Lehigh Football Nation

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 footb

The next time you'll be hearing from me, the 143rd will (incredibly) be over and I'll be talking about it here on the blog. For my Patriot League picks, mosey on over to the College Sporting News where you can get picks of the other Patriot League games for tomorrow (umm, there are other games?). Morning Call: Hawks/Pards Get Plenty Of Coverage Morning Call: Lehigh Picturing Different Outcome Morning Call: Victory over Bucknell Gives Lehigh Momentum Morning Call: Lehigh's First Lambert Cup Express-Times: Moore A Genuine Lafayette Hater Express-Times: History On Lehigh's Side Brown & White: Special "The Rivalry" Section

It's JUST about beating Lafayette. Kinda like saying, it's JUST about breathing. Sure, you can say that the 143rd meeting isn't about a Patriot League championship. You could also say it's about a winning season or positive momentum going into next year, and it is those things as well. But when you cut out the history, "the Hate", and everything else. you're left with the simple truth: it's JUST about beating Lafayette. It's about giving the seniors their first-ever taste of a win over the Leopards. It's about finally not having to hear it from that friend or co-worker that Lafayette is better. 2005. The feeling of a win over the Leopards that will mean 364 days of thinking that we are better . Let's get it on. Game Notes & Weather Report The first order of business is the depth chart at runningback, our M*A*S*H unit. The starters listed are freshman RB Jaren Walker and freshman RB Kwesi Kankam , although junior RB Josh Pastore is rumo

(Photo Credit: Brown & White) The picture to the left certainly isn't politically correct. It's raw. It's irreverent. And it sums up the feelings between these two schools perfectly. Oddly enough, this tails into a tradition at Lehigh and Lafayette where fraternities and houses hang banners celebrating the game to come. Why is it that we hate what we most resemble? It's not unique to Lehigh and "that school from Easton": Harvard and Yale are both schools with global academic brands that are more similar than different. Army and Navy detest each other, but both share in that armed forces life and face the same challenges as institutions. Demographically, Lehigh and "that school from Easton" are very similar: most of their students come from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. They are schools that are known for their hard-studying, hard-partying attitudes - and have had rocky relationships with the towns that host them in Bethlehem and Easton. Yet

"The Rivalry" is more than just a Lehigh Valley game that is sold out. For those of you that are going to be attending one of the telecast parties from all around the country , those of you who are going to be catching "The Rivalry" on Channel 69 or on LehighSports.Com , those of you who will be seeing it for the first time in person, or those of you who are grizzled veterans approaching the coveted "50 Game Club", before trying to tackle the emotional side of things it's helpful to get your mind around the numbers of times Lehigh and "that school from Easton" have played each other over the years. The raw numbers about "The Rivalry" are only a Wikipedia click away. No two football teams have faced each other as often as Lehigh and Lafayette have. They've met each other 142 times, with the 143rd meeting occurring in a sold-out Murray Goodman stadium this Saturday. Other rivalries pale in comparison: Harvard/Yale (a mere 123

(Photo Credit: Pete Shaheen, Morning Call) It's "Rivalry Week", where the buildup for Lehigh/Lafayette starts to build to a fever pitch. It also gives Lehigh fans a chance to think about past wrongs in "The Rivalry" (for example, in this picture to the right, how was a facemask penalty not called?). But there is unfinished business that needs to be taken care of in terms of closing out the Bucknell game and going "around the horn", sort of, one more time. Around The Horn As one at-large team for the FCS playoffs (realistically) fades from view, another emerges. Colgate's 45-12 win over Georgetown puts the Raiders at 7-3 and, quite possibly, in lone for a possible at-large playoff berth if they beat Holy Cross this weekend and get some help. Junior RB Jordan Scott had over 100 yards rushing, and sophomore WR Pat Simonds and senior WR Erik Burke both had 100 yards receiving. Senior RB J.J. Bennett was taken off the field in a stretcher as

If you're coming to this site, you're probably already aware that next weekend is going to be the 143rd meeting of the most-played rivalry in all of football. Whatever you call it, "The Rivalry", "The Game", "Lehigh/Lafayette", "Lafayette/Lehigh" - it's a huge deal. It's also the last game of the season, and in a year when Patriot League titles and possible playoff bids are not on the line, it's a day to honor the seniors who gave their body parts up for the honor of playing some football at Lehigh. Having them come out with a win - especially for the long-suffering seniors of this year who have not enjoyed the taste of a win over "that school in Easton" - would be very sweet. But as a Lehigh fan, I also look at next year as well. Getting a win over Lafayette would end up being a salve on what could be considered a tumultuous season. It's been a season filled with some intrigue, a nightmarish run of injuries,