Saturday, November 30
Richmond, Va.
2:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Richmond
Photo by: Dan Stalsitz
Mountain Hawks To Face No. 9 Richmond Saturday In First Round Playoff Clash
11/26/2024 3:01:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh returns to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2017 as the Mountain Hawks visit future Patriot League member and current No. 9 national seed Richmond Saturday at Robins Stadium. The Mountain Hawks defeated rival Lafayette 38-14 last weekend to claim their league-leading 13th Patriot League championship. A balanced offensive attack and a strong defensive effort lifted Lehigh to its fifth straight win. Quarterback Hayden Johnson was selected as the game's MVP after throwing for 115 yards and a touchdown, and adding 25 rushing yards and another score.
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Coastal Athletic Association champion Richmond has won 10 straight games after an 0-2 start. The winner of the Lehigh-Richmond game will travel to No. 8 seed Idaho next weekend.
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Lehigh had 10 players named to the All-Patriot League teams announced Tuesday. The Mountain Hawks had six first-team selections with five players named to the second team. Graduate student linebacker Mike DeNucci garnered his third career All-Patriot League honor and made the first team for the first time. Junior safety Nick Peltekian was a second team honoree following the 2023 season and moved up to the first team in 2024, while also garnering second team recognition as a return specialist. Lehigh's four other first team all-league performers included offensive linemen George Padezanin and Langston Jones and defensive linemen TJ Burke and Matt Spatny. Outside of Peltekian, Lehigh's second team all-league performers all reside on the offensive side of the ball: running backs Luke Yoder and Jaden Green, receiver Geoffrey Jamiel and offensive lineman Aidan Palmer. Lehigh's 10 honorees were its most since 13 Mountain Hawks were recognized in 2016.
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Head coach Kevin Cahill was named the Dick Biddle Patriot League Coach of the Year on Tuesday, one day after being selected as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the FCS Coach of the Year. Cahill took a team coming off back-to-back 2-9 campaigns and picked sixth in the Patriot League, to an 8-3 overall mark, a 5-1 Patriot League mark and Lehigh's first Patriot League championship and FCS playoff appearance since 2017.Â
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Lehigh's 8-3 record shows a six-win improvement over its 2023 campaign, with the Mountain Hawks tied with McNeese State for the second-biggest turnaround in FCS football. Only Stony Brook (0-10 to 8-4) has a bigger win improvement than the Mountain Hawks and Cowboys this season.
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The Most Valuable Player of Rivalry 160, first-year quarterback Hayden Johnson captured his second straight Patriot League Rookie of the Week award on Monday. Johnson made his first career start in Lehigh's win over Colgate and had a strong showing, completing 16-of-21 passes for 204 yards with three touchdown passes. Against Lafayette, Johnson completed 10-of-13 for 115 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 25 yards and a score. The Lancaster, Pa., native became the first first-year player to earn Rivalry game MVP honors since Lafayette's Drew Reed in 2013, and the first Lehigh player to accomplish the feat since Phil Stambaugh in 1996. Johnson has seen significant time in all 11 games this season and is completing 69 percent of his passes for 1030 yards with eight touchdowns. He has also rushed 52 times for 228 yards and four touchdowns in 2024.
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An improving defense that ranks statistically among the nation's best has keyed Lehigh's five-game winning streak. In its last five games, Lehigh is allowing an average of just 269.2 yards and 12.6 points per game. The Mountain Hawks now lead the Patriot League in scoring defense (21.0), total defense (290.4) and pass defense (159.2), with Lehigh ranking sixth in the FCS against the pass and seventh in total yards allowed. Lehigh also leads the Patriot League in sacks (33) and interceptions (14).
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Lehigh is making its 15th all-time playoff appearance and 12th at the FCS level. The Mountain Hawks are making their first playoff appearance since 2017, when Lehigh went to Stony Brook and fell 59-29 to the Seawolves. Lehigh gained 452 yards of offense, with quarterback Brad Mayes completing 33-of-48 for 333 yards and three touchdowns.
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Richmond, the automatic qualifier out of the Coastal Athletic Association, has reeled off 10 consecutive wins after an 0-2 start, with the Spiders clinching a perfect 8-0 CAA mark after a 27-0 win in their rivalry game over William & Mary on Nov. 23. The Spiders opened their season with losses to Virginia and Wofford prior to their 10-game winning streak. Richmond averages 28.1 points per game and 198.4 rushing yards per game. Camden Coleman has seen most of the time at quarterback, completing 64.5 percent of his passes for 1832 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. Zach Palmer-Smith has rushed for 1275 yards with 13 touchdowns. Carter Glassmeyer is the top tackler with 80 tackles, while Jeremiah Grant leads the FCS with 12.5 sacks, to go along with 45 tackles.
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Back in May, it was announced that Richmond was leaving the CAA and joining the Patriot League as an associate member in football, beginning with the 2025 season. The Spiders' Patriot League debut will be at Goodman Stadium against Lehigh on Aug. 30, 2025.
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Lehigh and Richmond are meeting for just the fourth time, with the Spiders leading the series 2-1. The teams first met in the opening round of the 1998 playoffs where the Mountain Hawks rallied for a 24-23 victory.Â
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Saturday's game kicks off just after 2 p.m. from Robins Stadium in Richmond, Va. Tickets to the contest will go on sale through Richmond at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning at:Â https://richmondspiders.evenue.net/events/FCS . The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio coverage on FOX Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFOXSports.com beginning at 1 p.m.
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Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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Coastal Athletic Association champion Richmond has won 10 straight games after an 0-2 start. The winner of the Lehigh-Richmond game will travel to No. 8 seed Idaho next weekend.
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Lehigh had 10 players named to the All-Patriot League teams announced Tuesday. The Mountain Hawks had six first-team selections with five players named to the second team. Graduate student linebacker Mike DeNucci garnered his third career All-Patriot League honor and made the first team for the first time. Junior safety Nick Peltekian was a second team honoree following the 2023 season and moved up to the first team in 2024, while also garnering second team recognition as a return specialist. Lehigh's four other first team all-league performers included offensive linemen George Padezanin and Langston Jones and defensive linemen TJ Burke and Matt Spatny. Outside of Peltekian, Lehigh's second team all-league performers all reside on the offensive side of the ball: running backs Luke Yoder and Jaden Green, receiver Geoffrey Jamiel and offensive lineman Aidan Palmer. Lehigh's 10 honorees were its most since 13 Mountain Hawks were recognized in 2016.
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Head coach Kevin Cahill was named the Dick Biddle Patriot League Coach of the Year on Tuesday, one day after being selected as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the FCS Coach of the Year. Cahill took a team coming off back-to-back 2-9 campaigns and picked sixth in the Patriot League, to an 8-3 overall mark, a 5-1 Patriot League mark and Lehigh's first Patriot League championship and FCS playoff appearance since 2017.Â
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Lehigh's 8-3 record shows a six-win improvement over its 2023 campaign, with the Mountain Hawks tied with McNeese State for the second-biggest turnaround in FCS football. Only Stony Brook (0-10 to 8-4) has a bigger win improvement than the Mountain Hawks and Cowboys this season.
Â
The Most Valuable Player of Rivalry 160, first-year quarterback Hayden Johnson captured his second straight Patriot League Rookie of the Week award on Monday. Johnson made his first career start in Lehigh's win over Colgate and had a strong showing, completing 16-of-21 passes for 204 yards with three touchdown passes. Against Lafayette, Johnson completed 10-of-13 for 115 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 25 yards and a score. The Lancaster, Pa., native became the first first-year player to earn Rivalry game MVP honors since Lafayette's Drew Reed in 2013, and the first Lehigh player to accomplish the feat since Phil Stambaugh in 1996. Johnson has seen significant time in all 11 games this season and is completing 69 percent of his passes for 1030 yards with eight touchdowns. He has also rushed 52 times for 228 yards and four touchdowns in 2024.
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An improving defense that ranks statistically among the nation's best has keyed Lehigh's five-game winning streak. In its last five games, Lehigh is allowing an average of just 269.2 yards and 12.6 points per game. The Mountain Hawks now lead the Patriot League in scoring defense (21.0), total defense (290.4) and pass defense (159.2), with Lehigh ranking sixth in the FCS against the pass and seventh in total yards allowed. Lehigh also leads the Patriot League in sacks (33) and interceptions (14).
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Lehigh is making its 15th all-time playoff appearance and 12th at the FCS level. The Mountain Hawks are making their first playoff appearance since 2017, when Lehigh went to Stony Brook and fell 59-29 to the Seawolves. Lehigh gained 452 yards of offense, with quarterback Brad Mayes completing 33-of-48 for 333 yards and three touchdowns.
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Richmond, the automatic qualifier out of the Coastal Athletic Association, has reeled off 10 consecutive wins after an 0-2 start, with the Spiders clinching a perfect 8-0 CAA mark after a 27-0 win in their rivalry game over William & Mary on Nov. 23. The Spiders opened their season with losses to Virginia and Wofford prior to their 10-game winning streak. Richmond averages 28.1 points per game and 198.4 rushing yards per game. Camden Coleman has seen most of the time at quarterback, completing 64.5 percent of his passes for 1832 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. Zach Palmer-Smith has rushed for 1275 yards with 13 touchdowns. Carter Glassmeyer is the top tackler with 80 tackles, while Jeremiah Grant leads the FCS with 12.5 sacks, to go along with 45 tackles.
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Back in May, it was announced that Richmond was leaving the CAA and joining the Patriot League as an associate member in football, beginning with the 2025 season. The Spiders' Patriot League debut will be at Goodman Stadium against Lehigh on Aug. 30, 2025.
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Lehigh and Richmond are meeting for just the fourth time, with the Spiders leading the series 2-1. The teams first met in the opening round of the 1998 playoffs where the Mountain Hawks rallied for a 24-23 victory.Â
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Saturday's game kicks off just after 2 p.m. from Robins Stadium in Richmond, Va. Tickets to the contest will go on sale through Richmond at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning at:Â https://richmondspiders.evenue.net/events/FCS . The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio coverage on FOX Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFOXSports.com beginning at 1 p.m.
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| Date: | November 30, 2024 |
| Event: | NCAA FCS Playoffs, First Round |
| Opponent: | No. 9 Richmond Spiders |
| Kickoff: | 2:02 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Robins Stadium/8,700/AstroTurf |
| Location: | Richmond, Va. |
| Lehigh's record: | 8-3 overall, 5-1 Patriot League |
| Richmond's record: | 10-2 overall, 8-0 CAA |
| Series: | Richmond leads 2-1 |
| Tickets: | Through Richmond, beginning Wednesday at 10 a.m. at https://richmondspiders.evenue.net/events/FCS |
| Video: | ESPN+ with Jason Ross Jr. and Tyoka Jackson |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFoxSports.com with Matt Kerr, Mike Yadush '93 and Connor Brown beginning at 1 p.m. |
| Key Stats: | •Lehigh ranks sixth nationally in passing defense (159.2 ypg.) and seventh in total defense (290.4 ypg.) •The Mountain Hawks averaged 237.7 rushing yards per game during six Patriot League games. •Junior Matt Spatny leads the FCS, averaging 1.05 sacks per game. His 11.5 total sacks are tied for second in the FCS behind Richmond's Jeremiah Grant (12.5). |
Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
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