The Lafayette and Lehigh football teams are on the road this Saturday and both are trying to build off wins last weekend.
The Leopards, fresh off a 42-26 victory over Stonehill, is on the road for a third straight game in a third different region after opening the season in Bowling Green, Ohio, and then visiting Easton, Massachusetts, last week. This week Lafayette opens Patriot League play at Georgetown.
Lehigh opened its season with a pair of home wins over Richmond and Sacred Heart and now will wear the away uniforms for the first time with a trip to Pittsburgh to take on Duquesne. It’s the first time that Lehigh has played the Dukes.
“I didn’t realize Lehigh has never played Duquesne and I personally have never played them either,” Mountain Hawks coach Kevin Cahill said. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to getting to Pittsburgh and it’s going to be a challenge. They have played an FBS-level, Power 4 team [Pitt] and a lower-level opponent [Lincoln]. So we have an idea of who they are, but they’re trying to figure out who they are just like we’re trying to figure out who we are.”
Lehigh is ranked No. 10 in one national FCS poll and No. 12 in the other. The Mountain Hawks continue to thrive with a solid running game and stout defense that is ranked third nationally among FCS teams, allowing just 179 yards per game. They are also in the top-10 in rushing defense (69.0 yards per game), passing defense (110.0) and scoring defense (12.0).
After back-to-back games at Goodman Stadium, Cahill believes it’s a good thing for his squad to hit the road.
“It was opportunistic to have two home games to start the season, but you know you’re going to be on the road at some point and I think it’s a good time for us to spend some time together,” Cahill said. “You can bond pretty well on the road. You’re on the bus together and you eat meals together, all that stuff.”
Cahill wasn’t happy with how the team performed against Sacred Heart, despite getting a 28-10 win. He wasn’t happy on Saturday after the game and a review of the film didn’t improve his assessment.
“We played very sloppy with no attention to detail on some of the stuff we were trying to get done,” Cahill said. “That showed in the nine penalties we had. You can’t have those things and expect to win football games. We got away with one. So, we’ve got to learn from that.
“I was pleased, though, with the reaction of the players. They felt the same way I did. They all knew we got away with one and that kind of performance will not win us many games.”
Lafayette heads to D.C. to see the Hoyas
The Leopards got into the win column at Stonehill, but like Lehigh, weren’t totally satisfied with their performance. They led 28-6 at halftime and scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 42-6 lead but allowed 20 straight Stonehill points to close it out.
“If you asked all of the guys in the room and the staff, I would say we started off strong and came out fast, which was excellent, but we didn’t finish the way we needed to,” Lafayette coach John Troxell said. “That’s what we need to focus on and make sure we play the full 60 minutes. When we start making substitutions, those guys have prepared and it’s their opportunity. The standard is the standard and we have to play better.”
Troxell admits that some of it was “letting your foot off the gas.”
“You relax a little bit and try to make changes, maybe a little bit too early,” Troxell said. “Our kids went from an environment at Bowling Green that was really good to an environment that wasn’t quite the same. To keep your level of enthusiasm and energy for 60 minutes is sometimes a challenge. We have to learn from that because not everywhere you go is going to be a great environment. We have to rely on ourselves to create our own juice and keep it going.”
Staying pumped up shouldn’t be a problem at Georgetown where the Hoyas are 2-0. Lafayette has developed a competitive and spirited rivalry with Georgetown.
The Hoyas stunned the Leopards 17-0 last year in Easton. Georgetown entered the league in 2001 and Lafayette won eight of the first nine meetings. Since 2010, however, Lafayette has gone 6-8.
“We have to be really focused because for one, it’s a difficult place to play,” Troxell said. “The locker room isn’t the greatest. The stadium isn’t the greatest. No one is behind you. There are a lot of different elements. Our guys have played six of the last seven on the road. That’s a lot of road games. We focus on how we travel … and staying focused on these trips. Our guys have really done a good job of that this season. We just have to make sure we’re mentally prepared when we’re in D.C.”
Player spotlight: Kente Edwards
Lafayette’s Kente Edwards, with ball, ran for 127 yards and three touchdowns in the Leopards’ 42-26 win over Stonehill Saturday in Easton, Massachusetts. (Lafayette College/contributed photo)
Lafayette’s junior running back had a career day in his first start. He ran for 127 yards on 12 carries and scored three touchdowns.
There were questions about the Leopards’ running game after Jamar Curtis left via the transfer portal, but Edwards, who was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week, seems to have answered some of those questions.
“It felt good to have a good performance like that, but all of the credit goes to my offensive linemen,” he said. “The holes they created all game long allowed me to have a good performance and I am just glad to take advantage of the opportunity.”
The O-line featured a lot of local products — Sean Kinney, Sean Wilson, Ethan Hosak, and Mason Kuehner — who played in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. Kinney and Kuehner are Nazareth grads, Wilson is from Easton and Hosak from Allentown Central Catholic.
Edwards is from nearby Annandale, New Jersey, and North Hunterdon High School.
“I’m very family-oriented and it’s great to have my family at my games and my close friends,” he said. “I had some great coaches at North Hunterdon and I have a great community behind me. Coach Troxell is a great coach here and an even better person and I have a great rapport with my running backs coach [Anthony Johnson]. I knew that’s a guy I want to be in meetings with every day.”
Lafayette (1-1) at Georgetown (2-0)
Time/place: 1 p.m. Saturday at Cooper Field, Washington, D.C.
The storyline: Lafayette and Georgetown open league play and both teams hope to continue some early-season momentum. For the Leopards, it’s their third straight road game. They will be home for the next four contests.
Players to watch: Lafayette’s senior wide receiver Carson Persing had five catches for a career-best 108 yards at Stonehill. Georgetown has experience at quarterback in Danny Lauter, who has passed for 299 yards and three TDs and completed 63% of his passes.
Keith Groller’s pick: Lafayette 23-21
Lehigh (2-0) at Duquesne (1-1)
Time/place: 12 noon Saturday at Rooney Field, Pittsburgh
The storyline: After two wins at home, the Mountain Hawks hit the road for the first time and face an opponent they have never played before in Duquesne. Lehigh returns to the league next week at Bucknell.
Players to watch: Lehigh’s senior nose tackle TJ Burke has at least one sack in five of his last six games and the Mountain Hawks continue to have a one-two punch in the backfield with Luke Yoder and Jaden Green combining for 338 yards and three TDs in the first two games. Duquesne has a graduate transfer at quarterback in Tyler Riddell who threw for 239 yards and five TDs all in the first half in the win over Lincoln. Riddell previously played at East Tennessee State and Gardner-Webb.
Keith Groller’s pick: Lehigh 23-14
