Saturday, October 2
Bethlehem, Pa.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
0-5 , 0-1
0
vs
34
Yale
2-1 , 1-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Yale
7
14
7
6
34
Lehigh
0
0
0
0
0
Lehigh Unable To Get Past Yale On Tackle Cancer Day Presented By Red Robin in Partnership with LLS
10/2/2021 4:31:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – It was another tough Saturday for the Lehigh football team as the Mountain Hawks suffered their fifth straight defeat to open the season Saturday against Yale. The Mountain Hawks had opportunities to make plays and create some positive momentum, but it wasn't meant to be as the Bulldogs claimed a 34-0 victory at Goodman Stadium on Tackle Cancer Day, presented by Red Robin in partnership with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
With the Mountain Hawks facing a 14-0 halftime deficit, Yale reeled off a 57 yard touchdown in the final 90 seconds to go up 21-0. The Bulldogs added touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, while holding Lehigh after two second half trips into the red zone. Yale improves to 2-1 with the victory.
"We did some good things and we had some things that we couldn't execute that well," Lehigh head coach Tom Gilmore said. "I thought throughout the game, different guys were doing good things. Obviously we had a good number of players on the field today, some of them for the very first time, some of them a lot more today than they'd been there before and I think that experience will help them contribute greater to our program. But we just need to tighten things up."
Junior Nigel Summerville made his first career start at quarterback, completing 12-of-23 for 103 yards.
"He did some really good things. He's probably one of the guys I was thinking about with what I just said. He came out and did some really good things, his first collegiate start," Gilmore said. "We have to help him though. There were several drops on very easy passes that keep the chains moving and change the whole nature and complexion of the game at those points. There were a couple protection breakdowns and things like that and there were a couple things he needs to improve on, but I saw him do some really nice things in the run game and the pass game. I thought he made some really good decisions on some of the reads that we gave him to make."
Freshman Dajuan Fields emerged as an offensive weapon, rushing three times for 23 yards and hauling in three passes for 33 yards. Junior Zaythan Hill rushed for a team-high 36 yards on eight carries.
Three Yale quarterbacks combined to go 15-of-28 for 245 yards and three touchdowns. The Bulldogs also rushed for 175 yards and out-gained Lehigh 420-146 on the afternoon.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring on their second drive of the game as Griffin O'Connor connected with David Pantelis on a 27 yard touchdown pass. Zane Dudek extended Yale's lead with a seven yard scoring run early in the second quarter.
Nolan Grooms connected with Mason Tipton late in the half and after a Lehigh defensive player was a little late in jumping the route, Tipton broke a tackle and raced 57 yards to give the Bulldogs a 21-0 halftime lead.
Spencer Alston scored on a 15 yard run to put Yale up 28 with 6:37 left in the third quarter. Lehigh answered with its best drive of the day. Fields opened the drive with a 24 yard rush and Summerville connected with senior De'Shun Mickens on completions of 12 and 22 yards to move the ball to the Yale 18. Hill lost three yards on first down and then three consecutive sacks led to a turnover on downs.
After Yale went up 34 early in the fourth quarter, Lehigh made a bid for its first touchdown of the season. Junior Jalen Burbage returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, but the score was negated by an illegal block in the back penalty.
Lehigh again entered scoring position on its final drive of the game but was kept out of the end zone. Summerville hit sophomore running back Jack DiPietro for 29 yards with a personal foul setting up Lehigh with a first down at the Yale 26. A pass interference penalty moved Lehigh to the Yale 15, but the Mountain Hawks were unable to capitalize as Summerville was sacked on both second and fourth downs.Gallery: (10-2-2021) Football vs. Yale, 10/2/21
"We gave up quite a few explosive plays on defense today, which allowed them to break the game open and really change the complexion of the game," Gilmore said. "I thought we were doing some good things offensively. We just need to tighten some things up, make some of the catches that we didn't, break a couple runs here and there. I think it's a completely different ballgame whether you win or lose, but it's a very different ballgame than what it turned out to be."
Junior Mikhari Sibblis led the defensive effort with six tackles while classmate TyGee Leach added five.
Yale's Clay Patterson finished with nine tackles and four sacks.
The Mountain Hawks will travel to Penn next Saturday. Game time is set for 1 p.m. from Franklin Field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM Allentown and LVFoxSports.com beginning at noon.
EXTRA POINTS…The loss was Lehigh's 12th straight dating back to 2019, tying the 1925-26 teams for the longest losing streak in school history… Lehigh is 0-5 for the first time since 2017, a season where the Mountain Hawks won 5-of-6 and captured a Patriot League championship… senior Nate Norris had Lehigh's lone sack after the Mountain Hawks had at least two in each of its first four games…the Mountain Hawks have been shutout in back-to-back home games for the first time since the 1953 finale (46-0 to Lafayette) and 1954 home opener (21-0 vs. Delaware).
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
With the Mountain Hawks facing a 14-0 halftime deficit, Yale reeled off a 57 yard touchdown in the final 90 seconds to go up 21-0. The Bulldogs added touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, while holding Lehigh after two second half trips into the red zone. Yale improves to 2-1 with the victory.
"We did some good things and we had some things that we couldn't execute that well," Lehigh head coach Tom Gilmore said. "I thought throughout the game, different guys were doing good things. Obviously we had a good number of players on the field today, some of them for the very first time, some of them a lot more today than they'd been there before and I think that experience will help them contribute greater to our program. But we just need to tighten things up."
Junior Nigel Summerville made his first career start at quarterback, completing 12-of-23 for 103 yards.
"He did some really good things. He's probably one of the guys I was thinking about with what I just said. He came out and did some really good things, his first collegiate start," Gilmore said. "We have to help him though. There were several drops on very easy passes that keep the chains moving and change the whole nature and complexion of the game at those points. There were a couple protection breakdowns and things like that and there were a couple things he needs to improve on, but I saw him do some really nice things in the run game and the pass game. I thought he made some really good decisions on some of the reads that we gave him to make."
Freshman Dajuan Fields emerged as an offensive weapon, rushing three times for 23 yards and hauling in three passes for 33 yards. Junior Zaythan Hill rushed for a team-high 36 yards on eight carries.
Three Yale quarterbacks combined to go 15-of-28 for 245 yards and three touchdowns. The Bulldogs also rushed for 175 yards and out-gained Lehigh 420-146 on the afternoon.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring on their second drive of the game as Griffin O'Connor connected with David Pantelis on a 27 yard touchdown pass. Zane Dudek extended Yale's lead with a seven yard scoring run early in the second quarter.
Nolan Grooms connected with Mason Tipton late in the half and after a Lehigh defensive player was a little late in jumping the route, Tipton broke a tackle and raced 57 yards to give the Bulldogs a 21-0 halftime lead.
Spencer Alston scored on a 15 yard run to put Yale up 28 with 6:37 left in the third quarter. Lehigh answered with its best drive of the day. Fields opened the drive with a 24 yard rush and Summerville connected with senior De'Shun Mickens on completions of 12 and 22 yards to move the ball to the Yale 18. Hill lost three yards on first down and then three consecutive sacks led to a turnover on downs.
After Yale went up 34 early in the fourth quarter, Lehigh made a bid for its first touchdown of the season. Junior Jalen Burbage returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, but the score was negated by an illegal block in the back penalty.
Lehigh again entered scoring position on its final drive of the game but was kept out of the end zone. Summerville hit sophomore running back Jack DiPietro for 29 yards with a personal foul setting up Lehigh with a first down at the Yale 26. A pass interference penalty moved Lehigh to the Yale 15, but the Mountain Hawks were unable to capitalize as Summerville was sacked on both second and fourth downs.
"We gave up quite a few explosive plays on defense today, which allowed them to break the game open and really change the complexion of the game," Gilmore said. "I thought we were doing some good things offensively. We just need to tighten some things up, make some of the catches that we didn't, break a couple runs here and there. I think it's a completely different ballgame whether you win or lose, but it's a very different ballgame than what it turned out to be."
Junior Mikhari Sibblis led the defensive effort with six tackles while classmate TyGee Leach added five.
Yale's Clay Patterson finished with nine tackles and four sacks.
The Mountain Hawks will travel to Penn next Saturday. Game time is set for 1 p.m. from Franklin Field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM Allentown and LVFoxSports.com beginning at noon.
EXTRA POINTS…The loss was Lehigh's 12th straight dating back to 2019, tying the 1925-26 teams for the longest losing streak in school history… Lehigh is 0-5 for the first time since 2017, a season where the Mountain Hawks won 5-of-6 and captured a Patriot League championship… senior Nate Norris had Lehigh's lone sack after the Mountain Hawks had at least two in each of its first four games…the Mountain Hawks have been shutout in back-to-back home games for the first time since the 1953 finale (46-0 to Lafayette) and 1954 home opener (21-0 vs. Delaware).
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Team Stats
YALE
LEHIGH
Total Yards
420
146
Pass Yards
245
103
Rushing Yards
175
43
Penalty Yards
83
68
1st Downs
19
11
3rd Downs
3
3
4th Downs
2
0
TOP
27:25
32:35
1st Quarter
YALE 7, LEHIGH 0
YALE - David Pantelis 27 yd pass from Griff. O'Connor (Jack Bosman kick) 2 plays, 42 yards, TOP 0:30
2nd Quarter
YALE 14, LEHIGH 0
YALE - Zane Dudek 7 yd run (Jack Bosman kick), 14 plays, 76 yards, TOP 5:37
YALE 21, LEHIGH 0
YALE - Mason Tipton 57 yd pass from Nolan Grooms (Jack Bosman kick) 1 plays, 57 yards, TOP 0:11
3rd Quarter
YALE 28, LEHIGH 0
YALE - Spencer Alston 15 yd run (Jack Bosman kick), 4 plays, 72 yards, TOP 2:02
4th Quarter
YALE 34, LEHIGH 0
YALE - Chase Nenad 15 yd pass from Nolan Grooms (Jack Bosman kickfailed) 4 plays, 61 yards, TOP 1:53
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
12
TD
0
YDS
103
INT
0
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
/ FootballQB
/ FootballLehigh Sports Central: Football
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