QUICK RECAP: Lehigh Comes Close, But Can't Get Final Stop, Lose 38-35 to Villanova

Lehigh fell behind 21-7 and 28-14 in the first half, and battled back in the second half to give themselves a shot to win, but for the second straight year the Mountain Hawks came close but couldn't close the deal, falling 38-35 to Villanova at Murray Goodman Stadium this afternoon.

In his first start of the 2017 season, junior QB Brad Mayes went 33 for 49 with 406 yards passing and 4 touchdowns, including two to senior WR Gatlin Casey that were of highlight-reel quality.

One was a 29 yard strike through a pass interference call, and the second was a 3 yard drill that was tipped but Casey adjusted and came down with the pass at the back of the end zone.

Junior WR Luke Cristiano also had a career day with 8 catches and 143 yards and an amazing touchdown catch that saw him beat Villanova S Rob Rolle and scamper for a 66 yard touchdown.

Villanova amassed 475 yards of offense on the afternoon, achieving good balance with QB Zach Bednarczyk's passing (209 yards, 2 touchdown passes) and a potent rushing attack (led by RB Matt Gudzak's 142 net rushing yard and 2 touchdowns).

This one will sting, because there were several spots during the game where Lehigh could have come away with points, and didn't, and they could have been the difference in the game. Near the end of the first half in Villanova's red zone, junior RB Dominick Bragalone's fumble was recovered by Villanova and resulted in a score, a 14 point turnaround. There were other opportunities missed as well.

Tune in later tonight for a more comprehensive recap.

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