No. 8/9 Mountain Hawks Use Another Fast Start to Run Past No. 16 William & Mary 44-20

Saturday, September 12

Bethlehem, Pa.

2:00 PM

Lehigh University

3-0 , 3-0

William & Mary

2-1 , 1-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
William & Mary	0	7	0	13	20
Lehigh	16	21	0	7	44

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Photo by: Hannah Ally

No. 8/9 Mountain Hawks Use Another Fast Start to Run Past No. 16 William & Mary 44-20

9/12/2026 6:32:00 PM | Football

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 8/9 Lehigh used another fast start, going up 30-0 just 21 minutes into the contest as the Mountain Hawks moved to 3-0 in the Patriot League with a 44-20 victory over William & Mary Saturday at Goodman Stadium on 610 Day, presented by JFR Salvage.

Postgame with @CoachRichNagy and junior WR Nick Palumbo! 👇 pic.twitter.com/BD0Pl0ohaY
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) September 12, 2026

The Mountain Hawks used another dominant performance on the ground, rushing for 366 yards on 51 carries, a 7.2 yard per carry average. Senior Luke Yoder scored three more touchdowns, gaining 169 yards on 23 carries, his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game.

Lehigh out-gained William & Mary 365-99 in the first half as the Mountain Hawks led 37-7 at the break.

After an early 3-and-out for the Lehigh defense, Yoder broke off a 50-yard run on Lehigh's third play from scrimmage, before punching in a one-yard run to give Lehigh an early 7-0 lead.

On William & Mary's next play, an errant snap was kicked out of the end zone for a safety, putting the Mountain Hawks up 9-0. Yoder's second touchdown run of the day put the Mountain Hawks up 16-0 after one.

Sophomore Derek Morgan came in at quarterback and threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to junior Nick Palumbo to put Lehigh up 23-0 in the second quarter. The touchdown pass was the first of Morgan's career. Junior Hayden Johnson came back to score on a 50-yard run, putting the Mountain Hawks up 30 with 9:08 before halftime.

QB 1 showing off his speed💨

Lehigh 30 | W&M 0

Watch: https://t.co/BNcRAH5ZVX #TheNest pic.twitter.com/fROzipixiY
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) September 12, 2026

The Tribe (2-1, 1-1 PL) got on the board with a Jah'Kei Davis four-yard run right after the two minute timeout in the first half, but Morgan came back to lead a 75-yard drive, capped by an eight-yard touchdown run by the sophomore QB putting Lehigh up 37-7 at halftime.

Yoder scored his third touchdown of the game on an 11-yard rush with 8:35 to play.

6 picks up his third touchdown of the game🙌

Q4, 8:35 | Lehigh 44 | W&M 14

Watch: https://t.co/BNcRAH5ZVX #TheNest pic.twitter.com/yGSkLu70H0
— Lehigh Football (@LehighFootball) September 12, 2026

Morgan was Lehigh's No. 2 rusher with 72 yards on six carries. Sophomore Trey Tremba carried 10 times for 63 yards and Johnson gained 56 yards on 10 carries.

Johnson completed 4-of-6 passes for 84 yards, while Morgan was 3-of-4 for 36 yards and a touchdown.

Palumbo was Lehigh's top receiver with 71 yards on three catches.

Defensively, junior Luke Denny and senior Joshua Jones led the way with eight tackles. Sophomore TJ Hill recorded his first career interception in the second quarter.

Total yards favored Lehigh 486-342.

The Mountain Hawks return to Goodman Stadium next Saturday to host Dartmouth on Family Weekend, presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health, with game time set for noon. Tickets can be purchased at LehighTickets.com or by calling 610-758-4263 during business hours.

EXTRA POINTS… Saturdays' game was the first meeting between Lehigh and William & Mary since 1992… the Mountain Hawks are now 2-8 all-time against the Tribe with wins in two of the last three meetings… Lehigh has now won 20 consecutive regular season games… Yoder now has nine rushing touchdowns and 10 total touchdowns in his first three games… Lehigh has now rushed for 300 or more yards in six of its last 13 games… Lehigh was plus-1 in turnover margin with Hill's interception and an exchange of fumbles late in the fourth quarter… Saturday's 2 p.m. kickoff was the latest in the 39-year history of Goodman Stadium… as part of Lehigh's home opener festivities, more than 600 first-year students took part in First Years on the Field prior to kickoff.

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