
Big, Balanced Day For Offense Pushes No. 10/9 Lehigh Past Penn 44-30
9/27/2025 4:42:00 PM | Football
The Mountain Hawks eclipsed the 300-yard rushing mark for the second consecutive week, finishing with an even 300. Lehigh also passed for a season-high 239 yards. Senior Geoffrey Jamiel caught eight passes for 132 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a crucial 20-yard touchdown on a fake field goal that gave the Mountain Hawks the lead for good in the third quarter.
Junior Luke Yoder led the ground game with 173 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Sophomore quarterback Hayden Johnson threw for a career-high 239 yards, completing 15-of-31 passes with two touchdowns.
Hear from Lehigh Football head coach Kevin Cahill & senior WR Geoffrey Jamiel on Lehigh's 44-30 win over Penn. pic.twitter.com/BMBPk6p8zh
— Lehigh Sports (@LehighSports) September 27, 2025
Lehigh is 5-0 for the first time since starting the 2012 season 9-0.
The Mountain Hawks took the opening kickoff and drove into Penn territory. The drive stalled with senior Nick Garrido booting the first of three field goals on the day, from 35 yards out, to give the Mountain Hawks an early 3-0 lead.
The Lehigh defense forced a quick 3-and-out and on its next drive the Mountain Hawks drove 77 yards in nine plays Johnson hit sophomore Matt D'Avino down the middle of the field for a 22-yard touchdown to put the Mountain Hawks up 10-0.
6:04 Q1 | Lehigh 10, Penn 0
— Lehigh Sports (@LehighSports) September 27, 2025
Johnson connects with D'Avino for a 22 yard touchdown😤
📽️ https://t.co/hpuoSu0M5z
📻 https://t.co/SFF54PleVf
📊 https://t.co/Vj3Flh5KhY#TheNest @ESPN @PatriotLeague pic.twitter.com/3Qb0oqk3Or
Penn (1-1) struck back with a 48-yard touchdown pass from Liam O'Brien to Bisi Owens to get within 10-3.
Garrido tacked on two more field goals in the first half, with O'Brien scoring on a four-yard run to cut Lehigh's lead to 16-14 at halftime.
Penn needed just two plays to take its first lead 45 seconds into the third quarter. A good kickoff return set the Quakers up at the Lehigh 40 and two passes from O'Brien to Jared Richardson, with a six-yard connection putting the Quakers up 20-16 after a missed extra point.
Lehigh answered by driving into Penn territory. Facing 4th-and-7 from the Penn 20, Lehigh sent out the field goal team, with Jamiel taking the snap and running around the left side for the go-ahead touchdown.
8:59 Q3 | Lehigh 23, Penn 20
— Lehigh Sports (@LehighSports) September 27, 2025
GOT 'EM 👀👀👀
📽️ https://t.co/hpuoSu0M5z #TheNest @PatriotLeague @espn pic.twitter.com/SPsdDMNHmc
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Johnson hit Jamiel for a 35-yard touchdown, giving the Mountain Hawks a 10-point cushion. O'Brien and Richardson connected again, for an 18-yard touchdown to bring the Quakers within four.
14:52 Q4 | Lehigh 30, Penn 20
— Lehigh Sports (@LehighSports) September 27, 2025
Have a day, 9⃣❕
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Penn then forced its only Lehigh punt of the game. On the first play after the punt, senior Tyler Ochojski tipped O'Brien's pass with sophomore Mekahi Smith making his fourth interception in five games to set the Mountain Hawks up in Quaker territory. Five plays later Yoder scored from a yard out to put Lehigh back up 37-27.
The Quakers kicked a field goal to get back within a touchdown, but Lehigh put the game away with a nine-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a 25-yard touchdown run by Yoder to put Lehigh up by 14.
O'Brien completed 28-of-37 for 316 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for Penn. Richardson caught 12 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, senior Brycen Edwards led the Mountain Hawks with 10 tackles.
The Mountain Hawks are back home next Saturday to host Yale on Tackle Cancer, presented by Red Robin with game time set for noon. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-758-4263 during business hours.
EXTRA POINTS… Lehigh has now won its first three home games for the first time since 2013… The Mountain Hawks are now 58-37-1 against members of the Ivy League since the formation of the Patriot League in 1986… Lehigh had 27 first downs to Penn's 19 and held the ball for 36:07… total yards favored the Mountain Hawks 539-345… the Mountain Hawks allowed just 29 rushing yards, their fewest since allowing minus-7 to Princeton last year on Family Weekend… senior Nick Peltekian made his first start of the season and recorded 1.5 of Lehigh's three sacks… he also forced a fumble… Lehigh was plus-2 in turnover margin… Garrido's 13 points and three made field goals were both career highs… Lehigh's 539 yards of offense were its most in the Kevin Cahill era.
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Team Stats

PEN 0, LEH 3
LEH - Garrido,Nick 35 yd field goal 7 plays, 47 yards, TOP 02:45

PEN 0, LEH 10
LEH - D'Avino,Matt 22 yd pass from Johnson,Hayden (Garrido,Nick kick) 9 plays, 77 yards, TOP 04:39

PEN 7, LEH 10
PEN - Owens,Bisi 48 yd pass from O'Brien,Liam (Smith,Sam kick) 4 plays, 77 yards, TOP 01:38

PEN 7, LEH 13
LEH - Garrido,Nick 33 yd field goal 9 plays, 53 yards, TOP 03:27

PEN 7, LEH 16
LEH - Garrido,Nick 25 yd field goal 6 plays, 21 yards, TOP 03:18

PEN 14, LEH 16
PEN - O'Brien,Liam 4 yd run (Smith,Sam kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:09

PEN 20, LEH 16
PEN - Richardson,Jared 6 yd pass from O'Brien,Liam () 2 plays, 40 yards, TOP 00:45

PEN 20, LEH 23
LEH - Jamiel,Geoffrey 20 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 10 plays, 65 yards, TOP 05:06

PEN 20, LEH 30
LEH - Jamiel,Geoffrey 35 yd pass from Johnson,Hayden (Garrido,Nick kick) 6 plays, 58 yards, TOP 03:11

PEN 27, LEH 30
PEN - Richardson,Jared 18 yd pass from O'Brien,Liam (Walters,Mason kick) 6 plays, 65 yards, TOP 02:00

PEN 27, LEH 37
LEH - Yoder,Luke 1 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 5 plays, 20 yards, TOP 02:47

PEN 30, LEH 37
PEN - Walters,Mason 32 yd field goal 6 plays, 56 yards, TOP 02:26

PEN 30, LEH 44
LEH - Yoder,Luke 25 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:52