football
9/6/2022 4:02:00 PM
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Patriot League play arrives in week two for Lehigh and Georgetown as the teams meet Saturday evening at Cooper Field. For the Mountain Hawks, it will be their earliest Patriot League game since the 2003 season when Lehigh played its first two games against league foes. Lehigh dropped its season-opener at No. 5/6 Villanova last Friday 45-17. The Mountain Hawks had a promising offensive performance, gaining 408 yards, including 181 on the ground, while starting two first-years on the offensive line. Lehigh’s defense fell victim to several big plays as the Wildcats built leads of 24-0 and eventually 31-14, before scoring the final 14 points of the contest. Georgetown opened its season with an impressive 43-12 victory at Marist. The Hoyas rushed for 224 yards and blocked two punts in their opening day win.
While the Mountain Hawks left some points on the field, Lehigh’s offense moved the ball well against a Villanova defense that annually ranks among the nation’s best. Lehigh’s 408 yards of total offense against the Wildcats tied for the second-highest single game total in 26 games under Tom Gilmore. The Mountain Hawks’ 181 rushing yards were also Lehigh’s second most in a game in the Gilmore era. Lehigh racked up 577 yards of offense, including 260 on the ground at Fordham last October and also gained 408 yards in a win at Bucknell last November.
Lehigh’s defense is looking to bounce back from a tough night at Villanova, but the numbers show that the Mountain Hawks have performed much better defensively against Patriot League opponents under Tom Gilmore. In 15 league games since the start of the 2019 season, Lehigh is allowing 19.5 points and just under 304.8 yards per game. In 11 non-league games, the numbers rise to 28.9 points and 409.4 yards allowed. The Mountain Hawks went 3-3 in Patriot League play in both the 2019 and 2021 campaigns.
In a change from recent years, Lehigh has a more veteran-laden team with 47 juniors and seniors, plus 18 sophomores, many of who saw playing time last season. Five Mountain Hawks made their first career starts at Villanova. On offense, veteran running back Zaythan Hill started for the first time and was joined by three first-year players, Geoffrey Jamiel, Aidan Palmer and Langston Jones. Junior Sam Sheridan was the lone first-time starter on defense and registered his first career sack in the second half. Junior Christian Jablonski started six games over his first two seasons, but those starts came on the defensive line. Jablonski has since moved to the offensive line and started at right tackle against Villanova.
Lehigh and Georgetown open the Patriot League schedule against one another in week two. Not counting the COVID-impacted spring 2021 campaign, Saturday’s game will mark Lehigh’s earliest Patriot League game in 19 years. In 2003, Tom Gilmore’s fourth and final season as Lehigh’s defensive coordinator, the Mountain Hawks opened with home games against Holy Cross and Fordham in the season’s first two weeks. Since those 2003 contests, Lehigh has only played two league games in September, a home win over Fordham on Sept. 29, 2012 (week five) and a loss at Colgate on Sept. 25, 2021 (week four).
Georgetown opened its season with an impressive 43-12 win at Marist last weekend. The Hoyas rushed for 224 yards and held the Red Foxes to just 210 yards of total offense. Georgetown also blocked two punts, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Joshua Stakely rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns to lead the offense. Quarterback Pierce Holley completed 20-of-24 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. Georgetown went 2-8 overall in 2021 and finished 1-5 in the Patriot League. Wide receiver Joshua Tomas was named to the preseason All-Patriot League team.
Lehigh and Georgetown meet for the 27th time with the Mountain Hawks leading the series 20-6. Georgetown’s double-overtime win in 2018 snapped a 17-game Lehigh winning streak in the series. That was also the last meeting at Cooper Field. The Brown and White met the Hoyas for the first time in 1901 and the teams did not meet between 1926 and 2001. Lehigh is 19-1 overall against Georgetown since the Hoyas joined the Patriot League in 2001.
Saturday’s game kicks off just after 5 pm from Cooper field. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with audio coverage on Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM in Easton and online at LVFoxSports.com beginning at 4 pm
The Mountain Hawks will open their home schedule next Saturday when they welcome the Richmond Spiders to Goodman Stadium as part of Family Weekend, presented by PSECU. Richmond will be visiting Goodman Stadium for the first time in program history as the Spiders will be the second of three CAA opponents on Lehigh’s 2022 schedule. Game time is set for noon.
| dates: | September 10, 2022 |
| Opponent: | Georgetown Hoyas |
| Kick off: | 5:02pm |
| Stage: | Cooper Field/2,500/FieldTurf |
| Location: | Washington, D.C |
| Lehigh’s record: | 0-1 overall, 0-0 Patriot League |
| Georgetown’s record: | 1-0 overall, 0-0 Patriot League |
| Series: | Lehigh leads 20-6 |
| Video: | ESPN+ |
| Radio: | Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM and 1230 AM and LVFoxSports.com with Matt Kerr, Matt Markus and Steve Lomangino beginning at 4 pm |
| Key stats: | • Lehigh’s 408 yards of total offense and 181 rushing yards at Villanova were his second-highest single-game totals of the Tom Gilmore era. •Senior wide receiver Jalen Burbage had a career-high 106 receiving yards on eight catches, with his second career touchdown at Villanova. • Lehigh has outscored Georgetown by an average margin of 36-14 in 20 meetings since the Hoyas joined the Patriot League in 2001. |
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