Photo by: Hannah Ally
Rivalry 161 MVP Yoder Garners PL, National Offensive Player of the Week Honors
11/24/2025 12:31:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A career day Saturday for Luke Yoder in Rivalry 161 lifted the Lehigh junior running back to league and national honors Monday. Yoder was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week and Stats Perform National Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 234 yards and four touchdowns in Lehigh's 42-32 victory at Lafayette to claim the program's 14th Patriot League title.
The career-best performance made Yoder a runaway choice for the game's Most Valuable Player award.
Yoder's 234 yards came on 19 carries. He put Lehigh on the scoreboard with a 29-yard run in the first quarter and then gave the Mountain Hawks their first lead of the game with an 80-yard scamper on the first play of the third quarter. Yoder put Lehigh ahead for good with a three-yard touchdown rush late in the third quarter and scored on a six-yard run in the fourth quarter to put the Mountain Hawks up 35-24.
The 234 rushing yards marked the fourth-highest single game total in program history and are the second-most by a Lehigh runner in a Rivalry game. Jack Rizzo '72 ran for a school record 313 and four touchdowns in Lehigh's 1971 win over Lafayette.
Yoder's four touchdowns and 24 points scored were the most by a Lehigh player since Dom Bragalone scored four and rushed for 201 yards in a win over Holy Cross in November 2017.
For the season, Yoder now has 1,329 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He ranks fifth on Lehigh's single-season rushing yardage list.
Lehigh moved up to No. 3 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and remained steady at No. 4 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
The Mountain Hawks are the No. 5 seed in the NCAA FCS Playoffs and will host a second round game at Goodman Stadium on Dec. 6 between the winner of Harvard and No. 12 Villanova with game time set for noon. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com.
Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.
The career-best performance made Yoder a runaway choice for the game's Most Valuable Player award.
Yoder's 234 yards came on 19 carries. He put Lehigh on the scoreboard with a 29-yard run in the first quarter and then gave the Mountain Hawks their first lead of the game with an 80-yard scamper on the first play of the third quarter. Yoder put Lehigh ahead for good with a three-yard touchdown rush late in the third quarter and scored on a six-yard run in the fourth quarter to put the Mountain Hawks up 35-24.
The 234 rushing yards marked the fourth-highest single game total in program history and are the second-most by a Lehigh runner in a Rivalry game. Jack Rizzo '72 ran for a school record 313 and four touchdowns in Lehigh's 1971 win over Lafayette.
Yoder's four touchdowns and 24 points scored were the most by a Lehigh player since Dom Bragalone scored four and rushed for 201 yards in a win over Holy Cross in November 2017.
For the season, Yoder now has 1,329 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He ranks fifth on Lehigh's single-season rushing yardage list.
Lehigh moved up to No. 3 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and remained steady at No. 4 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
The Mountain Hawks are the No. 5 seed in the NCAA FCS Playoffs and will host a second round game at Goodman Stadium on Dec. 6 between the winner of Harvard and No. 12 Villanova with game time set for noon. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com.
Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
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