Saturday, November 22
Bronx, N.Y.
3:30 PM
Lehigh University
3-8 , 2-4
7
vs
27
Lafayette
5-6 , 3-3
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Lehigh
0
0
7
0
7
Lafayette
7
14
0
6
27
Lehigh falls 27-7 to Lafayette in #Rivalry150 at sold-out Yankee Stadium
11/22/2014 8:30:00 PM | Football, 150th Lehigh-Lafayette Game
The Rivalry: Lehigh vs. Lafayette | Rivalry150 home
BRONX, N.Y. – Lafayette raced to a 21-0 second quarter lead which proved too much for the Lehigh football team to overcome as the Mountain Hawks fell to the Leopards 27-7 in the 150th meeting between the two schools Saturday in front of 48,256 at a sold-out Yankee Stadium. Freshman Christopher Leigh gave Lehigh a spark with a 70-yard third-quarter touchdown run, but the Mountain Hawks couldn't pull any closer.
The Mountain Hawks struggled to contain Lafayette running back Ross Scheuerman, who tallied 209 of his school-record 304 yards in the first half. The Lehigh defense shut-out Lafayette for 34:52 bridging the second through fourth quarters, but the offense struggled most of the evening, especially in the first half.
Scheuerman was named the game's most valuable player for the Leopards, who finish their season at 5-6 overall and 3-3 in the Patriot League. Lehigh's season comes to an end at 3-8 overall and 2-4 in the league.
"They were more physical than we were," said Lehigh head coach Andy Coen. "They executed on offense and defense much more efficiently than we did. I'm very disappointed we lost today, but I told the guys at the end of the game you need to earn everything in life and you need to earn everything on the football field. We didn't go and earn it today. When you don't do that, you're going to come up feeling badly."
Leigh led the Lehigh offense with 81 rushing yards, 70 coming on his third-quarter scamper. Sophomore quarterback Nick Shafnisky also ran for 50 yards while senior Rich Sodeke had 28 yards. Through the air, Shafnisky was 8-of-19 for yards for 81 yards. Sophomores Pierce Ripanti and Colton Caslow led the defense with 13 tackles apiece.
Lafayette took the opening kickoff and reached the Lehigh 30-yard line. On its 11th play of the drive and second fourth-down try, senior Isaiah Campbell stuffed Scheuerman's running attempt to set up the Mountain Hawks on their own 30-yard line with 10:24 on the first-quarter clock.
On Lehigh's first offensive play of the game, Shafnisky found senior Josh Parris down the right side for 30 yards into Lafayette territory. The Mountain Hawks couldn't get any further, however, as a sack forced a Lehigh punt.
Sophomore Austin Devine pinned Lafayette down at the seven-yard line, but Scheuerman continued his shot start to help move the Leopards downfield. Eventually, a 27-yard catch from Scheuerman got Lafayette down to the one-yard line. One play later, he ran it in to give the Leopards a 7-0 lead with 1:50 on the first-quarter clock.
After a Lehigh three-and-out, the Leopards went 76 yards in eight plays to take a 14-0 lead with 12:09 left in the second quarter. Similar to its first touchdown drive, Zach Zweizig connected with a receiver, this time Justin Adams, down to the one-yard line then Scheuerman ran it in one play later.
Lehigh gained a pair of first downs on the ensuing drive as Shafnisky connected with freshman Troy Pelletier for one, then Shafnisky ran for a first down into Lafayette territory, but the Mountain Hawks stalled and they were forced to punt.
After a Devine punt to the Lafayette 13-yard line, Scheuerman broke a 79-yard run on the second play to give the Leopards a 21-0 lead with 7:31 on the second-quarter clock.
"The long one he broke, we weren't where we needed to be, we weren't sound in that gap," Coen said. "He's a sprinter. As soon as he hits something, you're not going to catch him. You've got to get off blocks and you've got to tackle him. We were much better in the second half than the first half, but most of the damage was done at that point in time."
Lehigh looked to have gained a first down on its ensuing drive, but a holding call created a third-and-15 and the Mountain Hawks were eventually forced to punt. The Lehigh defense went on to sack Zweizig on third down, but an unnecessary roughness penalty kept the Leopards' drive alive. On fourth-and-five from the Lehigh 26-yard line, the Leopards decided to go for it, but sophomore Pierce Ripanti stopped Zweizig short of the first-down marker.
Each team had a possession in the final 2:09, but neither could score as Lafayette took a 21-0 lead into halftime.
The Lehigh offense struggled in the first half as Shafnisky was just 3-for-7 for 44 yards. Both Shafnisky and Sodeke had 12 yards rushing. Ripanti led the defense with 12 first-half tackles. Lafayette held a dominant edge in time of possession, 19:41 to 10:19.
On the first drive of the second half, Lehigh gained a pair of first downs, but the Mountain Hawks were forced to punt. Lafayette's ensuing drive was ultimately halted due in large part to a combined sack from sophomore Olivier Rigaud and junior Matt Laub. The teams exchanged punts as the Lehigh defense forced a three-and-out, giving the Mountain Hawk offense the ball back at its own 23-yard line.
It took the Mountain Hawks just two plays to get on the board. Shafnisky began with a seven-yard run then Leigh went 70 yards down the left side to pull Lehigh within 21-7 with 2:36 left in the third quarter.
Lafayette returned the ensuing kickoff into Lehigh territory, but the defense came up strong as sophomore Brandon Leaks broke up a pass in the end zone, forcing a field goal attempt which was no good.
Looking to inch within one score, Lehigh gained two first downs and was forced to punt, but effectively flipped field position. A Devine punt was downed at the one-yard line early in the fourth quarter. The Lehigh defense rode the momentum, forcing a three-and-out to give the offense the ball back near midfield.
The Mountain Hawks reached the Lafayette 22-yard line, but a run-for-loss and fourth-down sack gave Lafayette the ball back at its own 33 with 7:35 on the fourth-quarter clock. The Leopards methodically marched 67 yards in nine plays, capped off by a fourth-down 23-yard touchdown reception from Matt Mrazek. The extra point was missed, but the Leopards still led 27-7 with 2:39 left in the fourth quarter.
A Lafayette interception with less than two minutes remaining effectively sealed the Leopards victory.
Final yards were 500-232 in favor of Lafayette while the Leopards held a 309-151 edge on the group and 191-81 advantage through the air. Lafayette controlled the clock, 36:47 to 23:13.
Coen closed his postgame media session with thoughts on the senior class that played its final game in the Brown and White.
"The seniors are special," he said. "These guys come in as 17-18 year old kids and they leave as Lehigh men. I think the role that our football program takes in developing these guys into men is something we do very well and something that I'm proud about. It's tough to see these guys go, especially coming out on the short edge of the ledger."
EXTRA POINTS … Lehigh took the field in new uniforms, featuring a white jersey with brown pinstripes and brown pants… the Mountain Hawks also wore their new white helmets with the brown Lehigh word mark…Lafayette now leads the series 78-67-5 and has won two straight… Saturday's paid attendance was 48,256, officially a sellout and the second largest crowd for a college football game at Yankee Stadium … Leigh's 70-yard touchdown run marked Lehigh's first 70+ yard rush since Jermaine Pugh on Nov. 22, 2003 against Lafayette (79 yards) … Sophomore punter Austin Devine enjoyed a sensational game, averaging 40.8 yards, including three punts inside the 20… freshman Troy Pelletier was held to three catches for 25 yards… junior LaQuan Lambert had nine tackles and two tackles-for-loss.
Team Stats
LEHIGH
LAFAYETT
Total Yards
232
500
Pass Yards
81
191
Rushing Yards
151
309
Penalty Yards
40
32
1st Downs
13
22
3rd Downs
4
8
4th Downs
0
2
TOP
23:13
36:47
1st Quarter
LEHIGH 0, LAFAYETT 7
LAFAYETT - Scheuerman, R. 1 yd run (Gralish, Ryan kick), 14 plays, 93 yards, TOP 6:28
2nd Quarter
LEHIGH 0, LAFAYETT 14
LAFAYETT - Scheuerman, R. 1 yd run (Gralish, Ryan kick), 8 plays, 76 yards, TOP 3:05
LEHIGH 0, LAFAYETT 21
LAFAYETT - Scheuerman, R. 79 yd run (Gralish, Ryan kick), 2 plays, 87 yards, TOP 0:42
3rd Quarter
LEHIGH 7, LAFAYETT 21
LEHIGH - Leigh, Chris 70 yd run (Pandy, Ryan kick), 2 plays, 77 yards, TOP 0:27
4th Quarter
LEHIGH 7, LAFAYETT 27
LAFAYETT - Mrazek, Matt 23 yd pass from Zweizig, Zach (Gralish, Ryan kickfailed) 9 plays, 67 yards, TOP 4:56
Game Leaders
CMP
8
TD
0
YDS
81
INT
1
Players Mentioned
OLB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
P
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
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WR
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DB
/ Football
LB
/ FootballQB
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RB
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