QUICK RECAP: Defensive Slugfest Sees Holy Cross Over Lehigh 20-3
BETHLEHEM, PA – The Holy Cross Crusaders beat the Lehigh Mountain Hawks 20-3 at Murray Goodman Stadium in the first college football game contested by both schools in over 450 days.
Holy Cross managed 209 total offensive yards to Lehigh’s 137, but the Crusaders got the first downs they needed when it counted and made the Mountain Hawks pay when they turned over the ball. Lehigh’s three turnovers ended up becoming 17 Crusader points, via two Connor Degenhardt touchdown passes to Dean Nagle and Ayir Asante and a record-breaking 51 yard field goal by Holy Cross PK Derek Ng.
Degenhardt only managed 91 yards passing and 28 yard rushing, but it was enough to get by a game Lehigh defense who put loads of pressure on him all day. DB TyGee Leach and LB Pete Haffner ended with a combined 17 tackles and 5 tackles for loss, but Holy Cross’ defense was equal to the challenge on their ide as well, with big defensive days from LB Jacob Dobbs, DE Dan Kunetsov and DB Joe Lang.
Lehigh struggled on offense all day, and when the first two quarterbacks on the depth chart, QB Cross Wilkinson and QB Addison Shoup, went down with injury, QB Nigel Summerville, who didn’t have any first team reps during the week, came in to lead the offense at the end. WR Eric Johnson led the Mountain Hawks with 3 catches for 44 yards receiving.
Holy Cross ground out 91 tough yards rughing with 62 of those yards coming from RB Jonathan Abrams.
Lehigh travels to Colgate next week while Fordham is scheduled to travel to Worcester to take on the Crusaders.
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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