Lehigh Football Nation

I have a confession to make: there is something I really like about Liberty University. As a guy who writes about college football an awful lot, I end up drawing on my own college experiences on South Mountain frequently. And compared to hard-working, hard-partying, casual Lehigh, Liberty is just incredibly different. It makes for good writing. And when the Flames come to Lehigh in September, fans of both dissimilar teams are hoping that they and the Mountain Hawks share one thing, and one thing only: a ranking in the FCS Top 25. (more)

(Photo Credit: Jim Middlekauff/The Express-Times) When you talk to senior LB Mike Groome , you know you're going to get straightforward answers. Groome's straightforward talking style extends to the football field, where the Byram, NJ native jumped into a defensive starting role with both feet to have one of the best defensive statistical seasons in recent memory: 131 tackles, including 73 solo tackles and seven tackles for loss. The senior linebacker who wasn't even anointed the starting linebacker in preseason camp last year ended up being a big reason for Lehigh's turnaround in 2010. And in 2011, as defensive captain, he hopes to maintain the high bar he and his teammates set with last year's spectacular season. (more)

By any measure, times have not been great for the remaining "Northeast Four" of the old Yankee Conference. Now competing in the Colonial Athletic Association, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and UMass were the final teams remaining north of the Big Apple when Northeastern and Hofstra decided to fold their football programs within a week of each other . Since that fateful day a year and a half ago, Rhode Island announced their intention to join the limited scholarship NEC in 2012 , and this summer UMass announced their intention to join the MAC conference in FBS , where they'll attempt to kindle a football rivalry loosely based on the Temple/UMass basketball showdowns in the days of John "Darth Vader" Calipari and John " Knock Your Kids in the Mouth " Chaney . That has left New Hampshire athletic director Marty Scarano (pictured), and Maine athletic director Steve Abbott, feeling more and more isolated in football. And in the past few da...

In effect, this is the final weekend before football season officially begins. Tomorrow, technically, is the first day that Mountain Hawk football players will be reporting to camp, and the 2011 football season ceases to be just a theory. To celebrate the weekend before I self-embark on yet another Lehigh football season, I decided to do something I've never done before. That is "smoke" some beef brisket. (more)

There have been an awful lot of Lehigh quarterback "controversies" the past few years. But last year, after being anointed the starter in preseason camp, senior QB Chris Lum took control of the starting quarterback job, and didn't let go. Not fighting for a job this summer is a pleasant change of pace for the Lake Orion, Michigan native as preseason camp is about to open for Lehigh. (more)

On Friday, November 20th, 2009, Lehigh head football coach Andy Coen appeared to be playing for his job, following a 3-7 season going into the big game against Lafayette. His Lehigh team would win that game, 27-21 in overtime . Back then, Coen was in a polar opposite place as to where he is today. Strangely enough, that same guy that seemed to be at the edge of losing his job in 2009 didn't seem too different than the coach I saw and interviewed at Media Day this week. Coach Coen's offseason couldn't have been more different than the others - but the guy coaching the team, refreshingly, isn't different at all. (more)

As the opening speeches concluded on Patriot League Media Day 2011, I turned to Forhdam head coach Tom Masella , who was situated behind me, for my first interview on the day. Unlike the other schools in attendance, however, Masella was surrounded by a skeleton crew. And aside from coach Masella, only a handful of members of the athletic department made the trip down from New York. And no players made the trip from the Bronx - "summer school exams", I was told later by someone else - was the reason for their absence. It made for a media day that, despite the palpable excitement for the upcoming season, didn't feel quite right. (more)