For the first time in program history, No. 5 Lehigh (12-0, 8-0 Patriot League) will host the second round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday when the Mountain Hawks take on the No. 12 Villanova Wildcats (10-2, 7-1 CAA). Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. at Goodman Stadium.
Lehigh earned a first-round bye after capturing its 14th Patriot League championship with a 42-32 win over Lafayette College on Nov. 22. Junior running back Luke Yoder powered the offense, rushing for 234 yards and four touchdowns. He secured Rivalry 161 MVP honors.
Lehigh leads the FCS in rushing defense, allowing 73.7 yards per game. The offense ranks among the nation’s best on the ground with 235.3 yards per game. On the other side of the coin, Villanova boasts a passing offense of 218.17 yards per game, posing a matchup of which offensive strategy will prevail.
The Mountain Hawks also have the longest active FCS regular-season winning streak at 17 games. Across six home games, Lehigh has outscored its opponents 203-70.
Villanova will enter Goodman Stadium riding a nine-game winning streak after finishing second in the Coastal Athletic Association and defeating Harvard University 52-7 in its playoff opener.
Junior running back Isaiah Ragland rushed for a career-high 152 yards, and the Wildcats totaled a season high of 513 yards. Graduate student quarterback Pat McQuaide threw for 193 yards, totaling 2,536 passing yards in the season.
Statistically, Villanova averages 30.6 points per game while the defense allows for 22.6. They fell to Penn State University and Monmouth University in September.
Though Lehigh carries an undefeated momentum, history favors Villanova. The two teams will meet for the 20th time, with the Wildcats holding a 14-5 edge in the series. Villanova has won the last 11 meetings. Lehigh’s last win in the series was in 2006 with a 31-28 road victory.
Goodman Stadium has only seen two postseason contests since opening in 1988 — a 24-21 overtime win against Hofstra University in 2001 and a narrow 14-13 loss to James Madison University in the first round.
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