Lehigh Football Nation

Lehigh QB Nick Shafnisky (Morning Call) Junior QB Nick Shafnisky spent Patriot League media day telling the gathered media about haters drinking the haterade. Well, he didn't exactly say it like that .  But he did talk about proving the haters wrong. "I love having people either be there for me or count me out," he said.  "Personally, I love it all.  I love haters.  I was just saying to my dad - the more people are talking bad about you, the more people you have to prove wrong.  I love proving people wrong, and making my coaches from high school proud." Now finally healthy, Shafnisky finally has the chance to prove a lot of people wrong - those that doubted his ability to recover from a Rivalry game he'd rather forget , those that thought he might not get over the injury that severely limited him last season, those that picked Lehigh to finish fifth , sixth , or even seventh in the Patriot League. Despite an infections optimism that carried all...

UNH Athletics It was not a good half of football. "I'm disappointed with today's outcome," head coach Andy Coen said after the game. "We never gave ourselves a chance. UNH really jumped us from the get-go and were very physical. We did not tackle very well. They really controlled every aspect of the game through the half." For Lehigh fans, it made for some tough viewing at the place they call the "Dungeon" on a rainy, grey afternoon in Durham, New Hampshire. New Hampshire scored touchdown drives of 71, 74, 84, and 90 yards in the first half, converting some 2-point conversions for good measure, to coast to a 29-0 lead.  They never looked back.

It could be that a bolt of lightning, which hit ground supposedly eight miles from Murray Goodman stadium, helped short out a possible Lehigh victory. Going into halftime, all the electricity was on Lehigh's side. Sophomore CB Brandon Leaks unleashed a powerful hit on scrambling JMU QB Vad Lee , stopping him a yard short of the end-zone pylon and giving Lehigh a 21-10 lead going into halftime. Momentum was all Lehigh in an incredible first half for the Mountain Hawks.- Before that lightning came down, that is. The strike - if there actually was a strike, because I didn't see or hear it - caused a half-hour delay at halftime, despite nothing but blue skies with some clouds at Murray Goodman stadium. But the lightning gave James Madison, gathering under a tree right before the second half began, the power surge they needed to earn the victory.

Senior QB Matt McHale ?  Hurt.  Got an injury that he's rehabbing that has him ruled out of spring ball. Sophomore QB Nick Shafnisky ?  Just this week, he got tendonitis in his throwing shoulder , which limited his time this spring. Senior QB Gerard Poutier ?  Sorry, no.  Still rehabbing a leg injury that he sustained last season. Suddenly, a former walk-on athlete had gotten most of the reps this spring at the most important position on the field. Senior QB Albert J. Visconti may not have been the guy that was hyped the most going into the spring, but the former walk-on now has the opportunity of a lifetime that's every walk-on's dream: a chance to be "the man" in the highlight of the spring football season.

Two blog posts in a day?  Awesome.  Miss the countdown to the start of the 2013 season?  No way. At no. 43, we find  sophomore P/K Austin Devine  as our highlighted Lehigh football athlete in today's countdown.