Saturday, October 14
Bethlehem, Pa.
12:30 PM
Lehigh University
2-5 , 2-0
54
vs
35
Georgetown
1-5 , 0-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Georgetown
0
14
7
14
35
Lehigh
7
27
10
10
54
Pelletier enjoys record-setting day as Lehigh goes to 2-0 in league with 54-35 win over Georgetown
10/14/2017 5:38:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh scored 27 second-quarter points to take a 34-14 halftime lead, and the Mountain Hawks wouldn't look back, downing Georgetown 54-35 on Saturday afternoon at Goodman Stadium. In the victory, senior Troy Pelletier set a single-game school and Patriot League record with 16 receptions, good for 197 yards. He also became Lehigh's career record-holder for receiving yards, and tied the Patriot League career record for touchdown receptions (34).
Saturday's game was presented by the Northampton and Lehigh County Drug and Alcohol Administrations with the Center for Humanistic Change.
Junior Brad Mayes finished 31-of-40 passing with 384 yards and four touchdowns, all to Pelletier. Classmate Dominick Bragalone carried 24 times for 122 yards and two scores. Sophomore Devon Bibbens also had five catches for 50 yards while senior Drew Paulsen tallied four receptions for 56 yards.
The Mountain Hawks (2-5, 2-0 Patriot League) rolled up an impressive 628 yards of offense, showing good balance with 384 through the air and a season-best 244 on the ground. Lehigh's defense yielded a season-low 395 yards and held the Hoyas (1-5, 0-1 PL) to just 91 rushing yards, 185 fewer than what the Mountain Hawks had averaged through their first six games.
"This game was what I expected," Lehigh head coach Andy Coen said afterwards. "I thought Georgetown would be a very worthy opponent and they did a great job. I was really thrilled with how our defense played, particularly early in the game. It seemed like we were able to get them three and out a couple times. We needed that because the offense was struggling a little bit behind Georgetown's defense. Our wheels got going offensively, we were running the football very well and we had a real nice balance, which is what I always talk about for our football team.
Coen continued, "Brad threw a pick on his first throw, but I was really glad to see how he reacted from that and after that, I thought he played very, very well."
After allowing one first down on the game's first drive, the Lehigh defense forced three-and-outs on the Hoyas' next four drives. A low-scoring first quarter saw Bragalone scamper in from five yards out to give the Mountain Hawks a 7-0 advantage with 4:54 remaining in the stanza.
A high-scoring second quarter saw Pelletier alternate touchdown catches with Georgetown scores to give Lehigh a 28-14 lead. Pelletier had a seven-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, then scored on a 24-yard catch-and-run which broke the school career receiving yardage record of 3,662 previously held by Rennie Benn '86. His third touchdown of the quarter also covered seven yards.
Special teams provided a spark late in the first half. After stopping Georgetown near midfield, sophomore Jon Seighman blocked a Hoya punt setting up Lehigh at the Georgetown 40 with 1:08 left before halftime. Four plays later, Bragalone had his second five-yard rushing touchdown of the game and after a missed extra point, Lehigh led 34-14 at the break.
Pelletier's fourth touchdown came on a long 48-yard pass from Mayes which put Lehigh up 44-21 late in the third quarter. The Hoyas scored to get within 16 early in the fourth, but the Mountain Hawks put the game out of reach behind junior Ed Mish's second field goal of the game and a five-yard touchdown rush by senior Nana Amankwah-Ayeh.
The Mountain Hawks gained 34 first downs to just 18 for the Hoyas and held a commanding 37:15-22:45 edge in time of possession. Gunther Johnson completed 18-of-33 for 290 yards and two touchdowns for Georgetown and also ran 13 times for 71 yards and three scores.
(10/14/2017) Football vs. Georgetown, 10/14/17
"This is a big win for us," Coen said. "We have our bye week coming up this week. We have some guys who are nicked up, tired, sore, those things. We'll give the guys quite a bit of rest, then get back in the weight room and start preparing for Fordham the latter part of the week. Getting that second win in the league is very, very important and gives us momentum as we continue to move forward towards our goal."
The Mountain Hawks have their bye next week and will play their next two games on the road, Oct. 28 at Fordham and Nov. 4 at Bucknell, before returning home for their final two regular season games, including the 153rd meeting of Lehigh-Lafayette on Nov. 17.
Lehigh and Northampton Counties Drug & Alcohol Divisions plan, coordinate, fund and monitor drug and alcohol services for their respective counties through contracts with local providers. These services include prevention education, intervention programs, and both inpatient and outpatient treatment. If you or a loved one has a substance use disorder, there is help available through your county Drug & Alcohol Division. They can answer your questions, help coordinate services, and provide funding for treatment. In Lehigh County, call 610-782-3555; in Northampton County, call 610-829-4725.
The Center for Humanistic Change is a not-for-profit agency that gives community members the knowledge and tools they need to make better-informed and more positive life choices. For 37 years, CHC has developed and delivered high quality prevention education and life skills programming in the Lehigh Valley. CHC, through funding from both counties, has educated thousands throughout the valley about the opioid crisis through HOPE (Heroin & Opioid Prevention Education), focusing on the fact that, "Yes, it CAN happen to you."
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh improved to 2-0 in Patriot League play for the second straight season and defeated Georgetown for the 17th consecutive season… the Mountain Hawks improved to 5-6 in games heading into their bye week under Andy Coen… Lehigh honored its 1977 National Championship team at halftime in celebration of their 40th anniversary… Pelletier broke his own single game receptions record (15) set at Princeton in 2015… he became the fourth Mountain Hawk to have four-or-more touchdown catches in one game and the first since Josh Snyder vs. CCSU in 2001… Steve Kreider, who was in attendance with the 1977 championship team caught four against UMass in 1977… Benn holds the school record of five, set against Indiana (Pa.) in 1985… Pelletier now has 284 career receptions for 3,799 yards… Mish's 25 and 22-yard field goals were Lehigh's first two of the season… junior Nick Thevanayagam made his first career start at rover and led Lehigh with six tackles… Thevanayagam was taken off the field on a stretcher following a hit on Johnson in the third quarter… Thevanayagam was alert and had movement in his extremities but was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated for a head injury… junior Mark Walker added five tackles… Saturday's attendance was 4,438.
Saturday's game was presented by the Northampton and Lehigh County Drug and Alcohol Administrations with the Center for Humanistic Change.
Junior Brad Mayes finished 31-of-40 passing with 384 yards and four touchdowns, all to Pelletier. Classmate Dominick Bragalone carried 24 times for 122 yards and two scores. Sophomore Devon Bibbens also had five catches for 50 yards while senior Drew Paulsen tallied four receptions for 56 yards.
The Mountain Hawks (2-5, 2-0 Patriot League) rolled up an impressive 628 yards of offense, showing good balance with 384 through the air and a season-best 244 on the ground. Lehigh's defense yielded a season-low 395 yards and held the Hoyas (1-5, 0-1 PL) to just 91 rushing yards, 185 fewer than what the Mountain Hawks had averaged through their first six games.
"This game was what I expected," Lehigh head coach Andy Coen said afterwards. "I thought Georgetown would be a very worthy opponent and they did a great job. I was really thrilled with how our defense played, particularly early in the game. It seemed like we were able to get them three and out a couple times. We needed that because the offense was struggling a little bit behind Georgetown's defense. Our wheels got going offensively, we were running the football very well and we had a real nice balance, which is what I always talk about for our football team.
Coen continued, "Brad threw a pick on his first throw, but I was really glad to see how he reacted from that and after that, I thought he played very, very well."
After allowing one first down on the game's first drive, the Lehigh defense forced three-and-outs on the Hoyas' next four drives. A low-scoring first quarter saw Bragalone scamper in from five yards out to give the Mountain Hawks a 7-0 advantage with 4:54 remaining in the stanza.
A high-scoring second quarter saw Pelletier alternate touchdown catches with Georgetown scores to give Lehigh a 28-14 lead. Pelletier had a seven-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, then scored on a 24-yard catch-and-run which broke the school career receiving yardage record of 3,662 previously held by Rennie Benn '86. His third touchdown of the quarter also covered seven yards.
Special teams provided a spark late in the first half. After stopping Georgetown near midfield, sophomore Jon Seighman blocked a Hoya punt setting up Lehigh at the Georgetown 40 with 1:08 left before halftime. Four plays later, Bragalone had his second five-yard rushing touchdown of the game and after a missed extra point, Lehigh led 34-14 at the break.
Pelletier's fourth touchdown came on a long 48-yard pass from Mayes which put Lehigh up 44-21 late in the third quarter. The Hoyas scored to get within 16 early in the fourth, but the Mountain Hawks put the game out of reach behind junior Ed Mish's second field goal of the game and a five-yard touchdown rush by senior Nana Amankwah-Ayeh.
The Mountain Hawks gained 34 first downs to just 18 for the Hoyas and held a commanding 37:15-22:45 edge in time of possession. Gunther Johnson completed 18-of-33 for 290 yards and two touchdowns for Georgetown and also ran 13 times for 71 yards and three scores.
"This is a big win for us," Coen said. "We have our bye week coming up this week. We have some guys who are nicked up, tired, sore, those things. We'll give the guys quite a bit of rest, then get back in the weight room and start preparing for Fordham the latter part of the week. Getting that second win in the league is very, very important and gives us momentum as we continue to move forward towards our goal."
The Mountain Hawks have their bye next week and will play their next two games on the road, Oct. 28 at Fordham and Nov. 4 at Bucknell, before returning home for their final two regular season games, including the 153rd meeting of Lehigh-Lafayette on Nov. 17.
Lehigh and Northampton Counties Drug & Alcohol Divisions plan, coordinate, fund and monitor drug and alcohol services for their respective counties through contracts with local providers. These services include prevention education, intervention programs, and both inpatient and outpatient treatment. If you or a loved one has a substance use disorder, there is help available through your county Drug & Alcohol Division. They can answer your questions, help coordinate services, and provide funding for treatment. In Lehigh County, call 610-782-3555; in Northampton County, call 610-829-4725.
The Center for Humanistic Change is a not-for-profit agency that gives community members the knowledge and tools they need to make better-informed and more positive life choices. For 37 years, CHC has developed and delivered high quality prevention education and life skills programming in the Lehigh Valley. CHC, through funding from both counties, has educated thousands throughout the valley about the opioid crisis through HOPE (Heroin & Opioid Prevention Education), focusing on the fact that, "Yes, it CAN happen to you."
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh improved to 2-0 in Patriot League play for the second straight season and defeated Georgetown for the 17th consecutive season… the Mountain Hawks improved to 5-6 in games heading into their bye week under Andy Coen… Lehigh honored its 1977 National Championship team at halftime in celebration of their 40th anniversary… Pelletier broke his own single game receptions record (15) set at Princeton in 2015… he became the fourth Mountain Hawk to have four-or-more touchdown catches in one game and the first since Josh Snyder vs. CCSU in 2001… Steve Kreider, who was in attendance with the 1977 championship team caught four against UMass in 1977… Benn holds the school record of five, set against Indiana (Pa.) in 1985… Pelletier now has 284 career receptions for 3,799 yards… Mish's 25 and 22-yard field goals were Lehigh's first two of the season… junior Nick Thevanayagam made his first career start at rover and led Lehigh with six tackles… Thevanayagam was taken off the field on a stretcher following a hit on Johnson in the third quarter… Thevanayagam was alert and had movement in his extremities but was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated for a head injury… junior Mark Walker added five tackles… Saturday's attendance was 4,438.
Team Stats
GU
LEHIGH
Total Yards
395
628
Pass Yards
304
384
Rushing Yards
91
244
Penalty Yards
60
54
1st Downs
18
34
3rd Downs
1
7
4th Downs
3
0
TOP
22:45
37:15
1st Quarter
GU 0, LEHIGH 7
LEHIGH - Bragalone, Dom 5 yd run (Mish, Ed kick), 8 plays, 63 yards, TOP 2:26
2nd Quarter
GU 0, LEHIGH 14
LEHIGH - Pelletier, Troy 7 yd pass from Mayes, Brad (Mish, Ed kick) 9 plays, 77 yards, TOP 3:21
GU 7, LEHIGH 14
GU - Dereus, M. 80 yd pass from Johnson, G. (Hurst, B. kick) 1 plays, 80 yards, TOP 0:12
GU 7, LEHIGH 21
LEHIGH - Pelletier, Troy 24 yd pass from Mayes, Brad (Mish, Ed kick) 6 plays, 65 yards, TOP 2:55
GU 14, LEHIGH 21
GU - Johnson, G. 8 yd run (Hurst, B. kick), 6 plays, 67 yards, TOP 3:13
GU 14, LEHIGH 28
LEHIGH - Pelletier, Troy 7 yd pass from Mayes, Brad (Mish, Ed kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:28
GU 14, LEHIGH 34
LEHIGH - Bragalone, Dom 5 yd run (Mish, Ed kickfailed), 4 plays, 40 yards, TOP 0:34
3rd Quarter
GU 14, LEHIGH 37
LEHIGH - Mish, Ed 25 yd field goal 12 plays, 67 yards, TOP 4:24
GU 21, LEHIGH 37
GU - Johnson, G. 6 yd run (Hurst, B. kick), 8 plays, 22 yards, TOP 2:26
GU 21, LEHIGH 44
LEHIGH - Pelletier, Troy 48 yd pass from Mayes, Brad (Mish, Ed kick) 1 plays, 48 yards, TOP 0:08
4th Quarter
GU 28, LEHIGH 44
GU - Dereus, M. 11 yd pass from Johnson, G. (Hurst, B. kick) 6 plays, 58 yards, TOP 1:37
GU 28, LEHIGH 47
LEHIGH - Mish, Ed 22 yd field goal 12 plays, 70 yards, TOP 7:20
GU 28, LEHIGH 54
LEHIGH - Amankwah-Ayeh 5 yd run (Mish, Ed kick), 6 plays, 37 yards, TOP 3:45
GU 35, LEHIGH 54
GU - Johnson, G. 1 yd run (Hill, O. kick), 9 plays, 88 yards, TOP 1:40
Game Leaders
CMP
31
TD
4
YDS
384
INT
1
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
LB
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