Saturday, November 18
Bethlehem, Pa.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Lafayette
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Lehigh Hosts #22/24 Lafayette Saturday in #Rivalry159
11/14/2023 1:38:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – College football's most-played rivalry returns to Goodman Stadium Saturday as Lehigh hosts No. 22/24 Lafayette in the 159th meeting of the Rivalry, presented by Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute. The Mountain Hawks will look to end their season on a high note while also looking to deny the Leopards a Patriot League championship and potential FCS playoff berth. Lehigh fell behind Colgate 30-0 midway through the third quarter before the Mountain Hawks scored three second half touchdowns in a 37-21 setback last week in Hamilton, N.Y. Senior quarterback Dante Perri came off the bench to lead three scoring drives and threw two touchdown passes. Wide receiver Connor Kennedy caught one of those touchdown passes and gained 126 yards on seven catches. Both were career highs for the senior.
Lehigh's first year head coach Kevin Cahill will coach in his first Rivalry game, looking to buck the trend of Lehigh head coaches in their Rivalry debuts. Of Lehigh's previous six coaches, only one, Pete Lembo, won his first Rivalry game. Lembo's 2001 squad beat Lafayette 41-6 in Bethlehem to cap a 10-0 regular season. Prior to Lembo, you'd have to go back to 1965, where Fred Dunlap led Lehigh to a 20-14 win at Taylor Stadium in meeting No. 101. Cahill is no stranger to big rivalries, having spent the last 10 seasons on staff at Yale. During that time Yale was 4-6 against Harvard, with the four wins coming in the last six meetings.
Senior wide receiver Connor Kennedy enjoyed the big day in Lehigh's win over Merrimack on Sept. 9, as he hauled in four passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns. In a span of 54 seconds late in the second quarter, Kennedy hauled in a pair of touchdown passes from Brayten Silbor to provide the offense in Lehigh's 14-12 victory. Kennedy set career highs for receptions (seven) and receiving yards (126) last week at Colgate and caught his third touchdown of the season, on a 32-yard pass from Dante Perri.
One of Lehigh's strengths over the last two seasons has been its ability to get to opposing quarterbacks. The Mountain Hawks tallied 25 sacks in 2021 to rank second in the Patriot League and once again ranked second in the league last season with 23 sacks. Lehigh registered a sack in nine of 11 games in 2022, with a high of five against Princeton. The Mountain Hawks currently rank second in the Patriot League with 21 sacks through 10 games. Those sacks have come from 12 different players. Lehigh has had at least one sack in nine of its ten games so far, with a high of four at Bucknell. Sophomore Matt Spatny leads the way with five sacks, while fifth-year Dean Colton has three. Sophomore TJ Burke and first-year Jadin Nelson both have two. Senior Ben Murphy and first-year Davis Rice accounted for Lehigh's sacks against Holy Cross. Last year's Lafayette game was one of the two in which Lehigh did not record a sack.
Lafayette is enjoying its best season in 14 years as the Leopards enter Rivalry 159 at 8-2 overall and 4-1 in the league. The Leopards are ranked 22nd and 24th in the two major FCS polls and rebounded from their lone league loss to Colgate with a 24-16 win over Fordham last weekend. Lafayette boasts the Patriot League's top scoring defense and rushing defense, led by linebacker Billy Shaeffer, who has 72 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Offensively, running back Jamar Curtis has rushed for 1167 yards and nine touchdowns in nine games. Dean DeNobile has taken the reins as Lafayette's quarterback. DeNobile is completing 66 percent of his passes for 1588 yards. He has thrown 15 touchdown passes to just five interceptions. Lafayette clinches at least a share of the Patriot League championship and the league's automatic FCS playoff berth with a victory on Saturday.
Lehigh and Lafayette meet for the 159th time with the Leopards holding an 81-72 lead. There have also been five ties in the series with the last occurring in 1964. The Mountain Hawks have won 18 of the last 28 meetings in the series. While Lafayette dominated the early years of the Rivalry, Lehigh owns an impressive 45-26-2 record since 1950. This will be the 82nd meeting in Bethlehem and the 18th at Goodman Stadium. Lehigh has won 12 of the 17 games played at Goodman Stadium.
The Lehigh faithful hope the results of Rivalry 159 can mirror those of Rivalry 149 on Nov. 21, 2009. That year marked Lafayette's last winning season prior to 2023 and the last time the Leopards entered the Rivalry game nationally-ranked. On that day a 3-7 Lehigh team knocked off 8-2 Lafayette 27-21 in overtime at Goodman Stadium, knocking the Leopards out of contention for an at-large FCS playoff berth. Game MVP JB Clark threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, including the eventual overtime game-winner to tight end Alex Wojdowski. The victory was clinched when linebacker Al Pierce picked off Rob Curley on the Leopards' first play of overtime.
This season marks the 30th anniversary of Lehigh's 1993 Patriot League championship team, the first of Lehigh's league-leading 12 Patriot League titles. The Engineers defeated Lafayette 39-14 at Goodman Stadium to clinch the championship. Quarterback Scott Semptimphelter was selected as the game's most valuable player. Five years later, Lehigh capped an 11-0 regular season that featured the program's third Patriot League title with a 31-6 win in Easton. That year the Mountain Hawks went on to knock off Richmond 24-23 in the first round of the playoffs. The 1998 squad celebrates the 25th anniversary of its memorable 12-1 campaign. That year's Rivalry win was the middle of a seven-year stretch of Lehigh wins over Lafayette from 1995-2001.
Saturday's game kicks off just after noon from Goodman Stadium. Tickets are still available and can be purchased any time at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-758-4263 during business hours (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.).
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on X/Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Lehigh's first year head coach Kevin Cahill will coach in his first Rivalry game, looking to buck the trend of Lehigh head coaches in their Rivalry debuts. Of Lehigh's previous six coaches, only one, Pete Lembo, won his first Rivalry game. Lembo's 2001 squad beat Lafayette 41-6 in Bethlehem to cap a 10-0 regular season. Prior to Lembo, you'd have to go back to 1965, where Fred Dunlap led Lehigh to a 20-14 win at Taylor Stadium in meeting No. 101. Cahill is no stranger to big rivalries, having spent the last 10 seasons on staff at Yale. During that time Yale was 4-6 against Harvard, with the four wins coming in the last six meetings.
Senior wide receiver Connor Kennedy enjoyed the big day in Lehigh's win over Merrimack on Sept. 9, as he hauled in four passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns. In a span of 54 seconds late in the second quarter, Kennedy hauled in a pair of touchdown passes from Brayten Silbor to provide the offense in Lehigh's 14-12 victory. Kennedy set career highs for receptions (seven) and receiving yards (126) last week at Colgate and caught his third touchdown of the season, on a 32-yard pass from Dante Perri.
One of Lehigh's strengths over the last two seasons has been its ability to get to opposing quarterbacks. The Mountain Hawks tallied 25 sacks in 2021 to rank second in the Patriot League and once again ranked second in the league last season with 23 sacks. Lehigh registered a sack in nine of 11 games in 2022, with a high of five against Princeton. The Mountain Hawks currently rank second in the Patriot League with 21 sacks through 10 games. Those sacks have come from 12 different players. Lehigh has had at least one sack in nine of its ten games so far, with a high of four at Bucknell. Sophomore Matt Spatny leads the way with five sacks, while fifth-year Dean Colton has three. Sophomore TJ Burke and first-year Jadin Nelson both have two. Senior Ben Murphy and first-year Davis Rice accounted for Lehigh's sacks against Holy Cross. Last year's Lafayette game was one of the two in which Lehigh did not record a sack.
Lafayette is enjoying its best season in 14 years as the Leopards enter Rivalry 159 at 8-2 overall and 4-1 in the league. The Leopards are ranked 22nd and 24th in the two major FCS polls and rebounded from their lone league loss to Colgate with a 24-16 win over Fordham last weekend. Lafayette boasts the Patriot League's top scoring defense and rushing defense, led by linebacker Billy Shaeffer, who has 72 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Offensively, running back Jamar Curtis has rushed for 1167 yards and nine touchdowns in nine games. Dean DeNobile has taken the reins as Lafayette's quarterback. DeNobile is completing 66 percent of his passes for 1588 yards. He has thrown 15 touchdown passes to just five interceptions. Lafayette clinches at least a share of the Patriot League championship and the league's automatic FCS playoff berth with a victory on Saturday.
Lehigh and Lafayette meet for the 159th time with the Leopards holding an 81-72 lead. There have also been five ties in the series with the last occurring in 1964. The Mountain Hawks have won 18 of the last 28 meetings in the series. While Lafayette dominated the early years of the Rivalry, Lehigh owns an impressive 45-26-2 record since 1950. This will be the 82nd meeting in Bethlehem and the 18th at Goodman Stadium. Lehigh has won 12 of the 17 games played at Goodman Stadium.
The Lehigh faithful hope the results of Rivalry 159 can mirror those of Rivalry 149 on Nov. 21, 2009. That year marked Lafayette's last winning season prior to 2023 and the last time the Leopards entered the Rivalry game nationally-ranked. On that day a 3-7 Lehigh team knocked off 8-2 Lafayette 27-21 in overtime at Goodman Stadium, knocking the Leopards out of contention for an at-large FCS playoff berth. Game MVP JB Clark threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, including the eventual overtime game-winner to tight end Alex Wojdowski. The victory was clinched when linebacker Al Pierce picked off Rob Curley on the Leopards' first play of overtime.
This season marks the 30th anniversary of Lehigh's 1993 Patriot League championship team, the first of Lehigh's league-leading 12 Patriot League titles. The Engineers defeated Lafayette 39-14 at Goodman Stadium to clinch the championship. Quarterback Scott Semptimphelter was selected as the game's most valuable player. Five years later, Lehigh capped an 11-0 regular season that featured the program's third Patriot League title with a 31-6 win in Easton. That year the Mountain Hawks went on to knock off Richmond 24-23 in the first round of the playoffs. The 1998 squad celebrates the 25th anniversary of its memorable 12-1 campaign. That year's Rivalry win was the middle of a seven-year stretch of Lehigh wins over Lafayette from 1995-2001.
Saturday's game kicks off just after noon from Goodman Stadium. Tickets are still available and can be purchased any time at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-758-4263 during business hours (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.).
| Date: | November 18, 2023 |
| Opponent: | No. 22/24 Lafayette Leopards |
| Kickoff: | 12:02 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Goodman Stadium |
| Location: | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Lehigh's record: | 2-8 overall, 1-4 Patriot League |
| Lafayette's record: | 8-2 overall, 4-1 Patriot League |
| Series: | Lafayette leads 81-72-5 |
| Video: | ESPN+ (Lehigh Feed) with Marco Socci and Mike Yadush '93 |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFoxSports.com with Matt Kerr, Jim Guzzo and Connor Mills beginning at 11 a.m. |
| Key Stats: | •Lafayette (34) and Lehigh (21) rank 1-2 in the Patriot League in sacks. •The Mountain Hawks are averaging 150 rushing yards per game during Patriot League play. •Lehigh has won 36 of the 58 games versus Lafayette since the teams played to a 6-6 tie in the 100th meeting in 1964. •In more recent times, the Mountain Hawks have won 18 of the last 28 games, dating back to 1995. |
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on X/Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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