Lehigh blasts Bucknell for first win; Lafayette stymied by Holy Cross
It’s been a difficult season for Lehigh football in 2021, but the Mountain Hawks finally picked up their first win of the season on Saturday afternoon, smashing Bucknell, 38-6, at Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium.
Quarterback Dante Perri had a big afternoon through the air with 244 yards on 19 completions in 31 attempts to go along with one interception. Jack DiPietro rushed 16 times for 93 yards and a pair of scores, while Zaythan Hill added 44 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11 carries.
DiPietro also led the receivers with three catches for 71 yards in the victory, which moved Lehigh to 1-8 with two games remaining in the regular season.
Bucknell quarterback Nick Semptimphelter led the Bison offense with 79 yards on 8-of-19 passing, while Rushawn Baker ran for 28 yards on six carries and Dominic Lyles chipped in with three catches for 47 yards.
Kicker Ryan Schatzel accounted for Bucknell’s points with field goals of 27 and 45 yards in defeat.
Offensive execution has been an issue all season for the Mountain Hawks, who have scored less than 15 points in seven of their nine games and have shut out three times.
That trend looked like it might continue after a scoreless first quarter, but Lehigh’s offense came to life in the second with 21 points to open a 21-6 lead at halftime.
Lehigh’s defense held firm in the second half, while the offense put up 17 more points to close out the victory.
In other Patriot League action, Lafayette headed up I-95 to face Holy Cross and were thwarted by a strong Crusaders defense en route to a 35-10 loss at Fitton Field.
The Leopards managed 33 rushing yards and 138 passing yards on the afternoon, with 68 of those coming on the final drive of the game when they added a 41-yard field goal by Micah Pettit
Holy Cross’ Ayir Asante scored three touchdowns of 19, 47 and 16 yards to fuel the offense which racked up 517 yards as Holy Cross remained undefeated in Patriot League play.
Michael Hayes led the Leopards on the ground with 22 yards on a pair of carries, while Joe Gillette paced the receiving corps with five catches for 65 yards. Quarterback Ah-Shaun Davis completed 16-of-33 passes for 138 yards and an interception in the defeat, which dropped Lafayette to 3-6 on the season.
Peter Oliver had a huge day on the ground for the hosts, racking up 163 yards on 18 carries, while Matthew Sluka picked up 61 yards and a score and Jordan Fuller added a rushing touchdown.
Holy Cross quarterback Marco Siderman completed 18-of-23 passes for 173 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while Asante totaled 137 yards on nine catches to go with his three receiving touchdowns in the victory, which moved the Crusaders to 7-2.