Good Things Come In Threes In Lehigh’s 35-10 Opening Day Win over Holy Cross
WORCESTER, MA – They say good things come in threes.
For Lehigh (1-0, 1-0 Patriot), in their 35-10 win over Holy Cross (0-1, 0-1 Patriot) it manifested in the box score in a lot of different ways.
It started in the first quarter, when the Mountain Hawk offense scored three straight touchdowns on three straight drives.
The first of Lehigh’s scores came from a 65 yard touchdown run by QB Hayden Johnson. After RB Luke Yoder made some spectacular runs, one involving leaping over a Holy Cross defenser, after a perfectly executed read option to Yoder opened up a hole on the left, where Johnson showed off his wheels to give the Mountain Hawks a 7-0 lead. WR Matt D’Avino made a sealing block to create the final opening for the touchdown scamper.
“Obviously, we set the tone early,” Johnson said after the game, “just came out punching. Capitalizing with a big play was nice to have in the start of the game, kept building on that from the jump.”
The second Lehigh touchdown came on Lehigh’s very next possession, a much more methodical 9 play, 61 yard affair with a large dose of Yoder grinding yards on the ground, a nice completion from Johnson to WR Anthony Feaster and ending with a 4 yard burst by Yoder through a gaping hole on the left side of the line.
“That’s what we expect,” head coach Rich Nagy said after the game, his first win as Lehigh football head coach. “I think it’s a reflection on our guys and the way they work and any accountability piece that they hold themselves to.”
The third touchdown on the third Lehigh offensive drive came after a three-and-out by the defense, as the Lehigh offensive machine returned and once again looked like it was in mid season form, but stalled at the Holy Cross 33 yard line.
It looked like Lehigh would need to settle for three points, a PK Connor Poole FG try. But on 3rd and 15, the Mountain Hawks instead decided on a draw play, which resulted in… a 33 yard touchdown run by Yoder.
“That’s the goal every drive, to go 1-0 every drive,” Johnson said. “And for the first three drives, we were doing that.”
While the game wasn’t over, the Mountain Hawks would have three more quarters to maintain the victory, and even though the Lehigh defense gave up some yards, they took care of business once Holy Cross entered the red zone.
Their first trip got all the way to the Lehigh 6 yard line. Head coach Dan Curran elected to go for it, and a pass by QB David Lynch to WR Joseph Williams was broken up deftly by CB Ignatious Williams, forcing a turnover on downs.
“Against a (top team in the country), you’re going to find out real quick where you’re at,” Holy Cross head coach Dan Curran said. “There were some things we’re excited about and there are some things we have to correct moving forward.”
Holy Cross’ second trip to the red zone was thwarted at the Lehigh 9 yard line. On first and goal, DL Lorenzo Portella tipped the ball at the line of scrimmage for an incompletion, and on second and goal CB DJ Brown swatted the ball away from the receiver. On third and goal, Lynch tried a QB draw that was sniffed out by LB Talan Dudley at the Lehigh 9 yard line, meaning Holy Cross had to settle for three points, i.e. a 26 yard PK Own Saraceno field goal.
Holy Cross’s third trip to the red zone came near the end of the first half. At the Lehigh 4 yard line, LB Cole Hughes hit QB Liam Zelman and forced the ball out into the waiting hands of DE Aidan Williams, thwarting their late chance to make it a closer game.
“I felt good and I’m blessed with the opportunity,” Lynch said. “The red zone (troubles) were such a big piece of the start. We have to finish. We moved the ball and we had some flashes of great football, and some really bad football, too.”
Three Holy Cross trips to the red zone – only three Holy Cross points and a 21-3 halftime lead.
Three Is A Magic Number
Lehigh extended their lead in the third quarter to 28-3, thanks to WR Nick Palumbo‘s first touchdown reception as a Mountain Hawk. After LB William Parton stopped Lynch after a 3 yard gain on 3rd-and-8, the Mountain Hawk offense would methodically maech down the field on a 9 play, 77 yard drive, ending in Palumbo’s grab.
“It was good to see the defense hold their own,” Johnson said. “It was just a great all-around game from us. I’m proud about it.”
In the fourth quarter, Holy Cross would manage a late touchdown, a 15 yard strike by Lynch to WR Drae Tyne, making the score 28-10, and would get the ball back after holding the Lehigh offense, building a little hope for the home crowd at Fitton Field.
However No. 3 on the Lehigh defense – DB Nick Peltekian – would make no mistake cradling a ball that caromed off a receiver’s hand to get his first interception of the year. Peltekian also would lead the Mountain Hawk defense with eight tackles.
Two plays later, Yoder’s third touchdown of the gane, a 10 yard run, would make it 35-10, and when DB Luke Denny would pick off a pass on the next Holy Cross offensive drive – Lehigh’s third takeaway on the afternoon – the Mountain Hawk’s 1-0 start would finally be assured.
Yoder, a Walter Payton Award Wattchlist member, had 120 yards rushing.
“I’m so happy for the players,” Nagy said, when asked about how it felt to get his first win as Lehigh football head coach. “With the offseason, change, different things, they never wandered, never wavered. They just kept working, and I was glad to see them have results that they worked for.”
 Holy Cross | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
 Lehigh | 21 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
HC: PASS – David Lynch (313); RUSH – Joseph Williams (36); REC – Myles Abernathy (129)
LEH: PASS – Hayden Johnson (117); RUSH -Luke Yoder (130); REC – Anthony Feaster (32)
Scoring Summary
| 1st | LEH | 12:26 | LEH – Johnson,Hayden 65 yd run (Poole,Connor kick), 4 plays, 79 yards, TOP 02:28 | 0 | 7 |
| 1st | LEH | 06:10 | LEH – Yoder,Luke 4 yd run (Poole,Connor kick), 9 plays, 61 yards, TOP 05:21 | 0 | 14 |
| 1st | LEH | 02:51 | LEH – Yoder,Luke 33 yd run (Poole,Connor kick), 5 plays, 50 yards, TOP 01:52 | 0 | 21 |
| 2nd | HC | 07:05 | HC – Saraceno,Owen 26 yd field goal 9 plays, 51 yards, TOP 03:51 | 3 | 21 |
| 3rd | LEH | 07:20 | LEH – Palumbo,Nick 14 yd pass from Johnson,Hayden (Poole,Connor kick) 9 plays, 77 yards, TOP 04:48 | 3 | 28 |
| 4th | HC | 14:13 | HC – Tyme,Drae 15 yd pass from Lynch,David (Saraceno,Owen kick) 13 plays, 82 yards, TOP 04:26 | 10 | 28 |
| 4th | LEH | 09:59 | LEH – Yoder,Luke 6 yd run (Poole,Connor kick), 2 plays, 10 yards, TOP 00:47 | 10 | 35 |
| 10 | 35 | |||||
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.
Reach him at: this email or click below:
