Lehigh football defeated the University of Pennsylvania 44-30 on Saturday afternoon at Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium, securing its fifth straight victory and the program’s first 5-0 start since 2012.
Thousands of attendees gathered under tailgate tents this morning as the Mountain Hawks prepared for their Family Weekend faceoff against the Quakers.
By kickoff, around 8,400 fans were in the crowd, with Lehigh supporters cramming into the west side of Goodman Stadium and visitors from Penn filing into the opposing side. This was followed by a familiar pregame routine — a performance from the Marching 97 and the ceremonial bell ring — before the Mountain Hawks started a closely contested shootout with the Quakers.
Sophomore quarterback Hayden Johnson threw 240 passing yards, while senior wide receiver Geoffrey Jamiel collected eight receptions and 132 receiving yards.
Senior kicker Nick Garrido scored 13 points and made three field goals, both career highs for the senior.
Penn’s senior quarterback Liam O’Brien threw 316 passing yards, connecting with senior wide receiver Jared Richardson who finished with 12 receptions for 141 yards.
The Quakers’ 30 points marked the program’s highest total against a top-10 opponent since 1945.
Coach Kevin Cahill attributed the Mountain Hawks’s success to the players and their motivation to succeed.
“The kids have changed the culture here,” Cahill said. “They want more. They truly are driving this program right now, and it’s been fun to be a part of it and continue to navigate where we’re going and what we’re doing.”
Three minutes into the first quarter, Garrido nailed a field goal attempt from the 35-yard line to give Lehigh a 3-0 lead.
Johnson passed down the middle to sophomore wide receiver Matt D’Avino for Lehigh’s opening touchdown, before Penn responded with a throw from O’Brien to senior wide receiver Bisi Owens to cut the lead to 10-7.
With less than a minute to go in the first quarter, Garrido kicked on the fourth-and-10, rounding out the first quarter with a Lehigh 13-7 lead.
The Mountain Hawks opened the second quarter with another kick from Garrido to bring the score up to 16-7.
Cahill said he hadn’t thought field goals would help the Mountain Hawks win the game, but the three attempts were all successful, outscoring Penn’s one.
With five minutes left in the quarter, O’Brien rushed four yards into the endzone, with a successful kick to close the gap to 16-14.
Senior linebacker Brycen Edwards led on the field with eight tackles, and sophomore quarterback Hayden Johnson threw 154 passing yards at the end of the first half. Lehigh crafted 42 plays for 298 yards and held possession for 18 minutes of the 30 minute half.
O’Brien opened the third quarter by hitting Richardson for a touchdown, giving Penn its first lead of the game at 20-16.
With nine minutes left on the clock, Lehigh’s offensive line set up for a kick. On a trick play, Jamiel took the snap on Lehigh’s fourth down and ran the ball for the full 20 yards into the endzone, securing a touchdown for the Mountain Hawks and bumping the score 23-20.
“Saturday is 1% of what we do,” Jamiel said. “It’s 24/7, 365. We compete in the spring, (and) in the summer. Everything’s a competition, and we learn how to win. We learn how to lose.”
Lehigh opened the fourth quarter with a pass down the middle from Johnson to Jamiel for 35 yards, extending their lead to 30-20.
Penn answered once more when O’Brien connected with Richardson for a touchdown from the 18-yard line, completing the kick and closing in on the Mountain Hawks at 30-27.
Senior linebacker Tyler Ochojski tipped a pass from O’Brien, with sophomore defensive back Mekhai Smith scooping the ball for a Lehigh interception, leading to a first down for the Mountain Hawks at the 20-yard line.
This was Smith’s fourth interception in the past five games.
“I give credit to the defensive line especially, when they get after the quarterback really fast,” Smith said. “It forces some passes we can build off of.”
Johnson handed off the ball to junior running back Luke Yoder for a rushing touchdown, extending the lead to 37-27.
With 4:55 on the clock, Lehigh’s defense pressed onto Penn, resulting in a kick on the fourth down from Penn’s freshman punter and kicker Mason Walters, bringing the score to 37-30.
Penn cut the gap once more with a late field goal from Penn’s freshman punter and kicker Mason Walters, but Lehigh closed out the game with a 25-yard touchdown from Yoder, making the final score 44-30.
Yoder led both teams with 173 rushing yards and tied with Jamiel for two touchdowns.
The Mountain Hawks scored ten points off of the three turnovers they forced against the Quakers.
Following the win, Cahill credited both teams for the close matchup.
“(Penn) came in and played a very good football game,” Cahill said. “They had a great game plan to come in and attack our defense, and we’ve got to be able to make those adjustments and respond faster.”
Next, Lehigh will challenge Yale on Oct. 4 at Goodman Stadium for Tackle Cancer Day.
2 Comments
I am so proud of our Mountain Hawk coaching staff and players. Well coached and a class act our 2025 program has surpassed even its high preseason expectations. I try to attend as many games as possible, enjoying them all. Being a member of the class of 1967 I experienced only 3 wins and 1 tie in all my four years making 2025 a true joy.
Disclaimer: We were all so concerned in 1963-67 with getting drafted and going to Viet-Nam that football was on our mental back burner tbh.
Watched game from home in Florida… Good turnout for fans that helped knock off Penn for first time in years.. Hope they come out next week..
Great effort for players for a team that could challenge nationally.
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