Through intermittent rain in Philadelphia, No. 6 Lehigh football powered through at Franklin Field to defeat the Penn Quakers 20-7 in a hard-fought defensive battle.
Lehigh tallied 168 rushing yards and 49 receiving yards in the victory, compared to Penn’s 49 rushing yards and 133 receiving yards. Lehigh junior kicker Connor Poole punted for 266 total yards and was 2/3 for field goals.
Lehigh senior linebacker William Parton anchored the defense with 8 total tackles. The defense recorded 50 total tackles on the day. Lehigh started the first quarter strong, with junior defensive back Luke Denny picking off Penn quarterback Miles Teodecki’s pass on the Quakers opening drive.
Although Lehigh couldn’t find the end zone on their first drive, Poole’s 54-yard punt put the Mountain Hawks in a good spot defensively.
With two minutes left in the first quarter, the Mountain Hawks found themselves third and 24 yards, looking to get in field goal range. Sophomore quarterback Derek Morgan found junior running back Aaron Crossley to get further down the field. Poole took over from there, nailing a 48-yard field goal.
Penn’s drive carried on into the second quarter, where the Mountain Hawks continued to dominate on defense. After causing an incompletion on 3rd-and-6 and forcing a punt, the Lehigh offense took the field again.
Morgan had a 22-yard highlight run to bring the Mountain Hawks to Penn territory, but the offense ultimately couldn’t convert. Lehigh continued to defensively dominate Penn on their next drive.
Lehigh’s longest offensive drive of the half ended at the two minute warning, and they picked back up on defense. Parton picked up his fifth tackle of the game to force Penn to give up the ball.
Senior running back Luke Yoder powered the rushing game with 74 yards, compared to Penn’s leading running back Tommy Lafayette’s 41 yards.
Lehigh sophomore defensive lineman Lucas Manderbach and Penn senior linebacker Joey Holliday both led their teams defensively.
After receiving the ball to open up the second half, Lehigh had another three-and-out drive, and Penn followed with one right after.
Penn tacked on a pass interference penalty during Lehigh’s next drive, giving the Mountain Hawks the momentum they needed to make it to the end zone. Morgan ran for 11 yards, Poole sank the extra point and Lehigh took the lead 10-0.
With six minutes left in the third quarter, Morgan connected with junior wide receiver Jamaire Harden for a 20-yard Lehigh touchdown, turning the lead into a shutout 17-0.
On their next drive, Penn’s Teodecki was sacked by junior defensive lineman Preston Davis for a loss of nine yards to end the Quaker’s drive.
Lehigh closed out their offensive run with a six-play drive and a 45-yard punt from Poole, and Penn finished the quarter third-and-nine at their own 26-yard line.
Opening up the fourth quarter, Lehigh first-year linebacker Josh Lenart sacked Penn’s Teodecki for a loss of 12 yards to force a punt.
The Mountain Hawks continued to push forward offensively, with a 10 yard rush from sophomore running back Trey Tremba into field goal territory. Poole then sank another field goal to extend Lehigh’s lead to 20-0.
Lehigh’s defense forced another three-and-out from Penn, including two incomplete passes from Teodecki, and looked to put more points on the board.
With nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Mountain Hawks led a running drive, with two rushes from first-year running back Aidan Mayfield, one from Crossley and two from Tremba into field goal range. Poole missed his first field goal of the game from 44 yards out.
Penn put up their first points of the game with two minutes left on the clock as sophomore running back Tommy Lafayette rushed for a 1-yard touchdown to shorten Lehigh’s lead 20-7.
In their final defensive bout of the game, first-year defensive back Mick McKee intercepted Teodecki’s pass to solidify Lehigh’s victory.
The Mountain Hawks will continue their Patriot League play at home on Oct. 3 against Fordham University at Goodman Stadium.
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