Lehigh Football Nation

There have been many football offseasons when I've covered the possibility of one, or perhaps two, Patriot League players getting signed as free agents playing at the next level. This offseason, we might see something unprecedented. Four Lehigh football players - QB Mike Colvin, TE Jamel Haggins, LB Billy Boyko , and, of course, WR Ryan Spadola - all have an excellent chance at finding themselves in NFL training camps in the next couple of months. One - Spadola - is a strong candidate for being drafted this Saturday.

(Photo Credit: Ed Koskey, Jr./ Special to the Morning Call ) When you study "The Rivalry" as long as I have, the overall trends of Lehigh students, Lafayette students, the football players, and the citizens of Bethlehem and Easton break apart, and the individual stories from each specific instance come to the fore.  Specific "game to end all games", detailed game riots,  freezing games, or unusually hot games get broken out, sometimes breaking from the normal expectations of The Rivalry in general.  The Rivalry endures, and there are similar stories of seasons being made, or broken, or riots, or order, but occasionally games do have variation.  Not every Rivalry game is the same.. The story of the 148th meeting of the most-played rivalry in all of college football is probably more different than anyone might have ever imagined before the season. For Lafayette, the story is one of unmet expectations, unbelievable tragedy, and, ultimately, they hope, redempt...

(Photo Credit: Kevin Mingora/Morning Call ) It may have been pacing break, but the Columbia/Lehigh game wasn't lacking photo and video evidence that it occurred. I don't know if it was the overcast weather, the colder, more fall-like  temperatures, the pink or what, but the shots of the game from Kevin Mingora of the Morning Call look absolutely stunning, as do the shots from the Brown & White photographers that were at the game. I'd encourage you to go over there and check out the Morning Call's eleven-page gallery , which is filled with great shots. The shot above, too, comes from that collection.  And there is a album of pictures from the Brown & White as well as a video recap of the game as well from Alec Murphy . They make my whopping two pictures on the Facebook Page seem pretty dim in comparison.  Then again, I didn't get to field level this game!

Highlight reels can be very misleading. I'm not saying, dear reader, that Lehigh's 35-14 win over Columbia was bad.  Not at all.  The Mountain Hawks went to 6-0 this afternoon at Murray Goodman Stadium, in front of a pacing break crowd of a little over 5,000 fans. But if you simply judged this game by looking at the highlights, you wouldn't get an accurate impression of how this game unfolded. Sure, Lehigh jumped to 14-0 and 21-7 leads, and the Mountain Hawks made some bursts of impressive plays to score touchdowns on Columbia.  But it was critical Lehigh mistakes that led to the Lions' 14 points - which put a bit of a damper on the post-game celebrations for Lehigh head coach Andy Coen .

He's still No. 15, but he won't be just running the Wildcat anymore. Senior QB Michael Colvin , the Morristown, New Jersey native that has waited patiently for his opportunity, finally earned the right to be the full-time starter for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in 2012. He always had the athleticism.  He always had the arm.  Now, as starter and the triggerman of offensive coordinator Dave Cecchini 's offense, he now has an impressive arsenal, too, to lead Lehigh in the 2012 season.  It's a potential combination that has Lehigh fans excited.

The fantastic work on offense in Lehigh's 35-16 win over Bucknell deserves plenty of "Player of the Week" nominees. Eight, in fact. Offensive Hawks of the Week: Junior OL William Rackley , sophomore OL Troy McKenna , sophomore OL Jim Liebler , junior OL Ricky Clerge , and senior OL Frank Giacalone (0 sacks, 461 yards of offense) and junior QB J.B. Clark (24 for 37 passing, 327 yardsm 2 TDs, 1 INT). Defensive Hawk of the Week: Junior DB/RS Jon "Prez" Kennedy (65 return yards on 2 kickoff returns, 3 tackles, 1 INT) Special Teams Hawk of the Week: Freshman TE Jamel Haggins (grabbing a blocked XP and returning it for the 2-point conversion) Congratulations to all the winners - and here's hoping that the momentum from this win will carry all the way north to Hamilton.. The third ECAC Lambert Poll was released this week, and it's no secret which team remains at No. 1: that's right, the team that also happens to have been the No. 1 team in the land si...

(Photo Credit: The Sunbury Daily Item) As we watch freshman RB Zach Barket grind out some yards against the Bucknell defense, it's time to look over some of the press that comes out of this weekend. While there isn't a photo gallery of the game from the Morning Call this week, the Sunbury Daily Item did have a couple good pictures in their writeup . Allentown Morning Call: Lehigh Wins Big over Bucknell ''It felt great and hats off to the offensive line first,'' junior QB J.B. Clark said after completing 24 of 37 passes. ''They gave me five or six seconds to throw the ball and the receivers made some great catches. We came out confident.'' ''That was big [for freshman QB Michael Colvin ] to score on the first series,'' Clark said. ''It set the tone for the game, and hopefully, the rest of the season.'' ''I got my opportunity and I think I took full advantage of it,'' Barket said. ''But thi...

Boy, does this one feel good. Lehigh put up 35 points for the first time this year as the Mountain Hawks overcame some early mistakes to coast to a 35-16 victory over the Bison, continuing their twelve year winning streak over Bucknell and keeping their title hopes alive for another week. After the offense was shut out last weekend, seeing the offense put up five honest touchdowns - and junior QB J.B. Clark going the distance and putting up numbers like 24 for 37, 327 yards, 1 passing TD, 1 rushing TD, and only one INT - gives this Lehigh fan some hope that maybe, just maybe, little ol' Lehigh may still have a chance in this Patriot League race thing. Other highlights include freshman QB/RB Michael Colvin getting his first career TD, and freshman RB Zach Barket getting his first TD as well to go with his career-best 77 yard effort. And add freshman WR James Flynn getting three big catches - including one to convert an early fourth down conversion - three greenhorns were asked ...

Lehigh's summer practice is coming to a close this weekend, as the Mountain Hawks finish with a full scrimmage at Murray Goodman stadium tomorrow which coincides with Lehigh's hosted "Media Day". The latest report from the Lehigh website gives the scoop : After practice Coen offered his thoughts on several Mountain Hawks that have left an impression during the 2009 camp. He started by pointing out a pair of players from the freshmen class, one from each side of the ball. “ Freshman TE Jamel Haggins without a doubt on offense has been impressive,” Coen commented. “He’s big and physical, he’s catching everything thrown at him; he’s done a great job at tight end for us.” Coen continued, “On defense freshman CB Bryan Andrews continues to do a nice job. He’s a very good athlete with solid ball skills; he had a nice interception and runback the other day during our scrimmage. He’s still learning the position but he’s making a serious push for playing time.” Asked t...