Lehigh football beat Richmond University Saturday, defeating the Spiders 21-14 away at E. Claiborne Robins Stadium in Virginia.
Lehigh clinched their third straight Patriot League Championship with this win.
First-year quarterback Patrick Coan started for the Mountain Hawks for the second week in a row, finishing the game with 82 yards and one touchdown.
Senior running back Luke Yoder powered the offense again, earning 147 rushing yards, 28 carries and one touchdown.
After Yoder’s 181 yard performance last weekend against Colgate, he only needed 84 more yards to surpass Rabih Abdullah’s single-season program record of 1,536 rushing yards, set in 1995, according to Lehigh’s record book.
With 147 yards today, Yoder now holds the record for the single-season rushing yards with 1,599 yards.
Mountain Hawks junior wide receiver Nick Palumbo recorded 24 receiving yards and two receptions.
Richmond’s quarterback, sophomore Jack Callaghan, led the Spiders with 207 yards and one touchdown. Senior running back Aziz Foster-Powell came into the game in the quarterback position throughout the game.
Foster-Powell rushed for 58 yards and one touchdown with 13 carries while senior wide receiver Quanye Veney recorded 94 yards and six receptions for the Spiders.
After winning the coin toss, Lehigh deferred to the second half, having junior John Zipf kick off for 59 yards to Richmond’s 6-yard line and out of bounds. Richmond began their first drive of the game with a rush up the middle for a gain of five yards to their own 40-yard line by Foster-Powell.
After six plays, Richmond’s sophomore punter Ned Gray punted for 41 yards to Lehigh’s 11-yard line, resulting in a fair catch by first-year defensive back Mick McKee II.
The Mountain Hawk’s first drive began with 10:50 left in the first quarter.
Beginning on Lehigh’s 11-yard line, Coan threw an incomplete pass intended for Anthony Feaster, a sophomore wide receiver.
Yoder proceeded to run for a gain of four yards. However, in the following play, Coan threw another incomplete pass intended for Yoder.
On Lehigh’s 15-yard line, junior punter Connor Poole punted for 43 yards to Richmond’s 42-yard line.
Both teams had two more drive opportunities in the first quarter, each failing to convert to a point-ending drive. As the first quarter came to a close, the score remained 0-0.
The Mountain Hawks had the ball at the start of the second quarter.
Coan completed a 10-yard pass to Feaster on the first play of the drive, giving Lehigh a first down. Yoder then rushed for a gain of one yard to Lehigh’s 49-yard line.
On the third play of the drive, Yoder ran for a gain of 51 yards, earning the first touchdown of the day; Poole missed the extra-point attempt.
The Spiders responded to Lehigh’s touchdown with one of their own.
After nine plays, Callaghan completed a five yard pass to first-year wide receiver Bryce Allen for a Richmond touchdown.
With 7:30 remaining in the first half, Lehigh began their second drive of the quarter and, after eight plays, Poole punted for 49 yards to Richmond’s 19-yard line. The ball was moved forward to Richmond’s 34-yard line after Lehigh’s junior defensive back Luke Denny received a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The game continued with neither team scoring additional points until Richmond converted a six-play drive into a touchdown by Foster-Powell with 13 seconds remaining in the first half. Bitsko made the extra-point for the Spiders, with the first half ending with Richmond leading Lehigh 14-6.
The second half began with Lehigh’s first drive ending after 11 plays.
In their next drive, Coan completed a 15-yard pass to junior tight end Aiden Schmop, resulting in a touchdown for the Mountain Hawks.
The rest of the third quarter went scoreless, with neither team capitalizing on their remaining possessions.
As the fourth quarter began, Richmond still led Lehigh 14-13. The score remained as such until Lehigh’s second drive of the quarter, when Yoder rushed for a gain of three yards, but he fumbled the ball at Richmond’s 1-yard line.
Lehigh senior tight end Joseph Marranca recovered the ball, resulting in a touchdown with 4:21 remaining in the third quarter
Following the touchdown, the Mountain Hawks decided to try for a two-point conversion.
Coan’s pass attempt to Marranca was good, putting Lehigh ahead of Richmond 21-14 going into the final four minutes of gametime.
Starting at their own 25-yard line, Richmond put together a 16-play final drive—only to come up empty-handed.
With 0:44 left in the game, Lehigh started their final drive on their own 4-yard line.
After taking two kneels, the game ended with the Mountain Hawks defeating the Spiders 21-14.
Lehigh’s next game is at Lafayette College on Nov. 21, for the 162nd historic rivalry game.
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