In a highly-anticipated game that lived up to its billing, Lehigh completed a 12-0 regular season and won its second straight Patriot League and 14th overall with an enteraining 42-32 win over Lafayette in the 161st edition of college football’s most-played rivalry before a sellout crowd of 13,367 at Fisher Stadium.
Junior running back Luke Yoder was a near-unanimous choice as the game’s MVP after rushing for 234 yards and four touchdowns. His performance offset a huge day by Lafayette’s Kente Edwards, who ran for 157 yards and three scores.
The victory ended a perfect 12-0 regular season an insured that Lehigh will return to the FCS playoffs for the second round. The Mountain Hawks, who entered the game as the No. 4-ranked t6-1eam in the country, will find out their potential opponent at noon Sunday on ESPNU.
Lehigh is expected to receive a first-round bye and host a game on Dec. 6.
Lafayette finished its season at 8-4, 6-1 in the league.
Yoder, from Palm Harbor, Florida, scored on TD runs of 29, 80, 3 and 6 yards. Quarterback Hayden Johnson threw a 77-yard TD pass to Mason Humphrey and also scored the game-clincher with 1:53 left.
Lafayette had pulled to within 35-32 on Edwards’ third TD of the game with 7:14 left and Nazareth product Mason Kuehner, who had 11 catches for 99 yards, caught the two-point conversion pass.
But the Mountain Hawks put it away with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 5:21.
Lehigh 7 – 7 – 14 – 14 — 42
Lafayette 7 – 10 – 7 – 8 — 32
FIRST QUARTER
LA: Kente Edwards 1 run (Jack Simonetta kick), 8:00
LE: Luke Yoder 29 run (Connor Poole kick), 4:46
SECOND QUARTER
LA: Dean DeNobile 2 run (Simonetta kick), 14:21
LE: Mason Humphrey 77 (Poole kick), 7:32
LA: Simonetta 21 field goal, 1:03
THIRD QUARTER
LE: Yoder 80 run (Poole kick), 14:42
LA: Kente Edwards 1 run (Simonetta kick), 2:46
LE: Yoder 3 run (Poole kick), 0:48
FOURTH QUARTER
LE: Luke Yoder 6 run (Poole kick), 10:20
LE: Johnson 1 run (Poole kick) 5:21
