Saturday, April 10
Easton, Pa.
12:30 PM
Lehigh University
0-3 , 0-2
13
at
20
Lafayette
2-1 , 1-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Lehigh
0
6
7
0
13
Lafayette
7
6
0
7
20
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Mountain Hawks Fall 20-13 At Lafayette In 156th Meeting
4/10/2021 5:41:00 PM | Football
EASTON, Pa. – Lehigh battled back from a 13-6 halftime deficit but a 30-yard touchdown pass from Cole Northrup to Steven Stilianos early in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference as Lafayette claimed a 20-13 victory in the 156th meeting of college football's most-played rivalry Saturday at Fisher Stadium.
A four-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Cross Wilkinson to senior Jorge Portorreal and subsequent extra point by freshman Ben Banks-Altekruse tied the game at 13-13 late in the third, but Stilianos' second touchdown reception of the game gave the Leopards the lead for good. Stilianos was voted the game's Most Valuable Player.
Lehigh got the ball back on its 18 yard line with 2:23 to play and converted a 4th-and-30 with a hook-and-ladder play to extend the game but a Hail Mary pass from sophomore Nigel Summerville fell incomplete in the end zone as time expired.
"A disappointing end to a disappointing spring from a results standpoint, but I've never been prouder of a group of guys," Lehigh head coach Tom Gilmore said. "These guys had a lot of adversity shoveled at them. A lot more than people knew. It wasn't just the COVID stuff that everyone's going through, but much more than that. I don't know how we played these last two games, if not for the grit and resilience and the character of our players we would have never pulled it off.
Gilmore continued, "We were so shallow in a couple positions, we really struggled to practice. It's a great credit to our kids. No one can deny that our team doesn't fight to the end. Doesn't play hard. We do a lot of good things. We obviously make a lot of mistakes because we do have a lot of young players on the field. There's a lot of promise and the future looks very bright here at Lehigh."
Total yards were relatively even with Lafayette out-gaining Lehigh 310-299. The Mountain Hawks held an eight minute advantage in time of possession, but committed 11 penalties for 121 yards and gave up six sacks.
The defenses had the upper hand early with Lehigh punting on two of its first three possessions and stopped on downs on the other, while the Mountain Hawks defense opened with a pair of 3-and-outs.
Lafayette opened the scoring on its third drive of the game as Northrup and Stilianos connected for a 34-yard catch and run with 3:53 left in the first quarter.
The Leopards picked up the only turnover of the game when Damon Washington sacked Wilkinson and forced a fumble which he recovered at the Lehigh 36. Lafayette converted the turnover into points as Jeffrey Kordenbrock's 26 yard field goal extended the Leopard lead to 10-0.
Lehigh answered on its ensuing drive as junior Rashawn Allen broke loose for a 49-yard touchdown, capping a five-play, 75-yard drive. The touchdown was Lehigh's first of the season. The extra point was no good as Lehigh trailed 10-6 with 9:37 to play in the half.
The Mountain Hawks' defense made a goal line stand as freshman Donovan Thomas stopped Selwyn Simpson at the one yard line on fourth and goal, but Lafayette took a 13-6 halftime lead as Kordenbrock booted another 26 yard field goal on the last play of the half.
In the third quarter Lehigh put together an impressive 13-play, 87-yard drive. Wilkinson was 6-for-8 on the drive and capped it with the four-yard pass to Portorreal.Gallery: (4-10-2021) Football at Lafayette, 4/10/21
Lehigh went 3-and-out on the opening drive of the fourth quarter and Lafayette capitalized on a short field as Northrup hit Stilianos for the go-ahead score, capping a drive that covered 45 yards in three plays. Stilianos made a contested catch with freshman Spencer Roof in tight coverage.
"We were really, really close on a lot of these plays, but that's the game of football," Gilmore said "You have to make those plays and if you do, you win the game. We didn't make them today, but knowing the youth and inexperience that some of those guys have, you have to believe they're going to be a lot better when we get a chance to play in the future."
Summerville replaced an injured Wilkinson on Lehigh's next drive but the Mountain Hawks were forced to punt after one first down.
Lehigh gave itself a shot on the final play of the game, but Summerville's prayer was not answered.
Wilkinson was 21-of-34 for 177 yards and a touchdown, while Summerville was 5-of-6 for 74 yards. Ten different Mountain Hawks had receptions. Portorreal caught five for 32 and a touchdown while junior Austin Dambach caught four for 39.
Allen rushed for 67 yards on 12 carries while sophomore Zaythan Hill ran 13 times for 30 yards.
Senior Pete Haffner had nine tackles to lead the defensive effort while senior Nate Norris added seven and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Northrup finished 22-for-34 for 257 yards and two touchdowns for Lafayette. Stilianos caught just two for 64 but both went for touchdowns. Marco Olivas had a game-high 12 tackles for Lafayette, while Washington had eight tackles, four sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.
"You saw improvement from the first game to the last," Gilmore said. "There was definitely improvement across the board, but were very mistake prone and sometimes a young, inexperienced football team is going to be like that. I hope this experience will pay those dividends come the fall."
The Mountain Hawks finish the spring 2021 season at 0-3 while Lafayette finishes 2-1.
EXTRA POINTS… Lafayette won its second straight in the series to take an 80-71-5 lead… the Leopards won on their home field for the first time since 2006… with the postponement of the fall 2020 season Lehigh and Lafayette continued their streak of seasons with at least one meeting to 124… Roof made his first career start… Lehigh is currently scheduled to open its fall 2021 campaign at home against Villanova on Sept. 4.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
A four-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Cross Wilkinson to senior Jorge Portorreal and subsequent extra point by freshman Ben Banks-Altekruse tied the game at 13-13 late in the third, but Stilianos' second touchdown reception of the game gave the Leopards the lead for good. Stilianos was voted the game's Most Valuable Player.
Lehigh got the ball back on its 18 yard line with 2:23 to play and converted a 4th-and-30 with a hook-and-ladder play to extend the game but a Hail Mary pass from sophomore Nigel Summerville fell incomplete in the end zone as time expired.
"A disappointing end to a disappointing spring from a results standpoint, but I've never been prouder of a group of guys," Lehigh head coach Tom Gilmore said. "These guys had a lot of adversity shoveled at them. A lot more than people knew. It wasn't just the COVID stuff that everyone's going through, but much more than that. I don't know how we played these last two games, if not for the grit and resilience and the character of our players we would have never pulled it off.
Gilmore continued, "We were so shallow in a couple positions, we really struggled to practice. It's a great credit to our kids. No one can deny that our team doesn't fight to the end. Doesn't play hard. We do a lot of good things. We obviously make a lot of mistakes because we do have a lot of young players on the field. There's a lot of promise and the future looks very bright here at Lehigh."
Total yards were relatively even with Lafayette out-gaining Lehigh 310-299. The Mountain Hawks held an eight minute advantage in time of possession, but committed 11 penalties for 121 yards and gave up six sacks.
The defenses had the upper hand early with Lehigh punting on two of its first three possessions and stopped on downs on the other, while the Mountain Hawks defense opened with a pair of 3-and-outs.
Lafayette opened the scoring on its third drive of the game as Northrup and Stilianos connected for a 34-yard catch and run with 3:53 left in the first quarter.
The Leopards picked up the only turnover of the game when Damon Washington sacked Wilkinson and forced a fumble which he recovered at the Lehigh 36. Lafayette converted the turnover into points as Jeffrey Kordenbrock's 26 yard field goal extended the Leopard lead to 10-0.
Lehigh answered on its ensuing drive as junior Rashawn Allen broke loose for a 49-yard touchdown, capping a five-play, 75-yard drive. The touchdown was Lehigh's first of the season. The extra point was no good as Lehigh trailed 10-6 with 9:37 to play in the half.
The Mountain Hawks' defense made a goal line stand as freshman Donovan Thomas stopped Selwyn Simpson at the one yard line on fourth and goal, but Lafayette took a 13-6 halftime lead as Kordenbrock booted another 26 yard field goal on the last play of the half.
In the third quarter Lehigh put together an impressive 13-play, 87-yard drive. Wilkinson was 6-for-8 on the drive and capped it with the four-yard pass to Portorreal.
Lehigh went 3-and-out on the opening drive of the fourth quarter and Lafayette capitalized on a short field as Northrup hit Stilianos for the go-ahead score, capping a drive that covered 45 yards in three plays. Stilianos made a contested catch with freshman Spencer Roof in tight coverage.
"We were really, really close on a lot of these plays, but that's the game of football," Gilmore said "You have to make those plays and if you do, you win the game. We didn't make them today, but knowing the youth and inexperience that some of those guys have, you have to believe they're going to be a lot better when we get a chance to play in the future."
Summerville replaced an injured Wilkinson on Lehigh's next drive but the Mountain Hawks were forced to punt after one first down.
Lehigh gave itself a shot on the final play of the game, but Summerville's prayer was not answered.
Wilkinson was 21-of-34 for 177 yards and a touchdown, while Summerville was 5-of-6 for 74 yards. Ten different Mountain Hawks had receptions. Portorreal caught five for 32 and a touchdown while junior Austin Dambach caught four for 39.
Allen rushed for 67 yards on 12 carries while sophomore Zaythan Hill ran 13 times for 30 yards.
Senior Pete Haffner had nine tackles to lead the defensive effort while senior Nate Norris added seven and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Northrup finished 22-for-34 for 257 yards and two touchdowns for Lafayette. Stilianos caught just two for 64 but both went for touchdowns. Marco Olivas had a game-high 12 tackles for Lafayette, while Washington had eight tackles, four sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.
"You saw improvement from the first game to the last," Gilmore said. "There was definitely improvement across the board, but were very mistake prone and sometimes a young, inexperienced football team is going to be like that. I hope this experience will pay those dividends come the fall."
The Mountain Hawks finish the spring 2021 season at 0-3 while Lafayette finishes 2-1.
EXTRA POINTS… Lafayette won its second straight in the series to take an 80-71-5 lead… the Leopards won on their home field for the first time since 2006… with the postponement of the fall 2020 season Lehigh and Lafayette continued their streak of seasons with at least one meeting to 124… Roof made his first career start… Lehigh is currently scheduled to open its fall 2021 campaign at home against Villanova on Sept. 4.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Team Stats
LEHIGH
LAFAYETT
Total Yards
299
310
Pass Yards
251
257
Rushing Yards
48
53
Penalty Yards
121
47
1st Downs
19
15
3rd Downs
5
3
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
34:02
25:58
1st Quarter
LEHIGH 0, LAFAYETT 7
LAFAYETT - Stilianos, S. 34 yd pass from Northrup, Cole (Kordenbrock, J. kick) 6 plays, 57 yards, TOP 2:22
2nd Quarter
LEHIGH 0, LAFAYETT 10
LAFAYETT - Kordenbrock, J. 26 yd field goal 6 plays, 27 yards, TOP 2:45
LEHIGH 6, LAFAYETT 10
LEHIGH - Allen, Rashawn 49 yd run (Van Dusen, D. kickfailed), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:12
LEHIGH 6, LAFAYETT 13
LAFAYETT - Kordenbrock, J. 26 yd field goal 4 plays, 40 yards, TOP 0:23
3rd Quarter
LEHIGH 13, LAFAYETT 13
LEHIGH - Portorreal, J. 4 yd pass from Wilkinson, C. (Banks-Altekruse kick) 13 plays, 87 yards, TOP 5:12
4th Quarter
LEHIGH 13, LAFAYETT 20
LAFAYETT - Stilianos, S. 30 yd pass from Northrup, Cole (Kordenbrock, J. kick) 3 plays, 45 yards, TOP 1:04
Game Leaders
CMP
21
TD
1
YDS
177
INT
0
CMP
5
TD
0
YDS
74
INT
0
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
K/P
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
DB
/ FootballQB
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