Saturday, September 9
Cambridge, Mass.
4:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Merrimack
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Lehigh Heads To Merrimack For First Road Trip Of 2023
9/5/2023 2:23:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh takes to the road for the first time in 2023 as the Mountain Hawks make their first-ever visit to North Andover, Mass., to face Merrimack Saturday in the Warriors' home opener. The Mountain Hawks are looking to bounce back from a 38-10 opening-day loss to Villanova, a game in which three first-half Lehigh turnovers led to 21 Villanova points as the Wildcats built a 31-3 halftime lead. Lehigh played Villanova evenly in the second half, scoring its first touchdown of the year on a seven-yard pass from sophomore Brayten Silbor to junior Gaige Garcia. Senior linebacker Mike DeNucci led the defense with seven tackles, while senior cornerback Donovan Lassiter picked off a third quarter pass for Lehigh's lone takeaway. Â
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The Kevin Cahill Era started with an aggressive gamble that paid off. Villanova won the coin toss and elected to receive, but the Mountain Hawks had sophomore kicker Nick Garrido attempt a surprise onside kick to begin the game, with junior Michael McCormick recovering for Lehigh. The successful onside kick was the first for Lehigh since Courtney Jarvis recovered a Jake Peery onside kick in a 24-21 win over Liberty at Goodman Stadium on Sept. 24, 2011.
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Brayten Silbor completed 23 passes against Villanova and did a good job spreading the ball around. Silbor completed passes to nine different receivers, with four players notching their first career reception. Sophomore Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh's leading receiver in 2022, led the way with six catches, while sophomore tight end Nick Williams added four receptions. Senior Connor Kennedy and junior Gaige Garcia both hauled in three passes and seniors Eric Johnson and Jack DiPietro both caught two. Junior Dylan McFadden, sophomore Martin Laham and first-year Mason Humphrey all made their first career catches against the Wildcats.
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Despite having nearly half the roster in their first or second years of eligibility, Lehigh does return a good amount of starting experience. Seven Mountain Hawks made their first career starts against Villanova. On offense, quarterback Brayten Silbor and tight end Nick Williams were first time starters. Defensively, Lehigh had five players start for the first time: linemen Matt Spatny and TJ Burke, linebacker Tyler Ochojski, and defensive backs Javin Adderley and Nick Peltekian.
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Not only is Lehigh playing its first road game of the 2023 season, but the Mountain Hawks are making their first-ever visit to Merrimack in football. Lehigh will be looking to stop a recent string of setbacks in their first road meetings against opponents. The Mountain Hawks are 4-5 in their first road meetings against a specific opponent dating back to the 2010 season, but have lost four straight since beating Central Connecticut State in the first meeting in Connecticut in 2012. Lehigh lost its first visit to Sacred Heart in 2019, maiden visits to Stony Brook and Wagner in 2017 and its first game at James Madison in 2015. The Mountain Hawks played four first-time-on-the-road games in 2010 and 2011, defeating Drake (2010), Northern Iowa (2010 playoffs) and Monmouth (2011) before losing to North Dakota State in the 2011 quarterfinals.
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Merrimack opened its season with a 42-20 loss to No. 5 Holy Cross. The Warriors led 17-14 at halftime but gave up four of Jordan Fuller's five touchdowns in the second half as the Crusaders rallied to win. Tyvon Edmonds ran for 85 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Gavin McCusker threw for 176 and rushed for 51 more plus a touchdown. Merrimack gave up 432 yards of offense, including 242 on the ground to the defending Patriot League champions. The Warriors were 8-3 last season and went 6-1 in the NEC. Merrimack's 2022 losses came against Holy Cross, Harvard (in overtime) and in the season finale against Saint Francis (Pa.).
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Lehigh and Merrimack will meet for just the second time. The Mountain Hawks won the first meeting on Sept. 28, 2019 by a 10-3 score. Merrimack is in its first year as a full-time member of the Northeast Conference after completing the four-year reclassification period. The Warriors moved up from Division II to Division I FCS in 2019-20 after previously only competing in Division I in men's and women's ice hockey.
Lehigh has a limited history against the current members of the Northeast Conference. The league has undergone changes in recent years, with Merrimack and Stonehill reclassifying to Division I as well as the merger of the two LIU campuses. Lehigh has faced Central Connecticut State five times in the last 25 years. Overall, the Brown and White are 13-4 all-time against current NEC members. Lehigh last faced NEC opposition in 2019 as the Mountain Hawks defeated Merrimack and lost to Saint Francis and Sacred Heart.
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Saturday's game kicks off just after 4 p.m. from Duane Stadium in North Andover, Mass. The game will be broadcast on NESN+ and NEC Front Row, with audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM in Easton and LVFoxSports.com beginning at 3 p.m.
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Lehigh returns to Goodman Stadium next Saturday to host the Cornell Big Red on Family Day, presented by PSECU. Cornell visits Goodman Stadium for the first time since 2008 and Lehigh will look to avenge a 19-15 loss in Ithaca, N.Y. last season. The game will be the first of two straight for the Mountain Hawks against Ivy League opponents. Game time is set for noon.
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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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The Kevin Cahill Era started with an aggressive gamble that paid off. Villanova won the coin toss and elected to receive, but the Mountain Hawks had sophomore kicker Nick Garrido attempt a surprise onside kick to begin the game, with junior Michael McCormick recovering for Lehigh. The successful onside kick was the first for Lehigh since Courtney Jarvis recovered a Jake Peery onside kick in a 24-21 win over Liberty at Goodman Stadium on Sept. 24, 2011.
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Brayten Silbor completed 23 passes against Villanova and did a good job spreading the ball around. Silbor completed passes to nine different receivers, with four players notching their first career reception. Sophomore Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh's leading receiver in 2022, led the way with six catches, while sophomore tight end Nick Williams added four receptions. Senior Connor Kennedy and junior Gaige Garcia both hauled in three passes and seniors Eric Johnson and Jack DiPietro both caught two. Junior Dylan McFadden, sophomore Martin Laham and first-year Mason Humphrey all made their first career catches against the Wildcats.
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Despite having nearly half the roster in their first or second years of eligibility, Lehigh does return a good amount of starting experience. Seven Mountain Hawks made their first career starts against Villanova. On offense, quarterback Brayten Silbor and tight end Nick Williams were first time starters. Defensively, Lehigh had five players start for the first time: linemen Matt Spatny and TJ Burke, linebacker Tyler Ochojski, and defensive backs Javin Adderley and Nick Peltekian.
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Not only is Lehigh playing its first road game of the 2023 season, but the Mountain Hawks are making their first-ever visit to Merrimack in football. Lehigh will be looking to stop a recent string of setbacks in their first road meetings against opponents. The Mountain Hawks are 4-5 in their first road meetings against a specific opponent dating back to the 2010 season, but have lost four straight since beating Central Connecticut State in the first meeting in Connecticut in 2012. Lehigh lost its first visit to Sacred Heart in 2019, maiden visits to Stony Brook and Wagner in 2017 and its first game at James Madison in 2015. The Mountain Hawks played four first-time-on-the-road games in 2010 and 2011, defeating Drake (2010), Northern Iowa (2010 playoffs) and Monmouth (2011) before losing to North Dakota State in the 2011 quarterfinals.
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Merrimack opened its season with a 42-20 loss to No. 5 Holy Cross. The Warriors led 17-14 at halftime but gave up four of Jordan Fuller's five touchdowns in the second half as the Crusaders rallied to win. Tyvon Edmonds ran for 85 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Gavin McCusker threw for 176 and rushed for 51 more plus a touchdown. Merrimack gave up 432 yards of offense, including 242 on the ground to the defending Patriot League champions. The Warriors were 8-3 last season and went 6-1 in the NEC. Merrimack's 2022 losses came against Holy Cross, Harvard (in overtime) and in the season finale against Saint Francis (Pa.).
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Lehigh and Merrimack will meet for just the second time. The Mountain Hawks won the first meeting on Sept. 28, 2019 by a 10-3 score. Merrimack is in its first year as a full-time member of the Northeast Conference after completing the four-year reclassification period. The Warriors moved up from Division II to Division I FCS in 2019-20 after previously only competing in Division I in men's and women's ice hockey.
Lehigh has a limited history against the current members of the Northeast Conference. The league has undergone changes in recent years, with Merrimack and Stonehill reclassifying to Division I as well as the merger of the two LIU campuses. Lehigh has faced Central Connecticut State five times in the last 25 years. Overall, the Brown and White are 13-4 all-time against current NEC members. Lehigh last faced NEC opposition in 2019 as the Mountain Hawks defeated Merrimack and lost to Saint Francis and Sacred Heart.
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Saturday's game kicks off just after 4 p.m. from Duane Stadium in North Andover, Mass. The game will be broadcast on NESN+ and NEC Front Row, with audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM in Easton and LVFoxSports.com beginning at 3 p.m.
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Lehigh returns to Goodman Stadium next Saturday to host the Cornell Big Red on Family Day, presented by PSECU. Cornell visits Goodman Stadium for the first time since 2008 and Lehigh will look to avenge a 19-15 loss in Ithaca, N.Y. last season. The game will be the first of two straight for the Mountain Hawks against Ivy League opponents. Game time is set for noon.
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| Date: | September 9, 2023 |
| Opponent: | Merrimack Warriors |
| Kickoff: | 4:05Â p.m. |
| Stadium: | Duane Stadium/3,500/FieldTurf    |
| Location: | North Andover, Mass. |
| Lehigh's record: | 0-1 overall, 0-0 Patriot League |
| Merrimack's record: | 0-1 overall, 0-0 NEC |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 1-0 |
| Video: | NESN+ and NEC Front Row |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFoxSports.com with Matt Kerr and Steve Lomangino beginning at 3 p.m. |
| Key Stats: | •Quarterback Brayten Silbor completed passes to nine different receivers against Villanova. •Lehigh's defensive limited Villanova to just 1-of-10 third down conversions. •Sixteen players saw their first career action for the Mountain Hawks last week. |
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.Â
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