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Last season, Lehigh finished with a 5-7 record. In both wins and losses, it felt like almost every game ended in a shootout – for example, a 54-35 win over Georgetown, or a 65-47 loss to Penn. So when Lehigh beat St. Francis 21-19 Saturday at Murray Goodman, it was a type of victory that.
It was supposed to be a party for Lehigh running back Dominick Bragalone, but as St. Francis (PA) kicker Eric Bofenkamp lined up for a 30 yard field goal try, it certainly didn’t feel like one. Bragalone broke the school record for rushing yardage with his 137 yard, 3 TD performance, along the way also.
The Lehigh Mountain Hawks secured a win over their bitter Rivals Lafayette, won a share of the Patriot League Championship, and won the league’s autoqualifier for the FCS playoffs, putting them in the postseason for the second straight season. Sounds like a terrific year? Not exactly. The St. Francis (PA) Red Flash had started out.
Top 10 Twitter Highlights With 1:12 to play and the Lions trailing by three points, wide receiver Ronald Smith caught a pass from quarterback Anders Hill and raced 63 yards down the middle of the field for the game winning touchdown as Columbia defeated Princeton 28-24 Saturday at Powers Field at Princeton Stadium. The victory.
CSJ’s Predicted Order of finish: 1. Duquesne 2. Saint Francis (PA) 3. Wagner 4. Bryant 5. Sacred Heart 6. Central Connecticut State 7. Robert Morris Duquesne Fearless Prediction: The NEC preseason poll has the Dukes at No. 1, and for good reason: they’re hungry after missing out last season for the NEC title and FCS.
If you followed the NEC last season, you were treated to the exploits of some fantastic players that will be ending up in the camps of NFL teams this summer. Guys like St. Francis (PA)’s Lorenzo Jerome and Duquesne’s Christian Kuntz were well-known around FCS Nation. But championships are not only won with those guys.
St. Francis (PA) Red Flash Head Coach: Chris Villareal, 6th season (24-41) Biggest strength in 2016: The theme of the 2015 Red Flash season had to be defense (almost) wins championships. With one of the top-rated defenses in FCS, St. Francis had a season to remember, securing their first winning season since 1992 and coming.
Here at CSJ, we are previewing the upcoming 2016 season, and we are counting up from 7 to 1 as to who we think how NEC football will shake itself out. Last season saw Duquesne win their first-ever NEC title, and saw them rewarded with a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia in the FCS playoffs to face.
