Saturday, April 3
Behlehem, Pa.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
0-2 , 0-2
0
vs
6
Bucknell
2-0 , 2-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Bucknell
0
3
3
0
6
Lehigh
0
0
0
0
0
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Bucknell Claims Defensive Battle Over Mountain Hawks, 6-0
4/3/2021 4:50:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh turned in another strong defensive effort, but the Mountain Hawks' offense was stymied for the second straight game. Two long Bucknell scoring drives resulted in field goals as the Bison dealt Lehigh a 6-0 setback Saturday at Goodman Stadium. The Mountain Hawks allowed just 239 yards off offense and kept Bucknell out of the end zone despite being on the field defensively for nearly 37 minutes.
The loss drops the Mountain Hawks to 0-2 on the spring season, while Bucknell (2-0) clinches the Patriot League South Division title with its second division win in as many weeks.
"It's always tough without the result that you want, but I was really proud of the way our kids played today under extremely difficult circumstances," Lehigh head coach Tom Gilmore said. "They came out and played really hard, with high effort. We made some mistakes that cost us, but it wasn't due to a lack of effort. We didn't come up with the result in the end, but I'm really proud of the way our guys hung in there. They fought to the very end and showed improvement across the board."
On a day when Lehigh recognized its senior class, senior linebacker Pete Haffner led the defensive charge with a game-high 11 tackles. Freshman Corey Melzer added eight in his Lehigh debut. Freshman cornerback LaTreil Wimberly matched up against Bucknell wide receiver Brandon Sanders and limited the reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week to three receptions for 24 yards. Wimberly finished with four tackles and two pass breakups.
Lehigh received the opening kickoff and moved the ball well on its opening drive. The first play of the game saw sophomore quarterback Cross Wilkinson connect with junior Austin Dambach for 26 yards. The Mountain Hawks moved 67 yards over 12 plays to the Bucknell 10 yard line but came away with no points after sophomore Dylan Van Dusen missed a field goal wide to the right.
"We moved the ball well at times," Gilmore explained. We didn't convert on third downs, which was a real killer. The story of the game was that we only had six o-linemen available today, and only two were freshmen. It really put us in a difficult position, which is why I'm so proud of what the guys did. We came out and moved the ball, we just couldn't finish things."
Bucknell chewed up 8:42 off the second quarter clock as part of the game's first scoring drive. The Bison marched 68 yards in 16 plays. Lehigh's defense stiffened in the red zone but a 26 yard Ethan Torres field goal put Bucknell in front 3-0 at halftime.
The Bison extended their lead on the opening drive of the second half, with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that was prolonged by a 15 yard personal foul for leaping that negated a Bucknell punt. Torres connected on a 24 yard field goal to extend the Bison lead to 6-0.
Lehigh's defense continued to do its part, stuffing a pair of Bucknell fourth down attempts in the fourth quarter and keeping the Bison off the board after Mountain Hawk miscues prolonged Bucknell drives.Gallery: (4-3-2021) Football vs. Bucknell, 4/3/21
The Mountain Hawks drove into Bison territory on their first drive of the fourth quarter but a sack on third down led to a punt. A fourth down stop by sophomore TyGee Leach got Lehigh the ball back with 1:22 to play and no timeouts, but Dambach fell one yard short of a first down on a fourth and long play.
Wilkinson finished 17-of-28 for 167 yards passing and was sacked five times. Dambach was his top target with four catches for 65 yards in his first action of the season. Tight end Alex Snyder caught three passes for 36 yards. Lehigh rushed for 23 yards. Junior Rashawn Allen gained 32 on 10 carries while sophomore Zaythan Hill ran three times for 11 yards.
One week after Bucknell quarterbacks Logan Bitikofer and Tarrin Earle both had big games against Lafayette, Lehigh limited the duo to a combined 22-of-34 for 147 yards. Dominic Lyles led the Bison with 14 catches for 103 yards.
Gerrit Van Itallie led the Bucknell defense with seven tackles and a sack.
"Our inexperience catches up with us at times, especially in special teams, but it wasn't due to a lack of effort there," Gilmore said. "Weird things happened with the wind today, and some other things, but I really see a lot of positives coming out of this with our team."
The Mountain Hawks will travel to Lafayette next Saturday for the 156th meeting of college football's most-played rivalry. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. from Fisher Stadium in Easton, Pa. The game will be televised on Service Electric Network and ESPN+ and audio coverage will be available on Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM Allentown and LVFoxSports.com.
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh recognized its 11 seniors prior to their final game at Goodman Stadium: Divine Buckrham, Evan Chadbourn, Jack Dean, Chris Fournier, Pete Haffner, Nate Norris, Jorge Portorreal, Addison Shoup, Erik Slater, Matt Solomon and Zac Troxell… The two teams combined to go 2-for-24 on third downs… Bucknell converted just 1-of-14, while Lehigh 1-of-10… Bucknell had the game's only takeaway on a muffed punt… freshman Trevor Harris had Lehigh's lone sack… the last time Lehigh played in a game in which no touchdowns were scored was Oct. 9, 1976, when Lehigh lost 3-0 at Bucknell… time of possession favored Bucknell 36:43-23:17… freshmen Jackson Wiles (guard) and Donovan Thomas (safety) made their first career starts.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
The loss drops the Mountain Hawks to 0-2 on the spring season, while Bucknell (2-0) clinches the Patriot League South Division title with its second division win in as many weeks.
"It's always tough without the result that you want, but I was really proud of the way our kids played today under extremely difficult circumstances," Lehigh head coach Tom Gilmore said. "They came out and played really hard, with high effort. We made some mistakes that cost us, but it wasn't due to a lack of effort. We didn't come up with the result in the end, but I'm really proud of the way our guys hung in there. They fought to the very end and showed improvement across the board."
On a day when Lehigh recognized its senior class, senior linebacker Pete Haffner led the defensive charge with a game-high 11 tackles. Freshman Corey Melzer added eight in his Lehigh debut. Freshman cornerback LaTreil Wimberly matched up against Bucknell wide receiver Brandon Sanders and limited the reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week to three receptions for 24 yards. Wimberly finished with four tackles and two pass breakups.
Lehigh received the opening kickoff and moved the ball well on its opening drive. The first play of the game saw sophomore quarterback Cross Wilkinson connect with junior Austin Dambach for 26 yards. The Mountain Hawks moved 67 yards over 12 plays to the Bucknell 10 yard line but came away with no points after sophomore Dylan Van Dusen missed a field goal wide to the right.
"We moved the ball well at times," Gilmore explained. We didn't convert on third downs, which was a real killer. The story of the game was that we only had six o-linemen available today, and only two were freshmen. It really put us in a difficult position, which is why I'm so proud of what the guys did. We came out and moved the ball, we just couldn't finish things."
Bucknell chewed up 8:42 off the second quarter clock as part of the game's first scoring drive. The Bison marched 68 yards in 16 plays. Lehigh's defense stiffened in the red zone but a 26 yard Ethan Torres field goal put Bucknell in front 3-0 at halftime.
The Bison extended their lead on the opening drive of the second half, with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that was prolonged by a 15 yard personal foul for leaping that negated a Bucknell punt. Torres connected on a 24 yard field goal to extend the Bison lead to 6-0.
Lehigh's defense continued to do its part, stuffing a pair of Bucknell fourth down attempts in the fourth quarter and keeping the Bison off the board after Mountain Hawk miscues prolonged Bucknell drives.
The Mountain Hawks drove into Bison territory on their first drive of the fourth quarter but a sack on third down led to a punt. A fourth down stop by sophomore TyGee Leach got Lehigh the ball back with 1:22 to play and no timeouts, but Dambach fell one yard short of a first down on a fourth and long play.
Wilkinson finished 17-of-28 for 167 yards passing and was sacked five times. Dambach was his top target with four catches for 65 yards in his first action of the season. Tight end Alex Snyder caught three passes for 36 yards. Lehigh rushed for 23 yards. Junior Rashawn Allen gained 32 on 10 carries while sophomore Zaythan Hill ran three times for 11 yards.
One week after Bucknell quarterbacks Logan Bitikofer and Tarrin Earle both had big games against Lafayette, Lehigh limited the duo to a combined 22-of-34 for 147 yards. Dominic Lyles led the Bison with 14 catches for 103 yards.
Gerrit Van Itallie led the Bucknell defense with seven tackles and a sack.
"Our inexperience catches up with us at times, especially in special teams, but it wasn't due to a lack of effort there," Gilmore said. "Weird things happened with the wind today, and some other things, but I really see a lot of positives coming out of this with our team."
The Mountain Hawks will travel to Lafayette next Saturday for the 156th meeting of college football's most-played rivalry. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m. from Fisher Stadium in Easton, Pa. The game will be televised on Service Electric Network and ESPN+ and audio coverage will be available on Fox Sports Radio 1230/1320 AM and 94.7 FM Allentown and LVFoxSports.com.
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh recognized its 11 seniors prior to their final game at Goodman Stadium: Divine Buckrham, Evan Chadbourn, Jack Dean, Chris Fournier, Pete Haffner, Nate Norris, Jorge Portorreal, Addison Shoup, Erik Slater, Matt Solomon and Zac Troxell… The two teams combined to go 2-for-24 on third downs… Bucknell converted just 1-of-14, while Lehigh 1-of-10… Bucknell had the game's only takeaway on a muffed punt… freshman Trevor Harris had Lehigh's lone sack… the last time Lehigh played in a game in which no touchdowns were scored was Oct. 9, 1976, when Lehigh lost 3-0 at Bucknell… time of possession favored Bucknell 36:43-23:17… freshmen Jackson Wiles (guard) and Donovan Thomas (safety) made their first career starts.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Team Stats
BUCKNELL
LEHIGH
Total Yards
239
190
Pass Yards
147
167
Rushing Yards
92
23
Penalty Yards
8
34
1st Downs
16
10
3rd Downs
1
1
4th Downs
3
0
TOP
36:43
23:17
2nd Quarter
BUCKNELL 3, LEHIGH 0
BUCKNELL - Torres, Ethan 26 yd field goal 16 plays, 68 yards, TOP 8:35
3rd Quarter
BUCKNELL 6, LEHIGH 0
BUCKNELL - Torres, Ethan 24 yd field goal 15 plays, 75 yards, TOP 8:37
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
17
TD
0
YDS
167
INT
0
Players Mentioned
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QB
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TE
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K/P
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