Lehigh Wins 11th Straight Regular Season Game With Convincing 31-13 Win over Yale
BETHLEHEM, PA – On October 21st, 2024, Lehigh traveled to New Haven, Connecticut and suffered a tough defeat to Yale 35-23, the last time Lehigh has lost a regular season college football game.
That game was very meaningful for Lehigh head football coach Kevin Cahill, who was a Yale coach for a decade under Bulldogs head coach Tony Reno.
It was a game where Lehigh turned over the ball early and fell into a hole early, and couldn’t climb out of it.
It was a very disappointing day for everyone involved.
“We have some things to focus on as a program,” Cahill said after that game. “The first thing is to take care of the football. We’re not talented enough to win a game with four turnovers right now. Give credit to Yale, taking them away – they play hard, I know what type of team we’re going to see when we play them. I give them a lot of credit to them getting back on track.”
After that game, the Mountain Hawks, started winning, A lot.
In fact, since that game, coming into this week, the Mountain Hawks sported an 11-1 record, including a 10 game regular season winning streak, and Lehigh’s first playoff victory since 2011.
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.
Start with turnovers.
In that game in 2024, Lehigh QB Hayden Johnson threw an interception that led to Yale take a 28-10 first half lead, and RB Luke Yoder had a fumble forced by Yale DB Abu Kamara, harming the Mountain Hawks’ comeback try.
In 2025? Hayden Johnson interceptions: 0. Luke Yoder fumbles: 0.
That wasn’t all, though.
Yoder would have a monster day with 108 total yards rushing – his third consecutive 100 yard rushing game, and fourth in his last six games – to go with two touchdowns.
“It’s kind of our MO as an offense,” Yoder said afterwards. “Physicality is our number one thing, and then everything else will open up after that, whether it’s taking those deep shots or throwing those quick game balls, working our way down the field.”
Lehigh started the day with one of those prototypical type of drives that went 8 plays and 62 yards, ending with a beautiful looping Johnson pass to WR Mason Humphrey where only he could catch it for the early 7-0 lead, a 24 yard score.
“We do deep ball drills against the DBs in private. It really helps us work on that, getting the ball up to the upper point,” Humphrey said. “We just go up, make plays, utilize our offense as we should. When we’re granted the opportunity, we capitalize on it.”
One of his touchdowns was a pretty pass reception in the flat, one of three Johnson-to-Yoder pass connections for 49 yards receiving.
“It just happened to be there, and I made the play,” Yoder said of his 24 yard touchdown grab, surging through the second level of the defense to put Lehigh up by two scores. “Each play lives its own individual life and then after that we just got to wipe it and get ready for that next play. So just that next play mentality, keeping moving.”
In addition to their turnover-free offense, the Lehigh defense forced three turnovers of their own, one which stopped a Yale red zone trip and two more that were converted into 14 points.
“The big emphasis for the defense is, if the ball’s in the air, it’s yours,” CB Aidan Singleton said, who stopped Yale’s end zone trip after a leaping grab. “No matter where you are, if you have two people around you, if there’s no one around you, no matter down or distance, if the ball’s in the air, you’ve got to go up and get that ball. Getting yourself in position, listening to the right call, doing your job, doing my 1/11 is what helped me get in that position. I’m trying to be in position, trying to compete.”
Cahill was impressed about Singleton’s bouncing back after being beaten on an earlier play.
“I couldn’t be more prouder of Aidan because [Yale WR Nico Brown] made a nice play over his head for a touchdown and Aidan bounced back and made the next play with the interception,” Cahill said. “That, right there, is a prime example of what our program is all about. You’re going to give up plays. It’s a life you live as a cornerback, and Aidan bounced back and took the ball back.”
It was clear that not only did was the win over Yale meanigful to Cahill, it was the way the team pulled together and did more of the good things that he’s looking for.
“We have a saying, ‘Just win anyway’ and that means just find a way to win,” Cahill said. “Today the defense did a great job ot taking away the ball and giving it back to the offense, and the offense did a good job of hitting some big plays, but also putting the game away in the fourth quarter.”
The undefeated Mountain Hawks head to upper Manhattan next weekend to take on 1-2 Columbia, while Yale travels to Dartmouth to take on the Big Green. Kickoff for both games is at 1:30 PM.
 Yale | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
 Lehigh | 14 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
YAL: PASS – Reno,Dante (247); RUSH – Pitsenberger,Josh (63); REC – Santiago,Jaxton (85)
LEH: PASS – Johnson, Hayden (174); RUSH – Yoder, Luke (108); REC – Humphrey, Mason (86)
Scoring Summary
| 1st | LEH | 11:14 | LEH – Humphrey,Mason 27 yd pass from Johnson,Hayden (Garrido,Nick kick) 8 plays, 67 yards, TOP 03:40 | 0 | 7 |
| 1st | LEH | 02:59 | LEH – Yoder,Luke 24 yd pass from Johnson,Hayden (Garrido,Nick kick) 11 plays, 90 yards, TOP 06:46 | 0 | 14 |
| 2nd | YAL | 00:43 | YAL – Brown,Nico 27 yd pass from Reno,Dante (Conforti,Nick kick) 15 plays, 89 yards, TOP 05:32 | 7 | 14 |
| 3rd | LEH | 09:47 | LEH – Yoder,Luke 25 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 3 plays, 86 yards, TOP 01:27 | 7 | 21 |
| 3rd | YAL | 06:18 | YAL – Brown,Nico 44 yd pass from Reno,Dante () 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:20 | 13 | 21 |
| 3rd | LEH | 01:50 | LEH – Garrido,Nick 24 yd field goal 8 plays, 68 yards, TOP 04:28 | 13 | 24 |
| 4th | LEH | 02:07 | LEH – Johnson,Hayden 9 yd run (Garrido,Nick kick), 9 plays, 68 yards, TOP 03:59 | 13 | 31 |
| 13 | 31 | |||||
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:
