Lehigh University Athletics
Saturday, October 17
Ithaca, N.Y.
2:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Cornell
Photo by: Hannah Ally
10/13/2026 2:25:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Back to work after its bye week, No. 4 Lehigh visits Cornell Saturday in its final non-league game of the regular season. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y. The Mountain Hawks went into their bye after a 34-0 shutout win over Fordham on Oct. 3, Lehigh tied a school record, scoring 31 second-quarter points while the defense recorded five takeaways and six sacks. Senior Luke Yoder rushed for 171 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore quarterback Derek Morgan threw three touchdown passes, including two to sophomore Anthony Feaster. Cornell is 2-2 and will be playing its third Patriot League opponent. The Big Red lost their opener at Colgate and beat Georgetown two weeks ago. Cornell lost 41-29 at home to Harvard last weekend.
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Lehigh shut out Fordham 34-0 in its last game prior to the bye, marking the second straight year the Mountain Hawks have a shutout on their record. Prior to last year's 41-0 shutout against Georgetown, Lehigh had not shut out an opponent since a 27-0 blanking of the Hoyas on Oct. 10, 2009. The Fordham shutout was highlighted by five takeaways and six sacks by the Lehigh defense. The Mountain Hawks now have seven shutouts since the year 2000. Four of them have come against Georgetown (2002, 2007, 2009, 2025). The other two shutouts were against Bucknell in 2002 and against Drake in 2008. So far this season Lehigh has held four of its six opponents without an offensive touchdown through the first three quarters.
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A 31-point second quarter propelled Lehigh to its 34-0 shutout of Fordham. A 30-yard touchdown pass from Derek Morgan to Anthony Feaster opened the scoring early in the quarter. Later in the period, three Fordham turnovers led to Lehigh scoring 24 points in the final 2:50 of the first half, including 17 in the final 44 seconds. The 31 points set a new Goodman Stadium record for points in a quarter, and tied the school record, set on Nov. 9, 1974 when Lehigh scored 31 in the second quarter of a 53-6 win over Davidson at Taylor Stadium.
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Lehigh turned five Fordham turnovers into 20 points in its 34-0 win over the Rams. Three of those turnovers came in the second quarter as the Mountain Hawks turned a 14-0 lead into a 31-0 halftime advantage in less than three minutes. First-year Silas Day recovered a muffed kickoff and junior Ignatious Williams and fifth-year Nick Peltekian added interceptions in the second quarter. Senior Will Parton picked off a pass in the third quarter, while junior Luke Reilly contributed a strip-sack that was recovered by sophomore Lucas Manderbach. The five takeaways were the most for Lehigh since the Mountain Hawks had five in a 46-14 win at Holy Cross in 2016. Lehigh ranks second in the FCS with 10 interceptions. Peltekian and junior Luke Denny are tied for the team lead with two.
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A defensive unit that ranked statistically among the nation's best has keyed Lehigh's 12-1 season in 2025. The Mountain Hawks led the FCS in rushing defense, allowing 70.1 yards per game and red zone defense, allowing scores just 64.5 percent of the time. Lehigh also ranked second nationally in scoring defense (13.9 ppg.), fourth in sacks (3.31) and fourth in total defense (278 ypg.). Excluding the Lafayette game, Lehigh held five of its last six opponents to 37 total points. Lehigh held nine of its 13 opponents under 100 rushing yards including four under 40 yards on the ground. The Mountain Hawks lead the FCS in rushing defense (80.3 ypg) and have allowed just 83 total rushing yards over their last two games. Lehigh also ranks second in scoring defense (11.8 ppg), second in interceptions (10) and sixth in takeaways (14).
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Cornell is 2-2 on the season with a 1-1 record against Ivy League teams and a 1-1 mark against Patriot League foes. Last weekend, the Big Red fell 41-29 to Harvard with the Crimson tallying 41 unanswered points to erase a 10-0 deficit. Cornell owns wins over Yale and Georgetown and dropped its opener to Colgate. The Big Red average more than 160 yards per game on the ground. Three rushers have more than 160 rushing yards on the season. Quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio is completing 59 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also rushed for 160 yards and five touchdowns.
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Lehigh and Cornell have met 28 times with the Big Red leading the series 16-10-2. Cornell has won the last two meetings and three of the last four. This will be just the seventh meeting since the year 2000. Cornell was the opponent for the first-ever game at Goodman Stadium, a 27-14 Lehigh win on Oct. 1, 1988.
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Saturday's game kicks off just after 2 p.m. from Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with audio coverage available on FOX Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFOXSports.com beginning at 1 p.m.
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Lehigh's final five regular season games are all Patriot League contests, beginning next Saturday when the Mountain Hawks travel to Villanova for the first meeting between the regional rivals as Patriot League foes. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. from Villanova Stadium down the Main Line.
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Lehigh shut out Fordham 34-0 in its last game prior to the bye, marking the second straight year the Mountain Hawks have a shutout on their record. Prior to last year's 41-0 shutout against Georgetown, Lehigh had not shut out an opponent since a 27-0 blanking of the Hoyas on Oct. 10, 2009. The Fordham shutout was highlighted by five takeaways and six sacks by the Lehigh defense. The Mountain Hawks now have seven shutouts since the year 2000. Four of them have come against Georgetown (2002, 2007, 2009, 2025). The other two shutouts were against Bucknell in 2002 and against Drake in 2008. So far this season Lehigh has held four of its six opponents without an offensive touchdown through the first three quarters.
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A 31-point second quarter propelled Lehigh to its 34-0 shutout of Fordham. A 30-yard touchdown pass from Derek Morgan to Anthony Feaster opened the scoring early in the quarter. Later in the period, three Fordham turnovers led to Lehigh scoring 24 points in the final 2:50 of the first half, including 17 in the final 44 seconds. The 31 points set a new Goodman Stadium record for points in a quarter, and tied the school record, set on Nov. 9, 1974 when Lehigh scored 31 in the second quarter of a 53-6 win over Davidson at Taylor Stadium.
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Lehigh turned five Fordham turnovers into 20 points in its 34-0 win over the Rams. Three of those turnovers came in the second quarter as the Mountain Hawks turned a 14-0 lead into a 31-0 halftime advantage in less than three minutes. First-year Silas Day recovered a muffed kickoff and junior Ignatious Williams and fifth-year Nick Peltekian added interceptions in the second quarter. Senior Will Parton picked off a pass in the third quarter, while junior Luke Reilly contributed a strip-sack that was recovered by sophomore Lucas Manderbach. The five takeaways were the most for Lehigh since the Mountain Hawks had five in a 46-14 win at Holy Cross in 2016. Lehigh ranks second in the FCS with 10 interceptions. Peltekian and junior Luke Denny are tied for the team lead with two.
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A defensive unit that ranked statistically among the nation's best has keyed Lehigh's 12-1 season in 2025. The Mountain Hawks led the FCS in rushing defense, allowing 70.1 yards per game and red zone defense, allowing scores just 64.5 percent of the time. Lehigh also ranked second nationally in scoring defense (13.9 ppg.), fourth in sacks (3.31) and fourth in total defense (278 ypg.). Excluding the Lafayette game, Lehigh held five of its last six opponents to 37 total points. Lehigh held nine of its 13 opponents under 100 rushing yards including four under 40 yards on the ground. The Mountain Hawks lead the FCS in rushing defense (80.3 ypg) and have allowed just 83 total rushing yards over their last two games. Lehigh also ranks second in scoring defense (11.8 ppg), second in interceptions (10) and sixth in takeaways (14).
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Cornell is 2-2 on the season with a 1-1 record against Ivy League teams and a 1-1 mark against Patriot League foes. Last weekend, the Big Red fell 41-29 to Harvard with the Crimson tallying 41 unanswered points to erase a 10-0 deficit. Cornell owns wins over Yale and Georgetown and dropped its opener to Colgate. The Big Red average more than 160 yards per game on the ground. Three rushers have more than 160 rushing yards on the season. Quarterback Garrett Bass-Sulpizio is completing 59 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also rushed for 160 yards and five touchdowns.
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Lehigh and Cornell have met 28 times with the Big Red leading the series 16-10-2. Cornell has won the last two meetings and three of the last four. This will be just the seventh meeting since the year 2000. Cornell was the opponent for the first-ever game at Goodman Stadium, a 27-14 Lehigh win on Oct. 1, 1988.
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Saturday's game kicks off just after 2 p.m. from Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with audio coverage available on FOX Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFOXSports.com beginning at 1 p.m.
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Lehigh's final five regular season games are all Patriot League contests, beginning next Saturday when the Mountain Hawks travel to Villanova for the first meeting between the regional rivals as Patriot League foes. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. from Villanova Stadium down the Main Line.
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| Date: | October 17, 2026 |
| Opponent: | Cornell Big Red |
| Kickoff: | 2:02 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Schoellkopf Field/21,500/FieldTurf |
| Location: | Ithaca, N.Y. |
| Lehigh's record: | 6-0 overall, 4-0 Patriot League |
| Cornell's record: | 2-2 overall, 1-1 Ivy League |
| Series: | Cornell leads 16-10-2 |
| Video: | ESPN+ with Nick DeLuca and Matt Miller |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFoxSports.com with Matt Kerr, Steve Lomangino and Connor Brown beginning at 1 p.m. |
| Key Stats: | •Lehigh leads the FCS in rushing defense (80.3 ypg.) and ranks second in rushing offense (262.5 ypg.). •The Mountain Hawks also rank second in the FCS in scoring defense (11.8 ppg.), interceptions (10) and turnover margin (1.67). •Senior running back Luke Yoder ranks second in the FCS in rushing touchdowns (12), rushing yards per game (135.7) and scoring (13 ppg). His 814 overall rushing yards rank fifth nationally.  |
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