#Rivalry160 Preview, Lafayette at Lehigh: It’s All Just A Little Bit Of History Repeating

The word is about, there’s something evolving,
Whatever may come, the world keeps revolving…
They say the next big thing is here,
That the revolution’s near,
But to me it seems quite clear
That’s it’s all just a little bit of history repeating.
– Shirley Bassey and the Propellerheads, History Repeating (1997)

BETHLEHEM, PA – The word came in the middle of the week – the final standing-room only tickets for the 160th meeting of Lafayette College and Lehigh University’s football teams were sold out.

For the first time since 2013, the game simply called “The Rivalry” – the most-played college football game in the world – will be a sellout.

On the face of it, a sellout of the big Rivalry game between the two nearby schools doesn’t make sense.

It feels like a throwback to another time, like the late 1990s or even the 2010s.

As documented, paid attendance has been declining not only at Lehigh and Lafayette games, but at schools across the nation. For years Twitter seemed like it had been documenting the end of college football. Name, Image and Likeness money was supposed to kill interest in it, especially if you weren’t a Penn State or an Ohio State. Doom and gloom dominated the Twitter cesspool, especially concerning rivalries. If Stanford and Cal are joining the ACC, what could the future of Rivalries possibly be?

So why now? Why is Lehigh/Lafayette now the hottest ticket in town, bucking this trend that we’ve been told repeatedly is inevitable?

To me, who has seen a lot of these Lehigh/Lafayette Rivalries over the course of many years, to quote Shirley Bassey, it’s all just a little bit of history repeating.

Lafayette Repeating?

Back in August, the Lafayette Leopards (6-5, 2-3 Patriot League) were picked to finish first in the Patriot League.

Not only was junior RB Jamar Curtis nominated as the preseason offensive player of the year, the Leopards received 72 points and 12 first-place votes, a staggering endorsement that Lafayette was the team to beat going into the season. To put this in perspective, Holy Cross, the second placed team, received 56 points.

Who could blame the voters? The last time they saw Lafayette, they saw them in the 159th version of The Rivalry, trailing by a touchdown at halftime, then coming out of the locker room and pulverizing a crumbling Lehigh team for 35 unanswered points in front of 14,453 paid fans at Murray Goodman Stadium.

Lafayette’s 700th win as a program under second year head coach John Troxell was a glorious exclamation point in their 49-21 victory, and a confirmation that they would be Patriot League Champions and going to the FCS Playoffs.

Curtis was a revelation for the Leopards last season, who ran for 1,460 yards and 15 touchdowns, for good measure running roughshod over Lehigh to the tune of 166 yards and 3 TDs.

And as if there was any doubt about Lafayette’s preseason standing, the Leopards gave Delaware a massive scare as the Blue Hens barely survived Lafayette’s upset bid 36-34 in the first round of the playoffs. QB Dean DiNoble and Curtis guided Lafayette to a 28-7 lead and a 34-33 lead with seven minutes to play, but a third-quarter injury to DiNoble and several costly turnovers were the difference.

“We’ve had some success here and it’s a credit to the 2023 team that we were picked to win the league,” Troxell said before the season. “There’s a lot of excitement around here, but we still have a lot of work to do because by no means was the 2023 season a perfect one.”

Way, way down on the list, picked to finish sixth in the league, was Lehigh (7-3, 4-1 Patriot League).

They received 24 points, and had exactly two names on the preseason all-league team: fifth year senior LB Mike DeNucci and sophomore DB Nick Peltekian.

In a way, based on last season’s record coming off a rough 2-9 campaign, Kevin Cahill‘s first season as head football coach, being picked to finish sixth of seven teams might not have been a total surprise, even if historically it went against the long history of the Mountain Hawks competing for Patriot League titles.

The 2023 season was all about developing a new culture in the program and a new way of doing things. At times, it looked like there might be success, but most of the progress seemed to take more of the form of growing pains than wins.

Whether last year’s second-half collapse in the Rivalry in front of more than 14,000 fans informed the staff’s recruiting in that offseason, it’s not clear. Certainly Lehigh was a team after the 2023 season that desperately needed depth, and a plague of injuries were not helpful to their record. There were six different starting lineups on the offensive line in the first six weeks, and offensively, it showed.

But what’s undeniable is that the Mountain Hawks brought in a massive recruiting class – thirty-six first year players – who joined a large number of sophomores expected to fill of Lehigh’s two deep.

And a very big emphasis by Kevin Cahill and the staff was to make Murray Goodman a difficult place to play – to create more of a game atmosphere, a home field advantage. In 2023, Cahill didn’t enjoy a win at home – both of their two victories came on the road.

“We all want to be in the Kevin Higgins Era again, or the Pete Lembo Era again and, of course, Coach [Andy] Coen did a phenomenal job,” Cahill said to Keith Groller of The Morning Call during the preseason. “But those eras don’t happen overnight.”

Even the most optimistic members of Lehigh Nation couldn’t have totally known what to expect – hence the prediction of sixth place. It felt like things might be pointed in the right direction, but it was hard to figure out what that might mean in 2024.

There was a hint, though, of some fire in this team.

“We have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder,” OL George Padezanin told me during Patriot League Media Day. “I understand we haven’t proven anything, but we are dying to prove to this league, and to each other, really, who we really are on the field, and what we strive to be. The adversity [from last season] really brings the team together overall.”

Lehigh: There’s Something Evolving

2024 will go down as one of the wildest Patriot League title chases ever, no matter what the outcomes this Saturday.

The Mountain Hawks went to Army to start the season, and weren’t just cannon fodder if you watched the 42-7 defeat. As it turned out, Army would repeat some of their best football history, not losing another game up until this point of the season – and Lehigh, with a significant number of freshman playing in their first Division I football game, acquitted themselves well.

In FCS play, a funny thing started happening with Lehigh. There was no denying their youth, and bouts of inconsistency, but it was clear the team was growing in leaps and bounds – and winning football games.

An interesting group of seniors that stayed, a relatively small group of 15 seniors and fifth years, helped lead and mold a team that continuously improved each week.

It helped that the offensive line – for the first time in a long time – has remained largely intact all season, allowing a surprisingly strong running game to emerge. At the place where Air Lehigh was born, it wasn’t abundantly clear whether the oldest Lehigh fans would take to the new rushing-happy offense, but nobody is complaining about the results.

https://twitter.com/LehighFootball/status/1860044831080268269

Long-suffering QB Dante Perri, who struggled through a bunch of losing seasons, started and delivered some huge scoring plays for the offense, and helped first year QB Hayden Johnson grow and adjust into an expanding role on offense. Both Perri and Johnson played quarterback all season, and last week versus Colgate, Johnson started and delivered an emphatic 45-17 win over rival Colgate, Perri still hurt after the 10-7 win over Holy Cross.

Every member of this Lehigh football team cannot say enough about Dante’s contribution to this team, especially his head coach.

“You have got to give a lot of credit to Dante,” Cahill said after the Colgate win. “Dante has done a phenomenal job mentoring him. That was the best grad transfer we could have ever had. He has done a tremendous job mentoring Hayden, teaching him how to watch film, when to watch film, what it looks like to be a student, what it looks like to be a student-athlete, and how to raise your game to another level. And Hayden does the work. He puts the work in. He does a great job, and he’s a very smart kid.”

A few weeks before that, LB Mike DeNucci had a different take on the younger players around him on a swarming defense that has gotten the attention of FCS Nation. Seemingly out of nowhere, Lehigh ranks eighth in total defense giving up 291.1 yards per game, and sixth in total pass defense yielding only 158 yards per game.

“I think the biggest thing is they’ve been motivating me,” DeNucci said. “I’m walking around the locker room with [RB Jaden Green] and hanging out with these guys, and I feel like a freshman again, I feel like a sophomore. I don’t feel like I’m a graduate student. I think they’ve really been pushing me, the young guys, especially, saying, ‘Get after it, we need you.’ It’s not coming from guys that are my age or around my age. It’s all guys that are younger than me. They’re really looking up to me and pushing me.”

Now for the Lehigh football team, the math of the Patriot League title race and autobid to the FCS Playoffs is extremely clear: win, and they’re in, at 8-3 and no worse than co-champions. If it happens, it will cap off a remarkable Lehigh football season.

Lafayette: The World Keeps Revolving

Lafayette’s season will end after the game this weekend one way or another, but you can rest assured that they would love nothing better than to end Lehigh’s postseason hopes.

And if you’re a Lafayette fan – despite the record and the three conference losses – you can rightly say even today that little separates the Leopards and Mountain Hawks.

It’s a year where the champions of the Patriot League will have at least one loss. And the possibility of a tri-champion, with Lehigh, Holy Cross and Bucknell tying for the championship at 4-2 – is very much alive.

Should that happen – amazingly – the awarding of the autobid could come down to a vote from athletic directors. And that, unquestionably, will be one of Lafayette’s goals on Saturday – to cause a revolution in the Patriot League, to create Patriot League chaos.

Lafayette has to be kicking themselves as to how close they are to being in the mix for the Patriot League title.

They hold the best non-conference win in the Patriot League, an incredible 40-35 win over Monmouth where the Leopards scored twice in the final minute in the win.

But injuries took their toll on this team – especially on the offensive line. In Lafayette’s first five games, injuries forced them to have five different offensive line combinations.

And considering the Leopards seem like they enter this weekend healthy, when you look at the teams at closer to full strength, the Leopards and Mountain Hawks don’t seem that much different in 2024.

For starters, both Lehigh and Lafayette lost to Bucknell in heartbreaking fashion. Lehigh’s fumble in double overtime was the difference in their 38-35 loss to the Bison – Lafayette’s fumble after getting 1st and goal at the 2 was theirs in a 21-14 defeat.

If Lafayette manages to score a touchdown in that game and win the game in overtime, they’d in in the middle of the Patriot League title conversation.

Lehigh’s thrilling 10-7 win over Holy Cross only came after they blocked a late field goal attempt by the Crusaders; Lafayette was driving in the Crusader red zone before turning the ball over on downs in a 34-28 loss to Holy Cross.

Change those two plays, and they could have been two different outcomes.

“We’re just two red-zone possessions away from being in position to play for a championship ourselves on Saturday,” Troxell said this week. “There’s a lot you can learn in a season. When you look at any season, most teams finish somewhere between five and seven wins. The top 30 percent are probably at eight, nine wins and the bottom 30 are probably three or four-win teams. So, it’s hard to win games. We aspire to win them all, but when you don’t, you’ve got to learn and regroup.”

Fortunately for the Leopards, the world keeps revolving – many of the Leopards’ and Mountain Hawks’ fandom revolves around The Rivalry, a luxury most college football programs do not have. Win against Lehigh, the season is a success for Lafayette. Win against Lehigh, that will be five Rivalry wins over the last six over their archrivals. Additionally, they would have back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2008-09.

That’s why this game isn’t just a bunch of senior football players exhausting their eligibility for Lafayette – it means a great deal to the schools, the community, and the greater connected community outside of Bethlehem of Easton.

“I truly think this is one of the best games in all of college football,” LB Preston Forney said. “So many people care about it. You can feel the buzz all week leading up to game day. I just feel honored to be a part of it.”

That all makes for a thrilling, interesting final stretch of the Patriot League, and creates a very exciting backdrop for the 160th meeting of The Rivalry. It adds extra drama, jacks up the stakes, and throws the clock back for a lot of alumni.

And it helps that not only Lafayette is a good team with plenty to play for, but Lehigh is, too.

Amazingly, this is the first time since 2005 that both Lehigh and Lafayette have both entered the Rivalry game with winning records.

History Repeating

I’ve seen a lot of these Rivalry games, and I’ve seen little bits of history repeating.

I’ve seen young true freshman quarterbacks thrown into the fire and respond with an MVP performance, like Lehigh QB Phil Stambaugh in 1997. As legend had it, he was sick with the flu but wouldn’t dream of missing his first Rivalry. In a wild back-and-forth affair, Lehigh prevailed 43-31.

I also was at the last Rivalry sellout in 2013, when Lehigh RB Keith Sherman tried to carry his team on his back to a victory, falling just short. Down 34-28 and momentum at their backs, Lafayette QB Drew Reed found WR Demetrius Dixon for a 69 yard touchdown pass, the straw that broke the camel’s back on Lehigh’s comeback attempt.

I was there when Lafayette was in a “win and they’re in” situation in 2009, when LB Al Pierce reached up and pulled the ball out of the air on Lafayette’s possession in overtime, causing a spontaneous field storming for a 4-7 team that set up all the later success for the Mountain Hawks in following years.

I also what there the last time both Lehigh and Lafayette entered the Rivalry with a winning record, with a Patriot League title and autobid on the line. That was back in 2005, when Lafayette backup QB Pat Davis heaved up a fourth quarter prayer from midfield that landed in the hands of RB Jonathan Hurt for the game winning touchdown. I was on the sidelines, watching the Lehigh players throw their helmets on the ground in frustration.

All of these four games were sellouts.

Why now? Why is this week’s game a sellout when so many after 2013 were not?

It’s not like the games after 2013 lacked drama. Both Lehigh and Lafayette won multiple league titles. Lehigh’s prolific 2016 team and Lafayette’s dominant 2023 team were among the league’s best of the last decade.

I do believe there is a disillusionment at what FBS football is becoming, and that has translated into a bit of nostalgia for the past. While it will take a while for empty talking heads and big media to realize this, hardcore gamblers cannot replace the soul of college football. True college football fans respect Rivalries, and as FBS abondons them, Rivalries like Lehigh/Lafayette will welcome them. Rivalries like Lehigh/Lafayette are the soul of college football, and as long as it’s here, fans will seek it out.

It certainly helps that Lehigh and Lafayette are finally strong football programs again at the same time. When there is a lot at stake for both programs with a bright future, more of the local fans will experience the Rivalry. The Rivalry had suffered as Lafayette’s future prospects dimmed, then Lehigh’s. Now that both teams look competitive for current and future titles, the Game got bigger.

And there is something about this Lehigh story that is very attractive to casual Mountain Hawk fans – it’s unexpected nature. Picked next to last on the playground, and now playing for a championship.

I cannot emphasize enough how atypical this has been for Lehigh over the years – even in the first years of the Patriot League, Lehigh was a dominant or up-and-coming force for league titles. I think this may have been the first time Lehigh was ever picked to finish lower than fifth going into the season.

It makes for compelling drama. The eyes of the college football world should be trained to the Lehigh Valley and ESPN+ this weekend if they want a glimpse into the soul of the sport. For those that matter, it should be a little bit of history repeating.

LAFAYETTE LEOPARDS (6-5, 2-3 Patriot) AT LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (7-3, 4-1 Patriot)
WHERE: Murray Goodman Stadium/Bethlehem, PA, Saturday, November 23rd, Noon
STREAMING: ESPN+(Lehigh Feed) and ESPN+ (Lafayette Feed)
TV CREW: PxP – Marco Socci; Analyst – Mike Yadush
RADIO: BROADCAST (Fox Sports Lehigh Valley 94.7 FM/1230 AM; LVFoxSports.com):
RADIO CREW: PxP – Matt Kerr; Analysts – Jim Guzzo, Connor Brown

LFN’s Drink of the Week

I looked up Dame Shirley Bassey and Breakfast cocktails on Google. Amazingly, there is one: a pink champagne cocktail that celebrates her birthday – perfect for the ladies for Rivalry morning. And thus, it becomes my “Drink of the Week” for Rivalry Week.

• 1 Vodka
• 1 part lemon juice
• 1 part raspberry puree
• 1 part Yellow chartreuse
• 1 tsp honey
• 3 parts champagne

(Sub in orange juice for the raspberry puree and honey (that’s my plan) if drinking a pink champagne cocktail isn’t your idea of breakfast.)

Breaking Down Lafayette

Last year’s Leopards were a revelation in their 2023 title run, and for sure there were flashes in 2024 from some of those same stars on offense, notably RB Jamar Curtis, QB Dean DiNoble and WR Chris Carasia. This will come as no surprise to Lehigh that this same trio of skill players still are very talented and, on their day, scary.

Curtis (1,008 yards rushing, 15 TDs) ran for over 100 yards six times this season already, and probably would have done so against Marist and Stonehill, too, had the Leopards not been deeply in the lead at the time. That he’s doing so while teams have been laser-focused on him is a credit to the Lafayette offense. He’s a workhorse in the backfield and the team tends to lean on him. He’s the superstar on offense that Lehigh will need to contain.

When that run gets established, that’s when DINoble’s play-action and read-option ability comes into play. When Lafayette is firing on all cylinders, DiNoble (2,246 yard passing, 16 TDs, 11 INTs) is brutally efficient, converting 3rd and 4th downs to guys like Carasia (452 yards, 6 TDs) and TE Dallas Holmes (84 yards, 3 TDs). Overall Lafayette spreads the field, and DiNoble, last season’s Lehigh/Lafayette MVP, does that extremely well.

Where Lafayette has fallen back to the pack somewhat is defensively. The aggressive defensive front that was led by DL Billy Schaefer last season has made fewer sacks and put less pressure on opposing quarterbacks, though DE Tim O’Hearn (44 tackles, 3 sacks) and LB Preston Forney (54 tackles, 4 1/2 tackles for loss) do return from last season. DB Saiku White (76 tackles, 3 INTs) is also a big worry in the secondary.

I think what’s most notable about Forney, O’Hearn and White is that they are all seniors, and I’ve found over time that The Rivalry can see seniors stand on their heads in their final game. White, O’Hearn and Forney in particular are very worrisome on that note because they are seniors and have proven themselves as having a very high ceiling.

LFN’s Keys to the Game

1. QB Runs. Lehigh’s run game in 2024 has been stellar, but they have hardly been one-dimensional. RB Luke Yoder and RB Jaden Green should get their cracks, but I’d like to make sure QB Hayden Johnson, QB Dante Perri and even QB Matt Machalik get a good number of rollout, first- or second-option run plays. I think that will be critical in getting Lehigh’s run game going.
2. Containing Curtis. Lafayette’s offense is better when Curtis’ running is established, and if Lehigh’s staunch run defense can hold him to, say, 50 yards from scrimmage, I love their chances.
3. Win Special Teams By A Large Margin. In the tale of the tape, Lehigh’s special teams units, especially in the kicking game with P Connor Poole and PK Nick Garrido, really stand out. Along with solid performance through the season, if Lehigh can win this part of the game, they will have an excellent chance.

Fearless Prediction

Contrary to what people might think, I am not by nature an optimist. As the biggest Lehigh fan you know, I approach this game thinking about what could go wrong.

My concerns would center around turnovers and young players not living up to the Championship moment. It’s their first Rivalry and their first exposure to a crazy week and a game that is unlike any other they’ve probably experienced. Until they’ve experienced it, you won’t know.

Yet there seems to be something different about this team. It’s one thing to talk about being all business and taking things seriously and actually doing it. Especially at home, the 2024 Mountain Hawks have been formidable opponents, especially when late October rolled around and they needed to keep winning to be in this position. Not perfect – but formidable.

The Rivalry is a crazy game. Crazy things happen. But I think this Saturday, it might be a case of Lehigh history repeating. In this case, good Lehigh history.

Lehigh 41, Lafayette 20