Lehigh Plows Through Bucknell, 41-24, To Remain Undefeated At 4-0
LEWISBURG, PA – 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.
“To be 2-0 in the league is really really big for us,” head coach Kevin Cahill said after the game, “and we had to finish it off, and we did.”
Last season, Bucknell prevailed over Lehigh in double overtime, delivering the Mountain Hawks their only conference loss all season, and from the very first play the players seemed determined to prevent that from happening again.
On Bucknell’s first offensive play from scrimmage, DB Mekahi Smith intercepted QB Ralph Rucker IV, returning the ball to the Bison 35 setting up a 24 yard field goal by PK Nick Garrido, and once the ball went thorough the uprights, the Mountain Hawks would never trail.
“They are a good football team,” Bucknell head coach Dave Cecchini said. “They showed why they were preseason favorites and why they are ranked 10th in the country. When that happens, you just have to be your best. They showed that today at least, they were the better football team.”
The two-headed monster of RB Jaden Green and RB Luke Yoder were a deadly rushing tandem, each easily eclipsing over 100 yards rushing apiece and combining for 301 of the 323 yards rushing on the evening, despite not achieving an individual rush or scoring play over 40 yards.
Running behind their massive offensive line of OL Langston Jones, OL Sammy Ayache, OL Cody Reph, OL Charles Soska and OL Aidan Palmer, Yoder averaged 9.7 yards per carry, and Green scored three touchdowns, two on the ground and a third on a screen pass inside the Bucknell red zone on his way to over 100 yards. Green nearly had a fourth – however after a 8 yard run was initially ruled a touchdown, he was ruled down at the 1 yard line, which Yoder promptly converted into his rushing touchdown on the evening.
“Jaden’s a special talent for us,” Cahill said. “You want to find a way to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.”
“We had some history from last year,” Green said. “They came into our place and beat us last year, and that was the mindset, to come in here and beat them.”
Defensively, Lehigh held Bucknell to 80 net yards rushing and sacked Rucker six times, most of those sacks coming in the second half when the Bison had to pass the ball in order to stay in the game. DE Dillon Sheehan led the Mountain Hawks with 2 1/2 sacks, and LB Tyler Ochojski (5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hurries) was flying around all evening, almost always in Rucker’s face putting him under pressure.
“Iron sharpens iron,” Green said, talking about how the defense and offense make each improve during the week.. “Practicing together makes us all better. 4-0 feels good,” he also said, right after praising all of his offensive teammates.
The Mountain Hawks went up 38-10 in the third after QB Hayden Johnson found a wide-open WR Mason Humphrey for a 17 yard strike. On the drive, WR Geoffrey Jamiel (8 catches, 102 yards) and WR Anthony Feaster (2 catches, 19 yards) helped Lehigh helped carve up the Bucknell secondary to set up the score.
But aided by penalties on offense and defense, Bucknell would score two quick touchdowns to cut the deficit to 38-24 before closing it out with another short Nick Garrido field goal to finally ice the game.
“We have to clean up things penalty-wise,” Cahill said. “But offensively we were really balanced.”
Lehigh returns home next week for Parent’s weekend to play Penn of the ivy League, who beat Stonehill 24-21 this week. Bucknell plays at home next week against St. Francis (PA).
 Bucknell | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
 Lehigh | 10 | 7 | 21 | 3 | 41 |
BUC: PASS – Rucker IV,Ralph (291); RUSH – Rucker IV,Ralph (35); REC – Milligan,Sam (109)
LEH: PASS – Johnson, Hayden (171); RUSH – Yoder, Luke (174); REC – Jamiel, Geoffrey (102)
Game Information
Scoring Summary
| 1st | LEH | 11:44 | LEH – Garrido,Nick 24 yd field goal 7 plays, 28 yards, TOP 03:04 | 0 | 3 |
| 1st | LEH | 07:03 | LEH – Green,Jaden 12 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 5 plays, 55 yards, TOP 02:37 | 0 | 10 |
| 1st | BUC | 03:49 | BUC – Schearer,Matt 29 yd field goal 6 plays, 73 yards, TOP 03:08 | 3 | 10 |
| 2nd | LEH | 10:08 | LEH – Yoder,Luke 1 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 11 plays, 98 yards, TOP 05:11 | 3 | 17 |
| 2nd | BUC | 04:29 | BUC – Rucker IV,Ralph 5 yd run (Schearer,Matt kick), 12 plays, 85 yards, TOP 05:39 | 10 | 17 |
| 3rd | LEH | 11:54 | LEH – Green,Jaden 23 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 4 plays, 65 yards, TOP 03:06 | 10 | 24 |
| 3rd | LEH | 07:30 | LEH – Green,Jaden 6 yd pass from Johnson,Hayden (Garrido,Nick kick) 4 plays, 30 yards, TOP 02:14 | 10 | 31 |
| 3rd | LEH | 02:06 | LEH – Humphrey,Mason 17 yd pass from Johnson,Hayden (Garrido,Nick kick) 7 plays, 60 yards, TOP 04:01 | 10 | 38 |
| 4th | BUC | 12:18 | BUC – Anderson,Nate 10 yd pass from Rucker IV,Ralph (Schearer,Matt kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:48 | 17 | 38 |
| 4th | BUC | 06:09 | BUC – Cadden,TJ 3 yd pass from Rucker IV,Ralph (Schearer,Matt kick) 11 plays, 86 yards, TOP 03:38 | 24 | 38 |
| 4th | LEH | 01:42 | LEH – Garrido,Nick 23 yd field goal 9 plays, 39 yards, TOP 04:19 | 24 | 41 |
| 24 | 41 | |||||
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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