It was a cold rainy day in Hamilton, New York today, but it didn’t stop No. 4 Lehigh football. The Mountain Hawks defeated Colgate 27-7 on the road despite a weather delay with just under four minutes left in the game.
Lehigh collected 134 rushing yards and 259 receiving yards in this victory, compared to Colgate’s 60 yards on the ground and 162 receiving. Senior wide receiver Geoffrey Jamiel tallied 138 yards on the day and one touchdown.
Senior linebacker Brycen Edwards anchored the defense with seven total tackles. Senior defensive lineman Matt Spatney had one sack, racking up 24.5 total career sacks and setting a new program record.
Lehigh came out of the gates fiery during their first possession of the game, driving all the way into the endzone with sophomore running back Aaron Crossley rushing two yards down the middle, bringing the score to 7-0.
With five minutes left in the first quarter, the Mountain Hawks found themselves 3rd and 8 yards, looking for a crucial first down. Sophomore quarterback Hayden Johnson found first-year wide receiver Anthony Feaster, who converted the first down and drove more, gaining 50 yards and landing the team within field goal range on the 19-yard line.
Although Lehigh couldn’t find the endzone, sophomore punter and kicker Connor Poole sank a 32-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-0 with three and a half minutes left in the first quarter.
After Lehigh’s defense held firm on Colgate once again, and only giving up three yards total, Johnson and the offense took the field once more.
To begin the second quarter, Johnson rushed for six yards from the 50-yard line. On that same play, there was a personal foul call on Colgate, giving the Mountain Hawks an extra 15 yards.
Jamiel had a 25-yard highlight catch in double coverage to bring the team to the 1-yard line.
A holding penalty followed by a chop block foul prevented Lehigh from scoring a touchdown. Poole made a 30-yard field goal to bring the score to 13-0.
The Raiders had their longest drive of the first half, putting them in field goal range. Junior kicker Luke Vogeler lined up for a 45-yard field goal attempt, but missed wide.
With just over four minutes left in the first half, Johnson connected with Jamiel for a 64-yard touchdown, turning the lead into a comfortable 20-0.
The Raiders finally put points on the board with a 28-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jake Stearney to first-year wide receiver Matt Fogler with six seconds left in the half.
Jamiel powered the offense with five receptions and 114 yards, compared to Colgate’s leading receiver, senior Brady Hutchinson, with two catches for 31 yards to close out the first half. Defensively, sophomore linebacker Cole Hughes led with four tackles, and Colgate’s sophomore linebacker Christian Magliacano led with seven.
On Colgate’s first possession of the second half, Stearney found Fogler once again for 47 yards, marking the longest catch of Fogler’s career.
With a pass intended for the end zone, senior linebacker Jackson Dowd landed his first career interception off of Fogler’s fingers for a turnover.
With 11 minutes left in the third quarter, Johnson connected with junior wide receiver Mason Humphrey for 31 yards. Despite this, Lehigh could not continue the momentum and punted away for the second time in the half.
The Raiders drove into field goal range again and Vogeler attempted from 48 yards, but missed with just under three minutes left in the third quarter.
The Mountain Hawk offense ran onto the field looking to put points on the board for the first time in the half. However, after a sack for a loss of five yards by Magliacano, the scoreless third quarter came to an end.
Rain crept in to open the fourth quarter, as the Lehigh defense forced a quick 3-and-out to give their offense another chance of scoring.
For the first points of the second half, sophomore running back Jaden Green rushed 28 yards down the middle for a Lehigh touchdown, bringing the score to 27-7.
The Raiders gained offensive possession, but their forward momentum was halted by senior linebacker Tyler Ochojski, who sacked Stearney for a loss of six yards. Ochojski leads the team in sacks, and collected his 10th of the season.
With just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the game was suspended due to lightning and excessive rain.
The Mountain Hawks will close out their regular season with the 161st Rivalry game against Lafayette College on Nov. 22 at Fisher Stadium.
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