Saturday, November 1
Washington, D.C.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
2-6 , 1-2
27
at
19
Georgetown
2-7 , 0-4
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Lehigh
10
3
7
7
27
Georgetown
0
3
2
14
19
Mountain Hawks hold off Georgetown 27-19 for first league win
11/1/2014 4:28:00 PM | Football
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Lehigh football team built a 20-3 third quarter lead only to see Georgetown rally late but the Mountain Hawks' defense came up with two late stops to give Lehigh its first Patriot League win, 27-19 Saturday at Multi-Sport Field.
Sophomore Nick Shafnisky passed for a career-high 345 yards, completing 17-of-26 passes, and threw two touchdowns and an interception to lead the Mountain Hawks. Seven of those completions went to freshman Troy Pelletier, who gained 187 yards and added a touchdown. Senior Rich Sodeke led a strong effort on the ground, rushing 23 times for 110 yards and a score and adding a touchdown reception.
Lehigh out-gained Georgetown 499-363 and led the time of possession battle 34:02-25:58. The Mountain Hawks limited Georgetown to just 135 yards passing and the defense came up with two key stops in the final five minutes. Sophomore Colton Caslow led the defensive effort with 12 tackles, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
With the victory, Lehigh improves to 2-6 overall and 1-2 in league play. Georgetown is now 2-7 overall and 0-4 in the league.
"I'm really happy for the kids and our coaches," Lehigh head coach Andy Coen said on the ESPN Radio postgame show. "We tried to hurt ourselves again as much as we could. I think we out-played them, but at the end of the game they were right with us. Georgetown's a gutty team. That's the way they've played all year. We didn't think any of it would be easy but I'm proud of our guys.
A sack by senior Tim Newton and sophomore T.J. Stubbs thwarted Georgetown's opening possession and the Mountain Hawks responded with a ten-play, 51-yard drive on their first possession. The drive stalled at the Hoya six and sophomore Ryan Pandy came on to drill a 23-yard field goal to give Lehigh an early 3-0 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, freshman Chris Lehigh stripped Georgetown's Daniel Wright with sophomore Pierce Ripanti recovering at the Georgetown 31. After two penalties and six rushes by Sodeke, Shafnisky hit Pelletier for a 16-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-12 and the extra point put Lehigh up 10-0 in the first quarter.
Lehigh looked to add to its lead early in the second quarter with a 13-play drive but a sack on fourth down led to a missed 39-yard field goal by Pandy into the wind. On the very next play Jo'el Kimpela rushed up the middle for 52 yards for Georgetown with only a terrific hustle play by junior Olivier Rigaud preventing a touchdown. Lehigh's defense steadied after the big rush and held Georgetown to a Harry Darmstadter 34-yard field goal that put Georgetown on the board.
The Mountain Hawks answered on their next possession with a nine-play, 86-yard drive highlighted by a 54-yard screen pass to Pelletier. The drive again stalled inside the Hoya's red zone but Pandy came on to kick a 21-yard field goal to put Lehigh up 13-3.
Georgetown looked to get back into the game when they forced and recovered a Shafnisky fumble late in the first half and took over at its own 43. The Hoyas moved the ball into field goal range but on the final play of the half, freshman Quentin Jones blocked Darmstadter's 33-yard field goal attempt to keep Lehigh in front 13-3 at halftime.
Lehigh out-gained Georgetown 271-141 in the opening 30 minutes. Sodeke rushed for 72 yards on 15 carries while Pelletier caught six balls for 118 yards and a touchdown. Shafnisky was 9-for-15 for 165 yards in the first half.
On the first play of the second half, Shafnisky hit a wide open Chris Ruhl over the middle for a 42 yard gain but the drive stalled and Shafnisky was intercepted deep in Georgetown territory on fourth down. Lehigh's defense responded with a stop and on its next possession Lehigh drove 91 yards in ten plays. Shafnisky hit senior Josh Parris four times on the drive and also connected with senior tight end Tyler Coyle for 27 yards. An eight-yard pass from Shafnisky to Sodeke extended Lehigh's lead to 20-3.
The momentum began to shift Georgetown's way following a miscue on Lehigh's next possession. Facing 2nd-and-10 at its own nine, a high snap from center went over Shafnisky's head and out of the end zone for a safety to make the score 20-5.
After the free kick, Georgetown moved the ball deep into Lehigh territory and Kimpela plunged in from a yard out. Freshman Tyler Cavenas blocked the extra point, giving Lehigh a 20-11 lead early in the final quarter.
"They continue to grow," Coen said of his freshmen class. "When they came in Tyler and Quentin (Jones) weren't ready to play but now they're making big contributions."
It took Lehigh just three plays to answer as on second down, Shafnisky hit Pelletier on a double move down the near sideline and the 69-yard catch-and-run brought the ball to the Georgetown six. On the next play Sodeke ran left and cut up field for a six yard touchdown to but Lehigh in front by 16 with just over 12 minutes remaining.
Georgetown refused to go away as the Hoyas pieced together a nine-play, 65-yard drive. Facing 4th-and-6 from Lehigh's nine, Nolan scrambled right and dove across the goal line for a touchdown with a two-point conversion bringing the Hoyas back within a score.
The Hoyas got the ball back with 5:02 to play and Caslow came up with a big play, stopping Nolan for a loss of three on second and eight. After a gain of nine on third down, Newton stopped Kimpela short of the line of gain on fourth down to give Lehigh the ball back.
Georgetown's second sack of the game (and a fumble, recovered by Lehigh) knocked the Mountain Hawks out of field goal range and gave the Hoyas the ball back at their 20 yard line. The Mountain Hawks benefitted from a pair of Hoya holding penalties on Lehigh blitzes and on both third and fourth and 24 for Georgetown, Nolan fired incomplete.
Nolan finished 15-of-32 for 135 yards for Georgetown and rushed for 57 and a touchdown. Kimpela gained 92 yards on 13 carries to lead the ground attack.
"Our kids are really excited about getting this win and being in league play," Coen said. "I think the momentum from this one can really carry over. We didn't really have a chance to have carryover from the Cornell win but I think this win will."
The Mountain Hawks continue their two game road swing next Saturday when they visit Holy Cross. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. from Fitton Field. Video of the contest will be available via the Patriot League Network, while audio coverage will be available on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as ESPNLV.com beginning at 11:30 a.m.
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh improved to 2-2 on the road this season and has now won 14 straight against Georgetown… The Mountain Hawks wore white jerseys over white pants for the second straight road game and have won both games… Parris finished with six receptions for 62 yards… Lehigh registered seven tackles-for-loss with junior Matt Laub leading the way with 2.5.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Team Stats
LEHIGH
GU
Total Yards
499
363
Pass Yards
345
135
Rushing Yards
154
228
Penalty Yards
90
43
1st Downs
21
21
3rd Downs
4
3
4th Downs
3
1
TOP
34:02
25:58
1st Quarter
LEHIGH 3, GU 0
LEHIGH - Pandy, Ryan 23 yd field goal 10 plays, 51 yards, TOP 3:39
LEHIGH 10, GU 0
LEHIGH - Pelletier, Troy 16 yd pass from Shafnisky, Nick (Pandy, Ryan kick) 7 plays, 31 yards, TOP 3:52
2nd Quarter
LEHIGH 10, GU 3
GU - H. Darmstadter 34 yd field goal 5 plays, 61 yards, TOP 1:59
LEHIGH 13, GU 3
LEHIGH - Pandy, Ryan 21 yd field goal 9 plays, 86 yards, TOP 4:28
3rd Quarter
LEHIGH 20, GU 3
LEHIGH - Sodeke, Rich 8 yd pass from Shafnisky, Nick (Pandy, Ryan kick) 10 plays, 91 yards, TOP 4:49
LEHIGH 20, GU 5
GU - TEAM 0 yd safety
4th Quarter
LEHIGH 20, GU 11
GU - Jo'el Kimpela 1 yd run (H. Darmstadter kickblocked), 6 plays, 57 yards, TOP 2:11
LEHIGH 27, GU 11
LEHIGH - Sodeke, Rich 6 yd run (Pandy, Ryan kick), 3 plays, 81 yards, TOP 1:23
LEHIGH 27, GU 19
GU - Kyle Nolan 9 yd run (Jake DeCicco pass), 9 plays, 65 yards, TOP 3:28
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
17
TD
2
YDS
345
INT
1
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
TE
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
K
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
TE
/ FootballQB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DL
/ Football2025 Brown & Flight - Episode 1
Thursday, September 18
Lehigh Sports Central: Football
Wednesday, August 27
2025 Lehigh Football Season Preview: Special Teams
Thursday, August 21
2025 Lehigh Football Season Preview: Defense
Thursday, August 21
