Saturday, November 30
Richmond, Va.
2:00 PM
Lehigh University
9-3 , 5-1
20
at
16
Richmond
10-3 , 8-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Lehigh
0
7
0
13
20
Richmond
3
6
0
7
16
Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Fourth Quarter Rally Pushes Lehigh Past Richmond 20-16 In FCS First Round
11/30/2024 6:22:00 PM | Football
RICHMOND, Va. – Trailing 16-7 with 10:36 remaining, Lehigh's offense put up a pair of big plays, while the defense finished the job as the Mountain Hawks defeated No. 9 Richmond 20-16 Saturday in the first round of the FCS playoffs at Robins Stadium.
Â
First-year quarterback Hayden Johnson connected with junior Geoffrey Jamiel on a 54-yard catch-and-run that gave Lehigh a 20-16 lead with 6:21 to play. Jamiel had a career day with 10 catches for 137 yards and the go-ahead score. Johnson completed 14-of-18 for 199 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception.
Â
Lehigh's defense limited Richmond to one touchdown in four red zone trips and held the Spiders to 1-of-3 on fourth down conversions.
Â
The Mountain Hawks (9-3) win their first FCS playoff game since 2011 and will next face No. 8 seed Idaho next Saturday at 9 p.m. ET at Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho.
Richmond (10-3) marched down the field on its opening drive with Sean O'Haire booting a 25-yard field goal to give the Spiders the early 3-0 lead.
Â
Lehigh's promising opening drive ended in an interception but the defense stiffened with sophomore Aidan Singleton batting away a Camden Coleman fourth-down pass attempt.
Â
O'Haire's second field goal of the game put Richmond up 6-0 with 5:27 left before halftime, and Lehigh responded with a 17-play, 70-yard drive to take the lead. Johnson hit first-year Matt D'Avino for a 41-yard completion, with D'Avino making a juggling catch. On 3rd-and-5, Johnson connected with first-year Logan Galletta on a seven-yard touchdown, with Nick Garrido's extra point giving Lehigh a 7-6.
Richmond drove the field in 1:04 with O'Haire's third short field goal of the half putting the Spiders up 9-7 at intermission.
Â
Lehigh had a golden opportunity to re-take the lead in the third quarter as the Mountain Hawks methodically moved the ball deep inside Richmond territory. Johnson was stopped short of the goal line on third down and Lehigh brought out the field goal team. After a false start penalty and a bad snap, Lehigh was stopped on downs, with Richmond taking over on its five yard line.
Â
Richmond capitalized on Johnson's lone mistake, driving 39 yards in five plays after a Jabril Hayes interception. On 4th-and-1 from the Lehigh seven, Coleman hit Sean Clarke over the middle for a touchdown, extending the Spiders' lead to 16-7.
On Lehigh's next offensive play, first-year Jaden Green raced 65 yards around the right side for a touchdown, which brought Lehigh back within two.
Â
The defense, at this point playing without graduate student linebacker Mike DeNucci and juniors Matt Spatny and Tyler Ochojski, who both left Saturday's game with injuries, delivered a three-and-out to get the Mountain Hawks the ball back.
Â
Johnson used his legs to scramble for 19 yards to convert a 3rd-and-17 and then two plays later, hit Jamiel over the middle, with the junior using his elusiveness to race towards the end zone, putting Lehigh on top.
Richmond looked to answer with the Spiders moving into Lehigh territory. Back-to-back pass breakups by juniors Jackson Dowd and Brycen Edwards on third and fourth downs gave Lehigh the ball back at its 34 with 4:05 remaining.
Â
The Mountain Hawks picked up one first down before having to punt the football away with under two minutes remaining. Connor Poole's 43-yard punt was muffed by Richmond, with first-year Ignatious Williams recovering at the Richmond 17 allowing Lehigh to run out the clock.
Â
Richmond held a slight 345-328 advantage in total yardage. Lehigh rushed for 128 and passed for 200. Green led Lehigh on the ground with 70 yards on 11 carries, while sophomore Luke Yoder rushed 12 times for 52 yards.
Â
Edwards and Singleton led the defensive effort with 12 tackles and a pass breakup. Sophomore William Parton added eight tackles.
Â
Next Saturday's second round game will kick off at 6 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio coverage on FOX Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFOXSports.com.
ÂGallery: (11-30-2024) Lehigh Football vs. Richmond
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh's nine victories are its most since the 2016 team finished 9-3… the Mountain Hawks ended a 16-game losing streak against CAA opponents that dated back to a win over New Hampshire in 2013… Richmond is joining the Patriot League as an associate member in football next season and will meet Lehigh in the season-opener for both teams at Goodman Stadium… the all-time series between Lehigh and Richmond is now tied 2-2 with Lehigh winning both meetings in the FCS playoffs… The Mountain Hawks did not record a sack Saturday and picked up their only takeaway on the muffed punt… Parton and Dowd had Lehigh's two tackles for loss… Dowd also had two of Lehigh's five pass breakups.
Â
Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.Â
Â
Â
First-year quarterback Hayden Johnson connected with junior Geoffrey Jamiel on a 54-yard catch-and-run that gave Lehigh a 20-16 lead with 6:21 to play. Jamiel had a career day with 10 catches for 137 yards and the go-ahead score. Johnson completed 14-of-18 for 199 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception.
Â
Lehigh's defense limited Richmond to one touchdown in four red zone trips and held the Spiders to 1-of-3 on fourth down conversions.
Â
The Mountain Hawks (9-3) win their first FCS playoff game since 2011 and will next face No. 8 seed Idaho next Saturday at 9 p.m. ET at Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho.
ÂPostgame with @coach_cahill and Geoffrey Jamiel!#GoLehigh #TheNest pic.twitter.com/Woz0TXZMMj
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) November 30, 2024
Richmond (10-3) marched down the field on its opening drive with Sean O'Haire booting a 25-yard field goal to give the Spiders the early 3-0 lead.
Â
Lehigh's promising opening drive ended in an interception but the defense stiffened with sophomore Aidan Singleton batting away a Camden Coleman fourth-down pass attempt.
Â
O'Haire's second field goal of the game put Richmond up 6-0 with 5:27 left before halftime, and Lehigh responded with a 17-play, 70-yard drive to take the lead. Johnson hit first-year Matt D'Avino for a 41-yard completion, with D'Avino making a juggling catch. On 3rd-and-5, Johnson connected with first-year Logan Galletta on a seven-yard touchdown, with Nick Garrido's extra point giving Lehigh a 7-6.
ÂCool, calm, collected 😎#FCSPlayoffs x 🎥 ESPN+ / @LehighFootball pic.twitter.com/sbMKT0MOV2
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) November 30, 2024
Richmond drove the field in 1:04 with O'Haire's third short field goal of the half putting the Spiders up 9-7 at intermission.
Â
Lehigh had a golden opportunity to re-take the lead in the third quarter as the Mountain Hawks methodically moved the ball deep inside Richmond territory. Johnson was stopped short of the goal line on third down and Lehigh brought out the field goal team. After a false start penalty and a bad snap, Lehigh was stopped on downs, with Richmond taking over on its five yard line.
Â
Richmond capitalized on Johnson's lone mistake, driving 39 yards in five plays after a Jabril Hayes interception. On 4th-and-1 from the Lehigh seven, Coleman hit Sean Clarke over the middle for a touchdown, extending the Spiders' lead to 16-7.
ÂQuick response 🫢#FCSPlayoffs x 🎥 ESPN+ / @LehighFootball pic.twitter.com/YJy1vdOipY
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) November 30, 2024
On Lehigh's next offensive play, first-year Jaden Green raced 65 yards around the right side for a touchdown, which brought Lehigh back within two.
Â
The defense, at this point playing without graduate student linebacker Mike DeNucci and juniors Matt Spatny and Tyler Ochojski, who both left Saturday's game with injuries, delivered a three-and-out to get the Mountain Hawks the ball back.
Â
Johnson used his legs to scramble for 19 yards to convert a 3rd-and-17 and then two plays later, hit Jamiel over the middle, with the junior using his elusiveness to race towards the end zone, putting Lehigh on top.
ÂHE JUST KEEPS GOING!#FCSPlayoffs x 🎥 ESPN+ / @LehighFootball pic.twitter.com/spDIxsIgvH
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) November 30, 2024
Richmond looked to answer with the Spiders moving into Lehigh territory. Back-to-back pass breakups by juniors Jackson Dowd and Brycen Edwards on third and fourth downs gave Lehigh the ball back at its 34 with 4:05 remaining.
Â
The Mountain Hawks picked up one first down before having to punt the football away with under two minutes remaining. Connor Poole's 43-yard punt was muffed by Richmond, with first-year Ignatious Williams recovering at the Richmond 17 allowing Lehigh to run out the clock.
Â
Richmond held a slight 345-328 advantage in total yardage. Lehigh rushed for 128 and passed for 200. Green led Lehigh on the ground with 70 yards on 11 carries, while sophomore Luke Yoder rushed 12 times for 52 yards.
Â
Edwards and Singleton led the defensive effort with 12 tackles and a pass breakup. Sophomore William Parton added eight tackles.
Â
Next Saturday's second round game will kick off at 6 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio coverage on FOX Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFOXSports.com.
Â
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh's nine victories are its most since the 2016 team finished 9-3… the Mountain Hawks ended a 16-game losing streak against CAA opponents that dated back to a win over New Hampshire in 2013… Richmond is joining the Patriot League as an associate member in football next season and will meet Lehigh in the season-opener for both teams at Goodman Stadium… the all-time series between Lehigh and Richmond is now tied 2-2 with Lehigh winning both meetings in the FCS playoffs… The Mountain Hawks did not record a sack Saturday and picked up their only takeaway on the muffed punt… Parton and Dowd had Lehigh's two tackles for loss… Dowd also had two of Lehigh's five pass breakups.
Â
Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.Â
Â
Team Stats
LEH
RIC
Total Yards
328
345
Pass Yards
200
199
Rushing Yards
128
146
Penalty Yards
25
25
1st Downs
16
18
3rd Downs
7
8
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
29:48
30:12
1st Quarter
LEH 0, RIC 3
RIC - O'Haire,Sean 25 yd field goal 15 plays, 76 yards, TOP 07:57
2nd Quarter
LEH 0, RIC 6
RIC - O'Haire,Sean 27 yd field goal 17 plays, 70 yards, TOP 08:43
LEH 7, RIC 6
LEH - Galletta,Logan 7 yd pass from Johnson,Hayden (Garrido,Nick kick) 9 plays, 82 yards, TOP 04:23
LEH 7, RIC 9
RIC - O'Haire,Sean 21 yd field goal 8 plays, 64 yards, TOP 01:04
4th Quarter
LEH 7, RIC 16
RIC - Clarke,Sean 7 yd pass from Coleman,Camden (O'Haire,Sean kick) 5 plays, 39 yards, TOP 01:43
LEH 14, RIC 16
LEH - Green,Jaden 65 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 1 plays, 65 yards, TOP 00:11
LEH 20, RIC 16
LEH - Jamiel,Geoffrey 54 yd pass from Johnson,Hayden () 5 plays, 65 yards, TOP 03:13
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
K/P
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ FootballQB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
K/P
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
DB
/ Football
RB
/ Football2025 Brown & Flight - Episode 1
Thursday, September 18
Lehigh Sports Central: Football
Wednesday, August 27
2025 Lehigh Football Season Preview: Special Teams
Thursday, August 21
2025 Lehigh Football Season Preview: Defense
Thursday, August 21
