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A new season is finally upon us. The Colonial Athletic Association is always among the top conference in the country and 2019 looks to be no different. Villanova already made a statement in week zero against Colgate. Most everyone else gets going this week.
Lehigh has just released their game notes for their 2019 Week 1 tilt against St. Francis (PA), and it’s our first look at Lehigh’s starting two deep. Here are my five takeaways from the list.
Much of preseason practice for a football involves building the skills, plays and toughness that’s required for the full grind of a full season. For the 2019 Lehigh Mountain Hawks, it seems to be about more than just that. With new head coach Tom Gilmore, a big theme that has emerged in preseason training camp.
James Madison fell short of expectations, missing out on the conference title and losing in the second round of the FCS playoffs to Colgate. The Dukes struggled in the red zone and with turnovers. A 9-4 season was certainly a disappointment in Harrisonburg.
Youth. Questions. Fifth.
Those are three words that haven’t normally been associated with Lehigh at the start of preseason training camp in August.
“Over 40% of our team are first-year players,” Gilmore said. “And we’re excited to see what some of these freshman can do to enhance our roster and push the upperclassmen to be the best version of themselves on the field.”
It may be hard to believe, but there are only 32 days left before the Lehigh Mountain Hawks take the field in their home opener versus St. Francis (PA).
A disappointing 3-8 was salvaged somewhat with a 34-3 win against their long-time Rivals Lafayette. With the win, head coach Andy Coen retired as the winningest head coach in program history.
Lehigh Athletics simply can’t ignore the outside forces of college football and televised sports forever. They need one renovation more than any other – lights in order to open up the possibility of hosting late afternoon or early evening games.
There was no official scoring, but plenty of physical play and competition that made it a fun morning for players and spectators.
The challenges of being a Division I football coach – the recruiting, the staff-building, even the organization of setting up the program the way Gilmore wants it – are clearly something that he relishes, perhaps even a bit more so now.
This Sunday, C.J. returns to Stabler Arena to see his Number 3 raised to the rafters during halftime of Lehigh’s contest against Holy Cross. C.J. is the first – and only – Mountain Hawk basketball player that has gone on to play in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers, and, in the process, been an outstanding ambassador for Lehigh as a school.
It’s a news item in the Lehigh Valley when there isn’t an Ivy League team on the football schedule.
Five home dates, including the 155th meeting of college football’s most-played rivalry and the program’s first west coast trip in more than 20 years, highlight Lehigh’s 2019 football schedule, formally unveiled Thursday.
Already 0-2 after the first week of Sun Belt Conference play and facing the daunting stretch of a contest against one of the league’s best teams — Texas State (13-3, 2-1) — on Saturday before embarking on a three-game road swing, the last thing the struggling Mountaineers needed was a loss at home against an SBC bottom feeder.
January 9th was finally the day when Lehigh fans finally got to see and meet their new head football coach: Tom Gilmore.
In November, the Mountain Hawks seemed to figure out some of the answers to their questions just in time to win two of their final three games, and in so doing having retiring head coach Andy Coen tie Bill Leckonby for the all-time head coaching wins record at Lehigh.
“We’re not coming here to shock the system, but to enhance the culture,” Drinkwitz said. “This is not a stepping-stone job. This is a top-25 job.”
BOONE, N.C. — There was a sense of symmetry for Darrynton Evans on Saturday afternoon as Appalachian State played in the first Sun Belt Conference football championship game against Louisiana-Lafayette before 14,960 fans at a rainy Kidd Brewer Stadium. “I kind of had a flashback,” said Evans, as he scooped up a bouncing kickoff and.
James Madison at (8) Colgate When: Saturday, December 1, 1:00 PM Where: Crown Field at Kerr Stadium, Hamilton, NY TV/Streaming: ESPN College Extra, ESPN3 James Madison Dukes Harrisonburg, Virginia Colonial Athletic Association Enrollment: 19,000 FCS Sagarin Rating: 4 How They Got Here: James Madison used a suffocating defense and a good enough offense to defeat Delaware.
At 2:30 Wednesday, Bruce Feldman set JMU Nation ablaze with one tweet: SOURCE: #JMU’s Mike Houston is expected to become the new head coach at #Charlotte. Over the next four and half hours, JMU fan reaction ranged from rage to congratulatory and everywhere in between. There were people calling him a liar, classless and a.
James Madison 20, Delaware 6 Video Highlights Courtesy NCAA.com HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison used a suffocating defense and just enough offense to defeat Delaware 20-6. QB Ben DiNucci had an efficient day for the Dukes, going 23 of 31 for 223 yards passing and a touchdown. The early part of the game was a.
Delaware at James Madison When: Saturday, November 24, 3:00 PM Where: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA TV/Streaming: ESPN3 Delaware Blue Hens Newark, Delaware Colonial Athletic Association Enrollment: 18,353 FCS Sagarin Rating: 22 Season Recap: Delaware’s season started with a thud, losing to Rhode Island. After four weeks they were 4-4 and had questions after a loss.
Christmas isn’t for another month, but for a day, people associated with the Lehigh football program felt like they’d received a bunch of presents. The first present from the gods of football might have been the one that set the tone the best for Lehigh’s 34-3 win over their archrivals in the 154th meeting between.
It wasn’t the season any Lehigh fan envisioned, a tumultuous 2-8 season that featured a lot of frustration and discord. So you might have forgiven Lehigh fans a little bit of cynicism when they came to Easton this afternoon about their prospects for a win against their bitter Rivals Lafayette. Instead, on the very first.
James Madison at Towson When: Saturday, November 17, 2:00PM Where: Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson, MD TV/Streaming: College Sports Live James Madison Dukes One week after getting pulled in the first quarter in an ugly loss to New Hampshire, James Madison quarterback Ben DiNucci had a great bounce back game in a big win over Rhode.
It kind of goes without saying that the Rivalry between Lehigh and Lafayette is the biggest game on the Mountain Hawks’ and Leopard’s schedules. Eighteen miles separate the two campuses in Easton, PA and Bethlehem, PA, and the football teams have faced off 153 times over the span of 134 years. When the two schools started.
With 9:43 left in the second quarter, it happened. Lehigh QB Brad Mayes worked his way loose from the pressure of Colgate’s defensive front, and threw a pass where only WR Ray Falcone could catch it in the right corner of the end zone. The long streak of consecutive quarters without yielding a touchdown –.
Rhode Island at James Madison When: Saturday, November 10, 2:00 PM Where: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA TV/Streaming: MASN, SNY, Eleven Sports Next/Twitch, CAA.tv Rhode Island Rams Rhode Island got JuJuan Lawson back in the lineup last week against Elon after missing four games due to injury. Lawson threw for 349 yards and 3 touchdowns but.
For a team ranked 8th in the country, the Colgate Raiders (8-0, 5-0) don’t really have a face, a singular person on which they rely every single week to win football games. What they do have is a defense that has smothered opposing offenses like a big red blanket all season. Sure, Colgate has LB.
Stony Brook at James Madison When: Saturday, October 27, 3:30 PM Where: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA TV/Streaming: MASN/SNY/Eleven Sports/CAA.TV Stony Brook Seawolves Stony Brook has been lighting up the scoreboard this season, scoring at least 28 points in ever contest except their opening weekend loss at Air Force. The Seawolves are led on offense by.
It’s a situation that neither the Georgetown Hoyas or the Lehigh Mountain Hawks usually find themselves in Patriot League play. The Mountain Hawks, at 1-5 with a resounding 43-14 conference loss last week, desperately need a win against Georgetown to avoid a second consecutive losing record and to stay alive in the Patriot League title.
In retrospect, the game was lost at the opening coin flip. Two sets of captains made their way to midfield. Lehigh won the toss, and deferred. The Fordham captains came back from the coin toss, and chest-bumped the rest of the team – even though, technically, they lost the toss. Lehigh’s captains slowly walked back.
James Madison at Villanova When: Saturday, October 13, 1:00PM Where: Villanova Stadium, Villanova, PA TV/Streaming: Fox College Sports Atlantic, Fox Sports Go (subscription req’d) James Madison Dukes James Madison is coming off of their first conference and home loss of the Mike Houston era. The Dukes never got into a rhythm against Elon and gave.
Last year, on a beautiful, hot, late October day, a 2-5 Lehigh football team traveled to the Bronx to take on a 2-6 football team, the Fordham Rams. To a Patriot League outsider, this game might have seemed like nothing much to get excited about. But the Mountain Hawks, with a 2-0 conference record and.
The Lehigh football team lost to the Princeton football team 66-7 at Powers Field in Princeton, New Jersey. The Mountain Hawk defense yielded 773 yards of offense to the Tigers – a Princeton record – allowing starting QB John Lovett to rush for 111 yards and pass for 288 more, making him responsible for 4.
Elon at James Madison When: Saturday, October 6, 1:30 PM Where: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA TV/Streaming: MASN/SNY/Eleven Sports(Twitch)/CAA.TV Elon Phoenix Under Curt Cignetti, Elon has become a very tough team to play against. The Phoenix have an above average defense and a bruising running back that keeps the chains moving on offense. Elon has only.
In Princeton’s game notes, their game with Lehigh is billed as a “local rivalry”. It is true that the campuses of Princeton University and Lehigh University are reasonably close to one another, separated by about an hour and a half by car. And though Princeton and Lehigh have never shared a conference, this will be.
Richmond, Virginia – The James Madison Dukes returned the opening kickoff 93 yards and never looked back in their dominant 63-10 win over in-state rival Richmond. As returner Juwon Hamilton cut left and hit the hole he went untouched to the end zone. The Spiders outplayed the Dukes for the rest of the first quarter,.
Villanova at Stony Brook When: Saturday, September 29, 6:00 PM Where: Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, Stony Brook, NY TV/Streaming: Fox College Sports Atlantic/Fox Sports Go (subscription req’d) Villanova Wildcats Villanova enters this game 3-1 on the season after handily defeating Bucknell last week 49-7. The one loss, however, is a conference loss to Towson. Villanova.
James Madison at Richmond When: Saturday, September 29, 3:00PM Where: Robins Stadium, Richmond, VA TV/Streaming: NBC Sports Chicago/NBC Sports Philadelphia PLUS/NBC Sports Washington PLUS/SNY, College Sports Live James Madison Dukes James Madison has won three straight games after their opening weekend loss at NC State. In the three games against FCS opponents, the Dukes have.
Harrisonburg, VA – From the opening kickoff, the difference in talent between James Madison and William & Mary was apparent. Every time Shonn Mitchell dropped back to pass, there were white jerseys surrounding him. James Madison used a dominant defense and an efficient offense to overwhelm the William & Mary 51-0. The Dukes offense got.
“We’ll fix it.” That was the overriding message coming out of the Lehigh postgame press conference at Penn this Saturday. It came out of the mouth of head coach Andy Coen, and also, in so many words, from starting QB Brad Mayes and the current leader in tackles on defense, LB Mark Walker. And it.
Gardner-Webb probably couldn’t have picked a worse time to roll into Kidd Brewer Stadium than Saturday afternoon as the opponent in Appalachian State’s hurricane-delayed, football home opener. Coming off a cancelled contest last weekend, when Southern Mississippi used every excuse necessary to back out of a scheduled non-conference encounter, the Mountaineers were firing on all.
It was a battle in the first half between Lehigh and Penn. The Quakers were leading, 13-10, and senior QB Brad Mayes were getting the ball back after the second half kickoff. In most years, that’s when the Lehigh football team would be ready to engage in a shootout, perhaps dueling touchdown for touchdown. Instead,.
William & Mary at James Madison When: Saturday, September 22, 3:30 PM Where: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA TV/Streaming: ESPN+ (subscription required) William & Mary Tribe Since 1980, Jimmye Laycock has patrolled the William & Mary sideline as the head football coach. In August, Laycock announced the 2018 season would be his last on the sideline. In his.
Penn and Lehigh have a long history of playing each other in football. They’ve never been rivals in the truest sense of the word, but their football programs are almost the same age, they both have a big focus on academics, and they’ve faced each other on the gridiron often. It’s difficult to put into.
Week three was a wild week in the FCS. The top three teams, North Dakota State, James Madison and South Dakota State all solidified themselves with blowout wins. The rest of the division was carnage with 12 of last week’s FCS top 25 teams losing. 5 more teams in last week’s rankings did not play.
The Lehigh football has been in some pretty big time FCS-level atmospheres before. In the FCS playoffs, Lehigh has been to Delaware, Northern Iowa, Towson, and North Dakota State. During the regular season, they’ve also played at Liberty, the Yale Bowl, and James Madison. They also routinely play their big Rivals Lafayette to sellout crowds.
Harrisonburg, VA – James Madison got what he wanted this week: play 4 quarters and get experience for much of his young roster. The Dukes jumped ahead of Robert Morris early and often, rolling to a 73-7 win in the team’s home opener in Harrisonburg Thursday night. Less than three minutes into the game, Marcus.
For much of FCS Nation, a game against an FBS opponent is an annual expectation. For a significant number of FCS schools, however, games against FBS opponents are not something that happens every year. Such is the case of Lehigh, who hasn’t scheduled a game against an FBS opponent in fifteen years. This weekend, the.
