Lehigh University Athletics
Saturday, September 26
Philadelphia, Pa.
1:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
Penn
Photo by: Hannah Ally
No. 6/7 Mountain Hawks to Visit Penn Saturday
9/22/2026 5:10:00 PM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Mountain Hawks are back on the road to face a second consecutive Ivy League opponent as No. 6/7 Lehigh faces Penn Saturday at Franklin Field. Lehigh held off Dartmouth 24-20 last weekend to move to 4-0 on the season. Senior Luke Yoder rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns, while senior DJ Brown came up with a highlight-reel one-handed interception at the Lehigh five-yard line with 13 seconds remaining to secure the victory. Junior Connor Poole had a strong day kicking and punting and was named Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week. Penn opened its 150th season of football with a 20-7 win at Bucknell, keyed by a strong defensive effort.
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A family weekend crowd of 8.902 saw the Mountain Hawks hold off Dartmouth 24-20 last weekend to move to 4-0 on the season. Lehigh rushed for 218 yards, including 150 from senior Luke Yoder, who added two touchdowns. Dartmouth took a 20-17 lead late in the third quarter before a long Lehigh drive was capped by Yoder's second touchdown run of the day. The Mountain Hawk defense tightened in the final period, stopping the Big Green on downs at the Lehigh 22 with 2:27 to play. Dartmouth put together one more late drive, but senior DJ Brown clinched the win with a one-handed interception at the Lehigh five yard line with 13 seconds remaining. Lehigh has now won four consecutive games against Ivy League opponents and five of its last six.
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Lehigh did well to control the ground game on both sides of the ball in its 12-1 campaign last year. The Mountain Hawks led the Patriot League in both rushing offense (230.9 ypg.) and rushing defense (70.1 ypg.). Lehigh led the FCS in rushing defense and ranked fourth nationally in rushing offense. The Mountain Hawks had four 300-yard rushing games as a team, with a season-high 343 in the win over Holy Cross. Defensively, Lehigh held seven of its last nine opponents and 10 of 13 overall under 100 rushing yards. The trend has continued through four games, with Lehigh averaging 291.8 yards per game while limiting opponents to 99.8 rushing yards per contest. Lehigh leads the Patriot League in both rushing offense and rushing defense.
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Sophomore quarterback Derek Morgan saw the first significant action of his career in the win over William & Mary. Morgan entered the game in the second quarter and his first career pass attempt was a 22-yard touchdown to junior Nick Palumbo. He only needed to attempt four passes with the Mountain Hawks up big, and completed three of them for 36 yards. Morgan also rushed for an eight yard touchdown in the final seconds of the first half, giving the Mountain Hawks a 37-7 halftime lead. The Kansas native made his first career start against Dartmouth, completing 10-of-13 for 74 yards and a touchdown, while adding 35 rushing yards on seven carries. Morgan made his Lehigh debut against Georgetown last November, scoring a touchdown on a nine-yard rush.
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Connor Poole was selected as the first team All-Patriot League punter last season after averaging 42.1 yards per punt and placing 17 of his 46 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Poole has been Lehigh's punter for each of the last two seasons and took over Lehigh's placekicking duties last November. He went 3-for-4 on field goals and 17-for-17 on extra points for the Mountain Hawks. Poole is 20-for-20 on extra points so far this season and has kicked two 27-yard field goals. He averaged 44 yards on four punts at Holy Cross, but was not called upon to punt at Georgetown, the first time Lehigh didn't punt in a game since October 2016 against Fordham. Poole had a season-long 56-yard punt against Dartmouth, pinning the Big Green deep late and was recognized as Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week.
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Penn plays its home opener of its 150th season of football when the Mountain Hawks visit Franklin Field. The Quakers won 20-7 at Bucknell in their season opener last weekend. Quarterback Miles Teodecki threw for 197 yards and totaled three touchdowns on the way to being named Stats Perform FCS National Freshman of the Week. Penn outgained Bucknell 367-124 and limited the Bison to just six first downs. Zach Darche led the defensive charge with seven tackles. Penn went 6-4 last season and finished third in the Ivy League at 4-3. The Quakers had 14 All-Ivy selections following the 2025 season but only three (kicker Mason Walters, running back Donte West and defensive back Ty Cortes) are back this season.
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Lehigh and Penn meet for the 64th time with the Quakers holding a 47-16 advantage. The Mountain Hawks faced the Quakers in four straight seasons from 2015-18 after the programs had previously not met since 2003. Lehigh and Penn met regularly in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Lehigh has won 14 of the last 21 meetings dating back to 1975. These teams first met in 1885.
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Saturday's game kicks off just after 1 p.m. from Franklin Field in Philadelphia. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and televised locally on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Audio coverage will be available on FOX Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFOXSports.com.
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Lehigh returns to Goodman Stadium for another Patriot League matchup before the bye week as the Mountain Hawks welcome Fordham on Tackle Cancer, presented by Red Robin. The Mountain Hawks have won the last two meetings against the Rams. Game time is set for noon.
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Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.Â
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A family weekend crowd of 8.902 saw the Mountain Hawks hold off Dartmouth 24-20 last weekend to move to 4-0 on the season. Lehigh rushed for 218 yards, including 150 from senior Luke Yoder, who added two touchdowns. Dartmouth took a 20-17 lead late in the third quarter before a long Lehigh drive was capped by Yoder's second touchdown run of the day. The Mountain Hawk defense tightened in the final period, stopping the Big Green on downs at the Lehigh 22 with 2:27 to play. Dartmouth put together one more late drive, but senior DJ Brown clinched the win with a one-handed interception at the Lehigh five yard line with 13 seconds remaining. Lehigh has now won four consecutive games against Ivy League opponents and five of its last six.
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Lehigh did well to control the ground game on both sides of the ball in its 12-1 campaign last year. The Mountain Hawks led the Patriot League in both rushing offense (230.9 ypg.) and rushing defense (70.1 ypg.). Lehigh led the FCS in rushing defense and ranked fourth nationally in rushing offense. The Mountain Hawks had four 300-yard rushing games as a team, with a season-high 343 in the win over Holy Cross. Defensively, Lehigh held seven of its last nine opponents and 10 of 13 overall under 100 rushing yards. The trend has continued through four games, with Lehigh averaging 291.8 yards per game while limiting opponents to 99.8 rushing yards per contest. Lehigh leads the Patriot League in both rushing offense and rushing defense.
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Sophomore quarterback Derek Morgan saw the first significant action of his career in the win over William & Mary. Morgan entered the game in the second quarter and his first career pass attempt was a 22-yard touchdown to junior Nick Palumbo. He only needed to attempt four passes with the Mountain Hawks up big, and completed three of them for 36 yards. Morgan also rushed for an eight yard touchdown in the final seconds of the first half, giving the Mountain Hawks a 37-7 halftime lead. The Kansas native made his first career start against Dartmouth, completing 10-of-13 for 74 yards and a touchdown, while adding 35 rushing yards on seven carries. Morgan made his Lehigh debut against Georgetown last November, scoring a touchdown on a nine-yard rush.
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Connor Poole was selected as the first team All-Patriot League punter last season after averaging 42.1 yards per punt and placing 17 of his 46 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Poole has been Lehigh's punter for each of the last two seasons and took over Lehigh's placekicking duties last November. He went 3-for-4 on field goals and 17-for-17 on extra points for the Mountain Hawks. Poole is 20-for-20 on extra points so far this season and has kicked two 27-yard field goals. He averaged 44 yards on four punts at Holy Cross, but was not called upon to punt at Georgetown, the first time Lehigh didn't punt in a game since October 2016 against Fordham. Poole had a season-long 56-yard punt against Dartmouth, pinning the Big Green deep late and was recognized as Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week.
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Penn plays its home opener of its 150th season of football when the Mountain Hawks visit Franklin Field. The Quakers won 20-7 at Bucknell in their season opener last weekend. Quarterback Miles Teodecki threw for 197 yards and totaled three touchdowns on the way to being named Stats Perform FCS National Freshman of the Week. Penn outgained Bucknell 367-124 and limited the Bison to just six first downs. Zach Darche led the defensive charge with seven tackles. Penn went 6-4 last season and finished third in the Ivy League at 4-3. The Quakers had 14 All-Ivy selections following the 2025 season but only three (kicker Mason Walters, running back Donte West and defensive back Ty Cortes) are back this season.
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Lehigh and Penn meet for the 64th time with the Quakers holding a 47-16 advantage. The Mountain Hawks faced the Quakers in four straight seasons from 2015-18 after the programs had previously not met since 2003. Lehigh and Penn met regularly in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Lehigh has won 14 of the last 21 meetings dating back to 1975. These teams first met in 1885.
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Saturday's game kicks off just after 1 p.m. from Franklin Field in Philadelphia. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and televised locally on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Audio coverage will be available on FOX Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFOXSports.com.
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Lehigh returns to Goodman Stadium for another Patriot League matchup before the bye week as the Mountain Hawks welcome Fordham on Tackle Cancer, presented by Red Robin. The Mountain Hawks have won the last two meetings against the Rams. Game time is set for noon.
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| Date: | September 26, 2026 |
| Opponent: | Penn Quakers |
| Kickoff: | 1:02 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Franklin Field/52,593/FieldTurf |
| Location: | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Lehigh's record: | 4-0 overall, 4-0 Patriot League |
| Penn's record: | 1-0 overall, 0-0 Ivy League |
| Series: | Penn leads 47-16 |
| Video: | ESPN+, NBC Sports Philadelphia with Joe Tordy, Joe Valerio and Anna Camden |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFoxSports.com with Matt Kerr, Jim Guzzo and Connor Brown beginning at 12 p.m. |
| Key Stats: | •Lehigh leads the FCS in rushing offense, averaging 291.8 yards per game. •The Mountain Hawks rank second in the FCS in net punting (45.0) and third in third down conversion percentage (60.5). •Senior running back Luke Yoder leads the nation in rushing touchdowns (11), total touchdowns (12) and scoring (18 ppg.). Yoder ranks second nationally in rushing yards and rushing yards per game. |
Follow Lehigh Football on X/Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook for exclusive updates throughout the season.Â
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Players Mentioned
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