Brian Jackson Is MVP of The 144th (According to Readers)

While Lehigh's men's basketball's 77-64 loss to St. Joe's yesterday was no moral victory, it does bring back into focus the big victory from before Thanksgiving: Lehigh's win in the 144th meeting between Lehigh and Lafayette. And you, the readers of the blog, have spoken.

According to you, the MVP of the 144th is none other than senior DL Brian Jackson. In the biggest game of the year, he came up with his best day as a Mountain Hawk: 8 tackles with 3 1/2 sacks for 19 yards lost. His pass rush - against, mind you, a powerful Leopard "O" line - was a key reason that Lafayette's offense never got on track against us. His final game as a Mountain Hawk is one that definitely deserves the honors bestowed upon him by you, the readers.

Game balls for the 144th:

Reader's Choice: Senior DL Brian Jackson

Offense: (tie) Sophomore QB J.B. Clark (12/22 passing, 201 yards, 2 TDs), senior WR Sekou Yansane (3 catches, 56 yards, including one ESPN SportsCenter highlight catch) and senior WR Mike "Cris Carter" Fitzgerald (5 catches, 101 yards, 1 TD)

Defense: (tie) Senior LB Tim Diamond (11 tackles, putting him at over 100 on the year), senior DB Brendan VanAckeren (9 tackles) and senior DB Quadir Carter (8 tackles)

Special Teams: (tie) Senior P/K Jason Leo (7 punts for 42.9 yard average, including a 59 yarder plus a 40 ayrd FG) and sophomore KR/DB John "Fear Itself" Kennedy (72 yards of kickoff returns - plus the game-sealing interception return for a TD)

Congratulations to all the winners... and look for a vote tomorrow for "Hawks of the Year".

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