Saturday, September 20
Lewisburg, Pa.
6:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Bucknell
No. 10 Lehigh Returns to League Play With Saturday Night Tilt at Bucknell
9/16/2025 1:36:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – It's back to Patriot League play for No. 10 Lehigh as the Mountain Hawks head to Lewisburg, Pa. Saturday night to face Bucknell at 6 p.m.. Lehigh moved to 3-0 overall with a 35-21 road win at Duquesne last Saturday. Sophomore Hayden Johnson connected with senior Geoffrey Jamiel on a 54-yard touchdown pass right before halftime to give Lehigh the lead for good and the Mountain Hawks added touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half. The Mountain Hawks will look to start 2-0 in the Patriot League for the first time since 2019 against a Bucknell team that dealt Lehigh its lone league loss in 2024. Bucknell plays its league opener having won two straight, including a 35-28 victory over VMI at home last weekend.
Linebacker Tyler Ochojski is off to a terrific start in his senior season, with 14 tackles and three tackles for loss over three games. Ochojski made seven tackles against Sacred Heart and had five, plus two key sacks in the win at Duquesne. The Freehold, N.J. native's second sack came late in the fourth quarter, with Ochojski also forcing a fumble on the play that ultimately sealed the win for Lehigh. Ochojski was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
Sophomore punter Connor Poole was named Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 52.4 yards on five first-half punts at Duquesne, including a career-long 57 yard effort. Poole placed two of the five punts inside the Dukes' 20 yard line. He currently ranks fifth in the FCS averaging 46.4 yards per punt this season.
Quarterback Hayden Johnson turned things on late in the 2024 season. Johnson started Lehigh's final four games, including the playoff victory at Richmond. In his first career start, Johnson completed 16-of-21 passes for 204 yards with three touchdowns in a win against Colgate. He went on to complete 10-of-13 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 25 yards and a score to earn the Most Valuable Player award of Lehigh's 38-14 Patriot League title-clinching win over Lafayette in Rivalry 160. 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 completed 14-of-18 for 199 yards and two touchdowns in the playoff win against Richmond. For the season, Johnson completed 67 percent of his passes for 1372 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also rushed 70 times for 307 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson enjoyed an outstanding day in the win at Duquesne, throwing for a career-high 224 yards while matching career bests with 17 completions and three touchdown passes.
There are a number of connections between the coaching staffs at Lehigh and Bucknell. Most notably, Bucknell head coach Dave Cecchini is a former All-America wide receiver for Lehigh who enjoyed two assistant coaching stints with the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh special teams coordinator Mike Kashurba and offensive line coach Mike Morita have previously coached at Bucknell. On the Bison side, offensive coordinator Drew Folmar replaced Cecchini and served as Lehigh's offensive coordinator from 2014-16, while offensive line coach Sean Pearson coached Lehigh's offensive line in 2022.
Bucknell opens its Patriot League slate against Lehigh. The Bison are 2-1 and followed an opening-day loss at Air Force with victories over Marist and VMI. Last week Bucknell took down VMI 35-28 behind 405 passing yards and five touchdowns from quarterback Ralph Rucker IV. Sam Milligan caught four of those touchdowns and had seven receptions for 192 yards. The Bison offense also features 2024 Patriot League Rookie of the Year Tariq Thomas in the backfield. Deuce Geter leads Bucknell's defense with 28 tackles and he also has a sack. Safety Zachary Corna is the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week.
Lehigh has played Bucknell more times than any opponent other than rival Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks and Bison meet for the 89th time with Lehigh holding a 50-35-3 advantage. Lehigh has won 21 of the last 27 games, winning 15 straight before back-to-back Bucknell wins in 2013 and 2014. The road team has won the last five games in the series and seven of the last 10 overall.
Saturday's game kicks off just after 6 p.m. from Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium in Lewisburg, Pa. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio coverage on FOX Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM in Easton and LVFOXSports.com beginning at 5 p.m.
Lehigh returns to Goodman Stadium next Saturday to open a three-game stretch against Ivy League opponents when the Mountain Hawks host Penn as part of Family Weekend, presented by Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute, part of Jefferson Health. Game time is set for noon for the first meeting between the Mountain Hawks and Quakers since 2021.
Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Linebacker Tyler Ochojski is off to a terrific start in his senior season, with 14 tackles and three tackles for loss over three games. Ochojski made seven tackles against Sacred Heart and had five, plus two key sacks in the win at Duquesne. The Freehold, N.J. native's second sack came late in the fourth quarter, with Ochojski also forcing a fumble on the play that ultimately sealed the win for Lehigh. Ochojski was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
Sophomore punter Connor Poole was named Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 52.4 yards on five first-half punts at Duquesne, including a career-long 57 yard effort. Poole placed two of the five punts inside the Dukes' 20 yard line. He currently ranks fifth in the FCS averaging 46.4 yards per punt this season.
Quarterback Hayden Johnson turned things on late in the 2024 season. Johnson started Lehigh's final four games, including the playoff victory at Richmond. In his first career start, Johnson completed 16-of-21 passes for 204 yards with three touchdowns in a win against Colgate. He went on to complete 10-of-13 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 25 yards and a score to earn the Most Valuable Player award of Lehigh's 38-14 Patriot League title-clinching win over Lafayette in Rivalry 160. 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 completed 14-of-18 for 199 yards and two touchdowns in the playoff win against Richmond. For the season, Johnson completed 67 percent of his passes for 1372 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also rushed 70 times for 307 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson enjoyed an outstanding day in the win at Duquesne, throwing for a career-high 224 yards while matching career bests with 17 completions and three touchdown passes.
There are a number of connections between the coaching staffs at Lehigh and Bucknell. Most notably, Bucknell head coach Dave Cecchini is a former All-America wide receiver for Lehigh who enjoyed two assistant coaching stints with the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh special teams coordinator Mike Kashurba and offensive line coach Mike Morita have previously coached at Bucknell. On the Bison side, offensive coordinator Drew Folmar replaced Cecchini and served as Lehigh's offensive coordinator from 2014-16, while offensive line coach Sean Pearson coached Lehigh's offensive line in 2022.
Bucknell opens its Patriot League slate against Lehigh. The Bison are 2-1 and followed an opening-day loss at Air Force with victories over Marist and VMI. Last week Bucknell took down VMI 35-28 behind 405 passing yards and five touchdowns from quarterback Ralph Rucker IV. Sam Milligan caught four of those touchdowns and had seven receptions for 192 yards. The Bison offense also features 2024 Patriot League Rookie of the Year Tariq Thomas in the backfield. Deuce Geter leads Bucknell's defense with 28 tackles and he also has a sack. Safety Zachary Corna is the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week.
Lehigh has played Bucknell more times than any opponent other than rival Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks and Bison meet for the 89th time with Lehigh holding a 50-35-3 advantage. Lehigh has won 21 of the last 27 games, winning 15 straight before back-to-back Bucknell wins in 2013 and 2014. The road team has won the last five games in the series and seven of the last 10 overall.
Saturday's game kicks off just after 6 p.m. from Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium in Lewisburg, Pa. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio coverage on FOX Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM in Easton and LVFOXSports.com beginning at 5 p.m.
Lehigh returns to Goodman Stadium next Saturday to open a three-game stretch against Ivy League opponents when the Mountain Hawks host Penn as part of Family Weekend, presented by Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute, part of Jefferson Health. Game time is set for noon for the first meeting between the Mountain Hawks and Quakers since 2021.
| Date: | September 20, 2025 |
| Opponent: | Bucknell Bison |
| Kickoff: | 6:02 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium/13,100/FieldTurf |
| Location: | Lewisburg, Pa. |
| Lehigh's record: | 3-0 overall, 1-0 Patriot League |
| Bucknell's record: | 2-1 overall, 0-0 Patriot League |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 50-35-3 |
| Video: | ESPN+ |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFoxSports.com with Matt Kerr, Jim Guzzo and Connor Brown beginning at 5 p.m. |
| Key Stats: | •Through three weeks, Lehigh ranks fourth in the FCS in total defense (225.3 ypg.), sixth in rushing defense (81.7 ypg.) and seventh in scoring defense (15.0 ppg.). •In two previous games against Bucknell, running back Luke Yoder has rushed for 275 yards and five touchdowns, while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. •Lehigh is ranked in the top 10 in both major FCS polls for the first time since Nov. 5, 2012 (5/8). |
Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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