But that hasn't stopped the local press from churning out a host of different articles about the big Patriot League clash between Lehigh and Colgate this weekend.
Even the relatively silent media around Utica took notice - with an actual written postgame story, and an actual quote from a Colgate player who played in the game.
Who said gumshoe reporting is dying north of Binghamton and east of Buffalo?
Brown & White: Students Evacuate While Campus Faces Power Outages
Because of recent power outages, Lehigh students were evacuated from all on-campus residences without power to either Broadhead House and Windish Hall this past Sunday, Oct. 30. Classes have been canceled for today, Tuesday, Nov. 1 and tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 2.
“We were definitely surprised the power went out, but I think the worst part was that our generators and emergency lights didn’t work,” said Breanne Kacer, ’13.
Rauch Business Center was one of few buildings that retained power during the campus-wide outages that resulted after the snow storm on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Students seeking refuge were relocated to Broadhead House and Windish Hall until power is restored to campus.
According to Guliz Uncu, ’12, a gryphon in Campus Square, who has been staying in the evacuation centers, students and faculty do not know when power will be restored to campus. Even after power is restored to campus buildings, students must wait eight to 12 hours before returning to their rooms. PPL Electric workers will be coming to campus once power is turned on in order to perform room checks to ensure the safety of the students, Uncu said.
Official Release: Barket's big day powers No. 6/7 Lehigh past Colgate, 45-25
“Any time you can win a game up here it’s impressive,” said Lehigh head coach Andy Coen. “Our kids played well. Colgate played well on offense. They did a nice job keeping our guys off balance, but we made stops when we had to.
"Offensively we were pretty seamless in the second half. On our first four drives we scored three touchdowns and a field goal. Chris (Lum) did not have crazy numbers throwing the ball but you had to be impressed with the running game."
Coen concluded, “We were very efficient throwing the ball. Today was another day with close to 500 yards of total offense and 45 points so I’m very pleased with that.”
“We made mistakes that hurt ourselves at times,” Coen said of the penalties that prolonged Raider drives. Lehigh was penalized six times for 84 yards on day. “That’s something we have to be on guard for, but we get to be at Goodman Stadium for the month of November.”
Morning Call (subscription required): Lehigh offense stays grounded in 45-25 win over Colgate
Express-Times: Lehigh Defeats Colgate, 45-25
The Schuylkill Haven Area High School graduate thrives on cold, dreary days and proved so again in the No. 6 Mountain Hawks’ 45-25 Patriot League win over Colgate University on a chilly afternoon at Andy Kerr Stadium.
Senior RB Zach "The Bracket Buster" Barket had a career game rushing for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, while adding two receptions for 36 yards with another two scores.
“This is typical coal region weather,” Barket said. “It feels like another Friday night in the coal region. I like to think I get stronger as the game goes on and this was kind of my environment today and it worked out for me.”
Barket didn't know he'd get the ball so much.
"As usual, I thought we'd pass the ball a lot, but my number was called and I tried to make the most of my opportunities," Barket said. "You can't stop everything. We have a great passing game, but if you try to stop it, we can also run the ball. I think we proved that today.
"We have a lot of guys who can play really good football," Barket said. "We have people who aren't afraid to step up as well. The offensive line did a really good job today and I think they really established themselves as a factor in a game and that we can run the ball. That was big for us and it’s going to make teams a little more honest against the run. Junior TE Jamel Haggins had a great game today and senior QB Chris Lum does just a great job of putting us all in a position to succeed. He does a great job of managing this offense."
Scuffling through an uncharacteristic 4-5 season, including an 0-3 mark in the Patriot League, the Raiders played with a lot of emotion. They refused to back down, scoring a pair of second-half touchdowns to get within 31-25 with 14 minutes left.
But the Mountain Hawks didn't flinch when challenged.
They responded with a 12-play, 66-yard gem of a drive that was capped by Lum's 14-yard TD pass to a wide-open Barket, who standing alone in the left flat after Lum had rolled right.
"This is one of the toughest places to play and we went punch-for-punch with them," Barket said. "For the most part of the game, this was a dogfight and we hadn't been in one of those in awhile. It was nice to be in a game like this rather than standing on the sidelines for most of the fourth quarter."
While the offense scored on all four second-half possessions (three TDs, one FG), the defense buckled down forcing Colgate to turn the ball over on downs with 5:34 left and seeing senior SS Jon Littlejohn intercept QB Gavin McCarney (18 of 28 for 204, two TDs, one INT) to seal it.
“(The win) gives us a lot of momentum,” said junior LB Billy Boyko, who was second on the team with 13 tackles. “We won going into the bye week, had a few weeks off to rest, and to keep on rolling is a good feeling.
“It was our opportunity and we had to rise up and show the world what we were about. It’s one of our best seasons and we have to keep rolling with it.”Morning Call (subscription required): Lehigh's Offense Doesn't Need a Timeout
Morning Call (subscription required): Rodruguez Happy About Lehigh/Colgate Color Gig
Lehigh discovered on Saturday that there's one thing that can slow down its high-flying offense.
TV timeouts.
Having its game with Colgate televised nationally by the CBS Sports Network was ultimately a good thing for Lehigh and all concerned.
But it wasn't necessarily a good thing for those who wanted to escape the biting cold of a late October day in Hamilton, N.Y.
Rich Rodriguez, the former West Virginia and Michigan coach, is now a color analyst for the CBS Sports Network and while Hamilton, N.Y., isn't exactly the type of place where he's used to spending his fall Saturday afternoons, he said he looked forward to analyzing the game between the Mountain Hawks and Raiders.
"I have coached at all different levels of college football and what I learned is that there are good players and good kids everywhere," said Rodriguez, where he worked with veteran play-by-play man Dave Ryan on the noon broadcast. "I am glad CBS is broadcasted this game to show that there are talented players and dedicated and passionate coaches at the FCS level as well as at the big schools."
"There sure were a lot of TV timeouts," coach Andy Coen said after the game.
"The TV timeouts got a little bit old," running back Zach Barket said after gaining a career-high 188 yards on the ground and scoring four touchdowns.
However, if the Mountain Hawks continue on their current course, they will encounter many more TV timeouts.
That's because many games during the FCS national playoffs are also nationally televised.
And no one will mind the TV timeouts if Lehigh is still playing games in December.
"It's great to have the Patriot League in general, and our football program in particular to have this kind of exposure," Coen said. "We have some really talented student-athletes in our league to showcase and I am sure it was a really well-done production. I'm sure it came out great."
The Mountain Hawks not only showed they can score quickly, but they also demonstrated the ability to score slowly with an effective running game spearheaded by Barket, but complemented by wildcat junior QB Mike Colvin, Lum and others.
An offensive line that was as healthy as it has been all season with senior OL Jim Liebler at center, senior OL Troy McKenna and junior OL Mike Vuono at the tackles and Wilson grad sophomore OL Matt Lippincott and senior OL Keith Schauder at the guards had one of its finest performances.
Besides the season-high 268 yards rushing, Lum was sacked just once.
"The offensive line established itself as a factor," Barket said. "We showed we can run the ball and that's going to make teams a little more honest against the run."
Utica Observer-Dispatch: Raiders Can't Stop Lehigh, Lose 45-25
Colgate needed a stop.
The Raiders didn’t get it, and high-powered Lehigh went on to a 45-25 Patriot League football victory Saturday at Andy Kerr Stadium.
“You can’t blame the defense,” said Raiders RB Nate Eachus. “We made mistakes in the first half. I fumbled the ball. We gave a great effort, we got it close, but close isn’t good enough.”
Defense has been a problem most of the season for the Raiders, who also have been hurt by injuries on both sides of the ball. Lehigh, the top offensive team in the nation, averages 490 yards and produced 494 yesterday. In the end, Lum – 21 of 29 for 226 yards and four touchdowns – junior WR Ryan "The Answer" Spadola, Jamel Haggins, and senior WR Jake Drwal, and Barket – 21 carries for 188 yards and two touchdowns – were just too much, although with a couple of first-down killing penalties.
Colgate, with the last hope of somehow winning a title gone, now is left with needing to win its last two games to avoid just the second losing season in Dick Biddle’s 16 seasons as head coach.
“We want to finish with a winning record,” Eachus said. “The last two games are for the seniors.”*****
Worcester Telegram-Gazette: Hoyas, Snowy Conditions, Crumple Crusaders, 19-6
Holy Cross practiced outside in Thursday night's mini storm, readying for whatever elements it might encounter yesterday, but the Crusaders slipped up in an important Patriot League matchup against Georgetown.
The Hoyas rushed for 185 yards on slush-covered Fitton Field, forced five turnovers, held Holy Cross to its least productive offensive output of the season and beat the Crusaders for the second straight year, 19-6.
“It was just a tough day overall,” head coach Tom Gilmore said. “Unfortunately it's been a consistent theme the last few weeks — we're moving the ball at times, but we're just not finishing drives. We're not getting in the end zone.”
QB Ryan Taggart was 21 of 34 for 155 yards and had a 9-yard touchdown run with less than a minute to play.
Behind senior LB C.J. Martin's team-high 11 tackles, Holy Cross held Georgetown to 240 yards of offense, but a pair of first-half field goals and two second-half touchdowns were enough for the Hoyas.
“It goes back to us turning the ball over again,” Taggart said. “You can't win games that way. I don't even know how we won last week with six turnovers. Today it shows what happens when you turn the ball over and we don't play within ourselves.”
“It's not just the offense finishing off drives,” Gilmore said. “It's the defense finishing off (the third-quarter TD) and giving up the late touchdown. A lot of stuff in between was really good. I thought we played well to keep them to six points (in the first half) with four turnovers. “The last two scores were very, very defendable, and we weren't able to do it.”
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