Lehigh Football: Unbeaten Mountain Hawks Aim for Bronx Cheers at Fordham

Lehigh Football Coach Kevin Cahill Reflects on Bye Week and Upcoming Challenge

Lehigh football coach Kevin Cahill expressed relief that his team only had one bye week this season, as opposed to two in a row, which occurred in 2024. He described the back-to-back weeks as "terrible" and emphasized that having just one week off was much more manageable.

“That was terrible,” he said. “I don’t recommend that for anybody. Having the one week is a lot easier, and we’ll see how we come out and play on Saturday, but I think our kids are ready to go.”

The unbeaten and 7th-ranked Mountain Hawks are returning to action in New York City, where they will face their Patriot League rival, Fordham. Two Saturdays ago, Lehigh defeated Columbia 31-7 in northern Manhattan. This time, they will travel to the Bronx to take on the Rams (1-6, 1-2), who came close to defeating Ivy League power Dartmouth last week, tying 6-6 at halftime before ultimately losing 30-13.

This game marks the start of a five-game stretch run for Lehigh, with all remaining games taking place within the league. Cahill acknowledged the competitive nature of the Patriot League, noting that every matchup could come down to the final quarter.

“There’s such parity in our league, too, and all of these games are going to come down to the fourth quarter,” Cahill said. “Did you make the play or did you not make the play? So, we have to remain focused on Lehigh and know that we haven’t done anything yet. Yeah, we’ve won enough games to be happy, but it really means nothing right now. We have to focus on ourselves and continue to improve.”

Despite its current record, Fordham remains a formidable opponent. The Rams have won eight of the last 11 meetings against Lehigh and have not won at Jack Coffey Field since 2019. Cahill has a long-standing relationship with Fordham coach Joe Conlin, having coached together on Tony Reno’s Yale staff from 2013 to 2017. During those years, Cahill served as Yale’s assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach while Conlin was associate head coach and offensive coordinator.

“They will make you defend the whole field, sideline to sideline, and they will hit with you some shots down the field as well,” Cahill said. “So we have to do a good job of making open-field tackles and eliminating the big plays. And then offensively, we’ve got to do a good job of playing our brand of football, finding a way to run the ball, hitting the play-actions, and hitting the quick game and do what we need to do at a high level.”

Lehigh's Dominance on the Ground

Lehigh, which has won 12 consecutive regular-season games, has established itself as an FCS powerhouse through its strong running game. The Mountain Hawks lead the Patriot League and rank in the top-six in the nation in both rushing offense (236.4 ypg) and rushing defense (70.1 ypg). Senior running back Luke Yoder has had three straight 100-yard rushing performances, and his 761 rushing yards rank seventh in FCS football.

The defense has also been impressive, ranking second in FCS football against the run and limiting its last three opponents to an average of 57 yards on the ground. During the bye week, the team had the opportunity to refocus on fundamentals and develop younger players who will be crucial in the coming games.

“We got a chance to refocus on our players and not worry so much about scheme and everything, but just dwell on how we do things and who we are,” Cahill said. “We also could bring some of the younger kids along that we’re going to need down the stretch and just see what they can do for us and how we can get them better.”

Sparkling Spatny: A Defensive Star

Senior defensive lineman Matt Spatny may have had the week off, but he still managed to earn another accolade. He was named Patriot League defensive player of the week after recording six tackles, including three for loss and two sacks, against Columbia. With 21.5 career sacks, Spatny is just 2.5 behind 1999 graduate Nick Martucci for the all-time Lehigh sacks record.

“Matt is a great, great football player,” Cahill said. “We’re really happy to have him be a part of our program because he is an awesome person. He has made Lehigh better, and we always talk about the impact you make on our program and our campus on a day-to-day basis. Matt has made the program better, and he has made the school better just by being the person that he is. He’s a tremendous student, a phenomenal athlete, and someone who just makes everybody better.”

Spatny, from Cleveland, noted the city’s strong sports culture. “If we ever win the Super Bowl with the Browns, I think the city might burn down,” he said. “The parade for the 2016 Cavs was so crazy. I was there. I think I was in middle school, but I still remember it.”

Lehigh (7-0, 2-0) will face Fordham (1-6, 1-2) at Moglia Field in the Bronx on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Storylines

Lehigh, ranked 7th in the country, carries a 12-game regular-season winning streak dating back to last season. The team is coming off a bye week, and the upcoming games will be all Patriot League contests. Fans are optimistic about the home games against Georgetown and Holy Cross. Fordham coach Joe Conlin knows Lehigh coach Cahill well and understands how the Mountain Hawks attack teams. However, Lehigh has struggled at Fordham in the past, and the Rams cannot be overlooked.

Players to Watch

Lehigh quarterback Hayden Johnson has completed 61.9% of his passes for 1,312 yards and 12 touchdowns, with just three interceptions. Geoffrey Jamiel has 41 catches for 639 yards and four TDs, while Mason Humphrey has 20 receptions for 351 yards and two TDs. Brycen Edwards has 52 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and two sacks.

Fordham’s Gunnar Smith has thrown for 250.9 yards per game, the best in the Patriot League, and his 22 completions per game is also a league-best. James Conway leads the league in tackles per game with 14.2 and has 539 career tackles, just 11 short of the NCAA FCS record of 550 set by Boomer Grigsby of Illinois State.

Keith Groller’s Prediction

Lehigh 38-28