Saturday, November 17
Easton, Pa.
12:30 PM
Lehigh University
3-8 , 2-4
34
at
3
Lafayette
3-8 , 2-4
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Lehigh
17
0
10
7
34
Lafayette
0
3
0
0
3
Lehigh starts fast, rolls to 34-3 win at Lafayette to claim #Rivalry154
11/17/2018 5:51:00 PM | Football
EASTON, Pa. –The Lehigh football team took a 17-0 lead before the game was nine minutes old and wouldn't look back, defeating archrival Lafayette on its home turf, 34-3 on Saturday in the 154th meeting of college football's most-played rivalry. Senior Julian Lynn recorded a strip sack of Lafayette quarterback Sean O'Malley on the first play from scrimmage and the ball fell into the hands of junior Davis Maxie, who raced 43 yards for a touchdown to give Lehigh the lead just 19 seconds in.
The early score set the table for Lehigh's fourth straight win against the Leopards. In the end, Lehigh forced three Lafayette turnovers, while the offense was led by senior game MVP Dominick Bragalone, who rushed for 95 yards and three touchdowns to become Lehigh's all-time leader for total touchdowns (52) and points scored (318).
Senior Brad Mayes was 15-of-28 for 165 yards through the air. Senior Luke Christiano was his top target with six catches for 63 yards, while sophomore Jorge Portorreal added 61 yards on five grabs.
Defensively, Lehigh allowed just 234 yards and its fewest points since beating Georgetown 35-3 in 2016.
Junior Keith Woetzel posted a team-high nine tackles. Senior Donavon Harris recorded five tackles and an interception while junior Marquis Wilson and sophomore Pete Haffner added eight tackles.
"This was a very important game for our program," said Lehigh head coach Andy Coen. "Our season did not go the way we wanted it to. A bunch of injuries and those types of things. But I kept telling the boys that we're blessed that we have this rivalry because it means so much to so many people. This can make you feel a whole lot better. It's like a one-game season, so that's something we really talked to the players about.
"We had a really large senior class, so it was important to these guys to go out the right way," Coen continued. "Our seniors now have won two Patriot League championships and four games against Lafayette. The seniors wound up with a pretty good deal. That was big. This whole thing was all about the seniors and I'm really happy that it could end the right way for those guys."
Coen also reached a milestone as he picked up career win No. 85, tying him with the legendary Bill Leckonby for the most coaching wins in program history.
Lynn and Maxie began the day in a big way, with Lehigh's second defensive touchdown in the last three weeks.
After a Lafayette punt, the Mountain Hawks drove 78 yards on 12 plays down to the Leopards' two-yard line, leading to a 20-yard field goal from senior Ed Mish.
Lafayette's ensuing drive ended with a punt attempt, but the snap was high and Maxie and senior Jake Buskirk tackled punter Jake Bissell at the one-yard line. On Lehigh's second play of the ensuing drive, Bragalone scampered in from one-yard out for his first touchdown of the day, giving Lehigh 17-0 advantage with 6:42 left in the first quarter.
That proved to be the final scoring until midway through the second quarter when Jeffrey Kordenbrock's 43-yard field goal just cleared the crossbar, pulling the Leopards within 17-3 with 7:35 left in the stanza, which proved to be the halftime score.
Lehigh opened the second half with the ball. The drive stalled, but on Mish's punt, Lafayette's C.J. Amill fumbled Wilson recovered to set the Mountain Hawks up at the Leopards' 26-yard line. Lehigh turned it into six as Mayes found Christiano for 17 yards on the second play, then three plays later, Bragalone ran it in from three yards out to make the score 24-3 Mountain Hawks with 10:35 on the third-quarter clock. That score broke the total touchdown record shared by Rod Gardner '77 and Erick Torain '91.
Later in the quarter, a Harris interception and return set Lehigh up at the Lafayette 41-yard line, leading to a 21-yard field goal from Mish and a 27-3 Mountain Hawks' advantage late in the third.
Lehigh wrapped up the scoring early in the fourth as Bragalone capped off an 11-play, 68-yard drive with a two-yard rush, his third rushing touchdown of the day to give him the Mountain Hawks' all-time scoring record, surpassing Torain's mark of 306.
Both teams finish the season at 3-8 overall and 2-4 in the league.
O'Malley was 18-of-42 for 162 yards and an interception for Lafayette. C.J. Amill rushed 13 times for 52 yards, while Quinn Revere caught four passes for 44 yards.
The Lehigh class of 2019 becomes the 11th class in school history to go 4-0 against Lafayette in their careers, and the first since the class of 2013.
"At the end of the season, this is always the last game, you go now into the next phases - lifting and all that goes on," Coen said. "I've been on both sides of it. When you win this game, it's a lot easier for your players to get jazzed up to get right back into it. When you lose that game, it's harder to get the kids back. There's really a significant difference between winning and losing this game.
"Our program is solid still and I know right now, our recruiting is going very well so we are positive about where that is," Coen continued. "I know our strength guys do a tremendous job so they're going to put the kids right back to where they were to being in the right place. I think we have the right people in the program. That's what is most important, having the right people in the program."
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh has now won 35 of 54 games in the series since the teams played to a 6-6 tie in the 100th meeting in 1964… the Leopards still lead the series 78-71-5… the 31 point margin of victory was Lehigh's largest in a Rivalry game since 2001 (41-6)… Lehigh allowed its fewest points to Lafayette since blanking the Leopards 32-0 in 1980… Bragalone's 32 rushing attempts were a career high… Bragalone is the first Lehigh running back to win game MVP honors since Jermaine Pugh in 2003… Maxie's fumble return touchdown was the first for Lehigh since Brandon Leaks had an 84-yard fumble return touchdown in the 2015 Rivalry game… Lehigh has now scored a defensive or special teams touchdown in six of its last nine Rivalry games… Junior Riley O'Neil blocked a first quarter field goal, while senior Matt Butler had a blocked field goal just before halftime negated by a pre-snap penalty… Bragalone bookended his season with three-touchdown efforts, finishing his career with 46 rushing touchdowns and 52 total touchdowns… Lehigh's all-time leading rusher, Bragalone finishes his career with 4,324 career rushing yards… Lehigh won the turnover battle for the first time this season, finishing plus-2… the Mountain Hawks sported an all-white look Saturday… Attendance was 11,028 at Fisher Stadium.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
The early score set the table for Lehigh's fourth straight win against the Leopards. In the end, Lehigh forced three Lafayette turnovers, while the offense was led by senior game MVP Dominick Bragalone, who rushed for 95 yards and three touchdowns to become Lehigh's all-time leader for total touchdowns (52) and points scored (318).
Senior Brad Mayes was 15-of-28 for 165 yards through the air. Senior Luke Christiano was his top target with six catches for 63 yards, while sophomore Jorge Portorreal added 61 yards on five grabs.
Defensively, Lehigh allowed just 234 yards and its fewest points since beating Georgetown 35-3 in 2016.
Junior Keith Woetzel posted a team-high nine tackles. Senior Donavon Harris recorded five tackles and an interception while junior Marquis Wilson and sophomore Pete Haffner added eight tackles.
"This was a very important game for our program," said Lehigh head coach Andy Coen. "Our season did not go the way we wanted it to. A bunch of injuries and those types of things. But I kept telling the boys that we're blessed that we have this rivalry because it means so much to so many people. This can make you feel a whole lot better. It's like a one-game season, so that's something we really talked to the players about.
"We had a really large senior class, so it was important to these guys to go out the right way," Coen continued. "Our seniors now have won two Patriot League championships and four games against Lafayette. The seniors wound up with a pretty good deal. That was big. This whole thing was all about the seniors and I'm really happy that it could end the right way for those guys."
Coen also reached a milestone as he picked up career win No. 85, tying him with the legendary Bill Leckonby for the most coaching wins in program history.
Lynn and Maxie began the day in a big way, with Lehigh's second defensive touchdown in the last three weeks.
"It was amazing moment," Maxie said. "For me, it meant a lot. There was a lot of emotion going into this game and you think whatever I can do for these seniors to be able to get this job done. Luckily for me, on the first play, I had an opportunity to show how much this meant. It was an early statement on this game. Without the help of the whole defense, none of that would have happened. Julian Lynn knocked the ball out, it came right into my hands and I did the easy part and just ran straight. It was a great moment. It was huge for us."Take a look at the last Lehigh touchdown from Maxie pic.twitter.com/ZUmwdrQTcd
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) November 17, 2018
After a Lafayette punt, the Mountain Hawks drove 78 yards on 12 plays down to the Leopards' two-yard line, leading to a 20-yard field goal from senior Ed Mish.
Lafayette's ensuing drive ended with a punt attempt, but the snap was high and Maxie and senior Jake Buskirk tackled punter Jake Bissell at the one-yard line. On Lehigh's second play of the ensuing drive, Bragalone scampered in from one-yard out for his first touchdown of the day, giving Lehigh 17-0 advantage with 6:42 left in the first quarter.
That proved to be the final scoring until midway through the second quarter when Jeffrey Kordenbrock's 43-yard field goal just cleared the crossbar, pulling the Leopards within 17-3 with 7:35 left in the stanza, which proved to be the halftime score.
Lehigh opened the second half with the ball. The drive stalled, but on Mish's punt, Lafayette's C.J. Amill fumbled Wilson recovered to set the Mountain Hawks up at the Leopards' 26-yard line. Lehigh turned it into six as Mayes found Christiano for 17 yards on the second play, then three plays later, Bragalone ran it in from three yards out to make the score 24-3 Mountain Hawks with 10:35 on the third-quarter clock. That score broke the total touchdown record shared by Rod Gardner '77 and Erick Torain '91.
The second TD of the game for Bragalone makes him the active career leader in touchdowns with 51. Congrats Dom! #GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/KcqCk8R9IQ
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) November 17, 2018
Later in the quarter, a Harris interception and return set Lehigh up at the Lafayette 41-yard line, leading to a 21-yard field goal from Mish and a 27-3 Mountain Hawks' advantage late in the third.
Harris with his second interception of the season puts Lehigh back on offense. #GoLehigh #Rivalry154 pic.twitter.com/ns6MqoBqYT
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) November 17, 2018
Lehigh wrapped up the scoring early in the fourth as Bragalone capped off an 11-play, 68-yard drive with a two-yard rush, his third rushing touchdown of the day to give him the Mountain Hawks' all-time scoring record, surpassing Torain's mark of 306.
The Mountain Hawks gained 303 yards of offense with a balanced attack, gaining 138 on the ground and 165 through the air. Lehigh held a 31:43-28:17 edge in time of possession.Another record for Bragalone!! The one-yard rushing TD makes him the career points scorer for Lehigh. #GoLehigh pic.twitter.com/0YpZlkgYig
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) November 17, 2018
Both teams finish the season at 3-8 overall and 2-4 in the league.
O'Malley was 18-of-42 for 162 yards and an interception for Lafayette. C.J. Amill rushed 13 times for 52 yards, while Quinn Revere caught four passes for 44 yards.
The Lehigh class of 2019 becomes the 11th class in school history to go 4-0 against Lafayette in their careers, and the first since the class of 2013.
"At the end of the season, this is always the last game, you go now into the next phases - lifting and all that goes on," Coen said. "I've been on both sides of it. When you win this game, it's a lot easier for your players to get jazzed up to get right back into it. When you lose that game, it's harder to get the kids back. There's really a significant difference between winning and losing this game.
"Our program is solid still and I know right now, our recruiting is going very well so we are positive about where that is," Coen continued. "I know our strength guys do a tremendous job so they're going to put the kids right back to where they were to being in the right place. I think we have the right people in the program. That's what is most important, having the right people in the program."
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh has now won 35 of 54 games in the series since the teams played to a 6-6 tie in the 100th meeting in 1964… the Leopards still lead the series 78-71-5… the 31 point margin of victory was Lehigh's largest in a Rivalry game since 2001 (41-6)… Lehigh allowed its fewest points to Lafayette since blanking the Leopards 32-0 in 1980… Bragalone's 32 rushing attempts were a career high… Bragalone is the first Lehigh running back to win game MVP honors since Jermaine Pugh in 2003… Maxie's fumble return touchdown was the first for Lehigh since Brandon Leaks had an 84-yard fumble return touchdown in the 2015 Rivalry game… Lehigh has now scored a defensive or special teams touchdown in six of its last nine Rivalry games… Junior Riley O'Neil blocked a first quarter field goal, while senior Matt Butler had a blocked field goal just before halftime negated by a pre-snap penalty… Bragalone bookended his season with three-touchdown efforts, finishing his career with 46 rushing touchdowns and 52 total touchdowns… Lehigh's all-time leading rusher, Bragalone finishes his career with 4,324 career rushing yards… Lehigh won the turnover battle for the first time this season, finishing plus-2… the Mountain Hawks sported an all-white look Saturday… Attendance was 11,028 at Fisher Stadium.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Team Stats
LEHIGH
LAFAYETT
Total Yards
303
234
Pass Yards
165
162
Rushing Yards
138
72
Penalty Yards
80
94
1st Downs
17
18
3rd Downs
8
7
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
31:43
28:17
1st Quarter
LEHIGH 7, LAFAYETT 0
LEHIGH - Maxie, Davis 43 yd fumble recovery (Mish, Ed kick)
LEHIGH 10, LAFAYETT 0
LEHIGH - Mish, Ed 20 yd field goal 12 plays, 78 yards, TOP 4:39
LEHIGH 17, LAFAYETT 0
LEHIGH - Bragalone, Dom 1 yd run (Mish, Ed kick), 2 plays, 1 yards, TOP 0:44
2nd Quarter
LEHIGH 17, LAFAYETT 3
LAFAYETT - Kordenbrock, J. 43 yd field goal 12 plays, 71 yards, TOP 5:20
3rd Quarter
LEHIGH 24, LAFAYETT 3
LEHIGH - Bragalone, Dom 3 yd run (Mish, Ed kick), 5 plays, 26 yards, TOP 2:23
LEHIGH 27, LAFAYETT 3
LEHIGH - Mish, Ed 21 yd field goal 10 plays, 37 yards, TOP 3:57
4th Quarter
LEHIGH 34, LAFAYETT 3
LEHIGH - Bragalone, Dom 2 yd run (Mish, Ed kick), 11 plays, 68 yards, TOP 5:20
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
15
TD
0
YDS
165
INT
1
Players Mentioned
RB
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RB
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LB
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WR
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LB
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DB
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DB
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DL
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DB
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WR
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DB
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/ FootballLehigh Sports Central: Football
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