In Lehigh's previous season, the Mountain Hawks' roster was very senior heavy, with most of the team's starting players graduating.[1] As such there is an equally large oncoming group of Freshmen, including two quarterbacks Matt Machalik of Palmerton and Hayden Johnson of Manheim Township, as well as senior QB Matt Rauscher and fifth-year QB Dante Perri.[1] Additionally, coach Cahill has highlighted the new freshmen defenders, including Broc Bender, second-team all-state linebacker from Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia.[1]
The season opener are the first time that the teams have met since 1995 and the first time Lehigh has played an FBS team since 2018.[4] In the opening drive the Black Knights performed a 35-yard fake punt followed by a 1-yard touchdown by Bryson Daily.[5] The Mountain Hawks responded the next drive by scoring in a seven-play drive off an 18-yard rushing touchdown by Luke Yoder.[5][6] However, Army then scored on back to back drives with rushing touchdowns from Daily and Kanye Udoh and hold Lehigh scoreless, making it 21–7 at the half.[5] Army scored early in the third with a 3-yard run from Noah Short, and scored twice in the fourth quarter to finish the game 42–7.[6] Army held Lehigh scoreless in the second half, mostly due to two interceptions by Lehigh quarterback Hayden Johnson deep in Army territory.[5] Lehigh had three quarterbacks take snaps in an effort to confuse Army, with Dante Perri, Matt Machalik and Hayden Johnson all being used in different packages.[5]
Seeking to bounce back from their defeat by Army, Lehigh started their home opener by scoring first off a 16-yard pass from Dante Perri to wide receiver Geoffrey Jamiel, following with two more touchdowns to take a 21–0 lead only 5 minutes into the game.[7] The Mountain Hawks continued their strong start with first-year Hayden Johnson scoring his first collegiate touchdown for a 28–0 lead, followed by two more touchdowns by Lehigh to make it 42–0 at the half.[8][7] This is the first time that Lehigh scored 42 points before halftime since their 2016 season against Yale.[7] Lehigh scored again to start the third quarter to make the lead 49–0 before the Seahawks scored two late touchdowns to finish the game.[7] Wagner had three turnovers, including a pick-six, finishing the game with 249 yards of total offense.[8] This was Lehigh's largest margin of victory in 17 years, since its 2007 45–0 win against Georgetown, and the most points scored since its 2018 season against Bucknell.[9] Junior receiver Geoffrey Jamiel put him over 100 career receptions and 1,000 receiving yards during the game, while juniors Tyler Ochojski and Matt Spatny secured Lehigh's first two sacks of the season.[9] Junior defensive back Nick Peltekian said “This should be the standard for this team every week.”[7] The game was also head coach Kevin Cahill's first ever home win.[9]
(0:37) LIU – Michael Coney 27-yard kick (Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:05; Lehigh 20-17)
Fourth quarter
No scoring
Statistics
LEH
LIU
First downs
20
15
Total yards
282
320
Rushing yards
143
166
Passing yards
139
154
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
10–18–0
16–26–1
Time of possession
33:55
26:05
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Lehigh
Passing
Dante Perri
6/14, 113 yards, TD
Rushing
Luke Yoder
23 carries, 94 yards, TD
Receiving
Logan Galletta
2 receptions, 47 yards
LIU
Passing
Luca Stanzani
16/26, 160 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing
Ethan Greenwood
5 carries, 65 yards
Receiving
Cory Nichols
7 receptions, 52 yards, 2 TD
LIU was looking to come back from two losses with a home-opener against Lehigh, with this being the first time Lehigh traveled to LIU.[10] The LIU sharks opened scoring with a 13-yard pass from Luca Stanzani to Michael Love before the Mountain Hawks tied with a Luke Yoder rushing touchdown.[10] First-year quarterback Hayden Johnson then had his first career touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Geoffrey Jamiel.[10] The Sharks opened up the second half with a Stanzani 3-yard passing touchdown to Michael Love then with 37 seconds left in the third LIU's kicker Michael Coney made a field goal.[10] Lehigh held the game scoreless in the fourth quarter, with the game coming down to the Mountain Hawks' Will Parton stopping a fourth-and-2 attempt with 57 seconds left to preserve the win.[11][10] This was the first time that Lehigh won back-to-back games since 2021, and are now 7-0 all time against the Sharks.[12]
(6:49) LEH – Jaden Green 34-yard run, Nick Garrido Kick (Drive: 5 plays. 71 yards, 2:58; Lehigh 35-20)
Statistics
PRIN
LEH
First downs
14
17
Total yards
212
346
Rushing yards
-7
153
Passing yards
219
193
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
16-22-3
16-40-0
Time of possession
25:29
34:31
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Princeton
Passing
Blaine Hipa
16/38, 219, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing
John Volker
10 carries, 28 yards, TD
Receiving
Luke Colella
5 receptions, 86 yards, TD
Lehigh
Passing
Hayden Johnson
12/13, 165 yards, TD
Rushing
Jaden Green
18 carries, 82 yards, 2 TD
Receiving
Dylan McFadden
2 receptions, 62 yards
Lehigh hosted Princeton for its "Parents Weekend" homecoming game.[12] This was Princeton's first game of the season.[13] Both team's marching bands put on special halftime performances, and food-trucks provided food to the homecoming crowd.[14] Lehigh opened up the scoring with a 20-yard run up the middle by sophomore running back Luke Yoder six minutes into the game.[15][14] Princeton responded tying the game to end the first quarter.[15] The Mountain Hawks would outscore Princeton by 14 points in the 2nd quarter to make it 21-7 going into the second half.[15] The Tigers scored on their opening possession of the second half and cut the lead to just 7 points.[15] The fourth quarter started off with Johnson finding an open Geoffrey Jamiel on a 17-yard passing touchdown to put Lehigh's lead back to 14 points with 14:10 remaining in the game.[15] Princeton got the ball back with 1:54 remaining with a chance to have a game-winning drive, however, Brycen Edwards intercepted Blaine Hipa to secure the win for Lehigh.[15] The Tigers responded six minutes later with a touchdown of their own, but failed to convert the two-point conversion.[15] This was the first time that Lehigh beat an ivy league school since 2016.[13][15] Hayden Johnson had the best day of his career to date, going 12-of-13 while throwing for 165 yards with one touchdown.[15] Lehigh also started Dante Perri who was 4-of-9 and finished with 28 yards.[15]
BUC - Eric Weatherly 31 yard pass from Ralph Rucker IV, Matt Schearer Kick (Tied 14-14)
Third quarter
LEH - Luke Yoder 19 yard run, Nick Garrido Kick (Lehigh 21-14)
BUC - Ralph Rucker IV 7 yard run, Matt Schearer Kick (Tied 21-21)
Fourth quarter
BUC - Aaron Davis 79 yard interception return, Matt Schearer Kick (Bucknell 28-21)
LEH - Luke Yoder 1 yard run, Nick Garrido Kick (Tied 28-28)
Overtime
LEH - Luke Yoder 11 yard run, Nick Garrido Kick (Lehigh 35-28)
BUC - Eric Weatherly 12 yard pass from Ralph Rucker IV, Matt Schearer Kick (Tied 35-35)
2nd Overtime
BUC - Matt Schearer 42 yard field goal (Bucknell 38-35)
Statistics
BUCK
LEH
First downs
16
26
Total yards
270
500
Rushing yards
120
202
Passing yards
150
298
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
15-22
21-33-1
Time of possession
23:11
36:49
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Bucknell
Passing
Ralph Rucker IV
15/22, 150 yards, 2 TD
Rushing
Tariq Thomas
18 carries, 77 yards
Receiving
Eric Weatherly
5 receptions, 55 yards
Lehigh
Passing
Hayden Johnson
17/23, 200 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Luke Yoder
22 carries, 137 yards
Receiving
Geoffrey Jamiel
9 receptions, 136 yards
The game was branded as "Tackle Cancer Day" sponsored by Red Robin in partnership with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.[16] Lehigh entered the game atop the Patriot league.[17] Lehigh climbed to a 14-0 lead with 4:11 remaining in the first half.[17] Bucknell's TJ Cadden, who had a 73 yard punt return in the previous game, returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to get the Bison on the board.[18] Over the next 62 seconds Bucknell would force a fumble, and score off a 31-yard pass to tie the game 14-14.[17] Lehigh would regain it's lead in the third quater to make the game 21-14.[17] Bucknell's Aaron Davis reutrned a 79-yard interception to give Bucknell its only lead of regulation, 28-21 with 6 minutes left before Lehigh responded with a short Yoder touchdown run with 1:30 remaining.[18] Bucknell was able to get the ball into field-goal range, however, Bison kicker Matt Schearer bounced the 52-yard attempt off the upright.[17] After exchanging touchdowns, Bucknell's opening drive of the second overtime stalled, resulting in a 42-yard Schearer field goal. Lehigh's response was short lived, as they fumbled the ball which was recovered by Bucknell's Gavin Willis to end the game 38-35.[18] The game put Bucknell at the top of the Patriot League, and was their best start to a season since 2015.[16] Lehigh Junior WR Geoffrey Jamiel had a career day with nine catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns, while Sophomore WR Mason Humphrey also had 109 yards.[16] Lehigh's RB Luke Yoder also carried the ball 22 times for 137 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Lehigh's QBs, Johnson and Perri, went 17-of-23 for 200 years, and 4-of-10 for 98 yards respectively.[16] Despite the loss, the Mountain Hawks led in total yards, 500 to just 270.[18]
(8:19) YALE - Nick Conforti 40 Yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 31 yards, 2:39 Yale 31-10)
(2:56) LEH - Jaden Green 9 Yard run, Nick Garrido Kick (Drive: 10 plays, 67 yards, 5:20 Yale 31-17)
(0:57) YALE - Tre Peterson 57 Yard run, Nick Conforti Kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:59 Yale 38-17)
Fourth quarter
(1:52) LEH - Hayden Johnson 7 Yard run, Nick Garrido PAT failed (Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 4:20 Yale 38-23)
Statistics
LEH
YALE
First downs
20
20
Total yards
372
365
Rushing yards
250
258
Passing yards
122
107
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
14-29-3
15-26-1
Time of possession
31:56
28:04
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Lehigh
Passing
Hayden Johnson
8/16, 74 Yards, 1 INT
Rushing
Luke Yoder
15 carries, 143 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Geoffrey Jamiel
7 receptions, 54 yards
Yale
Passing
Grant Jordan
15/26, 107 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Tre Peterson
12 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Mason Shipp
6 receptions, 55 yards
Lehigh opened scoring with a field goal on the game-opening drive.[19][20] Yale's opening drive started when Aidan Singleton picked off the Bulldog's Grant Jordan, however, Lehigh was unable to capitalize on the turnover.[19] Grant responded with a 20-yard pass to Joey Felton on his second ever pass attempt, before Yale scored, which was quickly followed by a Yale intercepting Lehigh QB Dante Perri, and returning the interception for 53 yards and a touchdown making it 14-3 at the end of the quater.[19][20] The Mountain Hawk's Luke Yoder scored on a 38 yard run, making it 14-10, the closest the game would be.[20] Yale's Grant then scored on a 10 yard run with the Bulldogs scoring again with a fourth and 1 plunge by Josh Pitsenberger with 5 seconds left in the half after another Lehigh interception.[19] Yale's Nick Conforti extended the lead with a 40 yard field goal after a Lehigh fumble, with Lehigh responding with a 10-play 68 yard drive capped with a 10 yard Rushing touchdown by Jaden Green.[20] With the win Yale retained the Yank Townsend Trophy, which has been awarded to the winner of each Lehigh-Yale game since 2006.[20] Yoder ran for 143 yards and a touchdown.[19]
(6:18) FOR - Bennett Henderson 44 yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 3:51 Fordham 3-0)
(2:17) LEH - Jaden Green 44 Yard Run, Nich Garrido Kick (Drive: 7 plays 75 yards, 4:01 Lehigh 7-3)
Second quarter
(13:25) LEH - Nick Garrido 41 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 3:09 Lehigh 10-3)
(8:09) LEH - Matt Machalik 2 yard run, Nick Garrido Kick (Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 5:05 Lehigh 17-3)
(1:41) LEH - Matt Machalik 2 yard run, Nick Garrido Kick (Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 2:49 Lehigh 24-3)
(0:34) LEH - Matt D'Avino 33 yard pass from Hayden Johnson, Nick Garrido Kick (Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 0:27 Lehigh 31-3)
Third quarter
(8:27) Team Safety (Lehigh 33-3)
Fourth quarter
(10:27) FOR - Tripp Holley 11 yard run, Julius Loughridge two point conversion (Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 2:00 Lehigh 33-11)
(1:44) FOR - Julius Loughridge 9 yard run, Tripp Holley two point conversion (Drive: 17 plays, 66 yards, 4:58 Lehigh 33-19)
Statistics
FOR
LEH
First downs
16
18
Total yards
226
372
Rushing yards
98
246
Passing yards
128
126
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
15-34-1
10-17
Time of possession
26:25
33:35
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Fordham
Passing
Trip Holley
8/18, 69 yards
Rushing
Julius Loughridge
17 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Cole Thornton
4 receptions, 37 yards
Lehigh
Passing
Hayden Johnson
6/9, 99 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Jaden Green
17 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Geoffrey Jamiel
3 receptions, 47 yards
Lehigh's "Pride Day", presented by the Pride Center and Office of Diversity, equity, and inclusion.[20] The game started with Fordham taking a 3-0 lead off a field goal.[21] Lehigh would then score on five-straight possessions to led 31-3 at halftime including a 44-yard Green rushing touchdown, a field goal, a pair of 2-yard rushing touchdowns by Matt Machalik, and a 33-yard receiving touchdown by Matt D'Avina.[21] All four of Lehigh's touchdowns were scored by first-years, and this was the third straight game where Lehigh eclipsed 200-yards rushing.[22] This was the first time Lehigh beat Fordham since 2019, and Lehigh honored it's 1979 Division I-AA national runner-up squad and 1980Lambert Cup Championship team during halftime.[22]
