Saturday, November 20
Bethlehem, Pa.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
3-8 , 3-3
17
vs
10
Lafayette
3-8 , 2-4
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Lafayette
0
10
0
0
10
Lehigh
7
7
0
3
17
Lehigh Finishes Season With Third Straight Win, Topping Lafayette 17-10 in #Rivalry157
11/20/2021 5:38:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – "Finish" became a mantra for the Lehigh football team during the 2021 season and the Mountain Hawks did just that Saturday to close the campaign with their third straight win. Lehigh rode a pair of first half touchdowns and an overall strong defensive effort to a 17-10 victory over Lafayette at Goodman Stadium in the 157th meeting of college football's most played rivalry, presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network and Coordinated Health.
Sophomore Jack DiPietro had a hand in both touchdowns, with a 13-yard catch on the last play of the first quarter and then a blocked punt that junior Johnny Foley returned for a touchdown in the second. DiPietro was voted the game's most valuable player.
Fifth-year senior linebacker Pete Haffner spearheaded the defensive effort with 12 tackles and a sack. The Mountain Hawks allowed just 278 yards of offense to the Leopards and shut out their rivals in the second half.
Both teams finished the season at 3-8 overall. Lehigh finished 3-3 in the league, winning its final three games, while Lafayette finished 2-4 in league play.
"I'm so proud of our team," Lehigh head coach Tom Gilmore said. "Today, we shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times. Their touchdown drive we had them stopped, third and long deep in their end and commit a personal foul, moved the chains for them and they ended up driving down and scoring on that drive. But you know what? We came right back and our kids never wavered, they kept fighting and I think all of the things we experienced this entire season built an incredible level of toughness and grit and our guys were able to fight through the adversity and find a way to win today so I'm really proud for that"
Lehigh opened the scoring on its third drive of the game as the Mountain Hawks marched 75 yards in 13 plays. Sophomore quarterback Dante Perri converted a 4th-and-2 with a two yard run and later threw back to DiPietro on a wheel route for a 13 yard touchdown pass. Junior Dylan Van Dusen's extra point gave the Mountain Hawks a 7-0 lead after one.
Lafayette answered the Lehigh touchdown with an impressive 15-play, 88-yard drive and tied the game on a Jaden Sutton one yard touchdown run.
The Leopards' next possession was a 3-and-out, and on the ensuing punt, DiPietro came through with the Mountain Hawks' fifth blocked punt of the season. Foley grabbed the ball out of the air and ran 12 yards for a touchdown, which gave the Mountain Hawks a 14-7 advantage.
"Jack is a perfect example of what hard work and perseverance can produce," Gilmore said of DiPietro. "He's one of those guys who comes to practice every day, ready to go, great effort, always enthusiastic - and that led to him improving and getting on the field and getting chances on the field where he performed at a high level and he certainly did that today."
A Micah Pettit 37 yard field goal late in the half brought Lafayette within 14-10. The Mountain Hawks fumbled the ensuing kickoff with Lafayette recovering at the Lehigh 29, but Pettit missed a 39 yard field goal to preserve the Lehigh lead going into the locker room.
The second half saw the Lehigh defense bend but not break. The Leopards had the ball for more than 11 minutes in the third quarter but the Mountain Hawks forced two turnovers on downs in the period.
Lehigh moved 12 plays in 77 yards on its first possession of the fourth quarter and added to its lead on a 20 yard Van Dusen field goal.
Lafayette moved back into scoring position but Aaron Angelos' fourth down pass to Joe Gillette fell incomplete and Lehigh took over with 4:32 to play.
A running into the kicker penalty prolonged Lehigh's ensuing drive and allowed the Mountain Hawks to run out most of the clock. Lafayette got the ball back with 26 seconds remaining. After picking up one first down, Angelos was sacked by junior Mikhari Sibblis and freshman Xavier Stephens as time expired.Gallery: (11-20-2021) Football vs. Lafayette, 11/20/21
Perri finished 14-of-24 passing for 183 yards and a touchdown. Junior Jalen Burbage was the top receiver with five receptions for 70 yards, while senior Austin Dambach added three catches for 55 yards.
Junior Zaythan Hill rushed 10 times for 41 yards while senior RaShawn Allen added eight carries for 20 yards. DiPietro rushed twice for seven yards and had the 13 yard touchdown catch.
For Lafayette, Angelos was 24-for-36 for 133 yards. Steven Stilianos caught 11 passes for 56 yards. Jaden Sutton and Selwyn Simpson combined to rush 31 times for 137 yards.
Lehigh came back to win its third straight game, outscoring its opponents 80-25
"I don't know if I could be any prouder of this group of players and coaches than I am with this group because of what they endured throughout this season," Gilmore said. "To rebound from what we went through early in the season and then the progression and to finish with three wins, with a win over Lafayette to finish the season is probably one of the most special experiences that I've had as a coach because of what we went through. I'm really proud that the guys did continue to work hard, looking for ways to improve. This win is really special, not just because it's beating Lafayette but because we finished the season off on such a high note with three wins.
"This team really is special to me because they never gave up and there were a lot of people that on the outside that were basically telling them to do just that and they never did," Gilmore concluded. "These guys deserve a lot of credit, they weren't getting the rewards early in the season but they kept coming back and they should be applauded for that tenacity."
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh has now won 18 of the last 27 meetings in the series and 36 of the 57 since the teams played to a 6-6 tie in the 100th meeting in 1964… Lafayette still leads the all-time series 80-72-5… with Lehigh's blocked punt touchdown, the Mountain Hawks have scored a defensive or special teams touchdown in seven of their last 10 wins over Lafayette… sophomore safety Donovan Thomas added seven tackles… Lehigh finished with three sacks and seven tackles for loss… sophomore Trevor Harris had two tackles for loss and the Mountain Hawks' other sack… Saturday's attendance was 12,962.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Sophomore Jack DiPietro had a hand in both touchdowns, with a 13-yard catch on the last play of the first quarter and then a blocked punt that junior Johnny Foley returned for a touchdown in the second. DiPietro was voted the game's most valuable player.
Fifth-year senior linebacker Pete Haffner spearheaded the defensive effort with 12 tackles and a sack. The Mountain Hawks allowed just 278 yards of offense to the Leopards and shut out their rivals in the second half.
Both teams finished the season at 3-8 overall. Lehigh finished 3-3 in the league, winning its final three games, while Lafayette finished 2-4 in league play.
"I'm so proud of our team," Lehigh head coach Tom Gilmore said. "Today, we shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times. Their touchdown drive we had them stopped, third and long deep in their end and commit a personal foul, moved the chains for them and they ended up driving down and scoring on that drive. But you know what? We came right back and our kids never wavered, they kept fighting and I think all of the things we experienced this entire season built an incredible level of toughness and grit and our guys were able to fight through the adversity and find a way to win today so I'm really proud for that"
Lehigh opened the scoring on its third drive of the game as the Mountain Hawks marched 75 yards in 13 plays. Sophomore quarterback Dante Perri converted a 4th-and-2 with a two yard run and later threw back to DiPietro on a wheel route for a 13 yard touchdown pass. Junior Dylan Van Dusen's extra point gave the Mountain Hawks a 7-0 lead after one.
Lafayette answered the Lehigh touchdown with an impressive 15-play, 88-yard drive and tied the game on a Jaden Sutton one yard touchdown run.
The Leopards' next possession was a 3-and-out, and on the ensuing punt, DiPietro came through with the Mountain Hawks' fifth blocked punt of the season. Foley grabbed the ball out of the air and ran 12 yards for a touchdown, which gave the Mountain Hawks a 14-7 advantage.
"Jack is a perfect example of what hard work and perseverance can produce," Gilmore said of DiPietro. "He's one of those guys who comes to practice every day, ready to go, great effort, always enthusiastic - and that led to him improving and getting on the field and getting chances on the field where he performed at a high level and he certainly did that today."
Just in time for Thanksgiving, Lafayette's punter got STUFFED. 🦃 🙌
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) November 20, 2021
Watch: https://t.co/jS84bQs7pW#GoLehigh | #beGREAT | #Rivalry157 pic.twitter.com/tbqIseMyjB
A Micah Pettit 37 yard field goal late in the half brought Lafayette within 14-10. The Mountain Hawks fumbled the ensuing kickoff with Lafayette recovering at the Lehigh 29, but Pettit missed a 39 yard field goal to preserve the Lehigh lead going into the locker room.
The second half saw the Lehigh defense bend but not break. The Leopards had the ball for more than 11 minutes in the third quarter but the Mountain Hawks forced two turnovers on downs in the period.
Lehigh moved 12 plays in 77 yards on its first possession of the fourth quarter and added to its lead on a 20 yard Van Dusen field goal.
Lafayette moved back into scoring position but Aaron Angelos' fourth down pass to Joe Gillette fell incomplete and Lehigh took over with 4:32 to play.
A running into the kicker penalty prolonged Lehigh's ensuing drive and allowed the Mountain Hawks to run out most of the clock. Lafayette got the ball back with 26 seconds remaining. After picking up one first down, Angelos was sacked by junior Mikhari Sibblis and freshman Xavier Stephens as time expired.
Perri finished 14-of-24 passing for 183 yards and a touchdown. Junior Jalen Burbage was the top receiver with five receptions for 70 yards, while senior Austin Dambach added three catches for 55 yards.
Junior Zaythan Hill rushed 10 times for 41 yards while senior RaShawn Allen added eight carries for 20 yards. DiPietro rushed twice for seven yards and had the 13 yard touchdown catch.
For Lafayette, Angelos was 24-for-36 for 133 yards. Steven Stilianos caught 11 passes for 56 yards. Jaden Sutton and Selwyn Simpson combined to rush 31 times for 137 yards.
Lehigh came back to win its third straight game, outscoring its opponents 80-25
"I don't know if I could be any prouder of this group of players and coaches than I am with this group because of what they endured throughout this season," Gilmore said. "To rebound from what we went through early in the season and then the progression and to finish with three wins, with a win over Lafayette to finish the season is probably one of the most special experiences that I've had as a coach because of what we went through. I'm really proud that the guys did continue to work hard, looking for ways to improve. This win is really special, not just because it's beating Lafayette but because we finished the season off on such a high note with three wins.
"This team really is special to me because they never gave up and there were a lot of people that on the outside that were basically telling them to do just that and they never did," Gilmore concluded. "These guys deserve a lot of credit, they weren't getting the rewards early in the season but they kept coming back and they should be applauded for that tenacity."
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh has now won 18 of the last 27 meetings in the series and 36 of the 57 since the teams played to a 6-6 tie in the 100th meeting in 1964… Lafayette still leads the all-time series 80-72-5… with Lehigh's blocked punt touchdown, the Mountain Hawks have scored a defensive or special teams touchdown in seven of their last 10 wins over Lafayette… sophomore safety Donovan Thomas added seven tackles… Lehigh finished with three sacks and seven tackles for loss… sophomore Trevor Harris had two tackles for loss and the Mountain Hawks' other sack… Saturday's attendance was 12,962.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Team Stats
LAFAYETT
LEHIGH
Total Yards
278
244
Pass Yards
133
183
Rushing Yards
145
61
Penalty Yards
42
70
1st Downs
19
15
3rd Downs
6
3
4th Downs
1
1
TOP
34:43
25:17
1st Quarter
LAFAYETT 0, LEHIGH 7
LEHIGH - DiPietro, Jack 13 yd pass from Perri, Dante (Van Dusen, D. kick) 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 5:31
2nd Quarter
LAFAYETT 7, LEHIGH 7
LAFAYETT - Sutton, Jaden 1 yd run (Pettit, Micah kick), 15 plays, 88 yards, TOP 1:14
LAFAYETT 7, LEHIGH 14
LEHIGH - Foley, Johnny 12 yd blocked punt return (Van Dusen, D. kick)
LAFAYETT 10, LEHIGH 14
LAFAYETT - Pettit, Micah 37 yd field goal 4 plays, 7 yards, TOP 1:44
4th Quarter
LAFAYETT 10, LEHIGH 17
LEHIGH - Van Dusen, D. 20 yd field goal 12 plays, 77 yards, TOP 4:02
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
14
TD
1
YDS
183
INT
0
Players Mentioned
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LB
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DL
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