Saturday, October 28
Bronx, N.Y.
1:00 PM
Lehigh University
2-6 , 2-1
35
at
45
Fordham
3-6 , 2-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Lehigh
7
7
7
14
35
FORDHAM
7
7
14
17
45
Bragalone's career day not enough as Lehigh suffers first league loss, 45-35, at Fordham
10/28/2017 6:06:00 PM | Football
BRONX, N.Y. – Junior Dominick Bragalone enjoyed the finest statistical day of his career but four turnovers by the offense and several big plays by the defense allowed host Fordham to hand Lehigh its first league loss 45-35 Saturday at Jack Coffey Field.
Bragalone set career-highs in rushing attempts and yards, gaining 218 on 27 carries and also led Lehigh in receiving with six catches for 79 yards. He scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.
The Mountain Hawks (2-6, 2-1 Patriot League) out-gained the Rams (3-6, 2-2 PL) by a slim 563-544 margin and rushed for 306 yards, but Lehigh turned the ball over four times and was unable to create any turnovers.
Junior Brad Mayes had a tough day, completing just 20-of-39 passes for a season-low 257 yards. He threw three touchdown passes, two interceptions and was sacked twice. Coming off a school-record 16 receptions against Georgetown, senior Troy Pelletier was limited to five catches for 19 yards.
D'Angelo Palladino rushed for 297 yards and three touchdowns starting in place of injured All-American Chase Edmonds. Fordham also hit the 300-yard rushing mark for the game.
"We had a great opportunity out there but we didn't perform very well," Lehigh head coach Andy Coen said. "First drive of the game after they had scored we went right down. Then next time we drive down and throw an interception. I was really proud of how well our defense played (at times). They had a couple of long drives where our defense kept working at it and working at it and getting stops and getting the ball back for the offense."
The teams traded touchdowns in the first 2:22 of the game as Fordham needed just four plays to go in front and then Lehigh answered with a two-play scoring drive capped by a 56 yard pass from Mayes to freshman Jorge Portorreal.
Fordham's Kevin Anderson hit Isaiah Searight for a 28-yard touchdown to give the Rams a second-quarter lead but right before the half, Mayes led Lehigh on a 13-play, 91-yard drive, capped with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Bragalone to even the game at 14-14 at the break.
After Lehigh failed to score on the opening possession of the second half, Fordham reclaimed the lead as Palladino raced 70 yards on the Rams' second play of the half. A 30-yard scoring run from Bragalone evened the score with 2:03 to go in the quarter, but Anderson and Searight connected on a six-yard score late in the quarter to put Fordham ahead 28-21 after three and Lehigh would never pull even again.
Fordham turned just one of Lehigh's four turnovers into points, but it came at a key juncture in the game. Mayes was picked off late in the third quarter but the Mountain Hawks stood tall, yielding just a 29-yard field goal to trail by 10 early in the final quarter.
"Brad's just trying to make more and more plays while trying to be a leader," Coen said. "That's part of the game. Today's result is disappointing but we still control our own destiny."
Lehigh scored twice in the fourth quarter, on an eight-yard run by senior Nana Amankwah-Ayeh and then a 15-yard pass from Mayes to sophomore Devon Bibbens. The Mountain Hawks attempted an onside kick after Bibbens scored but the Rams recovered. Facing 3rd-and-14 from the Lehigh 48, Palladino broke free for a 48-yard touchdown to put the game away.
The Mountain Hawks had 30 first downs to Fordham's 20 and a 31:07-28:53 edge in time of possession. Lehigh converted 7-of-16 third downs, while limiting Fordham to 2-of-12. Both teams were 2-for-3 on fourth downs.
(10/28/2017) Football at Fordham 10/28/17
"This game reminded me a bit of the Wagner game, where we didn't perform the way we're capable of offensively," Coen said. "We had a hard time getting the ball to Troy, largely because Jorge was out and Gatlin (Casey) was out. It was good to see Bibbens step up. He seems to be getting better and better. We're going to need him in these next couple of games."
The Mountain Hawks continue a two-game road swing next Saturday when they travel to Bucknell. Game time is set for noon from Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium in Lewisburg, Pa. The game will be broadcast on the Patriot League Network, with audio coverage on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) and ESPNLV.com beginning at 11 a.m.
EXTRA POINTS… Bragalone's 218 rushing yards rank seventh on Lehigh's single-game rushing list… it marks the first 200-yard rushing game for a Lehigh player since Jermaine Pugh rushed for 238 against Fordham in 2003… Bragalone also eclipsed 3,000 rushing yards for his career… sophomore Mark Walker led the defense with 12 tackles and a tackle-for-loss… Lehigh registered two sacks, by juniors Julian Lynn and Harrison Kauffman, after totaling three through its first seven games… Fordham defeated Lehigh for just the sixth time in 30 meetings, but the third straight meeting in the Bronx… Mayes has now thrown 17 career interceptions, compared to 43 touchdowns… 10 of the 17 interceptions have come in three games in New York City (Fordham '15 and '17 and Wagner '17)… Lehigh is now 5-7 in games following its bye under Andy Coen… senior tight end Drew Paulsen was taken from the field in an ambulance and was being evaluated for injuries to his head and neck… he was taken to a local hospital for further observation.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Bragalone set career-highs in rushing attempts and yards, gaining 218 on 27 carries and also led Lehigh in receiving with six catches for 79 yards. He scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.
The Mountain Hawks (2-6, 2-1 Patriot League) out-gained the Rams (3-6, 2-2 PL) by a slim 563-544 margin and rushed for 306 yards, but Lehigh turned the ball over four times and was unable to create any turnovers.
Junior Brad Mayes had a tough day, completing just 20-of-39 passes for a season-low 257 yards. He threw three touchdown passes, two interceptions and was sacked twice. Coming off a school-record 16 receptions against Georgetown, senior Troy Pelletier was limited to five catches for 19 yards.
D'Angelo Palladino rushed for 297 yards and three touchdowns starting in place of injured All-American Chase Edmonds. Fordham also hit the 300-yard rushing mark for the game.
"We had a great opportunity out there but we didn't perform very well," Lehigh head coach Andy Coen said. "First drive of the game after they had scored we went right down. Then next time we drive down and throw an interception. I was really proud of how well our defense played (at times). They had a couple of long drives where our defense kept working at it and working at it and getting stops and getting the ball back for the offense."
The teams traded touchdowns in the first 2:22 of the game as Fordham needed just four plays to go in front and then Lehigh answered with a two-play scoring drive capped by a 56 yard pass from Mayes to freshman Jorge Portorreal.
Fordham's Kevin Anderson hit Isaiah Searight for a 28-yard touchdown to give the Rams a second-quarter lead but right before the half, Mayes led Lehigh on a 13-play, 91-yard drive, capped with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Bragalone to even the game at 14-14 at the break.
After Lehigh failed to score on the opening possession of the second half, Fordham reclaimed the lead as Palladino raced 70 yards on the Rams' second play of the half. A 30-yard scoring run from Bragalone evened the score with 2:03 to go in the quarter, but Anderson and Searight connected on a six-yard score late in the quarter to put Fordham ahead 28-21 after three and Lehigh would never pull even again.
Fordham turned just one of Lehigh's four turnovers into points, but it came at a key juncture in the game. Mayes was picked off late in the third quarter but the Mountain Hawks stood tall, yielding just a 29-yard field goal to trail by 10 early in the final quarter.
"Brad's just trying to make more and more plays while trying to be a leader," Coen said. "That's part of the game. Today's result is disappointing but we still control our own destiny."
Lehigh scored twice in the fourth quarter, on an eight-yard run by senior Nana Amankwah-Ayeh and then a 15-yard pass from Mayes to sophomore Devon Bibbens. The Mountain Hawks attempted an onside kick after Bibbens scored but the Rams recovered. Facing 3rd-and-14 from the Lehigh 48, Palladino broke free for a 48-yard touchdown to put the game away.
The Mountain Hawks had 30 first downs to Fordham's 20 and a 31:07-28:53 edge in time of possession. Lehigh converted 7-of-16 third downs, while limiting Fordham to 2-of-12. Both teams were 2-for-3 on fourth downs.
"This game reminded me a bit of the Wagner game, where we didn't perform the way we're capable of offensively," Coen said. "We had a hard time getting the ball to Troy, largely because Jorge was out and Gatlin (Casey) was out. It was good to see Bibbens step up. He seems to be getting better and better. We're going to need him in these next couple of games."
The Mountain Hawks continue a two-game road swing next Saturday when they travel to Bucknell. Game time is set for noon from Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium in Lewisburg, Pa. The game will be broadcast on the Patriot League Network, with audio coverage on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (1230/1320/1160-AM) and ESPNLV.com beginning at 11 a.m.
EXTRA POINTS… Bragalone's 218 rushing yards rank seventh on Lehigh's single-game rushing list… it marks the first 200-yard rushing game for a Lehigh player since Jermaine Pugh rushed for 238 against Fordham in 2003… Bragalone also eclipsed 3,000 rushing yards for his career… sophomore Mark Walker led the defense with 12 tackles and a tackle-for-loss… Lehigh registered two sacks, by juniors Julian Lynn and Harrison Kauffman, after totaling three through its first seven games… Fordham defeated Lehigh for just the sixth time in 30 meetings, but the third straight meeting in the Bronx… Mayes has now thrown 17 career interceptions, compared to 43 touchdowns… 10 of the 17 interceptions have come in three games in New York City (Fordham '15 and '17 and Wagner '17)… Lehigh is now 5-7 in games following its bye under Andy Coen… senior tight end Drew Paulsen was taken from the field in an ambulance and was being evaluated for injuries to his head and neck… he was taken to a local hospital for further observation.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Team Stats
LEHIGH
FORDHAM
Total Yards
563
544
Pass Yards
257
244
Rushing Yards
306
300
Penalty Yards
5
43
1st Downs
30
20
3rd Downs
7
2
4th Downs
2
2
TOP
31:07
28:53
1st Quarter
LEHIGH 0, FORDHAM 7
FORDHAM - Nix, Noah 15 yd pass from Anderson, Kevin (Mevis, Andrew kick) 4 plays, 66 yards, TOP 1:37
LEHIGH 7, FORDHAM 7
LEHIGH - Portorreal, J. 56 yd pass from Mayes, Brad (Mish, Ed kick) 2 plays, 80 yards, TOP 0:45
2nd Quarter
LEHIGH 7, FORDHAM 14
FORDHAM - Searight, Isaia 28 yd pass from Anderson, Kevin (Mevis, Andrew kick) 3 plays, 60 yards, TOP 0:59
LEHIGH 14, FORDHAM 14
LEHIGH - Bragalone, Dom 13 yd pass from Mayes, Brad (Mish, Ed kick) 13 plays, 91 yards, TOP 4:33
3rd Quarter
LEHIGH 14, FORDHAM 21
FORDHAM - Palladino, D'An 70 yd run (Mevis, Andrew kick), 2 plays, 80 yards, TOP 0:34
LEHIGH 21, FORDHAM 21
LEHIGH - Bragalone, Dom 30 yd run (Mish, Ed kick), 2 plays, 45 yards, TOP 0:34
LEHIGH 21, FORDHAM 28
FORDHAM - Searight, Isaia 6 yd pass from Anderson, Kevin (Mevis, Andrew kick) 3 plays, 66 yards, TOP 1:14
4th Quarter
LEHIGH 21, FORDHAM 31
FORDHAM - Mevis, Andrew 29 yd field goal 4 plays, 1 yards, TOP 1:35
LEHIGH 28, FORDHAM 31
LEHIGH - Amankwah-Ayeh 8 yd run (Mish, Ed kick), 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:47
LEHIGH 28, FORDHAM 38
FORDHAM - Palladino, D'An 1 yd run (Mevis, Andrew kick), 9 plays, 64 yards, TOP 3:12
LEHIGH 35, FORDHAM 38
LEHIGH - Bibbens, Devon 15 yd pass from Mayes, Brad (Mish, Ed kick) 9 plays, 88 yards, TOP 2:48
LEHIGH 35, FORDHAM 45
FORDHAM - Palladino, D'An 48 yd run (Mevis, Andrew kick), 3 plays, 44 yards, TOP 0:54
Game Leaders
CMP
20
TD
3
YDS
257
INT
2
Players Mentioned
RB
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WR
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RB
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DL
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DL
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TE
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WR
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WR
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LB
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