Saturday, September 30
West Long Branch, N.J.
1:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Monmouth
Photo by: Justin Lafleur
Lehigh Visits Monmouth Saturday In Non-League Finale
9/26/2023 2:16:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh heads back on the road for the middle game of a three-game road swing as the Mountain Hawks travel to West Long Branch, N.J. Saturday to face Monmouth in Lehigh's final non-league game of the regular season. The Mountain Hawks will be looking to snap a two-game slide while building momentum heading into the Patriot League season. Lehigh fell 34-17 at Dartmouth last Saturday. The Mountain Hawks' defense sparked a fast start against the Big Green with Nick Peltekian forcing a fumble near the goal line and Logan Jones recovering and racing 92 yards for a touchdown, but several third quarter miscues led to 24 unanswered Dartmouth points as the Big Green won their home opener. Monmouth has also lost two straight with the Hawks looking to bounce back from a 28-20 setback Saturday at Lafayette.
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Lehigh's starting safety tandem gave the Mountain Hawks a huge boost early at Dartmouth. The Big Green marched inside the Lehigh five-yard line on their opening possession when sophomore Nick Peltekian stripped Dartmouth quarterback Nick Howard and junior Logan Jones picked up the loose ball and raced 92 yards for a touchdown to give Lehigh the early 7-0 lead. The fumble return TD was the first since Dean Colton's 52-yard scoop-and-score against Fordham last season and is the longest for Lehigh in at least the last 40 years. The school record for longest fumble return is 100 yards by Steve Smoke versus Penn State in 1938.
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Lehigh quarterbacks have done well to spread the ball around during the 2023 season. Thirteen different Mountain Hawks have at least one reception through four games, with seven of those players recording their first career catches. Lehigh quarterbacks have completed passes to nine, eight, six and nine receivers over the Mountain Hawks' first four games. Sophomore Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh's leading receiver in 2022, leads Lehigh with 22 receptions, followed by senior Connor Kennedy with 14. First-year running back Connor Hilling and first-year tight end Jake Stalsitz had their first career catches at Dartmouth.
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Third down defense has been a strength for the Mountain Hawks in the early season. Lehigh allowed both Villanova and Merrimack to convert just 1-of-12 third down opportunities. Merrimack's only third down conversion was its lone touchdown of the game. From there, Lehigh stopped the Warriors' last four third down opportunities including two tackles and a huge sack from senior Mike DeNucci which knocked Merrimack out of field goal range. Through four games Lehigh leads the Patriot League and ranks eighth nationally allowing opponents to convert just 24.1 percent (13-of-54) of third downs.
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Monmouth, like Lehigh, carries a 1-3 record into Saturday's game. The Hawks are playing their non-league finale as well. Monmouth's only win thus far came in its league opener at Towson. The Hawks have lost games to Florida Atlantic, Campbell and most recently, Lafayette. Monmouth is averaging 378.5 yards per game will giving up just under 380 yards per game. Jaden Shirden has rushed for 417 yards in four games with two touchdowns, while Sone Ntoh has already rushed for six touchdowns this season. Shirden is a preseason All-American and a member of the initial Walter Payton Award watch list. Marquez McCray has started all four games at quarterback. Ryan Moran is the top tackler with 35 stops.
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Lehigh and Monmouth are meeting for the 10th time. The Mountain Hawks won the first five meetings, before the Hawks claimed the last four. Lehigh is 2-1 against Monmouth in New Jersey, with its last visit in 2017 marking the only game in the series at the renovated Kessler Stadium. These teams first met in 1999, a 56-10 Lehigh victory.
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Saturday's game kicks off just after 1 p.m. from Kessler Stadium in West Long Branch, N.J. The game will be televised on SNY (New York area) and NBC Sports Philadelphia+ with streaming on FloFootball. Audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM in Easton and LVFoxSports.com will begin at noon.
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The final stop on a three-game road swing marks the start of Patriot League play as Lehigh visits Fordham next Saturday in its league-opener at Jack Coffey Field. Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill and Fordham head coach Joe Conlin both served as offensive coordinators at Yale prior to taking their respective head coaching positions. The Mountain Hawks will be looking to defeat the Rams for the first time since 2019. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
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Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.Â
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Lehigh's starting safety tandem gave the Mountain Hawks a huge boost early at Dartmouth. The Big Green marched inside the Lehigh five-yard line on their opening possession when sophomore Nick Peltekian stripped Dartmouth quarterback Nick Howard and junior Logan Jones picked up the loose ball and raced 92 yards for a touchdown to give Lehigh the early 7-0 lead. The fumble return TD was the first since Dean Colton's 52-yard scoop-and-score against Fordham last season and is the longest for Lehigh in at least the last 40 years. The school record for longest fumble return is 100 yards by Steve Smoke versus Penn State in 1938.
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Lehigh quarterbacks have done well to spread the ball around during the 2023 season. Thirteen different Mountain Hawks have at least one reception through four games, with seven of those players recording their first career catches. Lehigh quarterbacks have completed passes to nine, eight, six and nine receivers over the Mountain Hawks' first four games. Sophomore Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh's leading receiver in 2022, leads Lehigh with 22 receptions, followed by senior Connor Kennedy with 14. First-year running back Connor Hilling and first-year tight end Jake Stalsitz had their first career catches at Dartmouth.
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Third down defense has been a strength for the Mountain Hawks in the early season. Lehigh allowed both Villanova and Merrimack to convert just 1-of-12 third down opportunities. Merrimack's only third down conversion was its lone touchdown of the game. From there, Lehigh stopped the Warriors' last four third down opportunities including two tackles and a huge sack from senior Mike DeNucci which knocked Merrimack out of field goal range. Through four games Lehigh leads the Patriot League and ranks eighth nationally allowing opponents to convert just 24.1 percent (13-of-54) of third downs.
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Monmouth, like Lehigh, carries a 1-3 record into Saturday's game. The Hawks are playing their non-league finale as well. Monmouth's only win thus far came in its league opener at Towson. The Hawks have lost games to Florida Atlantic, Campbell and most recently, Lafayette. Monmouth is averaging 378.5 yards per game will giving up just under 380 yards per game. Jaden Shirden has rushed for 417 yards in four games with two touchdowns, while Sone Ntoh has already rushed for six touchdowns this season. Shirden is a preseason All-American and a member of the initial Walter Payton Award watch list. Marquez McCray has started all four games at quarterback. Ryan Moran is the top tackler with 35 stops.
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Lehigh and Monmouth are meeting for the 10th time. The Mountain Hawks won the first five meetings, before the Hawks claimed the last four. Lehigh is 2-1 against Monmouth in New Jersey, with its last visit in 2017 marking the only game in the series at the renovated Kessler Stadium. These teams first met in 1999, a 56-10 Lehigh victory.
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Saturday's game kicks off just after 1 p.m. from Kessler Stadium in West Long Branch, N.J. The game will be televised on SNY (New York area) and NBC Sports Philadelphia+ with streaming on FloFootball. Audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM in Easton and LVFoxSports.com will begin at noon.
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The final stop on a three-game road swing marks the start of Patriot League play as Lehigh visits Fordham next Saturday in its league-opener at Jack Coffey Field. Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill and Fordham head coach Joe Conlin both served as offensive coordinators at Yale prior to taking their respective head coaching positions. The Mountain Hawks will be looking to defeat the Rams for the first time since 2019. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
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| Date: | September 30, 2023 |
| Opponent: | Monmouth Hawks |
| Kickoff: | 1:05 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Kessler Stadium/4,200/FieldTurf |
| Location: | West Long Branch, N.J. |
| Lehigh's record: | 1-3 overall, 0-0 Patriot League |
| Monmouth's record: | 1-3 overall, 1-1 CAA |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 5-4 |
| Video: | FloFootball, SNY, NBC Sports Philadelphia+ |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFoxSports.com with Matt Kerr, Connor Mills and Stave Lomangino beginning at 12 p.m. |
| Key Stats: | •Lehigh leads the Patriot League and ranks eighth nationally in 3rd down defense allowing opponents to convert just 13-of-54 third down opportunities (24.1%). •Senior linebacker Mike DeNucci ranks ninth in the FCS, averaging 6.5 solo tackles per game. •With two interceptions through four games, senior DB Donovan Lassiter is the first Lehigh player with two interceptions in a season since 2019 when Keith Woetzel, Pete Haffner and Marquis Wilson all picked off two passes. |
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.Â
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