Saturday, October 6
Princeton, N.J.
1:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Princeton
Mountain Hawks to face tough post-bye week test Saturday at Princeton
10/2/2018 11:28:00 AM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh returns from its bye week looking to snap a three-game slide as the Mountain Hawks visit Princeton in the final non-league game for both teams. The Mountain Hawks fell 30-10 at Penn on Sept. 22 in a game where Lehigh trailed by three at halftime but failed to score in the second half. Senior Dom Bragalone returned to action with 103 rushing yards, while senior Luke Christiano scored Lehigh's lone touchdown on a 23-yard pass from senior Brad Mayes. Seniors Sam McCloskey and Mark Walker both had 10 tackles to lead the defensive effort.
The numbers may not tell the full story, but Lehigh's defense has shown improvement from 2017 through four games. The yards and points per game are only slightly down due to Navy's triple-option attack and Penn's second-half surge, but Lehigh's 2018 defense has allowed opponents to score on just 21 of 53 possessions (39.6%) this season. Through four games last year Lehigh gave up scores on 66 percent of opponent drives.
Over the previous two seasons, Troy Pelletier and Gatlin Casey proved to be one of the top receiving tandems in the FCS. Pelletier set a number of Lehigh and Patriot League records as a four-year contributor, while Casey added 1,989 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns over his final two seasons. Those departures will create opportunities for other receivers to emerge. Five receivers have at least 10 receptions through four games. Senior Luke Christiano and sophomore Jorge Portorreal lead Lehigh with 16 receptions, while junior Devon Bibbens leads with 199 receiving yards after recording his first career 100-yard game at Penn.
Senior defensive lineman Harrison Kauffman was named one of 179 semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, given to the nation's top football scholar-athlete. Kauffman, a team captain, owns a 3.45 GPA in finance and is a three-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll who earned Academic All-Patriot League and CoSIDA Academic All-District honors following the 2017 season. He is a three-year contributor on the defensive line. The National Football Foundation will name 12-14 finalists for the Campbell Trophy on Oct. 31.
Lehigh owns a 5-7 record in games following its bye week under Andy Coen. The Mountain Hawks lost their first four post-bye games under Coen (2006-09), then won four straight. Lehigh has lost three of its last four post-bye week games, with the lone win in that span coming at Lafayette in 2016.
A high-powered offense and stingy defense has Princeton off to a 3-0 start this season. The Tigers have outscored Butler, Monmouth and Columbia 146-26 this season. Princeton opened its Ivy League slate by routing Columbia 45-10 Friday night in New York. The Tigers rushed for 360 yards as quarterback John Lovett rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns and passed for two more. Princeton ranks in the top five of the FCS in total offense, rushing offense and scoring offense. The Tigers' defense has not been shabby either as they rank in the top 10 in total defense, rushing defense and scoring defense. Mark Fossati and Tom Johnson have been the top performers on Princeton's defense. Princeton was picked second in the Ivy League preseason poll and recently cracked the AFCA Coaches Poll at No. 23 following its 3-0 start.
Lehigh has lost nine straight games against ranked opponents with the last win coming against No. 7/10 New Hampshire on Sept. 28, 2013 (34-27).
Lehigh meets Princeton for the 60th time with the Tigers leading the series 40-17-2. The Mountain Hawks have won 13 of the past 17 matchups, including five of the last six. These two teams met for the first time in 1887. Andy Coen is 6-4 versus Princeton.
Saturday's game kicks off just after 1 p.m. from Princeton Stadium in New Jersey. The contest will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia (Service Electric DP 28/528) and streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 1230 and 1320 and LVFoxSports.com beginning at noon.
Lehigh returns to Goodman Stadium for the first time in more than a month next Saturday to open Patriot League play against the Fordham Rams. The game will be the first of six straight Patriot League contests to close out the regular season. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. on Women's Health Day.
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The numbers may not tell the full story, but Lehigh's defense has shown improvement from 2017 through four games. The yards and points per game are only slightly down due to Navy's triple-option attack and Penn's second-half surge, but Lehigh's 2018 defense has allowed opponents to score on just 21 of 53 possessions (39.6%) this season. Through four games last year Lehigh gave up scores on 66 percent of opponent drives.
Over the previous two seasons, Troy Pelletier and Gatlin Casey proved to be one of the top receiving tandems in the FCS. Pelletier set a number of Lehigh and Patriot League records as a four-year contributor, while Casey added 1,989 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns over his final two seasons. Those departures will create opportunities for other receivers to emerge. Five receivers have at least 10 receptions through four games. Senior Luke Christiano and sophomore Jorge Portorreal lead Lehigh with 16 receptions, while junior Devon Bibbens leads with 199 receiving yards after recording his first career 100-yard game at Penn.
Senior defensive lineman Harrison Kauffman was named one of 179 semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, given to the nation's top football scholar-athlete. Kauffman, a team captain, owns a 3.45 GPA in finance and is a three-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll who earned Academic All-Patriot League and CoSIDA Academic All-District honors following the 2017 season. He is a three-year contributor on the defensive line. The National Football Foundation will name 12-14 finalists for the Campbell Trophy on Oct. 31.
Lehigh owns a 5-7 record in games following its bye week under Andy Coen. The Mountain Hawks lost their first four post-bye games under Coen (2006-09), then won four straight. Lehigh has lost three of its last four post-bye week games, with the lone win in that span coming at Lafayette in 2016.
A high-powered offense and stingy defense has Princeton off to a 3-0 start this season. The Tigers have outscored Butler, Monmouth and Columbia 146-26 this season. Princeton opened its Ivy League slate by routing Columbia 45-10 Friday night in New York. The Tigers rushed for 360 yards as quarterback John Lovett rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns and passed for two more. Princeton ranks in the top five of the FCS in total offense, rushing offense and scoring offense. The Tigers' defense has not been shabby either as they rank in the top 10 in total defense, rushing defense and scoring defense. Mark Fossati and Tom Johnson have been the top performers on Princeton's defense. Princeton was picked second in the Ivy League preseason poll and recently cracked the AFCA Coaches Poll at No. 23 following its 3-0 start.
Lehigh has lost nine straight games against ranked opponents with the last win coming against No. 7/10 New Hampshire on Sept. 28, 2013 (34-27).
Lehigh meets Princeton for the 60th time with the Tigers leading the series 40-17-2. The Mountain Hawks have won 13 of the past 17 matchups, including five of the last six. These two teams met for the first time in 1887. Andy Coen is 6-4 versus Princeton.
Saturday's game kicks off just after 1 p.m. from Princeton Stadium in New Jersey. The contest will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia (Service Electric DP 28/528) and streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 1230 and 1320 and LVFoxSports.com beginning at noon.
Lehigh returns to Goodman Stadium for the first time in more than a month next Saturday to open Patriot League play against the Fordham Rams. The game will be the first of six straight Patriot League contests to close out the regular season. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. on Women's Health Day.
| Date: | October 6, 2018 |
| Opponent: | No. 23/RV Princeton Tigers |
| Kickoff: | 1:05 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Princeton Stadium/27,800/FieldTurf |
| Location: | Princeton, N.J. |
| Tickets: | Tickets can be purchased through Princeton HERE |
| Lehigh's Record: | 1-3 overall, 0-0 Patriot League |
| Princeton's Record: | 3-0 overall, 1-0 Ivy League |
| Series: | Princeton leads 40-17-2 |
| Television | NBC Sports Philadelphia (Service Electric DP 28/528) |
| Radio | Fox Sports Radio 1230 and 1320 with Matt Kerr, Lance Haynes '94 and Matt Markus |
| Internet Broadcast: | Video on ESPN+ (subscription required) Audio at LVFoxSports.com, TuneIn |
| Key Stats: | •Senior running back Dom Bragalone needs one rushing touchdown, three total touchdowns and 19 points to set Lehigh career records in those categories. •Lehigh's defense has allowed opponents to score on 39.6 of their possessions this season. Opponents scored on 47.4 of their drives against the Mountain Hawks last season. •Lehigh leads the Patriot League and ranks ninth nationally in net punting (40.86 ypp.), while senior Ed Mish ranks ninth nationally in punting. |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | http://www.goprincetontigers.com |
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