Lehigh At Colgate Media Pack (w/ Video): Looking For Positives

"We're looking for positives," Steve Degler of Lehigh Sports Central said several times.

And coach Andy Coen did mention a few positive things, like the play of junior RB Dominick Bragalone, and the improved play of Lehigh's defense.

But he also mentioned how important it was to "educate his players" about the rivalry Lehigh has with Colgate as well - how playing up in Hamilton is never easy and this game is a rivalry game.

"Next to the Lafayette rivalry, I look to Colgate next," Andy said.  "We have to educate our young players that this rivalry is a very, very tough one, and I know Colgate view themselves as the toughest guys going, and we need to prove they are tougher than they are."

Weekly Game Previews

Lehigh Sports Central



WFMZ Preview (Cowbell)

The @LehighFootball team knows a good @PatriotLeague run can ease the pain from its slow start. Dave Lesko reports.https://t.co/PMJKJtg2Ar

— WFMZ-TV 69 Sports (@69Sports) October 4, 2017

The experts pick who they think will be winning this weekend: 

Lehigh 34, Colgate 26: LFN's Game Breakdown and Fearless Prediction
Colgate 41,Lehigh 31: Keith Groller, The Morning Call
Colgate 44, Lehigh 24: Brad Wilson's "Wild Guess", Lehigh Valley Live
Colgate 37, Lehigh 24: The FCS Wedge

LFN Lehigh At Colgate Game Preview: Will Ignition Happen In Hamilton?

Sometimes, the lawnmower engine you've pull-started five times finally gets up and running after the sixth time you've pulled the recoil starter handle - the gas igniting, the smoke billowing, the engine humming.

And other times, after you pull the recoil starter handle, you hear the parts stirring, something in there wanting to fire, but it doesn't.  Something's amiss - some debris, something out of tune - but the upshot is, ignition doesn't happen.

This is the place where Lehigh football is right now.

The lawnmower that is Lehigh football has ignited - a little.  The engine has had power, and created a whole lot of smoke.  But in the end, each time the system has returned to rest, unable to use the power to get the job done and achieve a single victory.  Things are out of tune.

It's not ideal to have to be in a must-ignite moment against, historically, the second-biggest rival on the football schedule, the team against whom so many epic battles have occurred for the Mountain Hawks - many of them which helped determine the Patriot League Championship and FCS Playoff autobid.

And yet, here we are, with the recoil starter handle in hand, hoping that this time, the sixth time, everything is tuned correctly and everything starts firing all at the right time.

The Morning Call: Mountain Hawks staying optimistic, confident entering league opener at Colgate


“We’re in the right spot a lot of times; we just have to finish the play,” sophomore LB Jon Seighman said. “We have to continue to get turnovers and we have to continue to improve because Colgate’s a tough team. They’re going to want to run the ball on us.”

“If we can continue to make the strides we’ve been making and take it one week at a time, we should be all right,” Seighman said. “We’re still confident going into league play.”

Brown and White: Lehigh football ready to move on from 0-5 start in Patriot League opener

“We have to have the mindset that every single game now is a championship game,” senior DE Tyler Cavenas said. “We have to win or we are not guaranteed anything.”

Offensive coordinator Scott Brisson said the team needs to focus on this week’s practice before it can start looking ahead on its schedule.

“Looking ahead creates inconsistency and that is something we need to focus on, we need to take it day-to-day,” Brisson said. “We can absolutely win the league — we just need a fresh start. Starting 5-0 in non-conference play wouldn’t help our ability to win the league either.”

Fifth-year offensive lineman and captain Zach Duffy said the team does not prepare any differently for a rival game.

“We have to go into the game level-headed,” Duffy said. “If we put more effort into one game just because it is a rivalry game, bad things start to happen.”

Weekly Player Highlights

LehighSports.Com: Little Things Provide A Big Payoff (NG Jimmy Mitchell)

Every aspect of a team is integral to the collective success, from starting players to the scout team, video operators and more. Everyone doesn't always get the glamour, but each person has a valuable role.

Jimmy Mitchell certainly understands that concept.

"I've never been a big stat guy. I just focus on consistently doing my job," he said. "Consistently doing the right things is how I got the respect of my teammates, and it's landed me in the position I am today."

Spotlight On: WR Jorge Portorreal