Saturday, September 11
Richmond, Va.
2:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Richmond
Mountain Hawks To Face Another Ranked Foe With Visit To No. 22/25 Richmond
9/7/2021 1:25:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh takes to the road for the first time this fall and awaiting the Mountain Hawks is another ranked foe out of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Mountain Hawks head to Richmond for just the second-ever meeting with the Spiders and the first since Lehigh's thrilling, come-from-behind 24-23 win in the opening round of the 1998 playoffs. Lehigh dropped its opener to Villanova as the Wildcats scored 24 points off of six Mountain Hawk turnovers. Senior Pete Haffner led Lehigh's defensive effort with 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, while junior Mikhari Sibblis notched a sack and sophomore Mike DeNucci picked up his first career interception for Lehigh's lone takeaway. Richmond opened its season with a 38-14 home victory over Howard.
While Lehigh's defense has improved over the last two seasons, the numbers show that the Mountain Hawks have fared better defensively against Patriot League foes. In nine games against Patriot League opponents since the start of the 2019, Lehigh is allowing 19.1 points and 302.1 yards per game. In six non-league games, those numbers rise to 26 points and 392.3 yards per game. Taking things a step further, in 13 games against teams not named Villanova under Tom Gilmore, Lehigh is allowing 18.7 points and 320.6 yards per game. In two games against Villanova, Lehigh has allowed an average of 42.5 points and 452.5 yards.
The fans were welcomed back to Goodman Stadium but the 4,000-plus on hand saw Lehigh fall 47-3 to No. 15/16 Villanova. The Wildcats turned six Lehigh turnovers into 24 points and broke open a 20-3 game with 24 third quarter points. The usually stout Lehigh defense was on the field for more than 37 minutes and yielded more than 500 yards. The setback was Lehigh's worst in a season-opener since 1996 when the Mountain Hawks fell 49-7 at Delaware. The seven turnovers were Lehigh's most in nine years.
Tight end Alex Snyder has proven to be a weapon offensively for Lehigh over the last two-plus seasons. He had 23 catches for 355 yards over 11 games in 2019 and added six catches for 58 yards last spring. Snyder's sophomore season was highlighted by a four-catch, 128-yard effort at Fordham. He became the first Lehigh tight end to gain 100 receiving yards in a game since Adam Bergen had seven catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns at Holy Cross on Oct. 9, 2004. Prior to Snyder's 2019 season, Lehigh tight ends had just 10 receptions in the 2017 and 2018 seasons combined, including two from Snyder as a freshman. Snyder led the Mountain Hawks in receiving against Villanova with a 56 yards on a career-high five receptions.
Richmond opened its season with a 38-14 home victory over Howard. Quarterback Joe Mancuso accounted for 347 yards of total offense and three touchdowns to lead the Spiders to their 16th straight win in home openers. Jasiah Williams had eight receptions for 85 yards and was named CAA Rookie of the Week. The Spiders also rushed for 226 yards with Aaron Dykes leading the way. Richmond's defense is led by linebacker Tristan Wheeler and defensive lineman Kobie Turner, who were both preseason All-Americans and were named to the preseason Buck Buchanan Award watch list. The Spiders were 3-1 in the spring with a win over William & Mary and two wins over Elon, while their loss came to James Madison. Richmond went 5-7 in 2019 and was picked fourth in this fall's CAA preseason poll.
Lehigh and Richmond have met just once before, in the opening round of the 1998 playoffs where the Mountain Hawks rallied for a 24-23 victory. Saturday's second all-time meeting will match Richmond with Albany and Stony Brook in terms of Lehigh's second least-often played opponents among current CAA members. Lehigh has never faced Elon.
Over the last 15 seasons, Lehigh owns three victories against CAA opponents; a win at Villanova in 2006, a win at Towson in the second round of the 2011 FCS playoffs and a 2013 triumph over New Hampshire at Goodman Stadium. The Mountain Hawks head to Richmond looking to stop a 10-game slide against CAA foes. The makeup of the CAA has changed in recent years with Massachusetts moving up to the FBS and Albany, Elon and Stony Brook joining the league for football. Lehigh is playing CAA opponents in back-to-back weeks for the first time since 2014, when the Mountain Hawks opened the season at home against James Madison and then traveled to New Hampshire.
Saturday's game kicks off just after 2 p.m. from Robins Stadium in Richmond, Va. The game will be televised on NBC Sports Washington and streamed on FloFootball. Lehigh audio coverage will be available on Lehighsports.com/watch.
The Mountain Hawks will return to Goodman Stadium to face their first Ivy League opponent as Lehigh hosts Princeton on Sept. 18 as part of Family Weekend, presented by PSECU. Lehigh has historically competed against the Ivies regularly, but a scheduling anomaly meant the Mountain Hawks faced no Ivies in 2019. The Ivy League did not participate in athletics during the 2020-21 school year. Game time is set for noon.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
While Lehigh's defense has improved over the last two seasons, the numbers show that the Mountain Hawks have fared better defensively against Patriot League foes. In nine games against Patriot League opponents since the start of the 2019, Lehigh is allowing 19.1 points and 302.1 yards per game. In six non-league games, those numbers rise to 26 points and 392.3 yards per game. Taking things a step further, in 13 games against teams not named Villanova under Tom Gilmore, Lehigh is allowing 18.7 points and 320.6 yards per game. In two games against Villanova, Lehigh has allowed an average of 42.5 points and 452.5 yards.
The fans were welcomed back to Goodman Stadium but the 4,000-plus on hand saw Lehigh fall 47-3 to No. 15/16 Villanova. The Wildcats turned six Lehigh turnovers into 24 points and broke open a 20-3 game with 24 third quarter points. The usually stout Lehigh defense was on the field for more than 37 minutes and yielded more than 500 yards. The setback was Lehigh's worst in a season-opener since 1996 when the Mountain Hawks fell 49-7 at Delaware. The seven turnovers were Lehigh's most in nine years.
Tight end Alex Snyder has proven to be a weapon offensively for Lehigh over the last two-plus seasons. He had 23 catches for 355 yards over 11 games in 2019 and added six catches for 58 yards last spring. Snyder's sophomore season was highlighted by a four-catch, 128-yard effort at Fordham. He became the first Lehigh tight end to gain 100 receiving yards in a game since Adam Bergen had seven catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns at Holy Cross on Oct. 9, 2004. Prior to Snyder's 2019 season, Lehigh tight ends had just 10 receptions in the 2017 and 2018 seasons combined, including two from Snyder as a freshman. Snyder led the Mountain Hawks in receiving against Villanova with a 56 yards on a career-high five receptions.
Richmond opened its season with a 38-14 home victory over Howard. Quarterback Joe Mancuso accounted for 347 yards of total offense and three touchdowns to lead the Spiders to their 16th straight win in home openers. Jasiah Williams had eight receptions for 85 yards and was named CAA Rookie of the Week. The Spiders also rushed for 226 yards with Aaron Dykes leading the way. Richmond's defense is led by linebacker Tristan Wheeler and defensive lineman Kobie Turner, who were both preseason All-Americans and were named to the preseason Buck Buchanan Award watch list. The Spiders were 3-1 in the spring with a win over William & Mary and two wins over Elon, while their loss came to James Madison. Richmond went 5-7 in 2019 and was picked fourth in this fall's CAA preseason poll.
Lehigh and Richmond have met just once before, in the opening round of the 1998 playoffs where the Mountain Hawks rallied for a 24-23 victory. Saturday's second all-time meeting will match Richmond with Albany and Stony Brook in terms of Lehigh's second least-often played opponents among current CAA members. Lehigh has never faced Elon.
Over the last 15 seasons, Lehigh owns three victories against CAA opponents; a win at Villanova in 2006, a win at Towson in the second round of the 2011 FCS playoffs and a 2013 triumph over New Hampshire at Goodman Stadium. The Mountain Hawks head to Richmond looking to stop a 10-game slide against CAA foes. The makeup of the CAA has changed in recent years with Massachusetts moving up to the FBS and Albany, Elon and Stony Brook joining the league for football. Lehigh is playing CAA opponents in back-to-back weeks for the first time since 2014, when the Mountain Hawks opened the season at home against James Madison and then traveled to New Hampshire.
Saturday's game kicks off just after 2 p.m. from Robins Stadium in Richmond, Va. The game will be televised on NBC Sports Washington and streamed on FloFootball. Lehigh audio coverage will be available on Lehighsports.com/watch.
The Mountain Hawks will return to Goodman Stadium to face their first Ivy League opponent as Lehigh hosts Princeton on Sept. 18 as part of Family Weekend, presented by PSECU. Lehigh has historically competed against the Ivies regularly, but a scheduling anomaly meant the Mountain Hawks faced no Ivies in 2019. The Ivy League did not participate in athletics during the 2020-21 school year. Game time is set for noon.
| Date: | September 11, 2021 |
| Opponent: | No. 22/25 Richmond Spiders |
| Kickoff: | 2:07 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Robins Stadium/8,700/FieldTurf |
| Location: | Richmond, Va. |
| Lehigh's record: | 0-1 overall, 0-0 Patriot League |
| Richmond's record: | 1-0 overall, 0-0 CAA |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 1-0 |
| Television: | NBC Sports Washington with Bob Black and Chris Anderson |
| Video: | Streaming at FloFootball |
| Radio: | None |
| Internet Audio: | Lehighsports.com/watch beginning at 1:45 with Matt Kerr and Matt Markus |
| Key Stats: | •In the spring 2021 season, Lehigh led the Patriot League and ranked seventh nationally in total defense (252.7 yards allowed/game) and scoring defense (15.3 points allowed/game). •In the Tom Gilmore era, Lehigh is allowing just 18.7 points and 320.6 yards in 13 games against teams not named Villanova (42.5 points and and 452.5 yards in two games against the Wildcats). •Lehigh's three lowest single-game rushing totals over the last 20 seasons have all come in season-openers (-12, 2021; 7, 2006; 11, 2019). |
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
TE
/ FootballLehigh Sports Central: Football
Wednesday, August 27
2025 Lehigh Football Season Preview: Special Teams
Thursday, August 21
2025 Lehigh Football Season Preview: Defense
Thursday, August 21
2025 Lehigh Football Season Preview: Offense
Wednesday, August 20
