Friday, September 4
New Britain, Conn.
7:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Central Connecticut State
Lehigh to open 2015 season Friday night at Central Connecticut State
8/31/2015 12:02:00 PM | Football
Game Notes | Video | Audio | Lehigh Football Tickets
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 132nd season of Lehigh football officially kicks off Friday night as the Mountain Hawks battle Central Connecticut State under the lights at Arute Field. Lehigh is looking to bounce back from a 3-8 campaign in 2014, which followed a very successful 39-9 run for the program from 2010-13. The Mountain Hawks return three all-league performers in wide receiver Troy Pelletier, linebacker Colton Caslow and punter Austin Devine. Junior Nick Shafnisky enters his second full season as Lehigh's starting quarterback.
At the end of preseason camp, coach Andy Coen named five seniors as captains for the 2015 season. Wide receiver Stefan Sansone (St. Louis, Mo.), tight end Chris Ruhl (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.), offensive lineman Matt Ford (Wall, N.J.), defensive lineman Matt Laub (Coplay, Pa.) and cornerback Olivier Rigaud (Hollywood, Fla.) will lead this year's squad.
Like Lehigh, Central Connecticut State is also looking to bounce back from a three-win season in 2014. The Blue Devils went 3-9, picking up early season wins over CAA foes Towson and Rhode Island. CCSU then proceeded to lose six consecutive games before ending its season with a 22-17 win at Saint Francis (Pa.).
The Blue Devils were picked sixth out of seven teams in the NEC Preseason Poll and feature a trio of Preseason All-NEC players in left tackle Tyler Hurd, defensive end Asia Bolling and cornerback Jevon Elmore. Redshirt freshman Tavion Pauldo tops the quarterback depth chart and is one of three true or redshirt freshmen listed at the position. The Blue Devils' top offensive weapon last season, running back Rob Hollomon, who rushed for 1116 yards and seven touchdowns, has graduated. CCSU rushed for 159 yards per game last season and averaged just over 19 points per game, while defensively, the Blue Devils allowed 25.3 points per game.
Junior Nick Shafnisky enters his second full season as Lehigh's starting quarterback. Shafnisky started all 11 games for the Mountain Hawks last year and was the Patriot League's No. 2-rated passer. He completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 2,373 yards and 14 touchdowns, while adding 526 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Shafnisky owns three career 300-yard passing games, including a career-high 390 at Holy Cross last season. He rushed for a career-best 121 yards in last year's opener against James Madison and owns a 4-8 record as Lehigh's starting quarterback.
The Mountain Hawks enter the 2015 campaign looking for a bounce-back season on the defensive side of the ball. Lehigh allowed 33.2 points and more than 475 yards per game ranking at the bottom of the Patriot League and the bottom 20 nationally in a number of defensive categories. The Mountain Hawks have changed their scheme and return eight starters plus a number of players who saw significant action in 2014.
The strength Lehigh's linebacking corps was a bright spot last season in a tough year for the Mountain Hawks' defense. The linebackers are expected to be a strength of this year's revamped defense as well. Lehigh's top two tacklers in 2014, Pierce Ripanti (75 tackles) and Colton Caslow (67 tackles) return in starting roles, and are joined by senior Noah Robb, who started two years ago and is looking to return to top form. The Mountain Hawks have solid depth at the position as well, with senior Cody Kondas and junior Evan Harvey manning reserve roles and Jake Buskirk among the freshmen who could vie for time as well.
Austin Devine enjoyed a strong debut season as Lehigh's starting punter, averaging 42.2 yards in route to earning first team All-Patriot League honors. Devine placed 21 of his 47 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He was named Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against James Madison, and booted a career-long 61 yard punt at Yale. Devine finished the year ranked 15th in the FCS in punting average while as a team, Lehigh ranked 11th in net punting.
To replace a large class lost to graduation, Lehigh's 2015 roster features 33 freshmen, several of who are expected to contribute right away. The Mountain Hawks are expected to have a freshman placekicker (Ed Mish) and long snapper (Mark Walker) and will have a trio of first-year players vying for time at tailback. Twelve freshmen appear on Lehigh's depth chart including six on offense, two on defense and four on special teams.
Lehigh has an 82-43-6 all-time record in its season-opening contests. The Mountain Hawks are 5-4 in season openers under Andy Coen and had a streak of four consecutive season-opening wins end last season. Lehigh is opening against Central Connecticut State for the third time. The Blue Devils won at Goodman Stadium 28-21 in 2009 while the Mountain Hawks rallied to take the 2013 opener 51-44 in double overtime.
Friday's season-opener marks Lehigh's first Friday night game since September 26, 1980, when the Mountain Hawks beat Penn 35-6 at Franklin Field. Lehigh and Penn squared off five times on a Friday night between 1973 and 1980 with the Quakers winning three of the five games. The 1973 game is the earliest non-Saturday game on record. Lehigh's last non-Saturday game was a 37-26 win at Buffalo on August 29, 2002.
Lehigh and Central Connecticut State meet for the fifth time overall and the third time in a season opener (2009 and 2013). The Mountain Hawks lead the series 3-1 and have won the two most recent meetings, a 51-44 double-overtime win in 2013 and a 35-14 win in 2012 in Lehigh's only previous visit to New Britain, Conn. Lehigh won the first meeting, 58-10, back in 2001, while the Blue Devils beat the Mountain Hawks 28-21 at Goodman Stadium in 2009 on their way to the NEC Championship.
Friday's game kicks off just after 7 p.m. from Arute Field in New Britain, Conn. The game will not be televised but streaming video will be available for free via NEC Front Row.
Radio coverage for Saturday's game will be available on WLVR-FM (91.3) with pregame coverage beginning at 6 p.m.
The Mountain Hawks are at James Madison on Saturday September 12 before opening their home schedule against Penn September 19 at Goodman Stadium. Tickets to the Penn game and all Lehigh home football games can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting LehighTickets.com.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The 132nd season of Lehigh football officially kicks off Friday night as the Mountain Hawks battle Central Connecticut State under the lights at Arute Field. Lehigh is looking to bounce back from a 3-8 campaign in 2014, which followed a very successful 39-9 run for the program from 2010-13. The Mountain Hawks return three all-league performers in wide receiver Troy Pelletier, linebacker Colton Caslow and punter Austin Devine. Junior Nick Shafnisky enters his second full season as Lehigh's starting quarterback.
At the end of preseason camp, coach Andy Coen named five seniors as captains for the 2015 season. Wide receiver Stefan Sansone (St. Louis, Mo.), tight end Chris Ruhl (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.), offensive lineman Matt Ford (Wall, N.J.), defensive lineman Matt Laub (Coplay, Pa.) and cornerback Olivier Rigaud (Hollywood, Fla.) will lead this year's squad.
Like Lehigh, Central Connecticut State is also looking to bounce back from a three-win season in 2014. The Blue Devils went 3-9, picking up early season wins over CAA foes Towson and Rhode Island. CCSU then proceeded to lose six consecutive games before ending its season with a 22-17 win at Saint Francis (Pa.).
The Blue Devils were picked sixth out of seven teams in the NEC Preseason Poll and feature a trio of Preseason All-NEC players in left tackle Tyler Hurd, defensive end Asia Bolling and cornerback Jevon Elmore. Redshirt freshman Tavion Pauldo tops the quarterback depth chart and is one of three true or redshirt freshmen listed at the position. The Blue Devils' top offensive weapon last season, running back Rob Hollomon, who rushed for 1116 yards and seven touchdowns, has graduated. CCSU rushed for 159 yards per game last season and averaged just over 19 points per game, while defensively, the Blue Devils allowed 25.3 points per game.
Junior Nick Shafnisky enters his second full season as Lehigh's starting quarterback. Shafnisky started all 11 games for the Mountain Hawks last year and was the Patriot League's No. 2-rated passer. He completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 2,373 yards and 14 touchdowns, while adding 526 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Shafnisky owns three career 300-yard passing games, including a career-high 390 at Holy Cross last season. He rushed for a career-best 121 yards in last year's opener against James Madison and owns a 4-8 record as Lehigh's starting quarterback.
The Mountain Hawks enter the 2015 campaign looking for a bounce-back season on the defensive side of the ball. Lehigh allowed 33.2 points and more than 475 yards per game ranking at the bottom of the Patriot League and the bottom 20 nationally in a number of defensive categories. The Mountain Hawks have changed their scheme and return eight starters plus a number of players who saw significant action in 2014.
The strength Lehigh's linebacking corps was a bright spot last season in a tough year for the Mountain Hawks' defense. The linebackers are expected to be a strength of this year's revamped defense as well. Lehigh's top two tacklers in 2014, Pierce Ripanti (75 tackles) and Colton Caslow (67 tackles) return in starting roles, and are joined by senior Noah Robb, who started two years ago and is looking to return to top form. The Mountain Hawks have solid depth at the position as well, with senior Cody Kondas and junior Evan Harvey manning reserve roles and Jake Buskirk among the freshmen who could vie for time as well.
Austin Devine enjoyed a strong debut season as Lehigh's starting punter, averaging 42.2 yards in route to earning first team All-Patriot League honors. Devine placed 21 of his 47 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He was named Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against James Madison, and booted a career-long 61 yard punt at Yale. Devine finished the year ranked 15th in the FCS in punting average while as a team, Lehigh ranked 11th in net punting.
To replace a large class lost to graduation, Lehigh's 2015 roster features 33 freshmen, several of who are expected to contribute right away. The Mountain Hawks are expected to have a freshman placekicker (Ed Mish) and long snapper (Mark Walker) and will have a trio of first-year players vying for time at tailback. Twelve freshmen appear on Lehigh's depth chart including six on offense, two on defense and four on special teams.
Lehigh has an 82-43-6 all-time record in its season-opening contests. The Mountain Hawks are 5-4 in season openers under Andy Coen and had a streak of four consecutive season-opening wins end last season. Lehigh is opening against Central Connecticut State for the third time. The Blue Devils won at Goodman Stadium 28-21 in 2009 while the Mountain Hawks rallied to take the 2013 opener 51-44 in double overtime.
Friday's season-opener marks Lehigh's first Friday night game since September 26, 1980, when the Mountain Hawks beat Penn 35-6 at Franklin Field. Lehigh and Penn squared off five times on a Friday night between 1973 and 1980 with the Quakers winning three of the five games. The 1973 game is the earliest non-Saturday game on record. Lehigh's last non-Saturday game was a 37-26 win at Buffalo on August 29, 2002.
Lehigh and Central Connecticut State meet for the fifth time overall and the third time in a season opener (2009 and 2013). The Mountain Hawks lead the series 3-1 and have won the two most recent meetings, a 51-44 double-overtime win in 2013 and a 35-14 win in 2012 in Lehigh's only previous visit to New Britain, Conn. Lehigh won the first meeting, 58-10, back in 2001, while the Blue Devils beat the Mountain Hawks 28-21 at Goodman Stadium in 2009 on their way to the NEC Championship.
Friday's game kicks off just after 7 p.m. from Arute Field in New Britain, Conn. The game will not be televised but streaming video will be available for free via NEC Front Row.
Radio coverage for Saturday's game will be available on WLVR-FM (91.3) with pregame coverage beginning at 6 p.m.
The Mountain Hawks are at James Madison on Saturday September 12 before opening their home schedule against Penn September 19 at Goodman Stadium. Tickets to the Penn game and all Lehigh home football games can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting LehighTickets.com.
| Date: | September 4, 2015 |
| Opponent: | Central Connecticut State Blue Devils |
| Kickoff: | 7 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Arute Field/5,500/FieldTurf |
| Location: | New Britain, Conn. |
| Tickets: | Tickets can be purchased through CCSU at (860) 832-2583 |
| Lehigh's '14 Record: | 3-8 overall, 2-4 Patriot League |
| CCSU's '14 Record: | 3-9 overall, 1-5 NEC |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 3-1 |
| Television | None |
| Radio | WLVR-FM (91.3) beginning at 6 p.m. with Matt Kerr, Matt Markus and Steve Lomangino |
| Internet Broadcast: | Video on NEC Front Row Audio at WLVR.org |
| Key Stats: | • Lehigh rushed for 150 yards or more in nine of 11 games last season, but Nick Shafnisky (526 yards) and Troy Pelletier (68 yards) are the only returning Mountain Hawks who have carried the ball in a game. •The Mountain Hawks were minus-3 in turnover margin in 2014. Lehigh had the third fewest giveaways in the Patriot League, but also had the fewest takeaways. •Lehigh's roster features 33 freshmen, 17 sophomores, 19 juniors and 19 seniors. |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | http://ccsubluedevils.com |
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