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The great escape: Lehigh 28, VMI 26

We should have lost this game.

VMI would have deserved the win, too.

Don't get me wrong, I'm quite happy - relieved? - with Julian Austin's game-saving interception with time expiring. But the Mountain Hawks did not play well at all. So many penalties - some which extended key Keydet drives - were killers. The interception return for a TD.

This game is a huge wake-up call. There's no sleeping against anyone on our schedule. VMI was 0-11 last year? You had better throw that out, or you're going to get your butt handed to you.

VMI was hard-working and never gave up. We gave them opportunities to beat us, and they should have. We simply got lucky to escape with the win.

Defensively, we have to get better. I haven't seen any stats, but VMI in the first have was moving at will against our "D" in the first half. Up 28-13, we couldn't stop the Keydets and allowed them to score making it a 1-score game. Top 25 teams don't do that against VMI.

I am releived, concerned, and frustrated with this win. Next week againt Harvard, we make these mistakes, we're dead. Dead.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Actually the defense stopped VMI twice when the score was 28-13, but we fumbled punts twice when a Lehigh blocker collided with Petrosky twice.

A team of this caliber should not make the kind of repeated mistakes it did today. Two straight procedure penalties for a lineman lining up in the back field, offside on a punt by VMI and perhaps the worst series of offensive plays in Lehigh history at the start of a second half. Fumbled hand off, followed by two bad snaps to Borda in the shotgun, followed by a near bad snap on the punt.

Not a very good use of the bye week if this is the type of execution is the result.
7:55 PM
Anonymous said…
Oh well, maybe we should have lost today, but we sure as hell should have won easily over Delaware 2 weeks ago! I'LL TAKE THE WIN!!!! Now, at 2-1 we can get it together and end Harvard's win streak next week! AND THEN CONTINUE "THE MISSION".
10:40 PM
Anonymous said…
Not a good pattern of 'playing down' to your opponent. The mental sharpness was not there. You don't make the kind of mistakes they made today when you are mentally sharp and take your opponent seriously. Too many people believe what they read. VMI was not as bad as everyone thought they'd be--with 20+seniors one would expect a seasoned group trying to salvage their career on homecoming. Lehigh was not prepared. However, I suspect the focus will return for Harvard. It better, otherwise we lose by four scores. Another pattern that was bothersome. In the third quarter up 28-13 Lehigh should have taken the game by the throat--just like they should have done at Delaware. This team has to learn to finish. Hopefully this was a wakeup call.
-Ngineer
10:47 PM
Anonymous said…
Wow you Lehigh guys have a really great blog site here. I'm a Harvard Alum just scouting up the competition. Looks like it's gonna be a great match next week! Hope to see a bunch of you in Cambridge & may the best team win...
3:53 AM
Anonymous said…
The season is stll relatively young. I suspect that in time the staff will make the necessary adjustments to make the playoffs. A win is a win is a win. With regards to the flurry of penalties, the Mountain Hawks have great depth. There are a host of younger players behind the starters that are hungry. If players aren't doing their jobs, the coaches will find someone else on the roster that will. Lets read the comments in late November, my suspicions are that we'll be talking about another Patriot league championship and a date with destiny.
7:11 AM
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