Lehigh Football Nation

(Photo Credit: CCSU Athletics) They had heard it all last week. Why didn't the Lehigh offense put up more points last weekend against Monmouth?  Shouldn't Lehigh have played much less sloppily?  Where was the offense that put up 38 points at Towson last year and swept through Patriot League play? While the Mountain Hawks didn't play the perfect game last Saturday in New Britain, there was enough big plays and ample improvement to demonstrate to the Lehigh faithful that their team more than justifies their placement in the FCS Top 25. After jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead, the Mountain Hawks survived some first-half turnovers to leap out to a 21-0 halftime lead before cruising easily to a 35-14 victory over an outmatched Blue Devil squad. Most encouragingly for Lehigh fans, though, could be the fact that senior QB Michael Colvin recovered from his early turnovers to show, in the second half, why he's the No. 1 quarterback.

We break down the Central Connecticut State game - and we give our fearless prediction, below the flip. Just as I was going to write a nasty-gram about CCSU's penchant for releasing their game notes in the dead of night, their game notes finally did get released, just in time for the breakdown.  With them in hand - plus a huge assist from the New Britain Herald and Hartford Courant , here's my breakdown.

(Photo Credit: ChampionshipSubdivison.com) If there's one thing Central Connecticut State head coach Jeff McInerney wants you to know, it's that he's Fire[d] Up for this weekend. Or more accurately, if you follow his Twitter feed or anything related to the Blue Devils , it's #FireUp, which is more distinct than the #FiredUp hash tag when you look up anything from President Bill Clinton 's speech at the Democratic Convention or the latest on someone else's Tweeting habits. The Blue Devils are somewhat of a mystery team in the NEC this year - even after their opening game.  Their personnel is still relatively new.  Their gameplan, as always, will be loaded with interesting tricks.  But one thing that isn't a mystery is that a Jeff McInerney team will reflect the passion and burn of their head coach.  They will, indeed, be Fired Up.

This week's LFN Players of the Week awards go to: Offense: Senior QB Michael Colvin (17/32 passing, 221 yards passing, 56 yards rushing, 3 TDs/2 INTs) Offense: Senior WR Ryan Spadola (9 catches, 111 yards) Defense: Junior SS Rickie Hill (6 tackles, 1 INT, 1 pass defensed Defense: Senior LB Sam Loughery (8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss incl. 1 sack) Special Teams: Senior FB Zach Hayden (1 special teal tackle, 1 15 yard kickoff return) Underclassman:  Freshman WR Derek Knott (2 catches, 15 yards, 1 speedy TD, 2 kickoff returns, 22 yards) Congratulations to the winners!

(Photo Credit: Donna Fisher /The Morning Call ) The TV broadcast team of Mike Zambelli and Mike Yadush sounded out the alarm early in Saturday's game. After the Mountain Hawks had jumped to a 7-0 lead and smashed the Monmouth offense in the mouth in their first possession of the game, Lehigh resembled in every way a team that deserved to be ranked the No. 11 in the nation. But Yadush, a member of the Lehigh linebacking class of 1993, had seen similar efforts before in the many Lehigh games he's covered and the many football games he's been a part of.  He saw what might happen, and he let the viewers know. "College football games are long games," Yadush said.  "And sometimes things that go right early don't go right as the game goes on.  You take the brand-new starters out there.  And right now, they're thinking, 'Man, this is easy!'  But you have to keep battling every play.  Plays are six seconds.  You have to bring it hard every ...

There have been a lot of movies called "Missing" over the years, but none are as powerful as the Jack Lemmon/Sissy Spacek movie from 1982, still one of the best political dramas brought to the screen. It's not an easy watch from director Costa-Gavras , but it's a gripping political tale, based on a true story about a leftist sympathizer who disappeared in Chile in 1973 in the run-up to Augusto Pinochet's military coup.  Lemmon plays the father who travels to Chile to find out the truth in a place where the truth is hard to sort out. My own version of "missing", involving the Lehigh game this weekend, is a whole lot less dramatic.  It was no modern tragedy. It was not as important.  But from this strange experience of "missing" a Lehigh football game, I learned a lot more about myself that I would have ever imagined.

My vote for the FCS Top 25 for the week ending 9/2/2012 follows below the flip.

Here's the deal, for those that care. * I did not go to the season opener, because I went to visit family this weekend.  I may talk about this a little in my "Sunday Word", though I'm not sure. * I fully planned to watch the entire recap of the game on Lehigh's Stretch Internet site and compose my recap from that and my other usual sources.  However, it appears like Stretch Internet has mangled the on-demand broadcast, so that when you go on Lehigh's site it comes up with just audio, and no video - in effect, making the broadcast utterly worthless to me. * I don't feel comfortable writing a recap from the one from Lehigh Sports, nor do I just want to crib from the Express-Times and Morning Call.  So, I am waiting for the video to come available before writing a recap. The recap, and my "Sunday Word", will be coming as soon as these things become available.  Though I have to admit that it's tempting to make my "Sunday Wo...