Lehigh Football Nation

Going into last weekend, most people thought that Holy Cross might pose a problem for the Mountain Hawks defensively. The Crusader defense had shut out two opponents, contributing to wins over Lafayette two weeks ago, 42-0, and a CAA team, Albany, 37-0. How would Lehigh's offensive line do against Holy Cross' defensive front? Once the dust had settled on Saturday, the answer was: "just fine, thanks for asking." The Mountain Hawks did an awful lot of things right on offense last week, jumping out to a 41-10 halftime lead, carving out 543 offensive yards and executing 83 offensive plays.  But the foundation for that offensive explosion came from a vastly improved performance on the offensive line.

This Monday, the Patriot League announced their 25th anniversary team , and there were some surprises - mostly on the positive side for Lehigh, who netted six spots on the all-time team. Below the flip, see who made it from Lehigh, and see what I think were the shocking omissions from the list. (more)

Isn't it supposed to be basketball season? Well, yes, it is.  It still very much is.  Lehigh's men's and women's basketball teams close out their respective regular seasons this weekend - and we'll find out where they end up seeded in the Patriot League tournament. But for the first time in a long time around these parts, however, it's also the beginning of a new football era as well. On Saturday in Reading, PA, the newest member of the IFL, or Indoor Football League, will be facing off against the Reading Express.  That's the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks, who will be headlined by a certain Lehigh football star named LB Matt Cohen . (more)

(Photo courtesy Arrowhead Addict blog) Most years, there aren't a lot of Patriot League football players that are hoping to hear their name called in the NFL draft. Unusually, this year there is one definite NFL draftee ( QB John Skelton ), another very probable NFL draftee ( WR Pat Simonds ) and one who ought to be if the folks around the NFL know anything at all ( QB Dominic Randolph ). But there are a lot of Patriot League players that hope to follow the path of Blake Costanzo and Rabih Abdullah into the NFL.  Neither were drafted, but got a chance to show their stuff as free agent pickups and made (or are making) a career of playing football on Sundays. Would any of these guys gladly be "Mr. Irrelevant", the guy who gets picked last in the NFL draft and gets a gag prize package and a parade held in his honor?  Sure.  But they'd prefer to be playing on an pro team - and there's quite a few of them, including one Lehigh player, that should have a shot...

What better way to close out the 2009 season than with my annual "Hawks of the Year" awards? Every year my "Hawks of the Year" are tallied based on my "Hawks of the Week" during the season. While there's no pretty trophies or luncheons available for the winner of my LFN awards (yet), it's still an honor that is not easily earned and should be a recognition from the fans for outstanding achievement during the football season. This years "Hawk of the Year" nomination may not come as too much of a surprise - but, perhaps, some of the other nominees may be - including many players who will be returning next year. (More)

Two more All-American teams were announced with Lehigh players on them this year, one from the ECAC and the other from the Associated Press . Senior LB Matt Cohen added to his Walter Camp All-American nod by making it to both the ECAC and Associated Press All-America Teams. The ECAC list, given to the best football players in the Eastern region, was a first-team selection, while the national AP list was a second-team selection. It's great to see the quiet Allentown, PA native get recognition for his great defensive performance as a member of the Mountain Hawks. Cohen wrapped up his Lehigh career with 177 total tackles, 18.5 sacks and 44 tackles-for-loss (which may not be an official Patriot League record, but it most likely is). Senior DT B.J. Benning got his first all-America as a part of the ECAC team. This put Benning in such heady company as James Madison senior DL Ryan Moats and William & Mary senior DE Adrian Tracy , both in the running for the Buck Buchanan award...

Senior LB Matt Cohen can now add something else to his trophy case: all-American . Cohen becomes Lehigh’s first First-Team All-America since 2004 when DL Tom Alfsen and TE Adam Bergen garnered the accolade from various outlets. Cohen, who is a three time All-Patriot League selection, is just the 14th player in Patriot League football history to be named to the Walter Camp All-America Team, which is voted upon by the head coaches and sports information directors of the FCS schools. Cohen was one of three linebackers from around the nation named to the Walter Camp All-America Team, joining J.C. Sherritt of Eastern Washington and Brandin Jordan of Southern Illinois. A native of Allentown, Cohen led the Patriot League in sacks (9.0) and tackles-for-loss (13.5) marking the second consecutive season he has accomplished that feat. A business supply major, Cohen was the first Mountain Hawk to win a major award from the Patriot League since PK Jason Leo in 2006 and the first Lehigh playe...

Following the most low-key nine-sack, thirteen and a half tackle for loss season in history, senior LB Matt Cohen saw four years of hard work as a Mountain Hawk pay off as he was selected as Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year today. Cohen, a local product from Allentown, was a model of consistency on Lehigh's defense. While he only won Patriot League Defensive Player of the week once (with 6 tackles, and 4 tackles for loss including 3 sacks), in every game he was a disrupting factor, with six games where he had at least one tackle for loss. His 9 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss led the Patriot League, and his 63 tackles were among the Lehigh leaders on a defense that doesn't favor one tackler. It's great to see the quiet supply management chain major get recognized for his four-year contribution to the Mountain Hawk program. Congratulations to Matt! While we're talking about low-key seniors on the All-Patriot Team, two more seniors got recognized on the ...

As soon as he came in the press conference, he told the media folks there that it was "fitting that we win a football game in this way." It was a quote that was used in many of the local press reports of the game as well. What the rest of the media did not pick up was the pause, and the word "Awesome" right after it. Do I know if coach Coen set out to make "awesome" the word of the week - and the game? I don't know for sure, but I do know that as soon as coach Coen mentioned the word, he mentioned it again a bunch of times in the post-game press conference (and, for good measure, on Lehigh Sports Magazine tonight), I knew it simply had to be the "Word". When many folks think of the word "awesome" they think of the 1980s. Big hair, Whitney Houston records, the (ack) Breakfast Club , you know the drill. But that wasn't what coach Coen was talking about.  He was talking about the true definition, meaning "inspiri...

I can't take credit for all of these photos, but I can take credit for a few of them - notably the first five in this series. One comes courtesy of Joe Gill and the Easton Express-Times , and the last three come courtesy of Lehigh Athletics' photo gallery of the game . More will be showing up on my Facebook page as well. And there will be plenty more opining to come this week - a special "Monday's Word", more opining on where Lehigh goes from here, the playoffs, Holy Cross, and some seismic events that deserve some talk. But today it's still about this amazing Lehigh wins, and the seniors like senior LB Matt Cohen and senior DT B.J. Benning that made it happen. (Gotta love that final picture, carried off the field!) Enjoy!

Murray Goodman has been the source of some of the most thrilling chapters of "The Rivalry", and today's heart-stopping overtime win was no exception to that rule. I have been going to see "The Rivalry" every year since 1988, missing the big game against Lafayette only once. Of all the games I've seen, the one I saw this weekend at could have been the craziest one of them all. There have been close finishes before. Lafayette QB Rob Curley two years ago found WR Kyle Roeder on a slant pattern in the end zone in 2007 to deal Lehigh a 21-17 defeat. In 2005, Leopard QB Pat Davis ' heave was found by RB Jonathan Hurt for a dramatic touchdown pass to ruin Lehigh's shot at a playoff autobid in a 23-19 defeat - and in the process put Lafayette in the playoff field as an at-large bid. In 1999, with Lafayette head coach Bill Russo coaching in his last game, his Leopards came very close to upsetting the Mountain Hawks - but were stopped short in a 1...

Pretty? Absolutely not. But Lehigh will gleefully take this 35-28 victory at Rose Hill, a game which featured a combined seven turnovers, three missed field goals, and seventeen penalties for 143 yards by both teams. Starting out, it seemed like Lehigh was trying to give the game away as junior DB/RS John "Prez" Kennedy fumbled a punt return that was recovered by the Rams in the end zone to erase a beautiful 11-play, 66 yard drive ending with an 8 yard pass from junior QB J.B. Clark to sophomore WR Jake Drwal . It would be the first of four Lehigh turnovers that led directly to touchdowns the other way. Taken in that way, you could say that had Lehigh took care of the ball a bit better, this would have been a laugher. After a Lehigh fumble ended with a 19 yard strike to Ram sophomore WR David Moore from s enior QB John Skelton to fall behind 14-7, Lehigh took advantage of a fumble on special teams, recovered by junior FS John Venerio, to tie the game after Clark's...

I was there to see what was almost the biggest Lehigh upset in two decades. The No. 13 team in the country. The Mountain Hawks written off by pretty much everyone, including me. And Lehigh didn't just put forth a great effort, they very nearly shocked the world, pressuring Holy Cross senior QB Dominic Randolph intensely and making the superhuman Crusader QB look a lot more like a regular human being. You got the feeling this one would be different from the opening drive. Lehigh got the ball first and junior QB J.B. Clark led the offense right down the field, punctuated by big runs by junior RB Jay Campbell and a 14 yard TD pass to junior TE Alex Wojdowski . When the Lehigh defense would stop Holy Cross' initial drive at the 7 yard line, forcing the Crusaders to settle for a short FG, you got the feeling that this was going to be a game. It would never be beyond one score all afternoon, with two ties and four lead changes. Against a team that had scored over 30 points ...

Some quick notes before we enter the preview of Yale vs. Lehigh. First of all, here are this week's LFN "Players of the Week": Offensive Hawk (tie): Junior RB Jay Campbell (another career high this week with 20 carries and 111 yards rushing vs. Georgetown) and freshman QB Michael Colvin ( Patriot League Freshman of the Week with 45 yards rushing, averaging 7.5 yards per carry) Defensive Hawk: Senior LB Matt Cohen ( Patriot League Player of the week on defense , 6 tackles, 4 tackles for loss including 3 sacks) Special Teams Hawk: Junior DB/RS Jarard "Fearless" Cribbs (71 yards in punt returns including a 34 yard return) You undoubtedly noticed the new nickname above for Jarard. May I propose that the Lehigh special teams unit get a new nickname: the "Fear Factor". With junior DB/RS John "Fear Itself" Kennedy , junior WR Craig "Braveheart" Zurn , there's a lot to fear in Lehigh's special teams units - so why not? Final...

It wasn't the prettiest of wins. But after a dominating defensive performance - and just enough offense in a 27-0 victory for Lehigh, their first win of the year - I will certainly take it, and I'm positive Lehigh head coach Andy Coen will take it, too. After the Lehigh defense opened the game by sticking the Hoyas to a three-and-out, it became very evident that the offensive gameplan would involve a whole lot of junior RB Jay Campbell , who bulled through for 12 yards in his first three carries of the game. But sophomore QB Chris Lum tossed an interception - sort-of an ill-advised pass into tight coverage, but the interception came from a tipped ball - which gave Georgetown plenty of hope that they could hang with the winless Mountain Hawks. But the defense would again stymie freshman QB Isaiah Kempf and the rest of the Hoya offense on their next drive. Junior CB Jarard Cribbs would then kick-started things with a 34 yard punt return that pumped life into the Mountain Ha...

"Excruciating" has to be a strong candidate for "Sunday's Word" after watching this game - a game that was winnable. Want proof? Just look at the box score. Princeton only gained 163 yards of total offense. Sounds great - until you realize that sophomore QB Tommy Wornham got 68 of those yards on one play, a fake to junior RB Jordan Culbreath which instead was a designed run in which he went into the end zone untouched. Lehigh got 224 yards passing - great in comparison to Princeton's total of 47 yards, right? Unless you factor in interceptions - one returned by junior LB Stephen Cody for a 77 yard pick six. The other was grabbed by senior DB Wilson Cates in Lehigh territory might have been harmless - but Princeton converted one of their two third-down conversions on the afternoon (and for good measure their only fourth-down conversion) which resulted in a 31 yard field goal by senior PK Ben Bologna . You look at the box score, and it defies belief....

I made the rules, and I'm living by them. This week's Player of the week, as voted on by you, the fans is, sophomore P Alex Smith . His 4 punts for 39 yards, including a booming 47 yarder, was excellent against a CAA team that prides itself on special teams excellence. Two landed inside the 20 yard line. Congratulations! Other Players of the Week this week include: Fans: Sophomore P Alex Smith Offensive Hawk: Junior WR Craig "Braveheart" Zurn (6 catches, 72 yards, 1 kickoff return of 10 yards) Defensive Hawk: Senior LB Matt Cohen (8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 touchdown-saving tackle of Villanova senior WR Matt Szczur ) Special Teams Hawk: Junior DB/RS John "Fear Itself" Kennedy (100 yards of kickoff returns, 4 tackles) Lehigh's bye week is this weekend. Tune in this weekend for a special "Bye Week" word, and a Friday water cooler looking over the upcoming Patriot League weekend.

Yes, Virginia, Patriot League football is just around the corner. Not only that, Patriot League Media Day is three weeks away -- where we'll learn about the preseason poll, the preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, and more. Through the long summer, we learn about organizations like The Sports Network , Phil Steele's 2009 College Preview and others announcing their national preseason all-American teams. Some FCS conferences (like the Colonial Athletic Association, or CAA) do individual preseason honorees, too, for just their league. But what about the Patriot League? The league itself does not release a preseason all-Patriot League team during Media day, so today I decided: why not stir up the pot a little bit and announce my own preseason all-Patriot League team? Unsurprisingly, leading my list as offensive Preseason Player of the Year would have to be 5th year Holy Cross senior QB Dominic Randolph , who either holds (821 completions, 83 passing touchdowns...

Can it be that Patriot League media day is just around the corner, with Lehigh's season opener just a little over a month and a half away? Just to whet your appetite about the upcoming Lehigh football season comes the announcement that senior LB Matt Cohen was listed as a Phil Steele preseason first team All-American and was the only Patriot Leaguer on the first team (something that will most likely be noticed by Holy Cross senior QB Dominic Randolph , who could have made a great case for inclusion). This goes with his earlier inclusion in the Consensus Draft Services' All-American list as an honorable mention . ( Junior DB Jarard Cribbs also was a CDS preseason all-American, as well as Randolph, Bucknell senior S Akhiel White , Holy Cross senior CB Michael Wright , and senior LB Mark Leggerio from 'that school in Easton'.) Also releasing their preseason all-American team was The Sports Network , where junior OL Will Rackley got third-team honors. (Randolph got ...

The Lehigh athletic department just released a spring update , and it's quite an interesting read. Four practices to go, with the annual Brown/White scrimmage taking place on April 18th at Goodman Stadium (free admission) - and interesting information has come to light: Call it the revenge of the "super Sophomores", as there were a multitude of members of the sophomore class that were singled out: Coen says he’s been pleased with the progress of that group overall. “ Sophomore RB Matt Fitz has been impressive; he’s competed well and really improved from last year. Sophomore WR De’Vaughn Gordon and sophomore WR Jake Drwal have done some nice things, and on defense sophomore LB Fred Mihal at linebacker and sophomore CB Colin Newton have both had very strong springs. They have shown good signs of progress from when the season ended in November.” Coen also pointed to sophomore P Alex Smith who has put together a consistent spring. The emergence of Fitz at running ba...