Big first half powers Lehigh past Holy Cross 51-38

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh football team jumped out to a dominating 41-10 halftime lead and withheld Holy Cross in the second half to earn a big 51-38 win on Saturday in Goodman Stadium. The Mountain Hawks saw freshman quarterback Brad Mayes pass for 239 yards and three touchdowns on 17-of-21 passing while freshman running back Dominick Bragalone rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

Junior quarterback Nick Shafnisky also played a significant role, finishing a perfect 2-for-2 for 49 yards through the air while also rushing for 35 yards and two touchdowns on six carries.

The Mountain Hawks finished with a 543-381 edge in total yards, eclipsing 50 points for the first time since the 2013 season opener when Lehigh defeated Central Connecticut State 51-44 in double overtime.

"We had a very good plan," Lehigh head coach Andy Coen said. "Offensively, defensively and our special teams at times all performed at a really high level."

(11/7/2015) Football vs. Holy Cross - 11/7/2015

Lehigh took a quick lead as freshman Mike Gies returned the opening kickoff to the 39-yard line. It then took the offense just one play to reach the end zone as Mayes found Derek Knott down the left sideline and Knott ran the rest of the way for a 61 yard touchdown to make it 7-0 with 14:43 on the first-quarter clock.

"Offensively, right from the get-go we got a great touchdown catch from Derek Knott," Coen said. "Brad (Mayes) played very, very well. He actually stepped up his game from what he did last week. We were able to utilize Nick as well. It was a really good combination there with both guys being able to play and make important plays within the game."

After Holy Cross gained one first down, the Mountain Hawks forced a punt, giving their offense the ball back on the 18-yard line. Lehigh fumbled on the first play of the drive, giving the Crusaders possession at the 20, but the Mountain Hawk defense stood tall. Lehigh forced three straight incompletions before a 37-yard field goal pulled Holy Cross within 7-3 with 12:46 on the clock.

Lehigh followed with a long 12-play, 68-yard drive that resulted in its second touchdown in the early going. The Mountain Hawks mainly used the running game on the drive, but a big 18-yard completion to junior Jarrod Howard on third-and-18 kept the drive alive near midfield. Shafnisky came in at quarterback and ended the drive with a 10-yard run to make it 14-3 with 7:29 left in the first quarter.

A three-and-out gave Lehigh the ball back with less than one minute remaining in the first quarter. The Mountain Hawks went on to march 67 yards in just five plays. The big play came on third-and-two when Shafnisky entered the game and found sophomore Gatlin Casey for 44 yards down to the Holy Cross five-yard line. One play later, Bragalone broke multiple tackles and scampered into the end zone to make it 21-3 with 13:35 remaining in the second quarter.

The Crusaders answered with a long drive of their own, marching 76 yards on 13 plays, capped off by a six-yard touchdown reception from Lucas Nikolaisen to pull Holy Cross within 21-10 with 8:58 remaining in the second quarter.

Lehigh immediately had an answer, staging a 14-play, 78-yard drive as the Mountain Hawks methodically moved the ball downfield. The Mountain Hawks converted three third downs on the drive, including a third-and-one when Shafnisky tallied his second rushing touchdown of the day, taking it in from nine yards out. The extra point hit the upright as Lehigh led 27-10 advantage with 3:37 left in the quarter.

The defense came up with a stop, forcing a punt, and the offense continued to roll. It took just 18 seconds for the Mountain Hawks to add another touchdown as Mayes found Casey on a slant, and the sophomore wide receiver took it 43 yards to the end zone, making it 34-10 with 1:44 remaining in the quarter.
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On the first play of Holy Cross' ensuing drive, sophomore Quentin Jones intercepted quarterback Peter Pujals and returned it back to the Holy Cross 33-yard line. It took Lehigh five plays to add another touchdown as an 11-yard Trevor Socarras touchdown reception put the Mountain Hawks ahead 41-10, which proved to be the halftime score.

Mayes was 15-of-17 in the first half with three touchdowns. Socarras finished the half with five catches for 58 yards while Casey had two receptions for 87 yards. Bragalone also added 54 rushing yards on nine carries.

"We played well, we really did," Coen said of Lehigh's first half performance. "We knew they would make a challenge coming back. They got the ball back and
Holy Cross marched 69 yards downfield on its first drive of the second half, capped off by a 31-yard reception from Kalif Raymond, to pull the Crusaders within 41-17 with 12:55 remaining in the third quarter.

Lehigh moved the ensuing drive into Holy Cross territory, but a fumble on fourth-and-one gave the Crusaders the ball back. The Mountain Hawks' defense came up big, turning Holy Cross over on downs as a 4th-and-3 pass fell incomplete, giving Lehigh the ball back near midfield with 8:51 remaining in the third quarter.

The Mountain Hawks went on to gain one first down, coming on a big 26-yard reception by sophomore Sasha Kelsey on third-and-nine, to set Lehigh up at the Holy Cross 24-yard line. The drive ended in a career-long 43-yard field goal from freshman Ed Mish, giving the Mountain Hawks a 44-17 advantage with 6:04 on the third-quarter clock.

Holy Cross came right back with its second touchdown of the second half. Included was a fourth-and-six conversion from the Lehigh 46-yard line. The drive ended with a one-yard touchdown pass from running back Diquan Walker to Nikolaisen, pulling the Crusaders within 44-24 with 1:28 left in the third.

Lehigh drove all the way to the 27-yard line on the ensuing possession, but the Mountain Hawks were stopped on fourth down, giving Holy Cross the ball back. The Lehigh quickly answered as Jones made his second interception of the game.

The Mountain Hawks' offense methodically marched downfield, going 52 yards on 10 plays which used 6:09 as a one-yard touchdown rush from sophomore Nana Amankwah-Ayeh gave Lehigh a 51-24 lead with 4:53 remaining.

Holy Cross responded with a touchdown drive, ending with a nine-yard catch from Wieczorek to pull within 51-31 with just under three minutes remaining. The Crusaders pulled within 51-38 with 1:31 on the clock, which proved to be the final.

"Holy Cross is going to score points," Coen said. "They've done it against a lot of the teams they've played. They have a lot of talented guys and a very talented quarterback. I thought our staff did a great job. We changed up how were doing some things on coverages. Double covering certain guys at times. We put a lot of pressure on their quarterback and really chased him around the yard most of the day."

Lehigh held the edge in total yards (543-381) and rushing yards (255-69) while Holy Cross held a 312-288 advantage through the air. The Mountain Hawks controlled time of possession, owning a 36:38-23:22 edge.

"We wanted to control the game on the ground," Coen said of Lehigh's 60 rushing attempts. "Holy Cross threw it 50-something times. You can really extend the game by just throwing and throwing, but we were chewing up clock and using efficient runs. This is the most we've run but if we have the ability to do that, we're going to do that.

"If you can run 60 times," Coen concluded. "You're probably going to win."

Lehigh now hits the road next Saturday to face Colgate, who stands undefeated in Patriot League play. Opening kickoff is set for 1 p.m. with video coverage on the Patriot League Network and audio coverage on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 as well as ESPNLV.com beginning at noon.

EXTRA POINTS: Lehigh scored 41 points in the first half, eclipsing 40 points for the first time since scoring 49 in the first half against Georgetown in 2002 … Saturday was Military Day at Goodman Stadium… Corporal Chad Christman joined Lehigh's captains for the coin toss while Lehigh ROTC participated in pregame giveaways … Bragalone eclipsed 100 rushing yards for a fourth straight week and fifth time in the last six weeks … Lehigh's 60 rushing attempts were its most since attempting 60 against Fordham in 2002… the last time Lehigh scored 50 points in regulation prior to Saturday was in 2005 when the Mountain Hawks scored 50 in a 50-34 win at Colgate… junior Randall Lawson led Lehigh's defense with eight tackles… the Mountain Hawks recorded four sacks… Jones is the first Lehigh player with two interceptions in a game since Bryan Andrews picked off two passes in the Mountain Hawks' Patriot League title-clinching win over Georgetown in 2011… The Mountain Hawks won back-to-back games for the first time since beating Holy Cross and Colgate in November 2013…Saturday's attendance was 5,732.

Big first half powers Lehigh past Holy Cross 51-38

Next Event

Team Stats

Brad Mayes

Nick Shafnisky

Players Mentioned

Nana Amankwah-Ayeh

Dominick Bragalone

Gatlin Casey

Mike Gies

Jarrod Howard

Quentin Jones

Sasha Kelsey

Derek Knott

Randall Lawson

Brad Mayes

Ed Mish

Nick Shafnisky

Trevor Socarras

Lehigh University Athletics

Upcoming Event: Football at Fordham on October 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Football versus Georgetown on November 1, 2025 at 12:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Football versus Holy Cross on November 8, 2025 at 12:00 PM

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Completed Event: Football versus #25/22 Richmond on August 30, 2025 , Win , 21, to, 14

Big first half powers Lehigh past Holy Cross 51-38

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Next Event

Team Stats

Game Leaders

Brad Mayes

Nick Shafnisky

Players Mentioned

Nana Amankwah-Ayeh

Dominick Bragalone

Gatlin Casey

Mike Gies

Jarrod Howard

Quentin Jones

Sasha Kelsey

Derek Knott

Randall Lawson

Brad Mayes

Ed Mish

Nick Shafnisky

Trevor Socarras

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