Saturday, September 16
Bethlehem, Pa.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
1-2 , 0-0
20
vs
23
Cornell
1-0 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Cornell
14
3
0
6
23
Lehigh
0
7
0
13
20
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Lehigh Comeback Attempt Comes Up Just Short Against Cornell
9/16/2023 4:46:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh battled back after falling behind Cornell 17-0 late in the first half, but the Mountain Hawks ultimately could not get over the top in a 23-20 setback Saturday at Goodman Stadium on Family Day presented by PSECU. The Mountain Hawks held the Big Red to six second half points and crept within three on an eight-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Brayten Silbor to sophomore Geoffrey Jamiel with 1:13 to play, but Cornell recovered the ensuing onside kick to secure the victory in its season opener.
The loss drops the Mountain Hawks to 1-2 on the season.
"Our kids fought at the end of the game to give us a chance," Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill said. "Ultimately, we were too far behind. We can't overcome a 17-point deficit. I was proud of the effort at the end but I was not really happy about the way we came out. We have to do a better job coming out of the gate and that falls on me and the coaching staff. We have to do a better job getting them ready and playing better in the first quarter. If we continue to battle all the way through, better outcomes will come, but we have to do it all the way through."
Silbor completed 21-of-42 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a four-yard score in the third quarter. Lehigh was out-gained 401-239 and struggled to get going after being held off the scoreboard until the final 31 seconds of the opening half.
Cornell used several big plays in the passing game to build a 14-0 lead after one quarter. Jameson Wang threw a pair of touchdown passes in the period and finished 19-of-31 for 293 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 17 times for 85 yards.
The first of three Jackson Kennedy field goals put Cornell up 17-0 with 1:25 to go in the half before Silbor and first-year running back Luke Yoder helped the Mountain Hawks march 65 yards in 54 seconds. Yoder capped the drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown as Lehigh trailed 17-7 at halftime.
The third quarter was highlighted by a pair of Lehigh defensive stands as the Mountain Hawks twice stuffed the Big Red on fourth and short, including seniors Mike DeNucci and Trevor Harris stuffing Wang on 4th-and-goal from the Lehigh 1.
Cornell extended its lead to 20-7 on a 27-yard Kennedy field goal early in the fourth and then Lehigh answered with another 65-yard drive. On the 13th play, Silbor raced around the right side from four yards out to bring Lehigh within six with eight minutes to play.
The Big Red answered with another long drive, but Lehigh held Cornell to another field goal and trailed 23-14 with 3:07 to play.
Armed with just one timeout, Silbor moved the Mountain Hawks 63 yards in 10 plays, capped by the touchdown pass to Jamiel. Cornell blocked the extra point attempt and then recovered the onside kick to secure their second straight win in the series.
"We had a chance coming down to an onside kick," Cahill said. "Any time you're in a game like that after being down 17-0, and it comes down to an onside kick in the fourth quarter, you gave good effort. You fought back to get into it; offense, defense, everybody contributed to that. That's the positive you take out of this. You came back and we fought and we made it a game in the fourth quarter. The negative is we were in the situation and we have to do a better job getting out of those situations. We have to find a way to win these games."
First-year Mason Humphrey was Silbor's top target with six catches for 66 yards. Jamiel and senior Connor Kennedy both had five receptions. Lehigh mustered just 47 yards on the ground with Yoder leading the way with seven carries for 37 yards.
DeNucci and sophomore Brycen Edwards led the defensive effort with nine tackles.
Gallery: (9-16-2023) Football vs. Cornell, 9/16/23
The Mountain Hawks are back on the road next Saturday as Lehigh visits Dartmouth. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. from Memorial Field in Hanover, N.H. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM in Easton and LVFoxSports.com beginning at 12:30 p.m.
EXTRA POINTS… In a reversal from the first two weeks, Lehigh's defense held Cornell to just 108 rushing yards, but the Mountain Hawks gave up 293 through the air… Cornell converted 6-of-16 third downs after Lehigh had limited its first two opponents to 2-of-24… sophomore Matt Spatny had Lehigh's lone sack… the Mountain Hawks were minus-2 in turnovers… sophomore Christian Richter (left tackle) and Edwards 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 1-2 on the season.
"Our kids fought at the end of the game to give us a chance," Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill said. "Ultimately, we were too far behind. We can't overcome a 17-point deficit. I was proud of the effort at the end but I was not really happy about the way we came out. We have to do a better job coming out of the gate and that falls on me and the coaching staff. We have to do a better job getting them ready and playing better in the first quarter. If we continue to battle all the way through, better outcomes will come, but we have to do it all the way through."
Silbor completed 21-of-42 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a four-yard score in the third quarter. Lehigh was out-gained 401-239 and struggled to get going after being held off the scoreboard until the final 31 seconds of the opening half.
Cornell used several big plays in the passing game to build a 14-0 lead after one quarter. Jameson Wang threw a pair of touchdown passes in the period and finished 19-of-31 for 293 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 17 times for 85 yards.
The first of three Jackson Kennedy field goals put Cornell up 17-0 with 1:25 to go in the half before Silbor and first-year running back Luke Yoder helped the Mountain Hawks march 65 yards in 54 seconds. Yoder capped the drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown as Lehigh trailed 17-7 at halftime.
🔥🔥🔥
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) September 16, 2023
📺 : https://t.co/iWCHEomtoO@espn @PatriotLeagueTV pic.twitter.com/2a9yA8bA4d
The third quarter was highlighted by a pair of Lehigh defensive stands as the Mountain Hawks twice stuffed the Big Red on fourth and short, including seniors Mike DeNucci and Trevor Harris stuffing Wang on 4th-and-goal from the Lehigh 1.
Cornell extended its lead to 20-7 on a 27-yard Kennedy field goal early in the fourth and then Lehigh answered with another 65-yard drive. On the 13th play, Silbor raced around the right side from four yards out to bring Lehigh within six with eight minutes to play.
Take a look at Silbor's touchdown ⬇️
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) September 16, 2023
📺 : https://t.co/iWCHEomtoO@espn @PatriotLeagueTV pic.twitter.com/HFAoG41IOq
The Big Red answered with another long drive, but Lehigh held Cornell to another field goal and trailed 23-14 with 3:07 to play.
Armed with just one timeout, Silbor moved the Mountain Hawks 63 yards in 10 plays, capped by the touchdown pass to Jamiel. Cornell blocked the extra point attempt and then recovered the onside kick to secure their second straight win in the series.
"We had a chance coming down to an onside kick," Cahill said. "Any time you're in a game like that after being down 17-0, and it comes down to an onside kick in the fourth quarter, you gave good effort. You fought back to get into it; offense, defense, everybody contributed to that. That's the positive you take out of this. You came back and we fought and we made it a game in the fourth quarter. The negative is we were in the situation and we have to do a better job getting out of those situations. We have to find a way to win these games."
First-year Mason Humphrey was Silbor's top target with six catches for 66 yards. Jamiel and senior Connor Kennedy both had five receptions. Lehigh mustered just 47 yards on the ground with Yoder leading the way with seven carries for 37 yards.
DeNucci and sophomore Brycen Edwards led the defensive effort with nine tackles.
The Mountain Hawks are back on the road next Saturday as Lehigh visits Dartmouth. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. from Memorial Field in Hanover, N.H. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM in Easton and LVFoxSports.com beginning at 12:30 p.m.
EXTRA POINTS… In a reversal from the first two weeks, Lehigh's defense held Cornell to just 108 rushing yards, but the Mountain Hawks gave up 293 through the air… Cornell converted 6-of-16 third downs after Lehigh had limited its first two opponents to 2-of-24… sophomore Matt Spatny had Lehigh's lone sack… the Mountain Hawks were minus-2 in turnovers… sophomore Christian Richter (left tackle) and Edwards made their first career starts.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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Team Stats
COR
LEH
Total Yards
401
239
Pass Yards
297
192
Rushing Yards
104
47
Penalty Yards
28
17
1st Downs
18
18
3rd Downs
6
8
4th Downs
1
1
TOP
38:39
21:21
1st Quarter
COR 7, LEH 0
COR - Kiser,Davon 37 yd pass from Wang,Jameson (Kennedy,Jackson kick) 2 plays, 55 yards, TOP 00:46
COR 14, LEH 0
COR - Woodring,Parker 20 yd pass from Wang,Jameson (Kennedy,Jackson kick) 3 plays, 85 yards, TOP 01:31
2nd Quarter
COR 17, LEH 0
COR - Kennedy,Jackson 32 yd field goal 8 plays, 47 yards, TOP 04:20
COR 17, LEH 7
LEH - Yoder,Luke 2 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 7 plays, 65 yards, TOP 00:54
4th Quarter
COR 20, LEH 7
COR - Kennedy,Jackson 27 yd field goal 6 plays, 17 yards, TOP 02:51
COR 20, LEH 14
LEH - Silbor,Brayten 4 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 13 plays, 65 yards, TOP 04:02
COR 23, LEH 14
COR - Kennedy,Jackson 29 yd field goal 12 plays, 56 yards, TOP 04:45
COR 23, LEH 20
LEH - Jamiel,Geoffrey 8 yd pass from Silbor,Brayten () 10 plays, 63 yards, TOP 01:48
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
21
TD
1
YDS
192
INT
2
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
OL
/ FootballQB
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DL
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RB
/ FootballLehigh Sports Central: Football
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