Lehigh Enters Bye Week Strong With a 31-7 Win over Columbia
The Lehigh Mountain Hawks turned in a dominating performance against Columbia as they beat Columbia 31-7.
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The Lehigh Mountain Hawks turned in a dominating performance against Columbia as they beat Columbia 31-7.
There’s always that risk, especially on the road in college football, that a highly-favored team comes out, makes a bunch of mistakes, and ends up in a rock fight that could go either way.
Almost one year later from that disappointing day in New Haven, against the same opponent, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (6-0, 2-0 Patriot League) beat the Yale Bulldogs (2-1, 1-0 Ivy) 31-13 by demonstrating that they learned extremely will the lessons of that loss last season.
There is one game in all of FCS this week that features two undefeated teams, and it is taking place this Saturday at noon at Murray Goodman Stadium.
This weekend, in front of a potentially large Parents’ Weekend crowd and Clutch’s Kettle student section, another promise of a consequential matchup between these two nearby, historic schools loom.
In the 89th meeting between Lehigh and Bucknell, the Mountain Hawk ground game ran up 323 yards rushing – the most rushing yards accrued in a single game since Kevin Cahill has been head coach – in a dominating 41-24 win over Bucknell, keeping Lehigh (4-0, 2-0 Patriot) undefeated overall and undefeated in Patriot League play.
Nationally, Lehigh/Bucknell might be considered a forgotten rivalry. The national pundits might not make it their Game of the Week, or even think of it as a Rivalry, or even think of it as a competitive game. But don’t tell that to the football players at Bucknell or Lehigh. To them, it most definitely not a lost Rivalry. And both sides know exactly how competitive this weekend’s game is going to be.
Lehigh football’s first trip to Pittsburgh in over 70 years was a business-like 35-21 win over Duquesne, a game where the Mountain Hawks never trailed but had to battle hard for four quarters to secure Lehigh’s first 3-0 start since 2013.
This weekend Lehigh (2-0, 1-0 Patriot) will go on the team’s first road trip of the season. They are heading across the state to Pittsburgh, PA to face off against Duquesne (1-1, 0-0 NEC) in an out-of-conference clash.
There was an air of excitement, mixed with anticipation and slight nervousness as a crowd of 34,921 spectators made their way into Kidd Brewer Stadium for last Saturday’s home-opening football game. Little did these supporters know that Appalachian State would be fighting for its life in the final minute against the fledgling Lindenwood Lions before securing its heart-pounding 20-13 win against the first-year Football Championship Subdivision program.
The reason that Cahill and the Lehigh football players came into the press conference with mostly serious faces wasn’t due to the stat sheet showing a resounding statistical victory for the Mountain Hawks. It’s because if you were there, playing or watching the game, you saw a different story.
While Mother Nature delayed the victor, Navy’s defense rose to the challenge as the Midshipmen held UAB scoreless in the second half to come away with a 38-24 triumph.
The’ Pios’ are a program on the rise – one that are trying to elevate their profile and make a name for themselves the year before their entrance to one of the top leagues in FCS football.
It was an incredibly physical, bruising battle with both defenses not allowing any one play more than 40 yards. Additionally, befitting a battle of the top teams in FCS, no team had a lead of more than one score the whole way.
While Richmond will be looking for revenge, Lehigh will be looking for respectability – respectability in the sense of proving that last season was not a fluke.
Recent Lehigh University football teams haven’t had the experience of being the hunted before.
Even by the standards of the Patriot League, last season’s title race was one of the wildest in recent memory.
For the second year in a row, an announcement was made that the Patriot League football would be adding a new member.
The power of a unexpected Lehigh football championship last fall led to a spring showcase that almost a family reunion feel, as the 2025 football team displayed their progress over the spring and the alumni and friends made it an event.
In the early 1930s, the two sons running their family jewelry business in 1933 chose to sponsor a college football trophy for the best team in the East, and the Lambert Trophy was born.
An impressive display by the Idaho Vandals in all three phases of the game ended the Lehigh Mountain Hawks’ 2024 football season in a 34-13 defeat at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho.
Lehigh’s (9-3) reward is to take a long flight to Moscow, Idaho, close to the Eastern Washington border, to face off against one of the best FCS teams in the nation in the Idaho Vandals (9-3).
Missing their starting left tackle and defensive captain, Lehigh (9-3) would overcome their absence and injuries to win a gritty, thrilling 20-16 game over Richmond (10-3) in the 1st round of the FCS Playoffs.
For the first time since 2017, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (8-3) will be returning to the FCS Playoffs, and their opponents they drew, the Richmond Spiders (10-2), couldn’t be a more interesting opponent.
In the aftermath of that Lehigh/Lafayette burst of energy, there was one casualty – the goalpost next to the grass banking, which was torn down by elated Lehigh students after their football team had achieved what many had thought impossible before the season.
Once the laughingstock of college football, Columbia added another moniker that was
farfetched at the start of the 2024 season: Ivy League Champions.
The FCS regular season has concluded, and based on the GPI and based on the results of the final weekend of games, here is CSJ’s projected bracket for 2024.
For the first time since 2013, the game simply called “The Rivalry” – the most-played college football game in the world – will be a sellout.
Going into the final week of the regular season, the following would be the field of 24 teams for the 2024/25 Division I FCS Football Playoffs based on the College Sports Journal’s Gridiron Power Index (GPI) for the week of 11/21/2024.
The elder Pitino saw all five of his starters score in double figures as No. 22 St. John’s defeated the younger Pitino’s New Mexico team 85-71 on Nov. 17 in front of 12,310 fans inside Madison Square Garden.
This year, the FBS title will have a 12-team playoff to decide the football champion–moving away from the past four-team field it had for the past decade. With CSJ, we have given the Group of Five schools coverage over the past several years and now at least one G5 school will be included every year.
Using the Sagarin rankings for this week of Nov. 17th, the following would be the field of 24 teams for the 2024/25 Division I FCS Football Playoffs. South Dakota State would be the top seed using the rankings for this week, while North Dakota State would be the second seed. Montana State is third, while.
Here are the Top 25 G5 rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Nov. 16th, 2024 following the Week 12 games. We will will have a final ranking after all bowl games and the national championship game in January. Sagarin rankings provide the only rankings that actually ranks all Division I schools.
Here are the Top 25 FCS rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Nov. 16th, 2024 following the Week 12 games. We will will have a final ranking after all bowl games and the national championship game in January. South Dakota State remains in the top spot after defeating Southern Illinois at.
The Mountain Hawks (7-3, 4-1 Patriot League), in today’s decisive 45-17 win over Colgate (2-9, 1-4 Patriot) got revenge for last season’s loss up in Hamilton, reminding Lehigh Nation that yes, there still is a rivalry with Colgate that is very much alive.
This season’s matchup is a turnabout from last year, where Lehigh was playing out the next-to-last game in a rebuilding effort and Colgate was trying to secure a winning season and a puncher’s chance at a share of the Patriot League title.
Using the GPI for this week of 11/12/2024, the following would be the field of 24 teams for the 2024/25 Division I FCS Football Playoffs.
This year, the FBS title will have a 12-team playoff to decide the football champion–moving away from the past four-team field it had for the past decade. With CSJ, we have given the Group of Five schools coverage over the past several years and now at least one G5 school will be included every year.
Using the Sagarin rankings for this week of Nov. 10th, the following would be the field of 24 teams for the 2024/25 Division I FCS Football Playoffs. South Dakota State would be the top seed using the rankings for this week, while North Dakota State would be the second seed. Montana State is third, while.
Here are the Top 25 G5 rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Nov. 9th, 2024 following the Week 11 games. We will will have a final ranking after all bowl games and the national championship game in January. Sagarin rankings provide the only rankings that actually ranks all Division I schools.
Here are the Top 25 FCS rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Nov. 9th, 2024 following the Week 11 games. We will will have a final ranking after all bowl games and the national championship game in January. South Dakota State remains in the top spot after defeating North Dakota on.
WORCESTER, MA – Going into their game against defending champions Holy Cross, one of the big questions about the Lehigh Mountain Hawks was how they might respond to a close fourth quarter under the tension of a critical Patriot League contest. The Crusaders did not have those same concerns going in; after all, almost everyone.
The Mountain Hawks (5-3, 2-1 Patriot League) have three very important preseason goals to potentially achieve this week in their business trip to Worcester against Holy Cross (4-5, 3-0 Patriot League).
This year, the FBS title will have a 12-team playoff to decide the football champion–moving away from the past four-team field it had for the past decade. With CSJ, we have given the Group of Five schools coverage over the past several years and now at least one G5 school will be included every year.
Using the Sagarin rankings for this week of Nov. 3rd, the following would be the field of 24 teams for the 2024/25 Division I FCS Football Playoffs. South Dakota State would be the top seed using the rankings for this week, while North Dakota State would be the second seed. Montana State is third, while.
Here are the Top 25 G5 rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Nov. 2nd, 2024 following the Week 10 games. We will will have a final ranking after all bowl games and the national championship game in January. Sagarin rankings provide the only rankings that actually ranks all Division I schools.
Here are the Top 25 FCS rankings based on the Sagarin rankings for the week ending Nov. 2nd , 2024 following the Week 10 games. We will will have a final ranking after all bowl games and the national championship game in January. South Dakota State remains in the top spot after defeating Murray State.
WASHINGTON, DC – It’s tempting to look at the box score in Lehigh’s (5-3, 2-1 Patriot League) comprehensive 43-6 win over Georgetown (5-4, 2-2 Patriot League) and marvel at the Mountain Hawk’s superlatives on offense in the victory. For sure, there were big runs and four rushing touchdowns by QB Hayden Johnson, RB Aaron Crossley.
This Saturday’s clash featuring Lehigh (4-3, 1-1 Patriot) and Georgetown (5-3, 2-1 Patriot) will occur on the five year anniversary of a contest most of Lehigh Nation would rather forget – a 24-17 loss to Holy Cross on November 2nd, 2019.
Using the GPI for this week of 10/30/2024, the following would be the field of 24 teams for the 2024/25 Division I FCS Football Playoffs.