Lehigh Football Nation

We break down the Central Connecticut State game - and we give our fearless prediction, below the flip. To aid on our analysis of the visiting Blue Devils, I have to huge assist to James Madison, and Matt Straub of the New Britain Herald.   Straub's preseason piece on CCSU head coach Jeff McInerney shows a lot of what he wants to accomplish this season. And James Madison, by playing CCSU last weekend, meant that I have game notes available to go on - namely, last week's notes.  CCSU's lack of a preview by Friday makes it hard to get a sense of the team this week through the Lehigh game notes, but the notes for the Blue Devils' game last week is very much available.  (And necessary.)

"With a newly-revamped Arute Field,", I wrote last season , "which will be able to hold upwards of 6,500 fans, Central Connecticut State will be looking to one message on their home opener against the Mountain Hawks September 8th: that they have arrived." This year, the Blue Devils repay Lehigh the favor, serving as the Mountain Hawks' home opener in the first weekend of their football season on September 7th. So what can we expect from the Blue Devils this season?

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.

Most casual Lehigh football fans recognize a lot of schools on the schedule. I mean, everyone knows who Princeton and Columbia are - they're Ivy League schools. Liberty?  Not only were they members of the FCS Top 25 last year, they have a decidedly national reputation as a conservative, faith-based institution of higher learning, where Willard Romney makes speeches in the run-up to the Presidential election. But aside from knowing where Central Connecticut State is generally located - hint, it's about 20 minutes southwest of Hartford - I think most Lehigh fans might be able to be forgiven if they look at September 8th on the schedule and say, "Who are these guys?" The answer to that question is that the Blue Devils have tasted a lot of success over the last six years under head coach Jeff McInerney , with signature wins over Georgia Southern and Lehigh, both on the road. And with a newly-revamped Arute Field, which will be able to hold upwards of 6,500 fa...