Lehigh football dominated Fordham University 27-6 for its eighth straight victory away at Moglia Stadium during the Rams’ Family Weekend.
The Mountain Hawks carried their undefeated momentum into the Bronx on Saturday. The victory extends their 27-10 all-time series lead over the Rams.
Senior linebacker Brycen Edwards led Lehigh’s defense with 13 tackles and junior running back Luke Yoder had 79 rushing yards to give the offense momentum.
Fordham’s linebacker James Conway made program history when he registered his 14th tackle, extending his new mark as the Patriot League and FCS all-time tackles leader.
Coming in, Lehigh held a statistical edge, leading the Patriot League with 21 sacks on the season and boasting one of the conference’s top rushing attacks behind Yoder. Fordham entered the game 1-6 in the league.
Despite the friendship between head coaches Kevin Cahill and Joe Conlin, the opening quarter reflected little sentimentality, putting the relationship on hold.
Lehigh struck first five minutes into the game, as senior kicker Nick Garrido connected on a 36-yard field goal to give the Mountain Hawks a 3-0 advantage. The momentum briefly shifted with 5:00 remaining in the first quarter when junior wide receiver Mason Humphrey exited briefly with an injury.
Garrido later attempted to extend the lead from 38 yards, but pushed the kick wide right for his first miss of the season. Fordham responded with a steady nine-play, 45-yard drive to close the first quarter, but the Mountain Hawks’ defense held firm, maintaining the 3-0 lead.
Through the first quarter, senior linebacker Tyler Ochojski led Lehigh defensively, while Fordham’s junior linebacker Andrew Osmun, who later exited in the second quarter, led all tacklers in the early stretch.
Sophomore quarterback Hayden Johnson completed 48 passing yards in the first frame with a 114.7 efficiency rating. In contrast, the Rams quarterback Gunnar Smith posted a 164.4 rating despite minimal yardage, relying heavily on quick short completions.
In the second quarter, Fordham opened with a six-play drive but stalled. Lehigh followed with its most methodical possession of the afternoon, a 13-play and 78-yard march that drained the clock.
Johnson capped the drive with a quarterback keeper from one yard out, extending the Mountain Hawks’ lead to 10-0.
Fordham attempted to answer before halftime, using two timeouts in the final minute to preserve the clock. Senior defensive lineman TJ Burke recorded a key sack to halt the Rams at Lehigh’s 29-yard line, preserving the shutout through the half.
Within the first three minutes of the third quarter, the Mountain Hawks recorded four sacks.
Lehigh entered the game leading the Patriot League with 21 sacks this season, and the pass rush continued to overwhelm Fordham’s backfield as the quarter progressed.
Conway added another stop moments later, bringing his total to 13.
With 8:25 remaining in the third, Johnson connected with senior wide receiver Geoffrey Jamiel on a 30-yard completion. Yoder completed the drive, took a no-huddle handoff left, and powered into the end zone to extend the Mountain Hawks’ lead to 17-0.
At 4:51 in the third, sophomore running back Jaden Green broke loose on a 19-yard rush to the Rams’ 1-yard line, aided by a Fordham unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that moved the ball to the goal line. Two plays later, Green punched it in from one yard out, and Garrido’s extra point pushed the lead to 24-0.
Fordham finally broke onto the scoreboard in the closing seconds of the quarter. With 18 seconds left, Smith kept the ball and rushed up the middle for a short touchdown to make it 24-6.
The Rams attempted a two-point conversion twice. The first was wiped out due to a penalty, and the second was stopped by Lehigh’s defense.
Lehigh closed the quarter still in command with an 18-point lead.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, Smith connected with wide receiver Jack Betten on a short middle pass that turned into a 72-yard gain, setting up the Rams inside Lehigh’s 10-yard line. It was Fordham’s longest play of the afternoon.
Smith completed a short pass to running back Jamell James for 7 yards down to the Lehigh 2-yard line, but on third down he faced heavy pressure from Edwards and senior defensive back Nick Peltekian, throwing an incomplete toward the right corner. On fourth down, Peltekian again broke up the pass, forcing a turnover on downs — the third fourth-down stop of the day for Lehigh’s defense.
Lehigh continued to push late in the fourth quarter. With 5:51 remaining, Johnson hit Humphrey on a deep ball down the right sideline for a 28-yard gain to the Fordham 37. Johnson followed it up moments later with a 17-yard keeper to the Fordham 20, putting the Mountain Hawks firmly in scoring position.
At 1:52, Garrido’s field goal attempt from 22 yards was good, making the score 27-6 and increasing the Mountain Hawks’ lead to 21 points.
The team will look to extend its 8-0 undefeated streak when it hosts Georgetown University at home at Goodman Stadium on Nov. 1.
Comment Policy
Comments posted to The Brown and White website are reviewed by a moderator before being approved. Incendiary speech or harassing language, including comments targeted at individuals, may be deemed unacceptable and not published. Spam and other soliciting will also be declined.
The Brown and White also reserves the right to refuse the publication of entirely anonymous comments.