Saturday, October 19
Bronx, N.Y.
1:00 PM
Lehigh University
3-3 , 2-0
30
at
27
Fordham
3-5 , 1-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
OT
F
LEHIGH
7
7
3
7
6
30
FORDHAM
0
10
7
7
3
27
Lehigh moves to 2-0 in Patriot League with 30-27 overtime win at Fordham
10/19/2019 5:38:00 PM | Football
BRONX, N.Y. – Junior Addison Shoup connected with senior Devon Bibbens on a four-yard touchdown pass in overtime to lead Lehigh to a 30-27 win over Fordham Saturday at Jack Coffey Field. A back-and-forth affair saw the Mountain Hawks take a 24-17 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 94-yard touchdown run by freshman Zaythan Hill, only to see the Rams pull even on a 40-yard Trey Sneed run with 7:25 to play.
The Lehigh defense held Fordham to a field goal on the first possession of overtime. It looked as if the Mountain Hawks had tied the game on a 25-yard Austin Henning field goal, but a roughing the kicker penalty on Fordham gave Lehigh a fresh set of downs and two plays later, Shoup hit Bibbens for his second touchdown catch of the day, sending Lehigh (3-0) to its third straight win and a 2-0 start to Patriot League play.
"It's great to see this team develop that kind of grit," Lehigh head coach Tom Gilmore said. "That's something you never want questioned, your effort and your grit, and these guys are showing that every week. We are improving. We still have a long way to go, but we're going out there and working really hard and they're toughing through adversity. There's something to be said about that."
Senior Tyler Monaco completed 20-of-34 passes for 262 yards with two touchdowns and an interception but left the game with an injury on Lehigh's overtime possession.
Fordham (3-5, 1-1 Patriot League) out-gained Lehigh 499-400 and the Rams churned out 330 rushing yards, but the Mountain Hawks made halftime adjustments to their run defense and made plays when it mattered most.
Senior linebacker Keith Woetzel had 15 tackles and four sacks to lead the defense. The Mountain Hawks had six sacks, giving them 21 over their last three games.
Lehigh was forced to punt on its opening possession, but Woetzel set up the Mountain Hawks to take the lead, stepping in front of a Tim DeMorat pass and racing 30 yards to the Fordham 18 yard line. Three plays later, Monaco hit sophomore Austin Dambach for a 10-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone to put the Mountain Hawks up 7-0.
Fordham pulled even early in the second quarter as Zach Davis capped an eight play, 69-yard drive with a two-yard run. Davis finished with 185 yards on 34 rushes.
The Rams took their first lead with just under five minutes to go in the first half. Monaco was intercepted by Dervin Hylton Jr. Fordham marched 68 yards in 14 plays but the Lehigh defense held to a 37 yard Andrew Mevis field goal.
Lehigh answered with an eight-play, 75-yard drive highlighted by a 34-yard throwback pass from Monaco to Snyder to move the Mountain Hawks inside the Fordham five. Monaco hit Bibbens for a four-yard touchdown to put Lehigh in front 14-10, which was the score at halftime.
It took just three plays in the second half for Fordham to re-claim the lead. DeMorat faked a handoff and kept for a 58-yard touchdown run to put the Rams up 17-14. A career-long 45-yard field goal by Henning late in the third quarter tied the game at 17-17 after three quarters.
As the teams battled for field position, Lehigh got the ball for its second drive of the final quarter on its six yard line with 9:37 to play. On second down, Hill found a crease, and with some good downfield blocking by Bibbens, raced 94-yards for the go-ahead score. Hill finished with 124 yards on 11 carries as Lehigh rushed for a season-high 134 yards.
"On that last touchdown in regulation, Devon Bibbens was blocking their corner for a good 15, 20 yards," Gilmore said. "Zaythan did a great job, but the reason we scored that touchdown was because of Bibbens. Everyone is going to talk about him catching the winning touchdown in overtime. That other play, with him blocking on the perimeter, is a much more valuable play. It won the game for us."
Fordham needed just five plays to pull even again. Four strong runs by Davis set up a 40-yard scamper by Sneed.
"Those two big plays were mental errors on our part," Gilmore said. "Overall though, the coaching staff did a great job of making halftime adjustments. While we did give up a couple of big plays, we knew what happened on those specifically. We came in with a good game plan and ended up executing it well enough in the end."
The Lehigh defense held from there and limited the Rams to a field goal in overtime. Tough running from Hill helped the Mountain Hawks move the ball inside the Fordham five, and given a second chance, Shoup and Bibbens took care of the rest to give Lehigh its first win in the Bronx since 2011.
"I'm so proud of these kids," Gilmore said. "They've been through a lot over the last couple of years. There's the transition to a new coaching staff. Our roster is 40 percent freshmen. We have a lot of young players and there's a lot of things we've had to overcome. I'm really proud of how the kids hung in there. They kept working. They bought in to what we're doing. I'm really appreciative of that, but I can't say enough about them and the effort and toughness we're showing right now."
The Mountain Hawks return to Goodman Stadium next Saturday to host Georgetown as part of Family Weekend, presented by PSECU. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by visiting LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh is now 2-0 in the Patriot League for the third time in four seasons… the Mountain Hawks were 2-0 following bye weeks in 2019 after going 1-4 after byes over the previous five seasons… Fordham had won five of the previous six meetings after Lehigh won 23 of the first 25 in the series… the Mountain Hawks are now 8-5 in overtime games and 2-1 against Fordham in overtime… the Rams are the first team Lehigh has played three overtime games against… freshmen Mikhari Sibblis and Dean Colton recorded Lehigh's other two sacks… Sibblis added seven tackles and two tackles for loss… Woetzel's four sacks were the second most in a game in school history… Kevin Jefferson had five sacks versus William & Mary in 1992… Hill's rush was the longest for Lehigh since a 92-yard run by Ronald Jean against Lafayette in 1998… the longest run from scrimmage in school history is a 97-yarder by Dick Gabriel against Franklin & Marshall in 1948… Lehigh paired its white helmets and white jerseys with brown pants for the second straight game.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
The Lehigh defense held Fordham to a field goal on the first possession of overtime. It looked as if the Mountain Hawks had tied the game on a 25-yard Austin Henning field goal, but a roughing the kicker penalty on Fordham gave Lehigh a fresh set of downs and two plays later, Shoup hit Bibbens for his second touchdown catch of the day, sending Lehigh (3-0) to its third straight win and a 2-0 start to Patriot League play.
"It's great to see this team develop that kind of grit," Lehigh head coach Tom Gilmore said. "That's something you never want questioned, your effort and your grit, and these guys are showing that every week. We are improving. We still have a long way to go, but we're going out there and working really hard and they're toughing through adversity. There's something to be said about that."
Bibbens finished with 83 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 10 receptions, while sophomore tight end Alex Snyder finished with four catches for 128 yards.WATCH: Shoup to Bibbens in overtime moves Lehigh to 2-0 in the Patriot League.#GoLehigh #beGREAT pic.twitter.com/hfuMzBnVLU
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) October 19, 2019
Senior Tyler Monaco completed 20-of-34 passes for 262 yards with two touchdowns and an interception but left the game with an injury on Lehigh's overtime possession.
Fordham (3-5, 1-1 Patriot League) out-gained Lehigh 499-400 and the Rams churned out 330 rushing yards, but the Mountain Hawks made halftime adjustments to their run defense and made plays when it mattered most.
Senior linebacker Keith Woetzel had 15 tackles and four sacks to lead the defense. The Mountain Hawks had six sacks, giving them 21 over their last three games.
Lehigh was forced to punt on its opening possession, but Woetzel set up the Mountain Hawks to take the lead, stepping in front of a Tim DeMorat pass and racing 30 yards to the Fordham 18 yard line. Three plays later, Monaco hit sophomore Austin Dambach for a 10-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone to put the Mountain Hawks up 7-0.
Fordham pulled even early in the second quarter as Zach Davis capped an eight play, 69-yard drive with a two-yard run. Davis finished with 185 yards on 34 rushes.
The Rams took their first lead with just under five minutes to go in the first half. Monaco was intercepted by Dervin Hylton Jr. Fordham marched 68 yards in 14 plays but the Lehigh defense held to a 37 yard Andrew Mevis field goal.
Lehigh answered with an eight-play, 75-yard drive highlighted by a 34-yard throwback pass from Monaco to Snyder to move the Mountain Hawks inside the Fordham five. Monaco hit Bibbens for a four-yard touchdown to put Lehigh in front 14-10, which was the score at halftime.
It took just three plays in the second half for Fordham to re-claim the lead. DeMorat faked a handoff and kept for a 58-yard touchdown run to put the Rams up 17-14. A career-long 45-yard field goal by Henning late in the third quarter tied the game at 17-17 after three quarters.
As the teams battled for field position, Lehigh got the ball for its second drive of the final quarter on its six yard line with 9:37 to play. On second down, Hill found a crease, and with some good downfield blocking by Bibbens, raced 94-yards for the go-ahead score. Hill finished with 124 yards on 11 carries as Lehigh rushed for a season-high 134 yards.
This 94-yard TD run by Zaythan Hill puts Lehigh in front 24-17 in the 4th quarter. Longest run from scrimmage since 1998 for the Mountain Hawks.
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) October 19, 2019
Watch: https://t.co/rGOTm7yWYy pic.twitter.com/wBwcJ9dIqj
"On that last touchdown in regulation, Devon Bibbens was blocking their corner for a good 15, 20 yards," Gilmore said. "Zaythan did a great job, but the reason we scored that touchdown was because of Bibbens. Everyone is going to talk about him catching the winning touchdown in overtime. That other play, with him blocking on the perimeter, is a much more valuable play. It won the game for us."
Fordham needed just five plays to pull even again. Four strong runs by Davis set up a 40-yard scamper by Sneed.
"Those two big plays were mental errors on our part," Gilmore said. "Overall though, the coaching staff did a great job of making halftime adjustments. While we did give up a couple of big plays, we knew what happened on those specifically. We came in with a good game plan and ended up executing it well enough in the end."
The Lehigh defense held from there and limited the Rams to a field goal in overtime. Tough running from Hill helped the Mountain Hawks move the ball inside the Fordham five, and given a second chance, Shoup and Bibbens took care of the rest to give Lehigh its first win in the Bronx since 2011.
"I'm so proud of these kids," Gilmore said. "They've been through a lot over the last couple of years. There's the transition to a new coaching staff. Our roster is 40 percent freshmen. We have a lot of young players and there's a lot of things we've had to overcome. I'm really proud of how the kids hung in there. They kept working. They bought in to what we're doing. I'm really appreciative of that, but I can't say enough about them and the effort and toughness we're showing right now."
The Mountain Hawks return to Goodman Stadium next Saturday to host Georgetown as part of Family Weekend, presented by PSECU. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by visiting LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh is now 2-0 in the Patriot League for the third time in four seasons… the Mountain Hawks were 2-0 following bye weeks in 2019 after going 1-4 after byes over the previous five seasons… Fordham had won five of the previous six meetings after Lehigh won 23 of the first 25 in the series… the Mountain Hawks are now 8-5 in overtime games and 2-1 against Fordham in overtime… the Rams are the first team Lehigh has played three overtime games against… freshmen Mikhari Sibblis and Dean Colton recorded Lehigh's other two sacks… Sibblis added seven tackles and two tackles for loss… Woetzel's four sacks were the second most in a game in school history… Kevin Jefferson had five sacks versus William & Mary in 1992… Hill's rush was the longest for Lehigh since a 92-yard run by Ronald Jean against Lafayette in 1998… the longest run from scrimmage in school history is a 97-yarder by Dick Gabriel against Franklin & Marshall in 1948… Lehigh paired its white helmets and white jerseys with brown pants for the second straight game.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
🏈 @LehighFootball won an overtime thriller on Saturday thanks to Devon Bibbens' second TD of the game and moved to 2-0 in @PatriotLeagueFB. @Stadium @NCAA_FCS #PatriotFB pic.twitter.com/QLqqBKbbsf
— Patriot League Network | PatriotLeague.tv (@PatriotLeagueTV) October 20, 2019
Team Stats
LEHIGH
FORDHAM
Total Yards
400
499
Pass Yards
266
169
Rushing Yards
134
330
Penalty Yards
10
84
1st Downs
15
24
3rd Downs
5
5
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
27:33
32:27
1st Quarter
LEHIGH 7, FORDHAM 0
LEHIGH - Dambach, Austin 10 yd pass from Monaco, Tyler (Henning, Austin kick) 3 plays, 18 yards, TOP 1:18
2nd Quarter
LEHIGH 7, FORDHAM 7
FORDHAM - Davis, Zach 2 yd run (Mevis, Andrew kick), 8 plays, 69 yards, TOP 3:06
LEHIGH 7, FORDHAM 10
FORDHAM - Mevis, Andrew 37 yd field goal 14 plays, 68 yards, TOP 7:06
LEHIGH 14, FORDHAM 10
LEHIGH - Bibbens, Devon 4 yd pass from Monaco, Tyler (Henning, Austin kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:13
3rd Quarter
LEHIGH 14, FORDHAM 17
FORDHAM - DeMorat, Tim 58 yd run (Mevis, Andrew kick), 3 plays, 70 yards, TOP 0:48
LEHIGH 17, FORDHAM 17
LEHIGH - Henning, Austin 45 yd field goal 7 plays, 64 yards, TOP 3:32
4th Quarter
LEHIGH 24, FORDHAM 17
LEHIGH - Hill, Zaythan 94 yd run (Henning, Austin kick), 2 plays, 94 yards, TOP 0:18
LEHIGH 24, FORDHAM 24
FORDHAM - Sneed, Trey 40 yd run (Mevis, Andrew kick), 5 plays, 74 yards, TOP 1:54
OT Quarter
LEHIGH 24, FORDHAM 27
FORDHAM - Mevis, Andrew 21 yd field goal 7 plays, 21 yards, TOP 0:00
LEHIGH 30, FORDHAM 27
LEHIGH - Bibbens, Devon 4 yd pass from Shoup, Addison () 8 plays, 25 yards, TOP 0:00
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
20
TD
2
YDS
262
INT
1
CMP
1
TD
1
YDS
4
INT
0
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
K/P
/ Football
RB
/ FootballQB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
TE
/ Football
LB
/ FootballLehigh Sports Central: Football
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