Lehigh spring practice segment to culminate with annual Brown and White Game Saturday
4/19/2017 3:38:00 PM | Football
Spring Prospectus
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the first time since its Patriot League championship-clinching win over Bucknell in early November the Lehigh football team will take to the field at Goodman Stadium on Saturday as the Mountain Hawks will wrap-up their spring practice segment with the annual Brown and White Spring Game. Admission is free for the event, which begins at 11 a.m.
The Brown and White Game will serve as the 15th and final of Lehigh's allotted practice sessions this spring. The Mountain Hawks will hold practices No. 13 Wednesday evening and 14 Friday afternoon. With spring practice winding down, head coach Andy Coen has been encouraged by the strides the Mountain Hawks have made on both sides of the ball.
"We've accomplished a couple of things that were really important to us," Coen explained. "We want to be able to run the ball and I think we've done a really nice job with that. Our defensive front is going to be pretty good and they've done a pretty good job of stopping the run. That front group has a chance to be outstanding. They've done a nice job getting to the quarterback. There has been enough give and take for me to feel pretty positive about where we're at."
Offensively, Coen has been pleased with the performance of the returnees at the skill positions. Rising junior Cam Richardson is one of the younger players who has stood out for his performance, taking advantage of some extra reps as a slot receiver. The tight end group, led by seniors Drew Paulsen and Michael Baur, has also performed well in the spring.
Lehigh has enjoyed larger roster numbers this spring compared to the previous two seasons and has by and large remained relatively healthy over the last month. The one area where the Mountain Hawks have dealt with some minor injuries is along the offensive line.
Coen has also been pleased with the development of his quarterbacks, with junior Brad Mayes taking over the reins and senior Matt Timochenko emerging as the No. 2 quarterback.
"I've really liked what Brad (Mayes) has done, for two reasons," Coen stated. "He's performed at a high level but he's done a much better job as a leader and the guys are starting to gravitate to him. As a guy that has played quite a bit, but not a ton, and he hasn't been the full-time starter, it's important that he has some leadership qualities and he's on his way to doing that.
Coen continued, "Matt has solidified himself as the backup quarterback. That was good for him to do. The good thing about Matt is that his body doesn't show it but he's a pretty good runner so if he's in there he has the capability of pulling the ball and making big plays that way."
On the defense, the Mountain Hawks have looked strong on the line, where there is lots of quality depth, and in the secondary where rising junior Donavon Harris has been making plays throughout the spring. Questions do remain at the linebacker position where Lehigh will be breaking in several new starters come the fall.
"We've done a really good job on the defensive front," Coen said. "It has been a bit of a departure from what we did last year but the kids have really taken to it. It's a more simplified defensive operation and really every kid knows the defense well which is very important. We still need to solidify our linebacking crew. What we see on Saturday will be important for some of those kids. We have kids who can play. I've seen them perform well at times but there's a lack of consistency there so there's something we have to figure out."
Coen also noted the emergence of sophomore Austin Henning on special teams. All-league performer Ed Mish has been limited in the spring, but Henning has enjoyed a strong spring segment, especially with his punting, which could allow Mish to focus solely on placekicking in the fall.
Saturday's Brown and White Game, which will once again match the offense against the defense under a modified scoring system, will afford the Mountain Hawks an opportunity to simulate game conditions in a competitive atmosphere.
"It's the biggest stage these guys can have in the spring and they'll be very excited about it," Coen said. "We'll try to make it as game-like as possible, but we also have to making sure we're doing things the right way in terms of getting a certain number of kids certain reps. Obviously some guys need a lot more reps and there are others that you don't need to see too much from. We need to do the right thing as coaches to see that those kids get the opportunities to show what they can do."
As many schools around the country, Saturday's event will feature some contact, but likely no full live tackling.
"We're looking at approximately 60 or 70 plays," Coen said. "We're not going to have guys go to the ground. We had one full practice where we ran about 50 plays live a few weeks ago and that's all I needed to see."
Saturday's event gets underway at 11 a.m. from Goodman Stadium and admission is free. Fans who can't make it out to Goodman Stadium on Saturday can follow along with updates on Twitter @LehighFootball. A complete recap, featuring highlights and interviews will also be posted at the event's conclusion on Saturday.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the first time since its Patriot League championship-clinching win over Bucknell in early November the Lehigh football team will take to the field at Goodman Stadium on Saturday as the Mountain Hawks will wrap-up their spring practice segment with the annual Brown and White Spring Game. Admission is free for the event, which begins at 11 a.m.
The Brown and White Game will serve as the 15th and final of Lehigh's allotted practice sessions this spring. The Mountain Hawks will hold practices No. 13 Wednesday evening and 14 Friday afternoon. With spring practice winding down, head coach Andy Coen has been encouraged by the strides the Mountain Hawks have made on both sides of the ball.
"We've accomplished a couple of things that were really important to us," Coen explained. "We want to be able to run the ball and I think we've done a really nice job with that. Our defensive front is going to be pretty good and they've done a pretty good job of stopping the run. That front group has a chance to be outstanding. They've done a nice job getting to the quarterback. There has been enough give and take for me to feel pretty positive about where we're at."
Offensively, Coen has been pleased with the performance of the returnees at the skill positions. Rising junior Cam Richardson is one of the younger players who has stood out for his performance, taking advantage of some extra reps as a slot receiver. The tight end group, led by seniors Drew Paulsen and Michael Baur, has also performed well in the spring.
Lehigh has enjoyed larger roster numbers this spring compared to the previous two seasons and has by and large remained relatively healthy over the last month. The one area where the Mountain Hawks have dealt with some minor injuries is along the offensive line.
Coen has also been pleased with the development of his quarterbacks, with junior Brad Mayes taking over the reins and senior Matt Timochenko emerging as the No. 2 quarterback.
"I've really liked what Brad (Mayes) has done, for two reasons," Coen stated. "He's performed at a high level but he's done a much better job as a leader and the guys are starting to gravitate to him. As a guy that has played quite a bit, but not a ton, and he hasn't been the full-time starter, it's important that he has some leadership qualities and he's on his way to doing that.
Coen continued, "Matt has solidified himself as the backup quarterback. That was good for him to do. The good thing about Matt is that his body doesn't show it but he's a pretty good runner so if he's in there he has the capability of pulling the ball and making big plays that way."
On the defense, the Mountain Hawks have looked strong on the line, where there is lots of quality depth, and in the secondary where rising junior Donavon Harris has been making plays throughout the spring. Questions do remain at the linebacker position where Lehigh will be breaking in several new starters come the fall.
"We've done a really good job on the defensive front," Coen said. "It has been a bit of a departure from what we did last year but the kids have really taken to it. It's a more simplified defensive operation and really every kid knows the defense well which is very important. We still need to solidify our linebacking crew. What we see on Saturday will be important for some of those kids. We have kids who can play. I've seen them perform well at times but there's a lack of consistency there so there's something we have to figure out."
Coen also noted the emergence of sophomore Austin Henning on special teams. All-league performer Ed Mish has been limited in the spring, but Henning has enjoyed a strong spring segment, especially with his punting, which could allow Mish to focus solely on placekicking in the fall.
Saturday's Brown and White Game, which will once again match the offense against the defense under a modified scoring system, will afford the Mountain Hawks an opportunity to simulate game conditions in a competitive atmosphere.
"It's the biggest stage these guys can have in the spring and they'll be very excited about it," Coen said. "We'll try to make it as game-like as possible, but we also have to making sure we're doing things the right way in terms of getting a certain number of kids certain reps. Obviously some guys need a lot more reps and there are others that you don't need to see too much from. We need to do the right thing as coaches to see that those kids get the opportunities to show what they can do."
As many schools around the country, Saturday's event will feature some contact, but likely no full live tackling.
"We're looking at approximately 60 or 70 plays," Coen said. "We're not going to have guys go to the ground. We had one full practice where we ran about 50 plays live a few weeks ago and that's all I needed to see."
Saturday's event gets underway at 11 a.m. from Goodman Stadium and admission is free. Fans who can't make it out to Goodman Stadium on Saturday can follow along with updates on Twitter @LehighFootball. A complete recap, featuring highlights and interviews will also be posted at the event's conclusion on Saturday.
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