Saturday, September 9
Cambridge, Mass.
4:00 PM
Lehigh University
1-1 , 0-0
14
at
12
Merrimack
0-2 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Lehigh
0
14
0
0
14
Merrimack
3
3
6
0
12
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Lehigh Pushes Through Venue Changes, Weather Delays to Top Merrimack 14-12
9/9/2023 10:50:00 PM | Football
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A whirlwind Saturday for the Lehigh football team began with a venue change for its game with Merrimack, featured a 2:15 weather delay in between, and ended with the Mountain Hawks picking up their first win of the Kevin Cahill Era.
The Mountain Hawks got a pair of touchdown passes from sophomore Brayten Silbor to senior Connor Kennedy and a strong overall defensive effort preserved a two-point lead as Lehigh defeated Merrimack 14-12 at Harvard Stadium.
The Warriors drove inside Lehigh's 30-yard line with under two minutes to play before the Mountain Hawks defense stiffened. Senior Mike DeNucci capped a stellar effort with a third-down sack that knocked Merrimack out of field goal range. With the Warriors forced to go for it on 4th-and-25, senior Trevor Harris registered a sack to give Lehigh the ball back with 1:36 to play.
Merrimack had one more chance with 19 seconds remaining, but an attempt with multiple laterals was unsuccessful, and sophomore Tyler Ochojski fell on the loose football as time expired.
The win, the first as a head coach for Kevin Cahill, evened Lehigh's record at 1-1, while Merrimack falls to 0-2.
Saturday's game was moved from Merrimack to Harvard due to power outages and damage in and around Merrimack's North Andover campus from Friday night severe weather. As the teams began their pregame warmups, they were pulled off the field due to lightning and eventual thunderstorms.
The game finally kicked off at 6:15 p.m. with Merrimack claiming a 3-0 lead after one quarter on a Lliam Davis 32-yard field goal.
The score remained 3-0 until the final minute of the first half as Silbor and Kennedy connected twice in a span of 54 seconds to turn the deficit into a 14-3 Lehigh lead.
Lehigh's first scoring drive covered 71 yards in six plays and featured big completions to junior Gaige Garcia and sophomores Martin Laham and Geoffrey Jamiel. Silbor capped the drive with a six-yard strike to Kennedy on the far side of the end zone to put Lehigh in front.
After a three-and-out from the defense, Lehigh got the ball back with 22 seconds remaining. On 2nd-and-15, Silbor connected on a deep ball to junior Dylan McFadden covering 49 yards to the Merrimack 8. On the next play, Silbor found Kennedy crossing by the end line for an eight-yard touchdown.
A good kickoff return and a facemask penalty allowed Davis to kick a 46-yard field goal on the final play of the half as Lehigh led 14-6 at the break.
Merrimack's first drive of the second half covered 87 yards in 11 plays and milked 5:55 off the clock. A two-yard touchdown run by Gavin McCusker brought the Warriors within 14-12 but DeNucci was part of a swarm that stopped the game-tying two-point attempt and the Lehigh defense held its ground the rest of the way to close out the victory.
Lehigh out-gained Merrimack 326-276 on the night. The Mountain Hawks threw for 260 and rushed for 69, while limiting the Warriors to just 90 yards passing.
Silbor finished 20-of-40 for 260 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Garcia led Lehigh with 71 rushing yards and added 34 receiving yards on a team-high five catches. Jamiel and Kennedy both had four catches, with Jamiel gaining a team-best 72 yards and Kennedy gaining 47.
DeNucci led Lehigh's defense with 10 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss. Sophomore Nick Peltekian and first-year Aidan Singleton were next with seven.
Tyvon Edmonds Jr. led Merrimack with 140 rushing yards on 23 carries. Lehigh limited McCusker to 10-of-27 passing and minus-15 yards rushing.
The Mountain Hawks are back home next Saturday to host Cornell on Family Day, presented by PSECU. Game time is set for noon. Tickets are available and can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-758-4263 during business hours.
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh is now 2-0 all-time versus Merrimack and 1-1 after two games for the second consecutive season… Kevin Cahill became the second consecutive Lehigh coach to earn his first win at the hands of Merrimack… the Mountain Hawks played at Harvard Stadium for the first time since defeating Harvard 21-19 on Oct. 16, 2010, the second of eight straight victories in Lehigh's 2010 Patriot League Championship season… after completing passes to nine different receivers last week, Silbor connected with eight receivers Saturday night… Laham, Singleton junior Jack Syslo and first-years Mason Humphrey, Andrew Sharga and DJ Brown made their first career starts… first-year Jadin Nelson recorded his first career sack to force a punt on Merrimack's opening drive… Lehigh held Merrimack to 1-of-14 third down conversions.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
The Mountain Hawks got a pair of touchdown passes from sophomore Brayten Silbor to senior Connor Kennedy and a strong overall defensive effort preserved a two-point lead as Lehigh defeated Merrimack 14-12 at Harvard Stadium.
Silbor to Kennedy AGAIN and Lehigh's up 14-3!
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) September 9, 2023
Watch: https://t.co/Cz2ZRJEj1o pic.twitter.com/8KWseydFGt
The Warriors drove inside Lehigh's 30-yard line with under two minutes to play before the Mountain Hawks defense stiffened. Senior Mike DeNucci capped a stellar effort with a third-down sack that knocked Merrimack out of field goal range. With the Warriors forced to go for it on 4th-and-25, senior Trevor Harris registered a sack to give Lehigh the ball back with 1:36 to play.
Merrimack had one more chance with 19 seconds remaining, but an attempt with multiple laterals was unsuccessful, and sophomore Tyler Ochojski fell on the loose football as time expired.
The win, the first as a head coach for Kevin Cahill, evened Lehigh's record at 1-1, while Merrimack falls to 0-2.
Saturday's game was moved from Merrimack to Harvard due to power outages and damage in and around Merrimack's North Andover campus from Friday night severe weather. As the teams began their pregame warmups, they were pulled off the field due to lightning and eventual thunderstorms.
The game finally kicked off at 6:15 p.m. with Merrimack claiming a 3-0 lead after one quarter on a Lliam Davis 32-yard field goal.
The score remained 3-0 until the final minute of the first half as Silbor and Kennedy connected twice in a span of 54 seconds to turn the deficit into a 14-3 Lehigh lead.
Connor Kennedy caps a big first half with his first TD of the season!
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) September 9, 2023
Watch: https://t.co/Cz2ZRJEj1o pic.twitter.com/WbeKsaOncB
Lehigh's first scoring drive covered 71 yards in six plays and featured big completions to junior Gaige Garcia and sophomores Martin Laham and Geoffrey Jamiel. Silbor capped the drive with a six-yard strike to Kennedy on the far side of the end zone to put Lehigh in front.
After a three-and-out from the defense, Lehigh got the ball back with 22 seconds remaining. On 2nd-and-15, Silbor connected on a deep ball to junior Dylan McFadden covering 49 yards to the Merrimack 8. On the next play, Silbor found Kennedy crossing by the end line for an eight-yard touchdown.
Silbor to McFadden sets Lehigh up inside the 10!
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) September 9, 2023
Watch: https://t.co/Cz2ZRJDLbQ pic.twitter.com/Cuc7ZxJ54R
A good kickoff return and a facemask penalty allowed Davis to kick a 46-yard field goal on the final play of the half as Lehigh led 14-6 at the break.
Merrimack's first drive of the second half covered 87 yards in 11 plays and milked 5:55 off the clock. A two-yard touchdown run by Gavin McCusker brought the Warriors within 14-12 but DeNucci was part of a swarm that stopped the game-tying two-point attempt and the Lehigh defense held its ground the rest of the way to close out the victory.
Lehigh out-gained Merrimack 326-276 on the night. The Mountain Hawks threw for 260 and rushed for 69, while limiting the Warriors to just 90 yards passing.
Silbor finished 20-of-40 for 260 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Garcia led Lehigh with 71 rushing yards and added 34 receiving yards on a team-high five catches. Jamiel and Kennedy both had four catches, with Jamiel gaining a team-best 72 yards and Kennedy gaining 47.
DeNucci led Lehigh's defense with 10 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss. Sophomore Nick Peltekian and first-year Aidan Singleton were next with seven.
Senior linebacker Mike DeNucci had a huge night in Lehigh's win ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/BwMRm6pXLg
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) September 10, 2023
Tyvon Edmonds Jr. led Merrimack with 140 rushing yards on 23 carries. Lehigh limited McCusker to 10-of-27 passing and minus-15 yards rushing.
The Mountain Hawks are back home next Saturday to host Cornell on Family Day, presented by PSECU. Game time is set for noon. Tickets are available and can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-758-4263 during business hours.
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh is now 2-0 all-time versus Merrimack and 1-1 after two games for the second consecutive season… Kevin Cahill became the second consecutive Lehigh coach to earn his first win at the hands of Merrimack… the Mountain Hawks played at Harvard Stadium for the first time since defeating Harvard 21-19 on Oct. 16, 2010, the second of eight straight victories in Lehigh's 2010 Patriot League Championship season… after completing passes to nine different receivers last week, Silbor connected with eight receivers Saturday night… Laham, Singleton junior Jack Syslo and first-years Mason Humphrey, Andrew Sharga and DJ Brown made their first career starts… first-year Jadin Nelson recorded his first career sack to force a punt on Merrimack's opening drive… Lehigh held Merrimack to 1-of-14 third down conversions.
Like Lehigh Football on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Team Stats
LEH
MER
Total Yards
329
276
Pass Yards
260
90
Rushing Yards
69
186
Penalty Yards
55
60
1st Downs
17
15
3rd Downs
2
1
4th Downs
1
1
TOP
27:37
32:23
1st Quarter
LEH 0, MER 3
MER - Davis,Lliam 32 yd field goal 6 plays, 37 yards, TOP 02:23
2nd Quarter
LEH 7, MER 3
LEH - Kennedy,Connor 6 yd pass from Silbor,Brayten (Garrido,Nick kick) 6 plays, 71 yards, TOP 01:50
LEH 14, MER 3
LEH - Kennedy,Connor 8 yd pass from Silbor,Brayten (Garrido,Nick kick) 3 plays, 52 yards, TOP 00:20
LEH 14, MER 6
MER - Davis,Lliam 46 yd field goal 1 plays, yards, TOP 00:00
3rd Quarter
LEH 14, MER 12
MER - McCusker,Gavin 2 yd run (), 11 plays, 87 yards, TOP 05:55
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
20
TD
2
YDS
260
INT
1
CMP
0
TD
0
YDS
0
INT
1
Players Mentioned
LB
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RB
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DL
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WR
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WR
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WR
/ FootballWR
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WR
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DL
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LB
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DB
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DL
/ FootballQB
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DB
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OL/LS
/ FootballLehigh Sports Central: Football
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