The Lehigh football team’s offense proves to be dominant regardless of who’s at quarterback.
With senior Nick Shafnisky out again because of an injury suffered last week at Georgetown, sophomore Brad Mayes helped lead the Mountain Hawks (6-2, 3-0 Patriot) to a 46-14 win over Holy Cross on Saturday in Worcester, Massachusetts.
All of Lehigh’s points were unanswered, holding Holy Cross (3-5, 1-2 Patriot) scoreless for a 54:45 span. Mayes completed 20 of 30 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns.
Juniors Troy Pelletier (70 yards, two touchdowns) and Gatlin Casey (94 yards, one touchdown), the top two receivers in the FCS, were once again big contributors in Lehigh’s offensive attack. However, it was senior Derek Knott who led the team in receiving yards, hauling in five receptions for 123 yards, a career high.
Sophomore running back Dom Bragalone tallied a career high in rushing yards as well, picking up 182 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. His day was highlighted by a 66-yard score in the third quarter where he ran untouched into the end zone.
Holy Cross was dealing with quarterback injuries of its own, as junior Blaise Bell made his first career start. The team also used fifth-string quarterback Emmett Clifford after Bell was struggling in the second half. The two combined for three interceptions and zero touchdowns.
The Crusaders jumped to a quick 7-0 lead in the first few minutes of the game, but Lehigh responded midway through the first quarter to tie the game.
An 11-play, 81-yard drive to start the second quarter resulted in the team’s second touchdown of the game. Shafnisky made a quick appearance, throwing a pass to defensive lineman Tyler Cavenas for a two-point conversion to put the Hawks up 15-7. However, he didn’t attempt a pass during the rest of the game.
Lehigh stifled Holy Cross’s offense from then on, scoring another 31 straight points to go up 46-7 with 11:49 left in the fourth quarter. The Mountain Hawks then put in a lot of their backups, allowing Matt Timochenko to come in at quarterback for a couple drives.
Holy Cross scored a late touchdown, but the deficit was too great to overcome that late in the game.
Lehigh will return home next Saturday to face Fordham (5-2, 2-0) in what could decide the eventual Patriot League champion. The game is slated for 12:30 p.m. at Goodman Stadium.
1 Comment
Stumbled across the Lehigh-Holy Cross game while searching for something else. Not only a great game by the Mountain Hawks, but the brown and white uniforms and white helmets looked fantastic. A reminder of years gone bye.
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