Press Links, Stunt Men And... Sledgehammers

(Photo courtesy of The Morning Call)

I actually remember a day when Lehigh coverage on the internet was simply one or two articles that you couldn't read without a subscription to the newspaper. Now, print is not even enough to contain all of it: Lehigh coverage has gone into audio and even video.

Start with the official Lehigh recap of the game on Lehighsports.com, which includes video of the postgame. It's worth it simply to see the sledgehammer, which now will be featuring Villanova on it, the postgame analysis by TV announcers Mike Zambelli and Mike Yadush ('93) and to see junior OL Ben Harden stealing valuable camera time from coach Coen.

Senior RB Matt McGowan: "It felt great. I finally came back and I'm back to full strength, and I finally got a chance to show everybody what I could do. It felt great to finally get a win here in the opener."

Then there's the iTunes podcast of the Lehigh post-game press conference...

Intrepid Reporter: Sekou, what does it say on your shoes?

Senior WR Sekou "Stunt Man" Yansane: It says "Stunt Man", it's a nickname I got given to me by the coaches. I've made a lot of diving catches in the past and the coaches gave me the name, and they dubbed me the name "stunt man". A lot of times catches I've made have been diving catches, and coaches have been preaching to me to stay on my feet... [On the TD reception] I saw the ball in the air and I knew I was coming close to the sideline. I could have easily dived to the ball to catch it and go down, but I just wanted to focus on the catch and get yards after the catch.

Haven't had enough yet? The Easton Express-Times occasionally has audio interviews with coach Coen - they had one from the press luncheon before the Drake game. This time, there wasn't for the postgame press conference, but there was the official write-up of the game by Michael Lore:

Express-Times: Defense Carries Hawks in Win

"It was important for us to come out and practice what we've been preaching -- be physical, have fun and I thought the kids played pretty inspired football today in conditions where it's not easy to keep your focus," head coach Andy Coen said. "We can build on a lot of things that happened today."

And don't forget important notes in the Express-Times leftovers:

Sophomore RB Jaren Walker was helped off the field with an apparent ankle injury in the final minutes of the game. Coach Andy Coen said Walker's status was unknown.

And I haven't even broken into the links from Keith Groller of the Morning Call:

Lehigh Just Ducky in Win over Drake

''I was so excited with both of those touchdown passes,'' sophomore QB J.B. Clark said. ''I had a lot of relatives here and to get off to a start like that felt great.

J.B Clark thought he left Hurricane-type weather behind in Florida.

''But it seemed to follow me up here,'' Lehigh University's new starting quarterback said. ''On days like this, you've just got to do what you've got to do.''

''I guess I was making up for last season,'' McGowan, a senior, said. ''It felt great to get back out there and play after missing so much time. I've played a lot of games in the rain, both in high school and here. [Coen] said it was going to rain and prepared me. He said I could be the workhorse.''

Win Over Drake Important for Lehigh

''It was an important game,'' coach Andy Coen said. ''It was important for us to come out and practice what we've been preaching. We had some fun, we were flying around and playing inspired football in conditions where it was not always easy to keep your focus. We can build on a lot of things that happened.''

''I was pleased,'' Coen said. ''We had seven guys trying to block nine or 10 guys. But they fought their butts off, gave great effort and Matt [McGowan] nearly turned several 10-yard gains into 60 yards. That will happen on another day. We like to pull with our linemen and it was tough for those to make quick turns on a sloppy track.''

Groller's Corner: Lehigh Offered Bright Spots on Gloomy Day

Perhaps the biggest negative of the day was simply that the rain kept the fans away and Lehigh has just five home games this season and Lafayette -- with a guaranteed sellout -- is not one of them. I am not sure how much the athletic program is dependent on revenue from football to fund the other teams, but what could have been a nice day at the gate turned into a dismal one because there were certainly no walk-up sales.

The paid crowd was 4,706, but perhaps you could take the 4 off that total to show what was actually inside the stadium.

And the Brown & White:

Football Team Defeats Drake in Rainy Lehigh Opener

Senior TE Troy Healion said he was pleased with the team's performance in the tough environment that both teams had to face.

"We did well considering the conditions," Healion said. "J.B. [Clark] handled the ball great despite the wind and heavy rain."

All-American Jackson Ready for Senior Season

Senior DL Brian Jackson said he will not allow his preseason honors to distract him during the season.

"I am going to play my game," he said. "The only thing is that opposing teams will double and triple team me, attention will come my way, so our team has to exploit that."

Jackson said he is counting on Lehigh fans to show their support this season.

"We want fans to come to our games because we will entertain everybody," he said. "We don't care how the fans show up, but we want some crazy fans."

And did I mention the photo galleries on the official Lehigh site and on the Facebook page for Lehigh Football Nation?

Brian, trust me: you have a lot of crazy fans.