Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks continue to make progress following competitive second scrimmage
8/17/2019 7:58:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – With its season opener now just two weeks away, the Lehigh football team held its second scrimmage of preseason camp Saturday on a warm, humid afternoon at Goodman Stadium. Competition was the theme of scrimmage two, with highlights in all three phases of the game.
"I'm really excited about how competitive it was," first-year head coach Tom Gilmore said. "We've gone through some days where the offense or the defense had a huge advantage in practices, so I was really happy to see the offense move the ball at times, the defense shut them down at times. There were some really nice plays on both sides of the ball. We executed very well, but we still have a lot of things to clean up. Still, I liked the competitive part of it."
The Lehigh defense held the upper hand for much of last Saturday's first scrimmage, but the offense bounced back with a fast start on this day. Senior quarterback Tyler Monaco led the first offense down the field in just four plays, with a couple completions to senior Devon Bibbens to move the ball into the red zone before sophomore Rashawn Allen capped the drive with a touchdown run.
"The running backs had good days today," Gilmore said. "We didn't use them as much as we would have in a game situation, because were trying to get looks at everyone, not just the running backs, but getting the ball to different receivers. We're getting close with the run game. We've had a couple guys out on the offensive line that are just starting to work their way back into the lineup. I'm excited to all those guys at full strength moving forward on the offensive line, so we can really open up those holes for the running backs.
In addition to Allen, sophomore Peter Lucas and freshman Nate Hope received a fair share of touches on Saturday.
At quarterback, Gilmore continues to be impressed with the performance of senior Tyler Monaco, who has displayed many veteran qualities throughout camp, despite his limited game experience.
"He's acting like a veteran – in practice, in scrimmage situations," Gilmore said. "He's displaying a lot of poise and making a lot of really good decisions, like he's been the starter for the last few years. That's been really good to see. That gives the rest of the unit a lot of confidence, when the quarterback is confident in what he's doing and he's not getting rattled. The defense has thrown a lot of stuff at him over the last week or so in practice and he's handled it very well."
After the opening touchdown, the defense settled in, keeping the offense off the scoreboard for most of the rest of the day. Lehigh once again produced good pressure up front with the defensive line producing a fair amount of would-be sacks. The offense put some plays together but was unable to produce any more points until the end of the scrimmage.
"They gave up the one drive at the beginning, which was a little disappointing, but they did a lot of good things," Gilmore said of the defensive effort. "They pressured the quarterback well at times. The second group especially did a good job stopping the run. Just a couple of things to clean up there. Just like on offense, there were a couple of guys out this week that were just starting to go today. Limited reps for those guys today but you can see the difference when they're in there. "
Saturday's scrimmage was broken up with special teams work, with the Mountain Hawks working on punting, kickoff and punt/kick return situations during breaks in the live action.
The final segment of the scrimmage featured two series with the offense starting at the defense's 25-yard line. The first offense was kept out of the end zone, but freshman kicker Dylan Van Dusen knocked through a field goal attempt. The second offense put together a nice drive capped with a short touchdown pass as sophomore Alec Beesmer found freshman Matt DiPietro cutting across the back of the end zone.
Gallery: (8/17/2019) Football Scrimmage, 8/17/19
The Mountain Hawks will be off from practice on Sunday and will return to the field on Monday for the final week of preseason camp, culminating with the annual alumni Steak Fry on Sunday August 25. Classes for the fall semester begin the following day.
"We're almost there, but we still need to clean some things up," Gilmore said. "Finishing blocks. Finishing plays on defense and cleaning a lot of things up on special teams. We're starting to do a lot of the full special teams units together so it has been a little more competitive. It's really essential that we clean up our technique on the special teams part of it. That's another big part we'll look at over the next few days.
The Mountain Hawks will open the 2019 season against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, August 31 at 12:30 p.m. at Goodman Stadium. Tickets to that game and all Lehigh home football games can be purchased by visiting LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
"I'm really excited about how competitive it was," first-year head coach Tom Gilmore said. "We've gone through some days where the offense or the defense had a huge advantage in practices, so I was really happy to see the offense move the ball at times, the defense shut them down at times. There were some really nice plays on both sides of the ball. We executed very well, but we still have a lot of things to clean up. Still, I liked the competitive part of it."
The Lehigh defense held the upper hand for much of last Saturday's first scrimmage, but the offense bounced back with a fast start on this day. Senior quarterback Tyler Monaco led the first offense down the field in just four plays, with a couple completions to senior Devon Bibbens to move the ball into the red zone before sophomore Rashawn Allen capped the drive with a touchdown run.
"The running backs had good days today," Gilmore said. "We didn't use them as much as we would have in a game situation, because were trying to get looks at everyone, not just the running backs, but getting the ball to different receivers. We're getting close with the run game. We've had a couple guys out on the offensive line that are just starting to work their way back into the lineup. I'm excited to all those guys at full strength moving forward on the offensive line, so we can really open up those holes for the running backs.
In addition to Allen, sophomore Peter Lucas and freshman Nate Hope received a fair share of touches on Saturday.
At quarterback, Gilmore continues to be impressed with the performance of senior Tyler Monaco, who has displayed many veteran qualities throughout camp, despite his limited game experience.
"He's acting like a veteran – in practice, in scrimmage situations," Gilmore said. "He's displaying a lot of poise and making a lot of really good decisions, like he's been the starter for the last few years. That's been really good to see. That gives the rest of the unit a lot of confidence, when the quarterback is confident in what he's doing and he's not getting rattled. The defense has thrown a lot of stuff at him over the last week or so in practice and he's handled it very well."
After the opening touchdown, the defense settled in, keeping the offense off the scoreboard for most of the rest of the day. Lehigh once again produced good pressure up front with the defensive line producing a fair amount of would-be sacks. The offense put some plays together but was unable to produce any more points until the end of the scrimmage.
"They gave up the one drive at the beginning, which was a little disappointing, but they did a lot of good things," Gilmore said of the defensive effort. "They pressured the quarterback well at times. The second group especially did a good job stopping the run. Just a couple of things to clean up there. Just like on offense, there were a couple of guys out this week that were just starting to go today. Limited reps for those guys today but you can see the difference when they're in there. "
Saturday's scrimmage was broken up with special teams work, with the Mountain Hawks working on punting, kickoff and punt/kick return situations during breaks in the live action.
The final segment of the scrimmage featured two series with the offense starting at the defense's 25-yard line. The first offense was kept out of the end zone, but freshman kicker Dylan Van Dusen knocked through a field goal attempt. The second offense put together a nice drive capped with a short touchdown pass as sophomore Alec Beesmer found freshman Matt DiPietro cutting across the back of the end zone.
The Mountain Hawks will be off from practice on Sunday and will return to the field on Monday for the final week of preseason camp, culminating with the annual alumni Steak Fry on Sunday August 25. Classes for the fall semester begin the following day.
"We're almost there, but we still need to clean some things up," Gilmore said. "Finishing blocks. Finishing plays on defense and cleaning a lot of things up on special teams. We're starting to do a lot of the full special teams units together so it has been a little more competitive. It's really essential that we clean up our technique on the special teams part of it. That's another big part we'll look at over the next few days.
The Mountain Hawks will open the 2019 season against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, August 31 at 12:30 p.m. at Goodman Stadium. Tickets to that game and all Lehigh home football games can be purchased by visiting LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-7LU-GAME during business hours.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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