Lehigh Football Nation

In the heat of the playoffs, I forgot to give "Players of the Week" for the 146th. Nobody probably cares, but I'll tag them after the LFN Players of the Week awards for round one of the playoffs. This weeks' awards go to: Offense: Junior WR Jake Drwal (3 catches for 80 yards, 1 beautiful TD) Defense: Senior FS John Venerio (2 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass break-up, the best 15 yard pass interference call ever) Special Teams: Senior PR Jarard "Main Man" Cribbs (8 tackles, 1 pass break-up, 12 yards in punt returns, 1 blocked FG try) Underclassman: Sophomore WR Ryan Spadola (9 catches, 127 yards, 1 huge TD) And for the 146th: Offense: Senior TE Alex "Wojdo" Wojdowski (2 catches, 35 yards, 1 big TD) Defense: Senior LB Al Pierce (15 tackles, 2 tackles for loss) and senior LB Mike Groome (16 tackles, 1 tackle for loss) Special Teams: Senior LB Shane Ryan (1 tackle, 1 blocked punt recovered for TD) Underclassman: Sophomore ...

A tiny bit of housekeeping to do before the 146th. The LFN Players of the Week awards go to: Offense: Senior TE Alex "Wojdo" Wojdowski (5 catches for 69 yards, with every one, it seems, converting a crucial 3rd or 4th down) and senior RB Jay Campbell (118 yards, 1 TD) Defense: Senior LB Mike Groome (11 tackles, 1 pass-break-up to force a punt) Special Teams: Senior PK Tom "Razza-Dazza" Randazza (3/3 on FGs of 32, 23, and 31 yards, 59.7 average on kickoffs, and living out a kicker's dream, recovering a football on the kickoff to set up his last championship-clinching score) Underclassman: Sophomore WR Ryan Spadola (6 catches, 113 yards, including a 25 yard reception that set up Campbell's TD) What a surprise: Spadola wins the Underclassman of the week award again. (When he becomes a junior, who the heck am I going to give it to?) Congratulations to all the winners!

(Photo Credit: Ben Caffrey) Though it is "Rivalry Week", before we get to hating on our 2-8 rivals - you know, "that school in Easton" - it's worth taking a peek back at the win that got the Mountain Hawks the outright Patriot League Championship, and a host of other weekly awards: a Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week award to senior PK Tom "Razza-Dazza" Randazza, and   Lehigh's first appearance in the national rankings at No. 22 in the Sports Network Top 25 , Any Given Saturday and FCS Coaches' Poll . Oh yeah - there's also the Lehigh Sports Magazine , too, where the Patriot League championship trophy makes a surprise cameo visit, too. "It's back where it belongs," head coach Andy Coen said. I'm not sure anything could really top, however, the picture here, grabbed from former football player OL Ben Caffrey . Hope you don't mind, Ben. (more)

The halftime score read: Georgetown 7, Lehigh 6. And head coach Andy Coen , as you might guess, was none too pleased with his team. All week, he had told his team to focus on Georgetown. To not overlook them on the way to playing "that school in Easton". To not think about rings. To not settle for a share of the Patriot League championship. To be hungry. And yet, there it was. Georgetown 7, Lehigh 6, going into half. A Georgetown team that was different from the other Georgetown teams challenged Lehigh almost the entire way. But ultimately the Mountain Hawks wrestled the game away from the Hoyas and got the 24-7 win they wanted - and removed the "co-" from the Patriot League championship. It would be a celebration to remember - because this was no coast of a win over the Hoyas. Not by a long shot. (more)

You can probably figure out who this week's LFN Players of the Week will be, but here they are for posterity: Offense:  Senior TE Alex Wojdowski (4 catches, 72 yards, 2 TDs, including the last two of the game) Defense: senior CB/PR Jarard "Main Man" Cribbs (7 tackles, 2 interceptions) and junior LB Mike Groome (11 tackles, 1 pass breakup) Special Teams : freshman DB Courtney Jarvis (4 kickoff returns 88 yards, stepping in very well after senior CB/KR John "Prez" Kennedy was banged up) Underclassman: sophomore QB Michael Colvin (10/14 passing for 128 yards, 37 yards rushing, 1 TD) Congratulations to the winners!

It's hard to say that this was a "back against the wall" sort of win when you're only in Week Three of the season, but you got the impression that maybe, just maybe, this Lehigh team of 2010 learned how to win this Saturday. Folks might concentrate on a rough half offensively.  Junior QB Chris Lum struggling mightily in the first half - 3 for 11 - despite a foot injury that would force him out of the second half.  A blown coverage that led to a picture perfect pass from Princeton QB Tommy Wornham  to WR Trey Peacock made what could have been a dominating defensive Mountain Hawk first half into, instead a slender 1 point lead at halftime.  There was fierce punishment from both Princeton's and Lehigh's defenses: which led to not a few players getting sidelined. But with sophomore QB Michael Colvin at the helm and the quintessential bend-but-don't-break defense, Lehigh slowly, surely extinguished the Tiger threat.  Banged up, in front of a Princeton t...