in April. We don't have to worry about playing a game until September.”
One of the main areas of focus during spring practice has been the quarterback position, where four players have been competing. Rising senior Brandon Bialkowski has the most experience, serving as Mike Colvin's backup in 2012, and has performed well throughout the spring. All four quarterbacks should see action in 11-on-11 situations on Saturday.
“Brandon came in with the upper hand and he's done nothing to change that,” Coen said. “He's played well. He's been very efficient throwing the football. He's been knowledgeable of our offense and he's run the ball well. I think from the development of the quarterback position, I like what I've seen.”
The Mountain Hawks have worked through several injuries at the tailback position, with senior Keith Sherman and junior Rich Sodeke expected to get the brunt of the work on Saturday. Injuries have also afforded an opportunity for senior fullback Sean Farrell to see some time at tailback where he has performed well.Lehigh has seen senior Lee Kurfis emerge as a leader and a capable performer at wide receiver. Kurfis will not play on Saturday due to a minor injury but senior Sergio Fernandez-Soto and juniors Josh Parris and Derek Gaul have stepped up and performed well in the spring.
Coen noted that he would like to see improvements from Lehigh's young defense on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks return just three starters on defense and it has taken some time for some of the younger players who were part of the rotation last year to adjust to larger roles.
“The defense needs to get better,” Coen said. “They didn't perform very well in our last scrimmage and our coaches have challenged them. We haven't had a lot of live tackling because we're in a tailback situation. Last week we got more into it, we scrimmaged, and we didn't tackle very well. We have to improve upon that.
Coen continued, “I like our outside linebackers. There are five guys there (Nigel Muhammad, Matt Laub, Mat Verdon, John Mahoney and Isaiah Campbell) who have done a nice job. Our defensive line is making strides there but it's a continual work in progress. Our secondary is young so we're seeing some mistakes, but that's a talented group back there.”After last year's 10-1 season that saw the Mountain Hawks get denied an at-large berth for the NCAA FCS playoffs, the student-athletes came up with the slogan N.O.W., short for No Opportunity Wasted for the 2013 season. Coen is hoping the Mountain Hawks will make the most of their opportunity to compete in Goodman Stadium in front of the home fans Saturday morning.
“The big thing is that more guys have an opportunity to make plays,” Coen said. “I expect everybody's performance to continue to improve as we conclude our spring segment and that's really what we need to see on Saturday.”
The Brown and White game is expected to feature more 11-on-11 work than the last several years where the team went through individual drills and 7-on-7 drills before coming together for the full scrimmage.
“There's always an excitement around being in Goodman Stadium,” Coen said. “There should be excitement getting back into the stadium and I certainly expect that from our kids. We'll let them fly around. There are still a lot of opportunities to get better on Saturday and I expect the kids to be excited about it and do their best and take advantage of the opportunity.”
Saturday's event gets underway at 10 a.m. from Goodman Stadium and admission is free. For those unable to make it out to the Brown and White Game, Lehigh Athletics is proud to announce that live video coverage will be available on Lehighsports.com through Lehigh's GameCentral portal powered by Stretch Internet. The team of veteran Matt Kerr and former Lehigh linebacker Mike Yadush '93 will handle the commentary. This marks the eighth consecutive year in which the Brown and White game will be broadcast live on Lehighsports.com and the fourth straight year it will feature video coverage.
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