Saturday, September 17
Philadelphia, Pa.
5:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Penn
Lehigh and Penn to tangle Saturday at Franklin Field
9/13/2016 12:37:00 PM | Football
Game Notes | Watch (Subscription Required) | Listen
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh visits historic Franklin Field for the first time since 2002 Saturday as the Mountain Hawks will look for their first win of 2016 against defending Ivy League co-champion Penn. The Mountain Hawks showed improvement but dropped a back-and-forth affair at No. 22/19 Villanova last weekend, dropping a 26-21 final after leading 14-6 at halftime. Junior Troy Pelletier led the offense with 13 catches for 121 yards, while senior Colton Caslow made 10 tackles in his season debut. Penn went 7-3 last season, claiming a share of the Ivy League title with a 6-1 league mark.
The Mountain Hawks made several positive strides between games one and two but it wasn't enough to pick up a win at No. 22/19 Villanova. Lehigh's defense limited the Wildcats to six first half points as the Mountain Hawks led 14-6 at the half and 21-20 in the fourth quarter, but 396 rushing yards helped Villanova rally in the second half. Lehigh's offense gained 364 total yards and held the ball for 30:26 after being limited to just 239 yards and 22:22 time of possession against Monmouth.
Senior Nick Shafnisky is in his third full season as Lehigh's starting quarterback. Shafnisky came into his own last season, completing nearly 67 percent of his passes for 2,279 yards and 15 touchdowns compared to just 10 interceptions in 11 games last year. He was also a key cog to Lehigh's ground attack, rushing for 674 yards and a team-best 12 touchdowns. The Whitehall, Pa. product saved his best for last in 2015, going 21-for-27 for 283 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 109 yards and a touchdown to earn MVP honors in Lehigh's 49-35 win over Lafayette last November. Shafnisky enjoyed one of the best games of his career last year against Penn, accounting for 345 yards of offense and a career-high five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing).
After missing the Monmouth game due to injury senior linebacker and defensive captain Colton Caslow returned to the Lehigh lineup at Villanova, contributing a team-best 10 tackles, plus a tackle-for-loss. Despite missing two games due to injury last season, Caslow led the Mountain Hawks with 95 tackles. He added eight tackles-for-loss, including 1.5 in the season finale against Lafayette. Caslow established a career-high with 17 tackles in last year's season-opener at Central Connecticut State. He now owns 10 career double-digit tackle games, five of which came last season.
The Quakers open their 2016 campaign after earning a share of the Ivy League title in 2015. Penn bounced back from an opening day loss to Lehigh to win seven of its next nine games, going 6-1 in the Ivy League. The Quakers were picked second in the Ivy preseason poll and return 16 starters, including first-team All-Ivy quarterback Alek Torgersen and wide receiver Justin Watson. The Ivy League's top receiver last year, Watson is one of 22 players named to the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List. Honorable mention All-Ivy linebacker Donald Panciello leads the Penn defense.
Saturday's game marks Andy Coen's second meeting with Penn and first at Franklin Field as a head coach, after spending six seasons with the Quakers under Al Bagnoli prior to his return to Lehigh. Coen spent six seasons as Penn's offensive coordinator where he helped the Quakers to three Ivy League titles and a top ten national finish in 2003. While Coen led Penn's offense, Quaker head coach Ray Priore was Penn's defensive coordinator and secondary coach. Coen will be coaching at Franklin Field for the first time since a 16-7 loss to Cornell in the 2005 season finale.
Lehigh and Penn meet for the 59th time with the Quakers holding a 44-14 advantage. Last year's meeting was the first since 2003 after Lehigh and Penn met regularly in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Last year's win snapped a two-game Penn winning streak in the series. Lehigh has won 12 of the last 16 meetings dating back to 1975. These teams first met in 1885 and last met at Franklin Field in 2002, a 24-21 Quakers victory.
Saturday's game kicks off just after 5 p.m. from Franklin Field. The game will not be televised but streaming video will be available via the subscription-based Ivy League Digital Network.
Radio coverage for Saturday's game will be available on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230-1320-1160 AM) with pregame coverage beginning at 4 p.m.
Lehigh continues its stretch of three straight games against Ivy League opponents when the Mountain Hawks return to Goodman Stadium to host the Princeton Tigers on Saturday September 24. Princeton went 5-5 last year, including a 52-26 win over Lehigh, which snapped a four-game Mountain Hawk winning streak in the series. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. on Youth Sports Day at Goodman Stadium.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh visits historic Franklin Field for the first time since 2002 Saturday as the Mountain Hawks will look for their first win of 2016 against defending Ivy League co-champion Penn. The Mountain Hawks showed improvement but dropped a back-and-forth affair at No. 22/19 Villanova last weekend, dropping a 26-21 final after leading 14-6 at halftime. Junior Troy Pelletier led the offense with 13 catches for 121 yards, while senior Colton Caslow made 10 tackles in his season debut. Penn went 7-3 last season, claiming a share of the Ivy League title with a 6-1 league mark.
The Mountain Hawks made several positive strides between games one and two but it wasn't enough to pick up a win at No. 22/19 Villanova. Lehigh's defense limited the Wildcats to six first half points as the Mountain Hawks led 14-6 at the half and 21-20 in the fourth quarter, but 396 rushing yards helped Villanova rally in the second half. Lehigh's offense gained 364 total yards and held the ball for 30:26 after being limited to just 239 yards and 22:22 time of possession against Monmouth.
Senior Nick Shafnisky is in his third full season as Lehigh's starting quarterback. Shafnisky came into his own last season, completing nearly 67 percent of his passes for 2,279 yards and 15 touchdowns compared to just 10 interceptions in 11 games last year. He was also a key cog to Lehigh's ground attack, rushing for 674 yards and a team-best 12 touchdowns. The Whitehall, Pa. product saved his best for last in 2015, going 21-for-27 for 283 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 109 yards and a touchdown to earn MVP honors in Lehigh's 49-35 win over Lafayette last November. Shafnisky enjoyed one of the best games of his career last year against Penn, accounting for 345 yards of offense and a career-high five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing).
After missing the Monmouth game due to injury senior linebacker and defensive captain Colton Caslow returned to the Lehigh lineup at Villanova, contributing a team-best 10 tackles, plus a tackle-for-loss. Despite missing two games due to injury last season, Caslow led the Mountain Hawks with 95 tackles. He added eight tackles-for-loss, including 1.5 in the season finale against Lafayette. Caslow established a career-high with 17 tackles in last year's season-opener at Central Connecticut State. He now owns 10 career double-digit tackle games, five of which came last season.
The Quakers open their 2016 campaign after earning a share of the Ivy League title in 2015. Penn bounced back from an opening day loss to Lehigh to win seven of its next nine games, going 6-1 in the Ivy League. The Quakers were picked second in the Ivy preseason poll and return 16 starters, including first-team All-Ivy quarterback Alek Torgersen and wide receiver Justin Watson. The Ivy League's top receiver last year, Watson is one of 22 players named to the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List. Honorable mention All-Ivy linebacker Donald Panciello leads the Penn defense.
Saturday's game marks Andy Coen's second meeting with Penn and first at Franklin Field as a head coach, after spending six seasons with the Quakers under Al Bagnoli prior to his return to Lehigh. Coen spent six seasons as Penn's offensive coordinator where he helped the Quakers to three Ivy League titles and a top ten national finish in 2003. While Coen led Penn's offense, Quaker head coach Ray Priore was Penn's defensive coordinator and secondary coach. Coen will be coaching at Franklin Field for the first time since a 16-7 loss to Cornell in the 2005 season finale.
Lehigh and Penn meet for the 59th time with the Quakers holding a 44-14 advantage. Last year's meeting was the first since 2003 after Lehigh and Penn met regularly in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Last year's win snapped a two-game Penn winning streak in the series. Lehigh has won 12 of the last 16 meetings dating back to 1975. These teams first met in 1885 and last met at Franklin Field in 2002, a 24-21 Quakers victory.
Saturday's game kicks off just after 5 p.m. from Franklin Field. The game will not be televised but streaming video will be available via the subscription-based Ivy League Digital Network.
Radio coverage for Saturday's game will be available on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230-1320-1160 AM) with pregame coverage beginning at 4 p.m.
Lehigh continues its stretch of three straight games against Ivy League opponents when the Mountain Hawks return to Goodman Stadium to host the Princeton Tigers on Saturday September 24. Princeton went 5-5 last year, including a 52-26 win over Lehigh, which snapped a four-game Mountain Hawk winning streak in the series. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. on Youth Sports Day at Goodman Stadium.
| Date: | September 17, 2016 |
| Opponent: | Penn Quakers |
| Kickoff: | 5 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Villanova Stadium/52,593/SprinTurf |
| Location: | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Tickets: | Tickets can be purchased through Penn at (215) 898-6151 |
| Lehigh's Record: | 0-2 overall, 0-0 Patriot League |
| Penn's Record: | 0-0 overall, 0-0 Ivy League |
| Series: | Penn leads 44-14 |
| Television | None |
| Radio | ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1160, 1230 and 1320-AM) beginning at 4 p.m. with Matt Kerr, Matt Markus and Steve Lomangino |
| Internet Broadcast: | Video on the Ivy League Digital Network (subscription required) Audio at ESPNLV.com |
| Key Stats: | •Lehigh's two losses have been by a combined seven points. •The Mountain Hawks are 6-2 against Ivy League teams playing their season-openers under Andy Coen. •Lehigh has won 12 of the last 16 games versus Penn after the Quakers won 34 straight against the Brown and White from 1890-1975. |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | http://www.pennathletics.com |
Players Mentioned
Brown & Flight 2025 - Episode 3
Friday, October 17
Brown & Flight 2025 - Episode Two
Friday, October 10
2025 Brown & Flight - Episode 1
Thursday, September 18
Lehigh Sports Central: Football
Wednesday, August 27
