Saturday, November 3
Bethlehem, Pa.
12:30 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Bucknell
Lehigh returns to Goodman Stadium to host Bucknell on Heroes Day
10/30/2018 11:41:00 AM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the second straight week Lehigh faces a team with an identical record that happens to be coming off a bye as the Mountain Hawks open up a two-game home stand against Bucknell Saturday on Heroes Day at Goodman Stadium. The Mountain Hawks return home still trying to shake a losing streak that has reached seven and has included the program's first-ever 0-3 start in Patriot League play. Last weekend, Lehigh failed to capitalize on a promising opening drive and never recovered in a losing effort against Holy Cross in wet and windy Worcester, Mass.
As part of Heroes Day, all first responders (military, police, fire, EMT, etc.) can pick up a free game ticket. Tickets can be picked up on game day at the Goodman Stadium Ticket Office.
The results have not shown much in terms of wins, but Lehigh's linebackers have performed well in recent weeks. Junior Keith Woetzel followed a career-high 15-tackle performance at Georgetown with a team-best 13 stops at Holy Cross. Senior Mark Walker missed the Georgetown game due to injury but came back with seven tackles and a fourth down sack against the Crusaders. With Walker out, junior Jon Seighman had the best day of his career against Georgetown with 16 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and half a sack.
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. Six receivers have at least 10 receptions through eight games. Sophomore Jorge Portorreal leads the Mountain Hawks with 39 catches for 475 yards, while junior Devon Bibbens has 26 catches for 453 yards and a team-best three touchdown receptions.
The Mountain Hawks return to Goodman Stadium following a forgettable trip to Holy Cross. On a wet and windy afternoon on the grass at Fitton Field, Lehigh suffered its first shutout loss since the 2011 NCAA quarterfinals and suffered its second-largest margin of defeat ever in a Patriot League game. The Mountain Hawk offense put together an impressive 59-yard opening drive that stalled when they failed to convert a 4th-and-3. Lehigh finished with 203 yards of offense, just 144 of which came after that opening drive. The struggles in all three phases resulted in Lehigh's worst league loss since a 63-6 loss to Holy Cross in 1987 and the program's first-ever 0-3 start in the Patriot League. The final score marked Lehigh's largest margin of defeat in a shutout since a 58-0 loss to Lafayette in 1943.
Bucknell, like Lehigh comes in with a 1-7 overall record, but the Bison do have a league win to their credit. Bucknell won 19-16 at Holy Cross on Sept. 29 but has lost its last three games. The Bison are coming off their bye week. Prior to the bye, Bucknell lost 29-27 at home to Lafayette. The Bison got a touchdown pass from Logan Bitikofer to Justin Bethea with 4:25 to play but the game-tying two-point conversion pass fell incomplete. Bucknell is plus-3 in turnover margin with 10 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries on the season.
Bitikofer has seen most of the time at quarterback but freshman Tarrin Earle as listed as this week's projected starter. Freshman Jared Cooper leads the Bison in rushing with 447 yards and two touchdowns and is also the top receiver with 31 catches. Defensive backs Joe Lauro and Bryan Marine are the top tacklers for the Bison. Marine also has a team-leading three interceptions.
Lehigh has played Bucknell more times than any opponent other than rival Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks and Bison meet for the 82nd time with Lehigh holding a 47-31-3 advantage. Lehigh has won 18 of the last 20 games, winning 15 straight before back-to-back Bucknell wins in 2013 and 2014.
Saturday's game kicks off just after 12:30 p.m. from Goodman Stadium. Tickets are still available and can be purchased anytime at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
Lehigh will close out its home schedule next Saturday when the Mountain Hawks host Colgate as part of Family Weekend. The Mountain Hawks and Raiders have won or shared the last three league titles with Colgate bidding for this year's title this week at Fordham. Game time is set for 12:30. The Lehigh-Colgate game is presented by PSECU.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
As part of Heroes Day, all first responders (military, police, fire, EMT, etc.) can pick up a free game ticket. Tickets can be picked up on game day at the Goodman Stadium Ticket Office.
The results have not shown much in terms of wins, but Lehigh's linebackers have performed well in recent weeks. Junior Keith Woetzel followed a career-high 15-tackle performance at Georgetown with a team-best 13 stops at Holy Cross. Senior Mark Walker missed the Georgetown game due to injury but came back with seven tackles and a fourth down sack against the Crusaders. With Walker out, junior Jon Seighman had the best day of his career against Georgetown with 16 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and half a sack.
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. Six receivers have at least 10 receptions through eight games. Sophomore Jorge Portorreal leads the Mountain Hawks with 39 catches for 475 yards, while junior Devon Bibbens has 26 catches for 453 yards and a team-best three touchdown receptions.
The Mountain Hawks return to Goodman Stadium following a forgettable trip to Holy Cross. On a wet and windy afternoon on the grass at Fitton Field, Lehigh suffered its first shutout loss since the 2011 NCAA quarterfinals and suffered its second-largest margin of defeat ever in a Patriot League game. The Mountain Hawk offense put together an impressive 59-yard opening drive that stalled when they failed to convert a 4th-and-3. Lehigh finished with 203 yards of offense, just 144 of which came after that opening drive. The struggles in all three phases resulted in Lehigh's worst league loss since a 63-6 loss to Holy Cross in 1987 and the program's first-ever 0-3 start in the Patriot League. The final score marked Lehigh's largest margin of defeat in a shutout since a 58-0 loss to Lafayette in 1943.
Bucknell, like Lehigh comes in with a 1-7 overall record, but the Bison do have a league win to their credit. Bucknell won 19-16 at Holy Cross on Sept. 29 but has lost its last three games. The Bison are coming off their bye week. Prior to the bye, Bucknell lost 29-27 at home to Lafayette. The Bison got a touchdown pass from Logan Bitikofer to Justin Bethea with 4:25 to play but the game-tying two-point conversion pass fell incomplete. Bucknell is plus-3 in turnover margin with 10 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries on the season.
Bitikofer has seen most of the time at quarterback but freshman Tarrin Earle as listed as this week's projected starter. Freshman Jared Cooper leads the Bison in rushing with 447 yards and two touchdowns and is also the top receiver with 31 catches. Defensive backs Joe Lauro and Bryan Marine are the top tacklers for the Bison. Marine also has a team-leading three interceptions.
Lehigh has played Bucknell more times than any opponent other than rival Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks and Bison meet for the 82nd time with Lehigh holding a 47-31-3 advantage. Lehigh has won 18 of the last 20 games, winning 15 straight before back-to-back Bucknell wins in 2013 and 2014.
Saturday's game kicks off just after 12:30 p.m. from Goodman Stadium. Tickets are still available and can be purchased anytime at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
Lehigh will close out its home schedule next Saturday when the Mountain Hawks host Colgate as part of Family Weekend. The Mountain Hawks and Raiders have won or shared the last three league titles with Colgate bidding for this year's title this week at Fordham. Game time is set for 12:30. The Lehigh-Colgate game is presented by PSECU.
| Date: | November 3, 2018 |
| Opponent: | Bucknell Bison |
| Kickoff: | 12:37 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Goodman Stadium/16,000/Natural Grass |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Tickets: | Tickets can be purchased HERE |
| Lehigh's Record: | 1-7 overall, 0-3 Patriot League |
| Bucknell's Record: | 1-7 overall, 1-2 Patriot League |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 47-31-1 |
| Television: | Stadium OTA with Matt Martucci, Ross Tucker and Marisa Pilla |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 1230 and 1320 with Matt Kerr, Mike Yadush '93 and Matt Markus beginning at 11:30 a.m. |
| Internet Broadcast: | Video at PatriotLeague.TV and Facebook Watch Audio at LVFoxSports.com and TuneIn App |
| Key Stats: | •Lehigh had first-half drives of 59 and 69 yards at Holy Cross. The Mountain Hawks' remaining 12 drives generated just 75 yards. •The Mountain Hawks generated four takeaways in last year's win at Bucknell. Linebacker Mark Walker had a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. •Running back Dom Bragalone has rushed for 329 yards in three career games against Bucknell. He rushed 21 times for 136 yards and three touchdowns in last year's win. |
| Behind Enemy Lines | https://bucknellbison.com |
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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