Today's word may as well be "playmaker".
A frustrating season comes to a close with another loss to Lafayette, as this senior class becomes the first class since 1949 to not enjoy a win against the Leopards.
What strikes me the most is that this was a winnable game. Lehigh was leading most of of the way. And there were a lot of things that went right. Senior QB Sedale Threatt played his guts out, as did senior DB Ernest Moore, junior DB Brendan VanAckeren, junior LB Tim Diamond, and others. Offensively, the first half was great for a team that hadn't had a lot of success all year. Lehigh didn't turn over the ball one time. The defense hit hard and never let up on the physical punishment.
Yet after watching this match the old football chestnut is very clear: the game comes down to making plays. And Lafayette made plays and Lehigh didn't down the stretch. The fourth quarter was a microcosm of Lehigh's inability to make the big plays to win football games all year.
Fairly deep in Lafayette territory, up by 3 points, we run the ball three straight times and the Leopards stuffed all three runs up the middle. Lafayette's senior DT Kyle Sprenkle (who I am very glad to see graduate) made plays, stuffing the interior each and every down each time - and we didn't make plays, gaining two yards.
We had a chance to force Lafayette to score a touchdown to beat us. Instead, junior K Jason Leo pushed a FG attempt wide left. Our kicker didn't make a play. A cynic may say "hey, it's only 3 points", but the truth is that three points would have changed the whole dynamic of the game and would have forced a kickoff situation and also forced Lafayette to get a touchdown.
Then Lafayette went on their game-winning drive. The defense made some big hits, and some big plays. But sophomore QB Rob Curley, junior QR Shaun Adair and senior WR Kyle Roeder made the plays that counted. The Lafayette coaching staff put their Leopards in a position to make the plays, and ultimately, they made it on a designed play that was executed to perfection, with Roeder coming from the far side and slanting inwards, using senior WR James Dixon as a smokescreen to draw a cover guy and to slow down Roeder's cover guy - and Dixon and Roeder made a play. Our secondary didn't.
With 3:23 left, there was a chance for Lehigh to make a play to win the game. Countless teams have this year with less time on the clock. But our offense couldn't make the plays necessary to win this type of game. 3rd-and-3. Threatt has some running room, but junior LB Andy Romans fights through his blocker and makes the tackle. Romans? Made the play. The blocker? Didn't. 4th down. Sedale rolls out, and the line gives him no room to run. All he can really do is throw it. The Lafayette "D" line? Made a play. The offense? Didn't.
Four chances to make plays: on offense, defense, and special teams. And all four times our team came up short. And quite simply, that's how you lose football games. That's not only the story of "The Rivalry", it's the story of the 2007 season.
We have a lot of players with individual talent. And this team didn't lose due to one injury, one glaring weakness or one particular breakdown. This team lost from paper cut after paper cut, and by the end of games bleeding to death.
You'll notice that a three of the key playmakers of Lafayette in the game this weekend wee one sophomore and two juniors. They have their playmakers. Fordham? Their playmakers are both sophomores and will be playing next year as well. Colgate? Try junior RB Jordan Scott. Holy Cross? Junior QB Dominic Randolph.
Another long offseason awaits while we figure out how to catch up to these teams.
A frustrating season comes to a close with another loss to Lafayette, as this senior class becomes the first class since 1949 to not enjoy a win against the Leopards.
What strikes me the most is that this was a winnable game. Lehigh was leading most of of the way. And there were a lot of things that went right. Senior QB Sedale Threatt played his guts out, as did senior DB Ernest Moore, junior DB Brendan VanAckeren, junior LB Tim Diamond, and others. Offensively, the first half was great for a team that hadn't had a lot of success all year. Lehigh didn't turn over the ball one time. The defense hit hard and never let up on the physical punishment.
Yet after watching this match the old football chestnut is very clear: the game comes down to making plays. And Lafayette made plays and Lehigh didn't down the stretch. The fourth quarter was a microcosm of Lehigh's inability to make the big plays to win football games all year.
Fairly deep in Lafayette territory, up by 3 points, we run the ball three straight times and the Leopards stuffed all three runs up the middle. Lafayette's senior DT Kyle Sprenkle (who I am very glad to see graduate) made plays, stuffing the interior each and every down each time - and we didn't make plays, gaining two yards.
We had a chance to force Lafayette to score a touchdown to beat us. Instead, junior K Jason Leo pushed a FG attempt wide left. Our kicker didn't make a play. A cynic may say "hey, it's only 3 points", but the truth is that three points would have changed the whole dynamic of the game and would have forced a kickoff situation and also forced Lafayette to get a touchdown.
Then Lafayette went on their game-winning drive. The defense made some big hits, and some big plays. But sophomore QB Rob Curley, junior QR Shaun Adair and senior WR Kyle Roeder made the plays that counted. The Lafayette coaching staff put their Leopards in a position to make the plays, and ultimately, they made it on a designed play that was executed to perfection, with Roeder coming from the far side and slanting inwards, using senior WR James Dixon as a smokescreen to draw a cover guy and to slow down Roeder's cover guy - and Dixon and Roeder made a play. Our secondary didn't.
With 3:23 left, there was a chance for Lehigh to make a play to win the game. Countless teams have this year with less time on the clock. But our offense couldn't make the plays necessary to win this type of game. 3rd-and-3. Threatt has some running room, but junior LB Andy Romans fights through his blocker and makes the tackle. Romans? Made the play. The blocker? Didn't. 4th down. Sedale rolls out, and the line gives him no room to run. All he can really do is throw it. The Lafayette "D" line? Made a play. The offense? Didn't.
Four chances to make plays: on offense, defense, and special teams. And all four times our team came up short. And quite simply, that's how you lose football games. That's not only the story of "The Rivalry", it's the story of the 2007 season.
We have a lot of players with individual talent. And this team didn't lose due to one injury, one glaring weakness or one particular breakdown. This team lost from paper cut after paper cut, and by the end of games bleeding to death.
You'll notice that a three of the key playmakers of Lafayette in the game this weekend wee one sophomore and two juniors. They have their playmakers. Fordham? Their playmakers are both sophomores and will be playing next year as well. Colgate? Try junior RB Jordan Scott. Holy Cross? Junior QB Dominic Randolph.
Another long offseason awaits while we figure out how to catch up to these teams.
Comments
I can't be the only LU fan who sees this. We don't match up physically with the big boys on the schedule, which now even includes fellow non-scholarship programs within our league and the Ivies. LU players are smaller, slower and not as strong. We also do not have the depth of teams we play, or the depth of past LU teams duting the successful era (1998 - 2005.
Maybe the whole program was due to suffer a down turn, even with Pete Lembo here....but let's call it like we see it. Pete averaged 8 - 9 wins per year anf the offense managed to lead the league in passing, yardage, points every season. The D was athletic and talented and gave the O a chance. You knew that 21 points would not be enough to beat an LU tean in this era. Tosay, 21 points against us all but guarantees a win for the other side.
Yesterday's game was the season in microcosm, excepting the blow out wins and blow out loss. Five of the six losses were "winnable" games for LU. When you hold the other guys to three TD's, you need to win, simple as that. Offense, I believe is Andy Coen's forte. So far, it's not looking that way from where I sit. Are these players really that bad? If they are, then we need to cut Andy a little slack so he can really recruit four full classes of his people.
But - If the problem is preparation, teaching, game panning, then maybe we have the wrong coach here. Bottom-line - A program that averaged 8 wins a year is now a .500 team.
Please Joe Sterrett --- please do something!
Opposing head coaches manage the game, are interested and get involved in the defense schemes, and motivate their players.
On TV you see our head coach walking the sidelines looking at his play sheet as if there is something there that would be different then the beginning of the game, when there is a defensive huddle he is still starring at his play sheet instead of at least trying to motivate his players or giving advise to the D coordinator and when the offense is off the field he is still starring at his play sheet instead of meeting with the offense and trying to motivate them.
He needs to either find someone to call the plays (becuase he has proven he is no offensive "second coming" time and time again) so he can manage the game or send him on his way!
These kids played there hearts out yesterday and being on the field after the game with them and coaches you could feel their pain... Not since I was playing, has a loss actually hurt me..
The players and the coaches will learn from yesterdays loss... They will take those lessons into the off season and push to move forward next year...
Holy cross was down and out when Gilmore took over. Give Coen another year
Before you can crucify Coen, there is time needed for his kids to play... Next year is a the real first season of that.. His guys will be Juniors & sophs and hopefully ready to make an impact....
As a former player, I know that being fired up for a game has nothing to do with coaching... Coaches prepare you for the game, if you need a coach to get you fired up for a game so that you aren't flat then you need to look in the mirror because you are playing the wrong sport... Not one game I played at Lehigh did I look for Small, Hiigins, or any of my coaches to fire me up... That's the player's job...
Coen has made strides since he has been there and hopefully this off season they will continue to progress... All of these losses to Lafayette need to end...
Does this sound familiar?
1) One early touchdown and then the offense shuts down ( I know we scored a second one with assistance from a pass interference call as a make good for a brutal one against us as Lafayette scored its second TD, a 15 yard penalty for hitting Sedale out of bounds and a 40 yard screen pass which was something made from nothing.)
2) The bogging down once we get around the 20.
3) All season if the defense faced 3rd and 3, it was better than 3rd and 9. Our secondary was horrible all year without any adjustments.
4) No blitzing at all (only two I can recall, a sack and incomplete), the Lafayette Quarterback had all the time in the world.
5) Placing the entire burden of the game on a young man with a rotator cuff injury which meant, yet again, no adjustments again for the season.
6) A long drive that gets too conservative at the end and does not net points. The last run put the ball in the left hashmark where Leo (he’s fine but this is his Achilles heal) has missed all year. If he makes it we lose 21-20.
This is two years of no adjustments, flat halves and/or quarters, leaky secondary, baffling red zone calling. I suppose it doesn’t matter when our school president is ready to ban the traditional bonfire due to environmental concerns and a study is commissioned to check this out. As stated earlier on this board we have gone from John Cooper-Pete Lembo (can’t beat Michigan, can’t beat Lafayette) to Norm Turner-Andy Coen (good offensive coordinatior – not so good head coach.) I am surprised Kotulski hasn’t done better. He had a good track record. If changes are not made, I expect the same as this year except the downward spiral will continue. After Lafayette scored the go ahead touchdown with a few minutes left, even the most loyal of Lehigh fans were getting up to leave. A quarterback with a rotator cuff injury is going to drive a team the length of the field? The game was over to most fans after seeing the performances of the last two years.
The run on 3rd and nine proved he coaches not to lose instead of coaching to win.
How are the players responding to this frustrating season? What are they doing to improve their outlook? Is there dissension among the ranks (which I suspect) and is it directed toward the coaches? Or do we just have some disgruntled holdovers from a previous coaching regime who are graduating anyway?
Meanwhile, to add my two cents to the thread, I think Andy needs a new offensive coordinator, someone to teach the receivers how to run patterns so they can get open, and eliminate the indecision on the sideline about play-calling.
As for Coen firing them up, we won Lehigh's first Patriot League championship with Re-Born Christian Hank Small as our head coach... There wasn't a bone in his body that knew how to motivate a player... And he didn't need to because players get themselves fired up on game... Players don't need a cheerleader coach to get them fired up... Not once during my career at Lehigh did I need a coach to get me fired up... If you know anything about college football you would see that... Leaving the jumping around for the cheerleaders....
As for kids quitting being a sign, that has nothing to do COen or his staff... It would have more to do with guys seeing the writing on the wall about their playing time, things get too tough for them, etc..