Saturday, December 6
Bethlehem, Pa.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
12-1 , 7-0
7
vs
14
Villanova
11-2 , 7-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Villanova
0
0
7
7
14
Lehigh
0
0
7
0
7
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Photo by: Hannah Ally
Mountain Hawks Drop Defensive Battle to Villanova in FCS Second Round
12/6/2025 4:46:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – One of the finest seasons in Lehigh football history came to an end Saturday as the fifth-seeded Mountain Hawks fell 14-7 to No. 12 Villanova in a FCS second round game in front of 8,848 at Goodman Stadium.
A defensive battle, Villanova's Braden Reed caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Pat McQuaide with 2:56 to play to give the Wildcats their only lead of the day.
Lehigh drove deep into Villanova territory in the final two minutes, but a lost fumble gave the ball back to the Wildcats, who picked up one first down and then ran out the clock.
The Mountain Hawks lost two fumbles Saturday after not having lost an offensive fumble all season long. Lehigh was also 0-for-2 on fourth downs, with those missed opportunities proving costly. The Mountain Hawks' season ends at 12-1. Villanova (11-2) moves on to face Tarleton State in the quarterfinals next week.
Villanova received the opening kickoff and went 3-and-out, giving the ball to Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks opened the game with a 14-play, 85-yard drive that ate 9:24 off the clock, but Lehigh came up empty on 4th-and-goal from the Villanova 2-yard line as sophomore Aaron Crossley was stopped for a loss after Lehigh shifted out of field goal formation.
The defenses controlled the remainder of the first half, with the game scoreless at halftime.
Lehigh received the second half kickoff and needed just five plays to open the scoring. A 36-yard completion from sophomore Hayden Johnson to classmate Matt D'Avino and a 31-yard rush by junior Luke Yoder set up a five-yard Crossley touchdown run to give the Mountain Hawks a 7-0 lead.
Another promising Lehigh drive midway through the third quarter saw the Mountain Hawks move to the Villanova 35, but Yoder was stripped and the Wildcats recovered. Six plays later, Ja'briel Mace scored on a 1-yard run with the extra point tying the game at 7-7.
The fourth quarter featured missed field goals by both teams and a turnover on downs by Lehigh as Yoder was stopped for no gain on 4th-and-1 from the Villanova 39.
The Wildcats got the ball back at their own 49 with 4:20 to play and needed just three plays to take the lead on three straight completions by McQuaide including the go-ahead score to Reed.
Two long runs by Johnson and Yoder and then a pass interference penalty set up Lehigh at the Villanova 14. On a first down run, Johnson was stripped by Obinna Nwobodo with Shane Hartzell recovering for the Wildcats.
Lehigh out-gained Villanova 339-235, including 178-27 on the ground. The Mountain Hawks also had a 21-14 edge in first downs.
Johnson completed 12-of-20 for 161 yards and rushed 10 times for 25 yards. Yoder was the top rusher with 80 yards on 11 carries. Sophomore Jaden Green added 43 on 14 carries.
Senior Geoffrey Jamiel had four catches for 47 yards, while D'Avino had 57 yards on three receptions.
McQuaide finished 18-of-28 for 208 yards and a touchdown for Villanova. Mace ran for 48 yards and a score.
Defensively for Lehigh, senior Mason Moore led the way with six tackles. Seniors Tyler Ochojski, Matt Spatny and Dillon Sheehan all recorded sacks.
EXTRA POINTS… Saturday's attendance of 8.848 ranked ninth among first and second round FCS playoff games over the last three seasons, and first among games played in the northeast… Lehigh's 12 victories tie the school single season record (1977, 1998, 2000)… Villanova leads the all-time series 15-5… the Wildcats will be joining the Patriot League as an associate member in football next season… Lehigh is now 1-2 all-time in playoff games at Goodman Stadium… Yoder's 1,409 rushing yards this season rank second in program history behind Rabih Abdullah's 1,536 in 1995… Ochojski's 11 sacks are the third-highest single-season total in program history behind Keith Woetzel's record 12 in 2009… Jamiel's 229 career receptions rank fourth in program history… Prior to Saturday's game Lehigh announced that Andy '79 and Marybeth Vandergrift committed $2.5 million as the lead gift to endow Lehigh football's head coaching position… the head coach will now be formally named the Vandergrift Family Head Football Coach.
Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.
A defensive battle, Villanova's Braden Reed caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Pat McQuaide with 2:56 to play to give the Wildcats their only lead of the day.
Lehigh drove deep into Villanova territory in the final two minutes, but a lost fumble gave the ball back to the Wildcats, who picked up one first down and then ran out the clock.
The Mountain Hawks lost two fumbles Saturday after not having lost an offensive fumble all season long. Lehigh was also 0-for-2 on fourth downs, with those missed opportunities proving costly. The Mountain Hawks' season ends at 12-1. Villanova (11-2) moves on to face Tarleton State in the quarterfinals next week.
Villanova postgame with Coach Cahill and @LVFoxSports Connor Brown. pic.twitter.com/C8W3g3lWFk
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) December 6, 2025
Villanova received the opening kickoff and went 3-and-out, giving the ball to Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks opened the game with a 14-play, 85-yard drive that ate 9:24 off the clock, but Lehigh came up empty on 4th-and-goal from the Villanova 2-yard line as sophomore Aaron Crossley was stopped for a loss after Lehigh shifted out of field goal formation.
The defenses controlled the remainder of the first half, with the game scoreless at halftime.
Lehigh received the second half kickoff and needed just five plays to open the scoring. A 36-yard completion from sophomore Hayden Johnson to classmate Matt D'Avino and a 31-yard rush by junior Luke Yoder set up a five-yard Crossley touchdown run to give the Mountain Hawks a 7-0 lead.
.@aaroncrossley06 from five yards out to break the tie! 💥
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) December 6, 2025
📺 https://t.co/NrtEgPrZmr@PatriotLeague @espn pic.twitter.com/LF27TLnk4R
Another promising Lehigh drive midway through the third quarter saw the Mountain Hawks move to the Villanova 35, but Yoder was stripped and the Wildcats recovered. Six plays later, Ja'briel Mace scored on a 1-yard run with the extra point tying the game at 7-7.
The fourth quarter featured missed field goals by both teams and a turnover on downs by Lehigh as Yoder was stopped for no gain on 4th-and-1 from the Villanova 39.
The Wildcats got the ball back at their own 49 with 4:20 to play and needed just three plays to take the lead on three straight completions by McQuaide including the go-ahead score to Reed.
Two long runs by Johnson and Yoder and then a pass interference penalty set up Lehigh at the Villanova 14. On a first down run, Johnson was stripped by Obinna Nwobodo with Shane Hartzell recovering for the Wildcats.
Lehigh out-gained Villanova 339-235, including 178-27 on the ground. The Mountain Hawks also had a 21-14 edge in first downs.
Johnson completed 12-of-20 for 161 yards and rushed 10 times for 25 yards. Yoder was the top rusher with 80 yards on 11 carries. Sophomore Jaden Green added 43 on 14 carries.
Senior Geoffrey Jamiel had four catches for 47 yards, while D'Avino had 57 yards on three receptions.
McQuaide finished 18-of-28 for 208 yards and a touchdown for Villanova. Mace ran for 48 yards and a score.
Defensively for Lehigh, senior Mason Moore led the way with six tackles. Seniors Tyler Ochojski, Matt Spatny and Dillon Sheehan all recorded sacks.
EXTRA POINTS… Saturday's attendance of 8.848 ranked ninth among first and second round FCS playoff games over the last three seasons, and first among games played in the northeast… Lehigh's 12 victories tie the school single season record (1977, 1998, 2000)… Villanova leads the all-time series 15-5… the Wildcats will be joining the Patriot League as an associate member in football next season… Lehigh is now 1-2 all-time in playoff games at Goodman Stadium… Yoder's 1,409 rushing yards this season rank second in program history behind Rabih Abdullah's 1,536 in 1995… Ochojski's 11 sacks are the third-highest single-season total in program history behind Keith Woetzel's record 12 in 2009… Jamiel's 229 career receptions rank fourth in program history… Prior to Saturday's game Lehigh announced that Andy '79 and Marybeth Vandergrift committed $2.5 million as the lead gift to endow Lehigh football's head coaching position… the head coach will now be formally named the Vandergrift Family Head Football Coach.
Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Team Stats
VIL
LEH
Total Yards
235
339
Pass Yards
208
161
Rushing Yards
27
178
Penalty Yards
65
20
1st Downs
14
21
3rd Downs
3
3
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
26:42
33:18
3rd Quarter
VIL 0, LEH 7
LEH - Crossley,Aaron 5 yd run (Poole,Connor kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:25
VIL 7, LEH 7
VIL - Mace,Ja'briel 1 yd run (Barnum,Jack kick), 6 plays, 59 yards, TOP 03:10
4th Quarter
VIL 14, LEH 7
VIL - Reed,Braden 28 yd pass from McQuaide,Pat (Barnum,Jack kick) 3 plays, 51 yards, TOP 01:24
Game Leaders
CMP
12
TD
0
YDS
161
INT
0
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
WR
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RB
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WR
/ FootballQB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
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DL
/ Football
RB
/ FootballLehigh Sports Central: Football
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