GAME ELEVEN, LEHIGH AT RICHMOND – Spiders Strive to Spoil Mountain Hawk Threepeat
BETHLEHEM, PA – Richmond head coach Russ Huesman didn’t explicitly say his team had an opportunity to play spoiler to the Lehigh Mountain Hawks’ quest for a third consecutive Patriot League championship.
In his weekly press conference, Huesman talked much more about the development of his young quarterback, QB Jack Callaghan, who was “lukewarm” in his challenging first start on the road at Villanova. He also candidly discussed the Spiders’ offensive struggles and the areas Richmond needs to fix.
With longtime archrival William & Mary looming at home next week, the Spiders are looking to finish the season strong. Richmond may not be calling itself a spoiler, but the opportunity is there all the same: an upset of the nationally ranked Mountain Hawks would certainly disrupt Lehigh’s championship pursuit.
And as Lehigh OL Sammy Ayache put it, the Mountain Hawks see the Spiders as a potential spoiler.
“We lost two in a row, we could have folded, but we didn’t,” he said. “Losses motivate you a little bit, but we try to keep ourselves centered. They’re trying to play spoiler for us. They don’t have a shot at the playoffs anymore, so they’re going to try to play spoiler.”
Lehigh (8-2, 6-1 Patriot League) travels to Richmond (6-4, 4-3 Patriot League) looking to maintain control of its playoff destiny. By the end of the weekend, the Mountain Hawks hope to know whether they’ve secured the Patriot League’s automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs along with at least a share of the conference championship.
But a Richmond team playing at home with nothing to lose, with archrival William & Mary waiting next week, would love nothing better than to spoil the Mountain Hawks’ season before turning its attention to the Tribe.
Got Their Mojo Back
Ayache’s comments about not folding after two straight losses were backed up on the field last week. Lehigh didn’t just get past Colgate; the Mountain Hawks delivered one of their most complete performances of the season.
It actually started a week earlier, on Halloween against Bucknell.
The Mountain Hawks had to survive a wild finish to escape with a 31-30 victory, but before DB Luke Denny‘s defensed pass in the end zone to allow Lehigh the narrow victory, there were signs of life. Senior RB Luke Yoder broke Lehigh’s career rushing yardage record with an 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, giving the Mountain Hawks the lead at the time.
That win gave Lehigh a surge of momentum heading into the next week’s preparation. Coming off two consecutive losses, the Mountain Hawks knew they needed to rediscover the identity that had made them so successful earlier in the season. According to senior DL Jadin Nelson, that was a point of emphasis during the week leading up to Colgate.
“During practice this week, we said let’s not just try to be a conservative defense, but go out there and be dominant like we were today,” Nelson said. “Like what you seen out there, that’s who we are, and that’s how we play.”
Against Colgate, the Mountain Hawks looked much more like the team that had raced through the first half of the season, and Luke Yoder was the center of the 33-7 victory.
The senior ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, including a 19-yard score that gave Lehigh a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. That touchdown also moved him past Dom Bragalone for Lehigh’s career rushing touchdown record. A week after taking over the career rushing yardage record, Yoder was now the program’s all-time leader in both categories.
“I’m just grateful to go ahead and set that record,” Yoder said after the game. “I know I was tied with it last week, so just putting me ahead this week, it’s just an awesome feeling, you know, holding two records now. But obviously all the credit still goes back to O-line, everyone blocks for me, so I appreciate them and just help getting the job done and getting the win today. That’s the most important thing.”
Yoder wasn’t the only reason the Mountain Hawks looked rejuvenated.
First-year QB Patrick Coan, making his first career start, threw for 221 yards and a touchdown while adding 47 yards on the ground. PK Connor Poole tied a school record with four field goals, accounting for 15 points. And the defense, which had been searching for its early-season form, held Colgate to just 230 yards of total offense and 77 rushing yards. The Raiders managed only four first downs and 136 yards of offense before their final possession, when they finally got on the scoreboard.
For Yoder, the production has become remarkably consistent. He followed his 183-yard, two-touchdown performance against Bucknell with another 180-plus-yard outing against Colgate, and enters the Richmond game just 84 yards shy of Rabih Abdullah’s single-season school rushing record of 1,536 yards.
Richmond head coach Russ Huesman certainly hasn’t overlooked the challenge.
When asked about Yoder, Huesman praised his balance, vision, ability to break tackles and deceptive speed. He also made clear that stopping him can’t be the responsibility of one defender.
“He’s really good. He can break tackles. He’s slippery. Deceptive speed,” Huesman said. “I think [he’s] the best in the league by far. Probably one of the three, four, five best in the country.”
For a Richmond defense preparing to face a Lehigh offense that appears to have rediscovered its rhythm, that’s a pretty significant scouting report. But the Spider defense is no joke.
Trying To Get Their Mojo Back
If there’s one thing Richmond has done consistently well this season, it’s getting after opposing quarterbacks. The Spiders enter Saturday’s matchup with Lehigh leading the Patriot League with 33 sacks, a total that ranks second nationally. Their defensive front has been a problem for opposing offenses all season, led by DL Camden Byrd, who has already recorded 10 sacks, and LB Blake Houser, who has been equally disruptive from the second level.
Richmond demonstrated just how dangerous that defense can be in their October 24 homecoming victory over Colgate. The Spiders recorded eight sacks, forced four turnovers and limited the Raiders to just six points in a 13-6 win. Houser had three sacks and an interception, while the defensive front completely disrupted Colgate’s running game.
But the defense hasn’t received much help lately from the other side of the ball.
Since that high-water mark against Colgate, Richmond has lost three straight games, including a 30-0 shutout at Villanova last week. Huesman was candid about the offensive struggles during his weekly press conference, pointing to shortcomings along the offensive line and at wide receiver.
“We’re not finishing blocks up front and we got to be better,” Huesman said. “I mean, we have to get movement. We have to finish blocks.”
He also pointed to the receivers’ inability to consistently separate from defenders and win contested catches, challenges that have made life particularly difficult for a young quarterback.
Freshman QB Jack Callaghan was thrust into his first career start last week after starter Ashten Snelsire was sidelined with an upper-body injury. Huesman acknowledged some missed throws and reads from his young quarterback, while also expressing confidence in his potential for improvement.
“He’s talented. He can throw it, he can run,” Huesman said. “He’s just got to let the game come to him and … take what they give us.”
“He’s talented. He can throw it, he can run,” Huesman said. “He’s just got to let the game come to him and … take what they give us.”
The numbers illustrate just how much work remains for the Richmond offense. Through 10 games, the Spiders are averaging just 18.1 points and 288.6 yards of total offense per game, including 123.1 yards rushing and 165.5 through the air. They’re converting just 33.1% of their third-down opportunities, making it difficult to sustain drives and keep their defense off the field.
Callaghan’s inexperience is certainly part of the equation, but Richmond’s offensive struggles extend well beyond the quarterback position. The Spiders will need better protection up front, more production from their receivers and a more consistent running game if they hope to build momentum heading into their rivalry game against William & Mary while playing spoiler to Lehigh’s Patriot League championship hopes.
NO. 15/17 LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (8-2, 6-1 PL) AT NR/RV RICHMOND SPIDERS (6-4, 4-3 PL)
E. Claiborne Robins Stadium/Richmond, VA, 2:00 PM
BROADCAST: ESPN+:
PxP – Bob Black; Analyst – Chris Anderson; Sideline – Matt Smith
RADIO BROADCAST (Richmond – ESPN 106.1 FM): PxP – Robert Fish; Analyst – Jasmonn Coleman; Studio Host – Matt Josephs
RADIO BROADCAST (Lehigh – Fox Sports Lehigh Valley): PxP – Matt Kerr; Analyst -Steve Lomangino; Sideline – Connor Brown
Chuck has been writing about Lehigh football since the dawn of the internet, or perhaps it only seems like it. He’s executive editor of the College Sports Journal and has also written a book, The Rivalry: How Two Schools Started the Most Played College Football Series.
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