Doing Things The Right Way
11/10/2016 11:51:00 AM | Football, Features
Lehigh Patriot League Champions Merchandise
By Steve Lomangino, Lehigh Sports Communications
For most of the last two seasons, Lehigh has had one of the most prolific offenses in the Football Championship Subdivision. The unsung heroes of the Mountain Hawks' offensive attack are the offensive line; a group that does all the dirty work, but rarely gets the spotlight.
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While they don't always seek or receive the glory, Lehigh's offense has been bolstered by a veteran line that has delivered exceptional leadership for the Mountain Hawks. Senior center Brandon Short and senior right tackle Zach Duffy are two of Lehigh's four captains. For Duffy, a second team All-Patriot League performer a season ago, the ability of Lehigh's offensive line to "do things the right way" has set the tone for the resurgence of the Mountain Hawks' program over the last two seasons.
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"Being an offensive lineman you have to do things the right way at all times," Duffy said. "It automatically helps you develop a lot of leadership skills. Brandon (Short) and I have always done the right things since we've been here. We've always made the right decisions. We don't get the glory. We literally do it because we love football. That's helped propel our offensive line to the spot we're in right now."
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A chance encounter with former offensive line coach Brett Sawyer at a summer camp was what initially drew Duffy, a Reading, Pa., native to Lehigh. The camp connection led to a visit and after watching practice, Duffy knew Lehigh was the place for him, as opposed to other schools who were still waiting to see him perform on film in his senior season.
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The transition to college football was not easy. Shoulder surgery in Duffy's senior high school season kept him off the practice field for most of his freshman year at Lehigh. While the 6-foot-5, now 330-pound Duffy saw significant time as a sophomore, the struggle to adjust to the college game prevented him from meeting his own lofty expectations.
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The 2014 season was a tough one for all associated with the Lehigh program. The Mountain Hawks fell from 8-3 to 3-8 and dropped the final game of the season to Lafayette in New York. That offseason, however, the returning players made a commitment to turning things around.
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Turn around they did. Lehigh improved to 6-5 in 2015. Offensively, Duffy started 10 games at right tackle protecting a passing game that averaged nearly 275 yards per game, while helping pave the way for Lehigh's first-ever freshman 1,000 yard rusher. Duffy was recognized with all-league honors.
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"I'm very proud of how he's grown," Lehigh head coach Andy Coen said. "He's been through some injuries and a couple surgeries but he's never lost his love for the game and is very passionate about his teammates. That's why he's one of our best leaders here. He really cares about not only himself but his teammates and this whole football program."
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Leading into his senior season, Duffy had a feeling one of the senior linemen would be named a captain, but to see both he and Short named captains prior to the start of the season was especially rewarding.
Â
"(The 2014 season) helped a lot as far as building character," Duffy said. "It's easy to be a part of something when you're winning. That's the reason a lot of the guys in my class came to Lehigh. We had won two championships in three years so that was the culture here. I was on some high school teams that weren't very good, so I was able to identify and relate to it and I understood the work that needed to be put in and that everybody needed to be bought in. I had been in a position like that before and I'm fortunate enough that my teammates and coaches trusted me to be a captain and help lead the way."
Â
"He takes pride in it," Coen added. "We're fortunate that we have a lot of young men who really do follow Zach's lead. They do things the right way all the time. Zach has really become an extension of our coaching staff. That's how embedded he is with Coach (Offensive Line Coach Andy) Marino, our offensive coaches and really, the rest of our program."
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Duffy has started nine of 10 games in 2016 as one of the leaders of an offense that ranks among the best, not only in the Patriot League, but the FCS as well.
Â
"Being an offensive lineman, you have to practice specific techniques and specific looks over and over again," Duffy explains. "It doesn't come quickly or easy, but it's awesome to see it all come together. All this hard work and the best thing is we have guys on this team who truly appreciate what we (as an offensive line) do. It's truly been awesome."
Â
When Duffy is not making news for his contributions to Lehigh's on-field success, he is writing about it as a journalism major.
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"I've always been a pretty good writer and I've always enjoyed writing," said Duffy, who originally intended to study business. "I had taken a journalism class my sophomore year and it took off. I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed learning about the style of writing."
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Duffy has used writing to get away from sports. He writes for the lifestyle section of Lehigh's student newspaper, The Brown and White and spent time last year working with the Bethlehem Press, where he covered hard news stories, including a lengthy debate over whether discuss potentially harmful artificial turf athletic fields in several local school districts.
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"I love sports, obviously," Duffy said. "I love football more than anything but I want to write about something else. I do football for 30 hours a week. I have a lot of other interests – the arts, movies, television.
Â
Duffy continued on his experience covering school board meetings last year, "There were a lot of issues regarding whether or not to install artificial turf on the new fields for a couple of school districts. A legitimate issue and a legitimate topic in college like that. I had written a piece about that I'm pretty proud of; not necessarily because of the writing but because it was informative and it had meaning and it affected lives."
Â
While Duffy and Short both expect to apply for and receive a fifth year of eligibility, Duffy knows it would be special to complete the turnaround and win a championship with his class.
Â
"You come to college at a place like this and you don't plan for a fifth year," Duffy said of Lehigh. "This group of guys that we've been working with, this class, you build these relationships. They're your brothers and the guys that you want to accomplish this with. This is my senior class and my senior team. This is my legacy right now. I don't want to worry about what's going to happen next year. There are no guarantees. I just want to focus on right now, this team, one week at a time."
Â
By Steve Lomangino, Lehigh Sports Communications
For most of the last two seasons, Lehigh has had one of the most prolific offenses in the Football Championship Subdivision. The unsung heroes of the Mountain Hawks' offensive attack are the offensive line; a group that does all the dirty work, but rarely gets the spotlight.
Â
While they don't always seek or receive the glory, Lehigh's offense has been bolstered by a veteran line that has delivered exceptional leadership for the Mountain Hawks. Senior center Brandon Short and senior right tackle Zach Duffy are two of Lehigh's four captains. For Duffy, a second team All-Patriot League performer a season ago, the ability of Lehigh's offensive line to "do things the right way" has set the tone for the resurgence of the Mountain Hawks' program over the last two seasons.
Â
"Being an offensive lineman you have to do things the right way at all times," Duffy said. "It automatically helps you develop a lot of leadership skills. Brandon (Short) and I have always done the right things since we've been here. We've always made the right decisions. We don't get the glory. We literally do it because we love football. That's helped propel our offensive line to the spot we're in right now."
Â
A chance encounter with former offensive line coach Brett Sawyer at a summer camp was what initially drew Duffy, a Reading, Pa., native to Lehigh. The camp connection led to a visit and after watching practice, Duffy knew Lehigh was the place for him, as opposed to other schools who were still waiting to see him perform on film in his senior season.
Â
The transition to college football was not easy. Shoulder surgery in Duffy's senior high school season kept him off the practice field for most of his freshman year at Lehigh. While the 6-foot-5, now 330-pound Duffy saw significant time as a sophomore, the struggle to adjust to the college game prevented him from meeting his own lofty expectations.
Â
The 2014 season was a tough one for all associated with the Lehigh program. The Mountain Hawks fell from 8-3 to 3-8 and dropped the final game of the season to Lafayette in New York. That offseason, however, the returning players made a commitment to turning things around.
Â
Turn around they did. Lehigh improved to 6-5 in 2015. Offensively, Duffy started 10 games at right tackle protecting a passing game that averaged nearly 275 yards per game, while helping pave the way for Lehigh's first-ever freshman 1,000 yard rusher. Duffy was recognized with all-league honors.
Â
"I'm very proud of how he's grown," Lehigh head coach Andy Coen said. "He's been through some injuries and a couple surgeries but he's never lost his love for the game and is very passionate about his teammates. That's why he's one of our best leaders here. He really cares about not only himself but his teammates and this whole football program."
Â
Leading into his senior season, Duffy had a feeling one of the senior linemen would be named a captain, but to see both he and Short named captains prior to the start of the season was especially rewarding.
Â
"(The 2014 season) helped a lot as far as building character," Duffy said. "It's easy to be a part of something when you're winning. That's the reason a lot of the guys in my class came to Lehigh. We had won two championships in three years so that was the culture here. I was on some high school teams that weren't very good, so I was able to identify and relate to it and I understood the work that needed to be put in and that everybody needed to be bought in. I had been in a position like that before and I'm fortunate enough that my teammates and coaches trusted me to be a captain and help lead the way."
Â
"He takes pride in it," Coen added. "We're fortunate that we have a lot of young men who really do follow Zach's lead. They do things the right way all the time. Zach has really become an extension of our coaching staff. That's how embedded he is with Coach (Offensive Line Coach Andy) Marino, our offensive coaches and really, the rest of our program."
Â
Â
Duffy has started nine of 10 games in 2016 as one of the leaders of an offense that ranks among the best, not only in the Patriot League, but the FCS as well.
Â
"Being an offensive lineman, you have to practice specific techniques and specific looks over and over again," Duffy explains. "It doesn't come quickly or easy, but it's awesome to see it all come together. All this hard work and the best thing is we have guys on this team who truly appreciate what we (as an offensive line) do. It's truly been awesome."
Â
When Duffy is not making news for his contributions to Lehigh's on-field success, he is writing about it as a journalism major.
Â
"I've always been a pretty good writer and I've always enjoyed writing," said Duffy, who originally intended to study business. "I had taken a journalism class my sophomore year and it took off. I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed learning about the style of writing."
Â
Duffy has used writing to get away from sports. He writes for the lifestyle section of Lehigh's student newspaper, The Brown and White and spent time last year working with the Bethlehem Press, where he covered hard news stories, including a lengthy debate over whether discuss potentially harmful artificial turf athletic fields in several local school districts.
Â
"I love sports, obviously," Duffy said. "I love football more than anything but I want to write about something else. I do football for 30 hours a week. I have a lot of other interests – the arts, movies, television.
Â
Duffy continued on his experience covering school board meetings last year, "There were a lot of issues regarding whether or not to install artificial turf on the new fields for a couple of school districts. A legitimate issue and a legitimate topic in college like that. I had written a piece about that I'm pretty proud of; not necessarily because of the writing but because it was informative and it had meaning and it affected lives."
Â
While Duffy and Short both expect to apply for and receive a fifth year of eligibility, Duffy knows it would be special to complete the turnaround and win a championship with his class.
Â
"You come to college at a place like this and you don't plan for a fifth year," Duffy said of Lehigh. "This group of guys that we've been working with, this class, you build these relationships. They're your brothers and the guys that you want to accomplish this with. This is my senior class and my senior team. This is my legacy right now. I don't want to worry about what's going to happen next year. There are no guarantees. I just want to focus on right now, this team, one week at a time."
Â
Players Mentioned
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