Saturday, September 14
West Long Branch, N.J.
1:00 PM
Lehigh University
2-0
28
at
25
Monmouth
0-3
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Lehigh
0
14
7
7
28
Monmouth
7
3
8
7
25
No. 19/22 Lehigh wins thriller, 28-25 at Monmouth
9/14/2013 5:08:00 PM | Football
Photo Gallery
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Senior Lee Kurfis enjoyed his second straight 200-yard receiving game to lead the offense, while the defense stood tall in the fourth quarter as the Lehigh football team beat Monmouth 28-25 for its second straight victory Saturday at Kessler Field. The Mountain Hawks trailed in the fourth quarter, but a bizarre play on a blocked punt set Lehigh up for the go-ahead score.
Facing 4th-and-4 from its own 14, senior Tim Divers' punt was blocked by Tevrin Brandon, but senior Zach Hayden grabbed the loose ball and rumbled 37 yards to midfield setting Lehigh up with a first down. Two plays later, senior quarterback Brandon Bialkowski hit Kurfis on a post pattern for a 40 yard touchdown, Kurfis' second of the day, allowing Lehigh to regain the lead.
Bialkowski had another big day, completing 24-of-39 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Keith Sherman enjoyed a big day on the ground, with 107 yards on 14 carries while senior Sean Farrell had a rushing touchdown for a second straight week. The Mountain Hawks gained 590 yards of total offense on the day – 400 through the air and 190 on the ground.
Senior Tyler Ward led the defense with 11 tackles, plus his first career interception, which led to a touchdown pass from Bialkowski to senior Sergio Fernandez-Soto.
"I give our kids a lot of credit for hanging in, in what was a wild game," said Lehigh head coach Andy Coen. "There were a lot of momentum swings. The kids were able to hang together enough and focus enough and be tough enough to come out with another hard fought win. "
Monmouth won the toss and elected to receive. The Hawks picked up three first downs and moved the ball into Lehigh territory. A Mountain Hawk stop on fourth down resulted in a 46-yard field goal attempt that Eric Spillane missed to give Lehigh the ball at its 30 yard line.
Lehigh picked up a first down on its first possession, but on the sixth play of the drive Bialkowski was sacked, fumbled and Monmouth's Clark Coe returned the ball 42 yards for a Hawk touchdown.
The ensuing Lehigh drive ended in a missed field goal, but after the defense posted a stop, the Mountain Hawks moved 86 yards in five plays and tied the game on a 55 yard pass from Bialkowski to Kurfis.
Lehigh took its first lead with 4:34 left in the half as Farrell capped a five play, 80-yard drive with a tough six yard run up the middle. Freshman Ryan Pandy's extra point gave Lehigh a 14-7 lead.
The Mountain Hawks' defense came up big late in the half, stuffing the Hawks on a 4th-and-1 but Lehigh turned the ball over on a Bialkowski interception with 20 seconds remaining. Monmouth moved into position for a 35 yard field goal, which Spillane connected on, to make the score 14-10 Lehigh at the half.
Through the first 30 minutes, Lehigh out-gained Monmouth 326-219. Bialkowski was 11-of-18 for 208 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the first half. Kurfis continued his hot start to the year with six first-half receptions for 130 yards, while Sherman led the ground game with 70 yards on eight carries.
Lehigh opened the second half with possession but had to punt. Monmouth's first drive was productive as the Hawks moved the ball into Lehigh territory. The Mountain Hawk defense came up big with its first turnover of the game as Ward picked off Brandon Hill at the goal line to end the threat.
The Mountain Hawks capitalized on the Hawks' first turnover, moving the ball 73 yards in eight plays. A swing pass Hayden on fourth down kept the drive alive and Bialkowski capped the drive with a four yard pass to Fernandez-Soto to extend Lehigh's lead to 21-10 with 4:20 left in the third.
Monmouth answered right back with a quick strike as Brandon Hill hit Neal Sterling on third down for a 64-yard catch-and-run. The two point conversion brought the Hawks within a field goal at 21-18.
Lehigh tried to answer Monmouth's score with points of its own. The Mountain Hawks moved the ball into Hawk territory but on the opening play of the fourth quarter Ryan Pandy missed a 38-yard field goal. Monmouth capitalized on the miss, marching 79 yards to regain the lead on a 21 yard run by K.B. Asante.
The ensuing drive began with a block-in-the-back penalty against Hayden which set Lehigh back to its eight yard line. Hayden atoned for his mistake with the run off the blocked punt four plays later, and two plays later, Lehigh regained the lead.
"The great thing about football is that you never know what's going to happen when the ball is snapped," Coen said. "I've been coaching and playing a long time and I've never seen a blocked punt picked up by one of our own guys and run for a first down, which ends up being the play of the game."
Monmouth had three possessions in the final ten minutes to try and tie or take the lead, but the Lehigh defense stood tall when it mattered most. The Hawks first drive stopped at their 43 yard line and resulted in a punt. On the second drive, junior Isaiah Campbell broke through to sack Hill, Lehigh's first sack of the season, which led to Monmouth turning the ball over on downs after a 4th-and-12 incompletion.
The Hawks had one final opportunity, getting the ball with 2:09 to play and one timeout. Monmouth moved the ball to the Lehigh 45 on a 25 yard pass from Hill to Eric Sumlin, but on the next play freshman Colton Caslow came in to sack Hill for an eight yard loss. The Hawks lost two more yards on their next two plays and facing 4th-and-20, the Mountain Hawks stymied a hook-and-ladder attempt with junior Damien Brown recovering a fumble, allowing Lehigh to run out the clock.
"Our defense really improved from a week ago," Coen said. "Statistically it may not show, but the bottom line is to keep people out of the end zone and we did that this week than we were last week."
Monmouth gained 517 yards, including 201 on the ground, and forced three Lehigh turnovers, but the Hawks saw their home-opener spoiled as they fall to 0-3. Hill finished 29-of-41 for 316 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Sterling caught 13 balls for 126 yards while both Asante and Julian Hayes eclipsed the 100 yard rushing mark.
The Mountain Hawks will return to New Jersey next Saturday to battle the Princeton Tigers in a game that will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports Network. Kickoff is set for just after 6 p.m. from Princeton Stadium.
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh is now 5-0 all-time against Monmouth… the Mountain Hawks have now won 15 straight regular season road games… Kurfis is the first Lehigh receiver to record back-to-back 200-plus yard receiving games… he has 17 receptions for 433 yards and four touchdowns in just two games so far this season… the two sacks by Campbell and Caslow were Lehigh's first two of the season… Caslow finished with six tackles… Hayden's rush after the blocked punt is officially his first career carry.
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Senior Lee Kurfis enjoyed his second straight 200-yard receiving game to lead the offense, while the defense stood tall in the fourth quarter as the Lehigh football team beat Monmouth 28-25 for its second straight victory Saturday at Kessler Field. The Mountain Hawks trailed in the fourth quarter, but a bizarre play on a blocked punt set Lehigh up for the go-ahead score.
Facing 4th-and-4 from its own 14, senior Tim Divers' punt was blocked by Tevrin Brandon, but senior Zach Hayden grabbed the loose ball and rumbled 37 yards to midfield setting Lehigh up with a first down. Two plays later, senior quarterback Brandon Bialkowski hit Kurfis on a post pattern for a 40 yard touchdown, Kurfis' second of the day, allowing Lehigh to regain the lead.
Bialkowski had another big day, completing 24-of-39 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Keith Sherman enjoyed a big day on the ground, with 107 yards on 14 carries while senior Sean Farrell had a rushing touchdown for a second straight week. The Mountain Hawks gained 590 yards of total offense on the day – 400 through the air and 190 on the ground.
Senior Tyler Ward led the defense with 11 tackles, plus his first career interception, which led to a touchdown pass from Bialkowski to senior Sergio Fernandez-Soto.
"I give our kids a lot of credit for hanging in, in what was a wild game," said Lehigh head coach Andy Coen. "There were a lot of momentum swings. The kids were able to hang together enough and focus enough and be tough enough to come out with another hard fought win. "
Monmouth won the toss and elected to receive. The Hawks picked up three first downs and moved the ball into Lehigh territory. A Mountain Hawk stop on fourth down resulted in a 46-yard field goal attempt that Eric Spillane missed to give Lehigh the ball at its 30 yard line.
Lehigh picked up a first down on its first possession, but on the sixth play of the drive Bialkowski was sacked, fumbled and Monmouth's Clark Coe returned the ball 42 yards for a Hawk touchdown.
The ensuing Lehigh drive ended in a missed field goal, but after the defense posted a stop, the Mountain Hawks moved 86 yards in five plays and tied the game on a 55 yard pass from Bialkowski to Kurfis.
Lehigh took its first lead with 4:34 left in the half as Farrell capped a five play, 80-yard drive with a tough six yard run up the middle. Freshman Ryan Pandy's extra point gave Lehigh a 14-7 lead.
The Mountain Hawks' defense came up big late in the half, stuffing the Hawks on a 4th-and-1 but Lehigh turned the ball over on a Bialkowski interception with 20 seconds remaining. Monmouth moved into position for a 35 yard field goal, which Spillane connected on, to make the score 14-10 Lehigh at the half.
Through the first 30 minutes, Lehigh out-gained Monmouth 326-219. Bialkowski was 11-of-18 for 208 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the first half. Kurfis continued his hot start to the year with six first-half receptions for 130 yards, while Sherman led the ground game with 70 yards on eight carries.
Lehigh opened the second half with possession but had to punt. Monmouth's first drive was productive as the Hawks moved the ball into Lehigh territory. The Mountain Hawk defense came up big with its first turnover of the game as Ward picked off Brandon Hill at the goal line to end the threat.
The Mountain Hawks capitalized on the Hawks' first turnover, moving the ball 73 yards in eight plays. A swing pass Hayden on fourth down kept the drive alive and Bialkowski capped the drive with a four yard pass to Fernandez-Soto to extend Lehigh's lead to 21-10 with 4:20 left in the third.
Monmouth answered right back with a quick strike as Brandon Hill hit Neal Sterling on third down for a 64-yard catch-and-run. The two point conversion brought the Hawks within a field goal at 21-18.
Lehigh tried to answer Monmouth's score with points of its own. The Mountain Hawks moved the ball into Hawk territory but on the opening play of the fourth quarter Ryan Pandy missed a 38-yard field goal. Monmouth capitalized on the miss, marching 79 yards to regain the lead on a 21 yard run by K.B. Asante.
The ensuing drive began with a block-in-the-back penalty against Hayden which set Lehigh back to its eight yard line. Hayden atoned for his mistake with the run off the blocked punt four plays later, and two plays later, Lehigh regained the lead.
"The great thing about football is that you never know what's going to happen when the ball is snapped," Coen said. "I've been coaching and playing a long time and I've never seen a blocked punt picked up by one of our own guys and run for a first down, which ends up being the play of the game."
Monmouth had three possessions in the final ten minutes to try and tie or take the lead, but the Lehigh defense stood tall when it mattered most. The Hawks first drive stopped at their 43 yard line and resulted in a punt. On the second drive, junior Isaiah Campbell broke through to sack Hill, Lehigh's first sack of the season, which led to Monmouth turning the ball over on downs after a 4th-and-12 incompletion.
The Hawks had one final opportunity, getting the ball with 2:09 to play and one timeout. Monmouth moved the ball to the Lehigh 45 on a 25 yard pass from Hill to Eric Sumlin, but on the next play freshman Colton Caslow came in to sack Hill for an eight yard loss. The Hawks lost two more yards on their next two plays and facing 4th-and-20, the Mountain Hawks stymied a hook-and-ladder attempt with junior Damien Brown recovering a fumble, allowing Lehigh to run out the clock.
"Our defense really improved from a week ago," Coen said. "Statistically it may not show, but the bottom line is to keep people out of the end zone and we did that this week than we were last week."
Monmouth gained 517 yards, including 201 on the ground, and forced three Lehigh turnovers, but the Hawks saw their home-opener spoiled as they fall to 0-3. Hill finished 29-of-41 for 316 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Sterling caught 13 balls for 126 yards while both Asante and Julian Hayes eclipsed the 100 yard rushing mark.
The Mountain Hawks will return to New Jersey next Saturday to battle the Princeton Tigers in a game that will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports Network. Kickoff is set for just after 6 p.m. from Princeton Stadium.
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh is now 5-0 all-time against Monmouth… the Mountain Hawks have now won 15 straight regular season road games… Kurfis is the first Lehigh receiver to record back-to-back 200-plus yard receiving games… he has 17 receptions for 433 yards and four touchdowns in just two games so far this season… the two sacks by Campbell and Caslow were Lehigh's first two of the season… Caslow finished with six tackles… Hayden's rush after the blocked punt is officially his first career carry.
Team Stats
LEHIGH
MU
Total Yards
590
517
Pass Yards
400
316
Rushing Yards
190
201
Penalty Yards
10
19
1st Downs
27
23
3rd Downs
4
8
4th Downs
2
0
TOP
26:17
33:43
1st Quarter
LEHIGH 0, MU 7
MU - COE, Clark 42 yd fumble recovery (SPILLANE, Eric kick)
2nd Quarter
LEHIGH 7, MU 7
LEHIGH - Kurfis, Lee 55 yd pass from Bialkowski, Bra (Pandy, Ryan kick) 5 plays, 86 yards, TOP 2:17
LEHIGH 14, MU 7
LEHIGH - Farrell, Sean 6 yd run (Pandy, Ryan kick), 5 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:16
LEHIGH 14, MU 10
MU - SPILLANE, Eric 35 yd field goal 3 plays, 27 yards, TOP 0:16
3rd Quarter
LEHIGH 21, MU 10
LEHIGH - Fernandez-Soto 5 yd pass from Bialkowski, Bra (Pandy, Ryan kick) 8 plays, 73 yards, TOP 2:25
LEHIGH 21, MU 18
MU - STERLING, Neal 64 yd pass from HILL, Brandon (SUMLIN, Eric rush) 3 plays, 69 yards, TOP 1:29
4th Quarter
LEHIGH 21, MU 25
MU - ASANTE, K.B. 21 yd run (SPILLANE, Eric kick), 6 plays, 79 yards, TOP 2:34
LEHIGH 28, MU 25
LEHIGH - Kurfis, Lee 40 yd pass from Bialkowski, Bra (Pandy, Ryan kick) 6 plays, 92 yards, TOP 2:08
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
24
TD
3
YDS
375
INT
1
CMP
1
TD
0
YDS
25
INT
0
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