Saturday, November 16
Fairfield, Conn.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Sacred Heart
Mountain Hawks visit Sacred Heart in rare November non-league clash
11/12/2019 1:03:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – It's a rare November non-league contest for the Mountain Hawks, who travel to Fairfield, Conn., to battle Sacred Heart Saturday at Campus Field. Lehigh will be looking to stop a two-game slide and build momentum heading into next week's rivalry showdown with Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks are coming off a 20-10 setback at Bucknell last weekend in a game where the Bison defense registered seven sacks and held Lehigh to minus-6 yards rushing. Senior Devon Bibbens led the Lehigh offense with a career-high 11 catches, for 92 yard and Lehigh's lone touchdown. Defensively, linebackers Keith Woetzel and Pete Haffner did their part, combining for 27 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks. Haffner made a career-high 16 stops and added two sacks.
In terms of regular season action, playing non-league opponents in November has become a rarity for the Lehigh football program. Saturday's game will mark the first time Lehigh will face a non-league opponent the week before its Rivalry game with Lafayette since 1997, when the Mountain Hawks lost 24-19 to Delaware at Goodman Stadium. The Nov. 16 date vs. Sacred Heart will mark the latest non-league regular season game for Lehigh since the start of Patriot League Football in 1986, surpassing the Nov. 15, 1997 game between Lehigh and Delaware. The Mountain Hawks will be playing their 10th non-league regular season game in November since 1986. Lehigh will be looking for its first win in the Patriot League era when facing a non-league opponent in the game before facing Lafayette.
Lehigh will close out the regular season next Saturday when the Mountain Hawks host Lafayette in the 155th meeting of college football's most-played rivalry. The Mountain Hawks have experienced success in the game prior to Lafayette, as Lehigh has won 13 of its last 16 games prior to The Rivalry. The only blemishes during that time were losses to Colgate in 2012, 2015 and 2018.
Saturday's game marks the first-ever meeting between Lehigh and Sacred Heart. The Mountain Hawks have enjoyed success in games against first time opponents. Over the last 25 years, Lehigh is 12-2 against first time opponents, including a 10-3 win over Merrimack on Sept. 28. The lone two losses to first time opponents over the last 25 years were at the hands of Wagner (2017) and North Dakota State (2011 FCS quarterfinals). The Mountain Hawks' last road win against a first time opponent was a 14-7 win at Northern Iowa in the opening round of the 2010 FCS playoffs. Lehigh has won 15 straight home games against new opponents, dating back to 1975. The Mountain Hawks are 5-2 on the road against first-time opponents since 1998 with wins at St. Mary's, Richmond, Western Illinois, Liberty and UNI.
Linebacker Keith Woetzel has led the Mountain Hawks in tackles in each of the last two seasons and is enjoying a tremendous senior season. Woetzel has set a new career high with 92 tackles this season and leads the FCS averaging 7.4 solo tackles per game. He also ranks sixth in sacks per game and 13th in total tackles per game. Woetzel recorded a career-high 16 tackles at UC Davis. For the season, Woetzel has 12.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and an interception. He was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week following a 13-tackle, 2.5-sack effort at Colgate and won the award again, while adding STATS FCS National Player of the Week honors to his resume after making 15 tackles with four sacks and an interception at Fordham. Last week, Woetzel was added to the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the FCS.
Winners of three straight games, Sacred Heart brings a 6-4 overall record and 4-2 NEC mark into its final home game. The Pioneers scored 41 second half points to erase a 7-0 halftime deficit in a win over Wagner last week. Sacred Heart's current streak also includes an overtime win at Saint Francis and a victory at Bryant.
Offensively, quarterback Logan Marchi has thrown for 2,147 yards and 19 touchdowns in nine games, and his backup Marquez McCray was named NEC Rookie of the Week after subbing for Marchi against Wagner. Running back Julius Chestnut has already eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark this season with 1,224 yards and eight touchdowns. Tyrese Chambers is the top receiver with 40 catches for 680 and seven touchdowns. Linebacker Chris Outterbridge is the top tackler with 64 stops. The Pioneers won NEC titles in 2013 and 2014 and shared the league championship last year but missed out on the FCS playoffs.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Lehigh and Sacred Heart in football. The Mountain Hawks already faced NEC member Saint Francis in their season opener and also played Merrimack, who will compete in the NEC once its transition from Division II to Division I is complete. Lehigh will be the third Patriot League foe for Sacred Heart in 2019. The Pioneers posted wins over Bucknell and Lafayette in September.
Saturday's game kicks off just after noon from Campus Field in Fairfield, Conn. The game will be televised by Sportsnet New York (SNY) and streamed on NEC Front Row. Audio coverage will be available on Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM Allentown, LVFoxSports.com and the TuneIn App, beginning at 11 a.m.
Lehigh will host Lafayette in the 155th meeting of college football's most-played rivalry, Nov. 23 at Goodman Stadium. The Mountain Hawks will be seeking their fifth straight win over the Leopards.
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In terms of regular season action, playing non-league opponents in November has become a rarity for the Lehigh football program. Saturday's game will mark the first time Lehigh will face a non-league opponent the week before its Rivalry game with Lafayette since 1997, when the Mountain Hawks lost 24-19 to Delaware at Goodman Stadium. The Nov. 16 date vs. Sacred Heart will mark the latest non-league regular season game for Lehigh since the start of Patriot League Football in 1986, surpassing the Nov. 15, 1997 game between Lehigh and Delaware. The Mountain Hawks will be playing their 10th non-league regular season game in November since 1986. Lehigh will be looking for its first win in the Patriot League era when facing a non-league opponent in the game before facing Lafayette.
Lehigh will close out the regular season next Saturday when the Mountain Hawks host Lafayette in the 155th meeting of college football's most-played rivalry. The Mountain Hawks have experienced success in the game prior to Lafayette, as Lehigh has won 13 of its last 16 games prior to The Rivalry. The only blemishes during that time were losses to Colgate in 2012, 2015 and 2018.
Saturday's game marks the first-ever meeting between Lehigh and Sacred Heart. The Mountain Hawks have enjoyed success in games against first time opponents. Over the last 25 years, Lehigh is 12-2 against first time opponents, including a 10-3 win over Merrimack on Sept. 28. The lone two losses to first time opponents over the last 25 years were at the hands of Wagner (2017) and North Dakota State (2011 FCS quarterfinals). The Mountain Hawks' last road win against a first time opponent was a 14-7 win at Northern Iowa in the opening round of the 2010 FCS playoffs. Lehigh has won 15 straight home games against new opponents, dating back to 1975. The Mountain Hawks are 5-2 on the road against first-time opponents since 1998 with wins at St. Mary's, Richmond, Western Illinois, Liberty and UNI.
Linebacker Keith Woetzel has led the Mountain Hawks in tackles in each of the last two seasons and is enjoying a tremendous senior season. Woetzel has set a new career high with 92 tackles this season and leads the FCS averaging 7.4 solo tackles per game. He also ranks sixth in sacks per game and 13th in total tackles per game. Woetzel recorded a career-high 16 tackles at UC Davis. For the season, Woetzel has 12.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and an interception. He was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week following a 13-tackle, 2.5-sack effort at Colgate and won the award again, while adding STATS FCS National Player of the Week honors to his resume after making 15 tackles with four sacks and an interception at Fordham. Last week, Woetzel was added to the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the FCS.
Winners of three straight games, Sacred Heart brings a 6-4 overall record and 4-2 NEC mark into its final home game. The Pioneers scored 41 second half points to erase a 7-0 halftime deficit in a win over Wagner last week. Sacred Heart's current streak also includes an overtime win at Saint Francis and a victory at Bryant.
Offensively, quarterback Logan Marchi has thrown for 2,147 yards and 19 touchdowns in nine games, and his backup Marquez McCray was named NEC Rookie of the Week after subbing for Marchi against Wagner. Running back Julius Chestnut has already eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark this season with 1,224 yards and eight touchdowns. Tyrese Chambers is the top receiver with 40 catches for 680 and seven touchdowns. Linebacker Chris Outterbridge is the top tackler with 64 stops. The Pioneers won NEC titles in 2013 and 2014 and shared the league championship last year but missed out on the FCS playoffs.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Lehigh and Sacred Heart in football. The Mountain Hawks already faced NEC member Saint Francis in their season opener and also played Merrimack, who will compete in the NEC once its transition from Division II to Division I is complete. Lehigh will be the third Patriot League foe for Sacred Heart in 2019. The Pioneers posted wins over Bucknell and Lafayette in September.
Saturday's game kicks off just after noon from Campus Field in Fairfield, Conn. The game will be televised by Sportsnet New York (SNY) and streamed on NEC Front Row. Audio coverage will be available on Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM Allentown, LVFoxSports.com and the TuneIn App, beginning at 11 a.m.
Lehigh will host Lafayette in the 155th meeting of college football's most-played rivalry, Nov. 23 at Goodman Stadium. The Mountain Hawks will be seeking their fifth straight win over the Leopards.
| Date: | November 16, 2019 |
| Opponent: | Sacred Heart Pioneers |
| Kickoff: | 12:05 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Campus Field/3,334/FieldTurf |
| Location: | Fairfield, Conn. |
| Lehigh's record: | 4-5 overall, 3-2 Patriot League |
| Sacred Heart's record: | 6-4 overall, 4-2 NEC |
| Series: | First meeting |
| Television | SNY |
| Radio | Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM Allentown with Matt Kerr, Jim Guzzo and Matt Markus. Pregame coverage begins at 11 a.m. |
| Internet Broadcast: | Video at NECFrontRow.com Audio at LVFoxSports.com, TuneIn App |
| Key Stats: | •The Mountain Hawks lead the Patriot League in rushing defense (127.2 ypg.), passing offense (245.9 ypg.), and third down conversions defense (35.2%). •Senior linebacker Keith Woetzel leads the FCS in solo tackles per game (7.4) and also ranks in the top 12 in sacks per game (1.06) and total tackles per game (10.2). |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | http://www.sacredheartpioneers.com |
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