Lehigh Football Nation

While it was a bit disappointing to hear from the Lynchburg News-Advance's Chris Lang that their paper didn't bring a photographer to the Liberty game that evening - the more to take of the eminently less exciting Bowling Green/Virginia Tech blowout, even though former Lehigh assistant coach Dave Clawson was there, coaching the Falcons - it did allow me to make my own pictures of the action.  My two Facebook albums of the tailgating and action, #1 , and #2 , are linked. Below the flip, find my choices for Players of the Week, and a list of the other recaps of the game from around the internet.

(Photo Credit: Lauren Carroll/ The Missoulian ) We break down the Liberty game - and we give our fearless prediction, below the flip. Two weeks ago, Lehigh faced a team that was trying to find out whom their starting quarterback was: Central Connecticut State QB Andrew Clements or QB Nick San Giacomo . Last week, the Mountain Hawks faced another team trying to find out whom their starting QB was: Princeton, QB Brett Epperly or QB Connor Michaelsen . For the third straight week, Lehigh will not know whom they will be facing at QB.  Head coach Turner Gill , as is his policy, will start the guy who does the best in practice, as per Chris Lang of the Lynchburg News-Advance .

(Photo Credit: Liberty Athletics) Two top-notch programs in FCS. Two football programs that are on the map nationally. That's what the matchup down in Lynchburg, Virginia promises this Saturday evening when the Flames host the Mountain Hawks. It also happens to be a game of opposites. Lehigh, at 3-0, hasn't always looked like the No. 13 team in the country, but has done what it takes to win.  And 0-3 Liberty hasn't always looked like a winless team, but also hasn't gotten over the hump and made the one big play to get into the victory column this year.

Lehigh's first three contests of the 2012 football season all, arguably, have specific themes attached to them. The first game, against Monmouth, is "introductions".  It will be the first glimpse of the 16th-tanks Mountain Hawks, also has a local flavor, as the Hawks are relatively close by in West Long Branch, NJ. The second game, against Central Connecticut State, is "bullseye".  The Blue Devils, opening their newly-renovated stadium, will see Lehigh in what's likely to be the biggest crowd ever on the New Britain campus. The third game, against Princeton, is "bragging rights".  Locally, many high-academic recruits are asked to pick either Lehigh or Princeton, and wins against the Ivy League have a special, backyard feel to them. But this game against Liberty unquestionably has as its theme: "national".  It's going to be the one game, most likely, that the Mountain Hawks will be able to showcase their program to not just t...

While Lehigh was making their run in the FCS playoffs this year, there were a host of interesting head coaching moves that directly involved three of Lehigh's opponents in 2011. From the Mountain Hawk perspective, the most interesting such move was that of sort-of Patriot League member Fordham, who was relieved of his head coaching duties at the conclusion of a dismal 1-10 season where the Rams lost by double digits in their last eight games. The Rams' hiring of head coach Joe Moorhead from the staff at UConn is but one of the interesting FCS offseason coaching moves.