Lehigh Football Nation

So Dave Cecchini has left to be the new head coach at Valparaiso . I think in this day and age, one can't help think of devising a Hard Knocks/Next Food Network Star sort of situation in regards to who the next offensive coordinator might be, even if the reality is way different than the Reality Show method of choosing a new coach. "Each week, we'll find out who gets voted out by the panel of Andy Coen , celebrity head coach Chip Kelly , and Condolezza Rice as they pass a variety of tests on pass/run ratio, offensive game plan management, and an overall knowledge of the history of Lehigh and college football!  Tempers will flare, and you'll be there! " We certainly won't see that in the mad dash to find out who the next great Lehigh offensive coordinator might be.  But we can come up with a few biographies of folks we might want to see in this position - and maybe, just maybe, one of them will be the guy.

(Photo Credit: The Citadel Alumni Club of Pittsburgh) I don't think it's too much of a reach to say that pretty much everyone involved with the Lehigh football program now wants to add something else to their Christmas wish list from Santa - a new offensive coordinator. Consequently, Valparaiso, a non-scholarship Division I football program the competes in the Pioneer Football League, seems to pretty much have gotten the early Christmas present they were looking for. This morning, Dave Cecchini was announced as the new head coach of the Valpo Crusaders , making people who know Dave happy, because he's clearly been in line for a head coaching position for many years, and sad, because they know he's going to be a particularly big void to fill in terms of Andy Coen 's offense.

Many people think a key part of the Christmas (or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or..) season is the anticipation of children of their holiday gifts. For college football fans, though, there's a different sense of anticipation in December - the recruitment of high school seniors to come play for their school. I'm just one guy among a whole lot of Lehigh fans, of course, but - what would I like under Lehigh's holiday tree in terms of new recruits? Find out - below the flip.

(Photo Credit: Matt Smith /The Express-Times ) When I look back at Lehigh's football program over the last four years, I can't think of a single game that wasn't meaningful. And when you think about this fact, that's a powerful thing to say about this group of seniors that will graduate this season. So many programs have off years, years in between quality starting quarterbacks, years when players who find themselves in NFL training camps graduate, and the number of holes to fill are too great to compete for championships, let alone playoff spots. But that didn't happen for this group of Lehigh athletes in 2013. Despite needing to replace two players who found themselves in NFL training camps, WR Ryan Spadola and LB Billy Boyko , a starting quarterback, QB Michael Colvin , and an all-Patriot League secondary consisting of CB Bryan Andrews and S Billy O'Brien , the expectations on this year's team was great: Win the Patriot League.  Build off a ...

(Photo Credit: Kevin Mingora /Morning Call) "You didn't cry or anything when Lehigh lost this weekend, did you?" That was the greeting I got when I came back into the office (from another Lehigh football fan, interestingly) this Monday, as if he knew that I would be taking the loss this weekend especially hard. I did not cry.  But I did hurt.  And I know not a few men that I respect that I know cried on Saturday. This is probably not a revelation to most people who know me through this writing vehicle or in person, but yes, I took the loss hard. Believe me, if you saw my wife and son recently, they'd probably tell you that I was not a pleasant person to be in the car with on Saturday.  Or Sunday.  Or Monday. The truth is, I take every loss hard, and losses to what is the biggest rival in football, Lafayette, hurt especially hard.  It is an occupational hazard of caring too much about a sports team. To me, losses to Lafayette are supposed to suck....

On the third play of scrimmage, Lafayette freshman QB Drew Reed fumbled the ball off a bad snap. The ball squirted loose from the line - where a Lehigh player might have fallen on it - and instead nudged in the direction of junior RB Ross Scheuerman , who found himself with the ball in his hands, and, on the broken goal line play, wide open space to get into the end zone. It was that type of day for the Mountain Hawks - a day when five years of Rivalry frustrations, five years of balls bouncing the wrong way, and five years of Lehigh victories came crashing to an end. It was a game where Lehigh never led.  It was a game when the Mountain Hawks came close to coming back - and clearly believing that it could, and would, happen.  But it wasn't meant to be, as Lafayette took home all the marbles on Saturday - the Patriot League Trophy, the Patriot League championship and autobid, and the win over Lehigh that the players, and the many people that follow the Lafayette footb...

(Photo Credit: Morning Call) We break down the Lafayette game, the 149th meeting between Lehigh and Lafayette - and we give our fearless prediction, below the flip. Some key things you'll need to know before the Game of the Year: * The Lehigh Football Partnership will be opening at 9:00 AM for tailgating at the Rust Pavillion with former football players and families, and at 10:00 AM there will be a "special guest". * Out of town and want to watch Rivalry 149 with friendly Lehigh fans?   Click here and find a telecast party across the country.  There's even one in London! * The game will be on the following TV/Radio and streaming places: Patriot League Network (Lehigh Broadcast: Free) ESPN3 (Lafayette Broadcast: Free if ISP provides it) WMFZ 69 in the Lehigh Valley Lafayette Sports Network ( WBPH-60 in the Lehigh Valley Area and other networks across the country) Fox College Sports Pacific (Live; Lehigh Broadcast; Available Nationally On Many C...