Lehigh Football Nation

Last week I engaged in some I-AA playoff speculation, and it was so popular I figured I'd revisit this today, 6 days before the selections will be announced on ESPN News. The full rules for playoff selection were explained in this post , but the basics are: eight conferences (including the Patriot League) have an autobid into the I-AA playoffs, and eight teams will be selected as at-large qualifiers. For Lehigh fans, it's really simple: win, and we win the Patriot League title outright and will be playing the weekend after Thanksgiving. Lose, and the season will be over. The chance of Lehigh getting an at-large bid is super-remote. Let's run down what we know. First, the autobid qualifiers. Atlantic 10: With James Madison losing and UMass winning last weekend, the Minutemen wrapped up the autobid, no matter what happens next weekend vs. Hofstra. Gateway: Youngstown State wrapped this up by beating Western Kentucky in their final regular-season game. SoCon: Appalachian S...

The Lehigh/Lafayette rivalry - what I like to refer to as simply "The Rivalry" - is the purest and greatest rivalry in the world. And this year it's for all the marbles - a I-AA playoff berth. Sure, Lehigh clinched a Patriot League co-championship by blowing out Fordham in an impressive display on Saturday. But it sure would be awfully empty sharing it with Lafayette, losing to the Leopards in "The Rivalry" and sitting at home Thanksgiving weekend. Lehigh/Lafayette is always more than just a game, but with a I-AA Playoff game on the line, "The Rivalry", in effect, is another playoff game. Win, we survive and play on. Lose, we're done. Lehigh and Lafayette have played each other more times than any other rivals in the history of college football. This will be the 142nd meeting between these two schools, who are separated only by about 13 miles along old Route 22. There are other rivalries are considered big games: Michigan/Ohio State, Alabama...

You couldn't ask for a better game to go into next week's Lehigh/Lafayette game. A playoff game. Lehigh/Lafayette next week will be for all the marbles - the I-AA playoff bid is on the line. The winner will definitely be in; the loser will definitely be out. With Colgate's surprising win over Holy Cross up in Hamilton, the Lehigh/Lafayette game once again will be for all the marbles next week. Like 2004, Lehigh has already clinched a share of the Patriot League title by thrashing Fordham today, but have to beat Lafayette to gain sole possession of the title and a I-AA playoff bid. For sure, a game like today is how you want to go into the biggest game of the year. RB Marques "Mud" Thompson had 3 TDs, while QB Sedale Threatt added 3 passing TDs of his own. Over 400 yards of total offense, and CB Brannan Thomas added two interceptions to make the outcome not in doubt. In a way, it was a nice "blast from the past" to see Lehigh manhandle an opponent an...

The rout is on. It is looking like Lehigh/Lafayette is going to be for all the marbles next weekend, although technically we have clinched a share of the Patriot League title this weekend. I anticipate backup QB Mike Probst to come in soon and get the rest of the seniors some playing time. G Pete Morelli will also probably get some throw before all is said and done - as a TE. I'll check in later. As this gme is out of reach from the Rams, I'm going to take care of some things. In other games, Lafayette is handling Georgetown, while Holy Cross has just went up 21-8. Correction: Colgate just got a TD to cut the deficit to 21-15 with 6:15 left in the 3rd.

Not perfect, but certainly perfect enough so far. CB Brannan Thomas, with two huge interceptions (one which directly led to a FG), is playing like a senior on senior day with a fantastic game, when RB Marques Thompson executed perfectly on a little option pitch (along with some great blocking) to punch it in for a 24-7 lead. At the end of the half, Fordham converted two 4th down conversions and drove inside Lehigh's 10, but with no timeouts and a bad snap, time ran out on them before the half. A lucky break for Lehigh, but it shouldn't overshadow a great half in a lot of other ways. I'm feeling good about Lehigh/Lafayette next week being for all the marbles.

Lehigh looks good. Aside from a couple plays in the first half (and a flukey TD pass that hit two Lehigh defenders, and bounced into the receiver's hands), Lehigh has been dominating on offense, defense, and special teams so far. The two TD drives were brutally effective, mixing both the run and the pass. One TD came off the option, as Threatt pitched to RB Marques "Mud" Thompson as he scooted into the endzone, and the other was a play-action toss to FB Greg Fay for a nice TD. Lehigh's defense, aside from the opening drive for the TD, has been great, getting two 3-and-outs. Looking good early.

I know about 99% of the time I only talk about I-AA football, but what do you think these two people would be talking about in college today? Somehow I think it wouldn't be the LaSalle/St. Peter's game last night, but the shocking upset of #3 Louisville by #15 Rutgers. I watched the game with a proud Rutgers alum - that would be my wife - and it was without a doubt the best I-A game I've ever seen. You couldn't make it up. Falling behind 25-7 in the first half, giving up free points on "Hey, they're Rutgers " sort of errors that would deep-six games before they even begun, and staying about one TD away from watching HGTV or Grey's Anatomy . But the Scarlet Knights simply wouldn't quit "chopping wood", getting a quick strike before halftime. It was remarkable to watch: Louisville's QB Brohm slowly, methodically, melting down, while Rutgers working, and slowly beleiving, that they could do it, getting a TD, a 2-point conversion, and the...