The Mountain Hawks moved to 3-0 in their home opener as they beat the William & Mary Tribe (2-1) by a score of 44-20 at Goodman Stadium. This win extended Lehigh’s regular-season winning streak to 20 games, which is the longest active winning streak in Division I football.
This was Lehigh’s first meeting with William & Mary since 1992, as the Mountain Hawks moved to 2-8 all-time against the Tribe, with wins in two of their last three meetings.
This game, chosen as the FCS Game of the Week, kicked off at 2 p.m., which is the latest start in the 39-year history of Goodman Stadium.
The later start did nothing to deter the fans, however, as more than 600 first-year students poured onto the field during the pregame ceremonies, as Lehigh hosted a First Years on the Field event.
The 2025-26 Patriot League champions, the Lehigh men’s basketball team, were also honored before the game.
Lehigh fed off of the crowd, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back. With 10 minutes and 35 seconds left in the second quarter, Lehigh scored a touchdown to take a 30-0 lead.
Senior running back and current NCAA rushing touchdowns leader, Luke Yoder, added three more touchdowns, bringing his season total to 10. Yoder now is 8 rushing touchdowns away from breaking Lehigh’s career rushing touchdowns record.
Junior quarterback Hayden Johnson had 140 total yards and a rushing touchdown in the first half, but sustained a left knee injury towards the end of the half. The injury appeared to be non-contact, and Johnson was able to return to the game, breaking off a 50-yard touchdown run.
After the run, however, he returned to the medical tent.
“We’ll know more as that goes on,” Lehigh head coach Richard Nagy said about Johnson’s injury. “Until we have some clear confirmation on things, it’s a little hard to comment on it.”
Johnson did not return for the rest of the game, and sophomore quarterback Derek Morgan took the helm in the second half. Morgan had 108 total yards and two total touchdowns, including a 37-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline to junior wide receiver Nick Palumbo for his first career passing touchdown.
Morgan set career highs in passing yards, rushing yards and total touchdowns.
“We talk to our guys a lot about staying prepared,” Nagy said. “He jumped in and did an unbelievable job. We didn’t miss a beat.”
The Lehigh offense indeed did not struggle with the change in quarterback, as its rushing attack continued to dictate the game. The Mountain Hawks tallied 366 rushing yards, their sixth time rushing for at least 300 yards in their last 13 games.
“Everyone in the offensive lineman room is so close,” Yoder said. “Them working in the trenches together and being able to get the push that we need allows me to hit the holes that I see.”
The Lehigh defense had another impressive showing, forcing two total turnovers, including an interception from sophomore defensive back T.J. Hill, which was the first of his career. First-year defensive back Tristan Yepdo also forced the first turnover of his career, as he recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter.
The William & Mary offense struggled from the start, as they did not record a first down until 30 seconds in the first quarter. An errant snap on their second drive found the ball kicked out of the back of the end zone, resulting in a Lehigh safety.
William & Mary sophomore running back Jah’Kei Chavis was a bright spot for the Tribe, as he tallied two rushing touchdowns, from 1 and 4 yards out.
Senior defensive back Joshua Jones and junior defensive back Luke Denny led the Lehigh defense in total tackles with eight each.
“The guys up front, they’re the heart of the defense. If they’re bringing pressure to the quarterback, it just kind of makes everything else easier for the back end,” Denny said. “We always say, don’t create the play. Just make the play.”
This was the only matchup of two ranked teams in the FCS this week, but the Mountain Hawks tried to ignore the outside noise.
“It’s popping up all over social media,” Nagy said. “But it doesn’t matter what that says. It’s going to matter how we perform and what we do.”
Lehigh will host Dartmouth next at Goodman Stadium on Sept. 19 at noon.
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