An Epic Defensive FCS Playoff Battle Ends With Villanova Outlasting Lehigh 14-7

BETHLEHEM, PA – In Kevin Cahill‘s first-ever game as Lehigh’s head football coach, his Mountain Hawks lost to Mark Ferrante‘s Villanova Wildcats 38-10 at Murray Goodman Stadium on a sunny, warm afternoon on September 2nd, 2023.

“It was over after the first play,” Cahill said of that game.

“There were like 10 people in the stands,” senior LB Tyler Ochojski joked, “and it was all our parents.”

There’s some poetic license in those statements, but it is true that Lehigh, coming off a 2-9 season with a new head coach, didn’t have much expectation that weekend of beating Villanova back in 2003, as the Wildcats were a perennial CAA title contender and FCS Playoff participant. A Lehigh win in that first game would have been a monumental upset.

“They looked a little different than we did,” Cahill said after that game. “That’s a program that we have to look at everything they do and how you emulate and how do you get to that level. Villanova came in here and did what they’re are supposed to do. They were better than we were. They’re bigger than us, they’re faster than us, they’re stronger than us. They’re older than us. None of that matters when the ball is kicked off. You can’t use it as an excuse. We have to play better and not make the mistakes that we made today and expect to win. That’s not going to happen. We have to clean those things up.”

It is also true that the atmosphere around Murray Goodman was very subdued that afternoon in 2023. There wasn’t much tension, or atmosphere. Not many students or fans showed up aside the Marching 97. A very large chunk of the people there were Villanova fans.

“Our players literally were embarrassed to wear Lehigh clothes around campus, Lehigh football stuff on campus,” Cahill added later.

This Saturday in the second round of the FCS Playoffs, Lehigh played in front of announced crowd of 8,848 loud fans that invested in the stock of Lehigh over the course of the last three years.

There was plenty of Lehigh football gear being worn in the stands.

It was more than double the official crowd attendance of that 2023 game (4,360).

It ranked ninth among first and second round FCS playoff games over the last three seasons, and first among games played in the Northeast.

Basically, it was the preeminent attendance and FCS Playoff event in the Northeast in years, better than games at Delaware, Holy Cross, Rhode Island, and even Villanova.

And the game lived up to the hype.

Villanova was not bigger, faster or stronger than Lehigh on this day.

It was not over after the first play. Not by a longshot.

It took more than half the game to break the 0-0 tie, and it took 57 minutes before Villanova would have their first lead of the game, one they would hold to win the game 14-7 in front of a stunned Lehigh crowd.

Two of the best defenses in all of FCS were in a showdown on a cold December day in front of a large invested crowd, and the result was a game that was one for the ages.

Two Legit Defenses

At halftime, the score read Lehigh 0, Villanova 0. It was a half that felt like a throwback to a physical, smashmouth type of game, fitting for a cold December day on barely alive grass in Murray Goodman Stadium.

Lehigh’s defense, which was missing LB Brycen Edwards due to an injury suffered in the final game of the year, held the Wildcats to 72 total yards in the first half and only 5 first downs.

Villanova spent only two plays in Lehigh territory – a 3rd and 1 at the Lehigh 48, which ended with a hurried pass incompletion by QB Pat McQuaide, and a punt.

On a big 3rd and 2, Lehigh LB Cole Hughes, who had been been the next man up in the Lehigh linebacking core once Edwards got hurt, filled the gap and stuffed RB Isaiah Ragland for no gain, forcing another punt.

If you loved watching defenses stop each other on 3rd down, this was a gem of a game.

But Villanova’s defense matched the Mountain Hawks all half.

While Lehigh boasted the top defenses in all of FCS going into the game, Villanova proved they were damned good as well.

With star RB Luke Yoder unavailable for a good chunk of the first and second quarters – why, nobody in the stands would fully understand until later – QB Hayden Johnson led Lehigh on one sustained, 13 play drive deep into Villanova territory in the first quarter.

Johnson would find RB Aaron Crossley on a 3rd and goal at the 5, stopped a couple yards short of a touchdown by Villanova DB Zahmir Dawud.

Lehigh lined up for a field goal try, then pivoted to a wildcat running play to Crossley, but DB Anthony Hawkins would again stop Crossley short of the goal line, frustrating the home faithful.

The Wildcats then never allowed Lehigh to sniff the red zone the rest of the half.

The closest Lehigh would get the rest of the way was the Villanova 49 yard line, when a pass target to WR Geoffrey Jamiel was broken up by DB Damill Bostic, Jr, forcing a punt to end the half,

“It was a slugfest in the first half,” Ferrante said after the game. “That was a heavyweight fight.”

“The recipe has always been hold onto the ball, don’t turn over the ball, and find ways to run with the ball,” Cahill said after the game, which sounded like the exact gameplan for both teams.

Ferrante said at halftime, McQuiade held things together.

“Throughout the whole year, regardless of what it looked like at halftime, there’s never been any panic, there’s never been any blame, there’s never been any finger pointing,” Ferrante said. ” The way our defense was playing, and [the offense] had zero points at halftime, in years past you might have heard some grumbling about the offense not doing their part, but not with this team. This team is just really tight, really together. Offense complements defense, defense complements special teams, and they all complement each other, and you could see that today.”

The Fight Goes The Distance

Two weeks ago, RB Luke Yoder won the MVP of Lehigh’s game against their bitter Rivals Lafayette with a record-smashing performance. Four touchdowns – tying a Rivalry record – and 234 yards rushing. They almost didn’t formally vote for the MVP of the game because it was so obvious who deserved it.

What was the best kept secret on campus was that Luke Yoder had an injury. He didn’t practice once in the two weeks leading up to the playoff game.

“If anybody saw the injury he had, they’d say ‘Wow, he played?’ That’s a love he had for his teammates,” Cahill said. “We’re not here without Luke Yoder…and we’re not here without Hayden Johnson, I’m saying that right now — he’s a true warrior.

Not only did he play not at 100% – somehow, some way – he led Lehigh in rushing on the afternoon.

“That was the first time Yoder carried the ball since his last game. I give our athletic training staff a tremendous amount of credit for just doing whatever they could. Luke is a tough kid,” Cahill said, putting a large amount of emphasis on the word ‘tough’. “That’s just a love he had for his teammates. And I give him a lot of credit. He tried like heck to get out there and had a couple of really, really nice runs.”

At halftime, the MVP of the Lehigh/Lafayette game had 3 carries for 10 yards. Even folks not in the know could clearly he was not 100%, and noticed he wasn’t on the field most of the first half.

Yet some how, some way, Yoder would come out of the locker room and rip a 31 yard run in the opening drive of the second half, adding another 3 yard gain for good measure, setting up a 3rd and goal at the Villanova 5 yard line. From there, RB Aaron Crossley powered his way through the line to give Lehigh the lead.

“I’m just focusing on the same thing every week, just week in, week out,” Crossley said of his role on Saturday. “There’s no set carries, no set receptions, no set anything, just whatever happens, happens.”

Villanova and Lehigh would trade punts, and Lehigh would get the ball at their 36 and start a drive that surged into Lehigh territory. But Luke Yoder was spun down by Villanova LB Richie Kimmell and forced the ball loose, which was recovered by DB Josh Oluremi.

“That’s uncharacteristic of us,” Jamiel said after the game. “We can’t afford to put the ball on the ground against a great team like that. Credit to them, they were causing turnovers. I think (Villanova) just has great players. They’re older guys, and I think the front seven was strong today, and they do a great job just getting the ball out. And they’ve been an opportunistic defense all year.”

The momentum of that play carried over to the Villanova offense.

McQuiade would complete four straight passes with Lehigh on the back foot, two to WR Luke Colella and two to WR Braden Reed, setting up a 1st and goal at the 2. It would take two very physical, smashmouth downs, but RB Ja’Briel Mace would push it through to tie the game at 7.

“When you got those turnovers, the whole sideline erupts,” Ferrante said. “It’s not just defensive guys dapping up to defensive guys, it’s everybody. I really do think we have good chemistry, I think they do truly pull for each other, and I truly think they trust and love each other.”

Wildcats Get It Done

That set up a thrilling, tense fourth quarter that that seemed to redefine what Northeast FCS football was, and can be.

Both teams missed makeable field goals on a field where footing was not easy to find. Villanova stopped Luke Yoder on a 4th and a yard and a half – causing the Wildcat sideline to erupt – but the Wildcats couldn’t take advantage.

A sack by DL Dillon Sheehan put Villanova behind the eight ball once, and the defensive front led by Ochojski, DE Matt Spatny, DL T.J. Burke, and DE Jadin Nelson played an amazing game. Against Harvard in the first round, Villanova racked up 319 yards rushing. Lehigh held them to 69 yards rushing overall.

With 4:20 left, the score was still 7 to 7, but momentum had been building all game for the Wildcats, and finally the dam would break.

After being pinned deep in their own end, the Wildcats would get great field position, and McQuaide had the perfect drive to get the win – 4 for 4 passing, including a perfect dagger to Reed over the middle for 28 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

“You can’t give them a short field, and they took advantage of that,” Cahill said.

Lehigh got the ball back with just under 3 minutes to play, but DL Obinna Nwobodo would get an hand in on Johnson’s run, and LB Shane Hartzell would fall on the football, and just like that, Villanova would be able to run out the clock and win the game.

“Both teams are pretty disciplined,” Ferrante said. “Both teams run the ball well; both teams defend the run well; both teams are going to make a lot of good plays. It was going to be whoever makes the fewest mistakes will probably come out on top. The biggest difference today – other than the effort and execution that these guys have played with all year – it came down to two turnovers versus zero.”

Villanova advances to play Tarleton State next weekend in the FCS Playoffs in Stephenville, Texas after their well-earned, hard fought victory in South Bethlehem. Since Villanova joins the Patriot League next season, it’s guaranteed that the Wildcats and Mountain Hawks promise to have many more matchups like the one fans witnessed on Saturday.

For everyone on the Lehigh side, while clearly disappointed about the outcome, a tremendous amount of pride on what has been built here was on display.

“I could go on forever talking about these guys up here, and what they did for the program,” Crossley said. “I’m from around here, so coming in as a recruit, I would come here all the time and just hang out with the guys. I remember the first time, I stayed with Ocho. And just from that moment I felt like I was at home.

“And that’s what we feel like we’re trying to get with everybody that we’re bringing in. Keep the same thing we’re doing. And if we could build what we did off the seniors and the junior class could step up like the seniors did, then it’s going to be perfectly fine. It’s going to keep going.”

“Our senior class, we made a point to stick together,” Jamiel said. “We did that. I feel like every day, we just show up excited to be here, excited to play for Lehigh and be a part of this program. And we give our best effort, and Coach Cahill tells us what to do, and then everything else handles itself. So we just kind of love being here.

“And it wasn’t like a big turnaround thing. It’s just every single day, stacking plays,stacking the process. And like Coach Cahill said, the process over outcomeis big for us. So just going to work every day, excited to be around one another, excited to improve and make the team better.”

“Anytime you get the chance to rep the six letters (“Lehigh”), whether you’re in practice or walking around on campus, you represent really proudly with your head high knowing that you’re a Lehigh man,” Ochojski said. “The men in that locker room are high character individuals that care about each other, love each other and care about this place. So being a Lehigh man is really something special. And I want those guys to know that and rep it proudly.

“It’s cool, but I think the coolest thing is when your teammates celebrate you. We’re a very unselfish program. So seeing a guy like T.J. Burke make a big play, or Matt Spatny or Cole Hughes running around out there hitting people, it’s cool seeing a crowd, but we’ve known all along that we’ve had it. And it’s really cool to see the guys that have seen the behind the scenes working day in and day out celebrate that.”

“It’s obviously a disappointing finish to a tremendous season,” Cahill said. “We’re not going to be judged on this game; we refuse. A lot has changed in three years.”

“We went 12-0, played really well, and had a chance to host a playoff game. So it’s a little bit different. The expectations have changed around here, for the good or the bad. We’ve got to find a way to continue to win the . We just played a league number today. Next year, that’s a league game for us.”

Full Box Score

Villanova	0	0	7	7	14
Lehigh	0	0	7	0	7

VIL: PASS – McQuaide,Pat (208); RUSH – Mace,Ja’briel (48); REC – Colella,Luke (71)
LEH: PASS – Johnson, Hayden (161); RUSH – Yoder, Luke (80); REC – D’avino, Matt (57)

Scoring Summary

	3rd	LEH	12:29	LEH – Crossley,Aaron 5 yd run (Poole,Connor kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:25	0	7
	3rd	VIL	02:29	VIL – Mace,Ja’briel 1 yd run (Barnum,Jack kick), 6 plays, 59 yards, TOP 03:10	7	7
	4th	VIL	02:56	VIL – Reed,Braden 28 yd pass from McQuaide,Pat (Barnum,Jack kick) 3 plays, 51 yards, TOP 01:24	14	7
					14	7