Lehigh put another listless performance today in falling 21-7 to rival Colgate this weekend. It was not pleasant to watch, although it seemed to start out well. After the defense did a good job forcing the punt, the Mountain Hawks had an impressive drive, subbing in sophomore QB Chris Bokosky and senior QB Sedale Threatt, with Threatt actually catching a pass and getting some tough runs including a touchdown. Freshman RB Jaren Walker also had some very impressive runs too, getting tough yards to the outside.
But then, not much went right.
After Colgate drove to a touchdown off a 34 yard pass to a wide-open Pat Simonds, freshman WR John Kennedy had a fantastic return, and a blocker with only the kicker to beat. But the blocker fell asleep to let the kicker make the play to stop Kennedy from finding the end zone. A play that could have truly shifted the momentum back to Lehigh was completely foiled by an inexcusable mental error - and two plays later, a fumbled QB-to-RB exchange gave the ball back to Colgate with 0 points.
The numbers weren't all bad - Lehigh actually outgained Colgate - but Lehigh could not overcome 5 turnovers, a botched FG attempt, 1-for-8 on third down conversions, and 1-for-5 on fourth down conversions. The third down conversion came on the first drive of the game, while the fourth-down conversion came on a fake punt. Of the 19 first-downs Lehigh got, 3 were handed to us on penalties, and one came on the fake punt.
Turnovers. Mental errors. A listless performance. Sound familiar? Superstar Colgate RB Jordan Scott didn't need to score any touchdowns the way this team played.
I could live with a loss if I felt like the team was learning valuable lessons as to discovering how to beat Lafayette and to win a championship next year. But I don't think that's what's happening. What did the team learn after today? Tackle the kicker if your guy is ready to make a break for the end zone? Don't throw interceptions? Don't take probably your second-biggest league rival for granted?
Again I'm asking: where's the fight in this team?
But then, not much went right.
After Colgate drove to a touchdown off a 34 yard pass to a wide-open Pat Simonds, freshman WR John Kennedy had a fantastic return, and a blocker with only the kicker to beat. But the blocker fell asleep to let the kicker make the play to stop Kennedy from finding the end zone. A play that could have truly shifted the momentum back to Lehigh was completely foiled by an inexcusable mental error - and two plays later, a fumbled QB-to-RB exchange gave the ball back to Colgate with 0 points.
The numbers weren't all bad - Lehigh actually outgained Colgate - but Lehigh could not overcome 5 turnovers, a botched FG attempt, 1-for-8 on third down conversions, and 1-for-5 on fourth down conversions. The third down conversion came on the first drive of the game, while the fourth-down conversion came on a fake punt. Of the 19 first-downs Lehigh got, 3 were handed to us on penalties, and one came on the fake punt.
Turnovers. Mental errors. A listless performance. Sound familiar? Superstar Colgate RB Jordan Scott didn't need to score any touchdowns the way this team played.
I could live with a loss if I felt like the team was learning valuable lessons as to discovering how to beat Lafayette and to win a championship next year. But I don't think that's what's happening. What did the team learn after today? Tackle the kicker if your guy is ready to make a break for the end zone? Don't throw interceptions? Don't take probably your second-biggest league rival for granted?
Again I'm asking: where's the fight in this team?
Comments
--Ngineer
FACT- As far as doing this (two-headed QB thing) - a team that tells you they have two good QBs and plays them both is really saying "we have no QBs".
FACT - Yesterday's game was winnable, as were all loses this year, except for HC debacle. The defense plays well for the most part, and let's face it - under normal Lehigh conditions, 21 points should not be too much for the offense to overcome. This offense shows no resemblence to any Lehigh offense we have seen since the mid-nineties, and may I point our, that "genius" Kevin Higgins was in charge then.
FACT- We will beat Bucknell, then lose to LC at home, making it four straight.
Let's only hope that Coach Coen can entice some athletes to Lehigh, maybe even a transfer or two, particularly on offense. Against the bigger teams, the offense needs to be bigger (line) and we need a QB. This is the worst QB situation since they had that Dieruff kid Brown way back when. Can Andy recruit better? Let's pray.
The team is divided under coach coen, major changes need to be made.
Sitting in the stands, I sense problems among the players. I see it in their faces, how they stand, how they move to/from the field. Little interaction, no love, no spirit. In short, I don't see a team out there.
Although this might be a coaching issue, I'm not yet convinced that it is. Perhaps it's just bad chemistry among the players.
Hope Andy and staff can sort it out in the off-season. If not, this program is heading downhill for quite a while.