Saturday, September 12
Harrisonburg, Va.
4:00 PM
Lehigh University
at
James Madison
Mountain Hawks to face tough road test Saturday at No. 11/13 James Madison
9/8/2015 12:51:00 PM | Football
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh will face a tough early season road test on Saturday as the Mountain Hawks make their first visit to Harrisonburg, Virginia to meet No. 11/13 James Madison at Bridgeforth Stadium. The Mountain Hawks opened their season with a 20-14 win at Central Connecticut State. Junior quarterback Nick Shafnisky gained 346 yards of total offense and had a rushing and passing touchdown, while junior linebacker Colton Caslow registered a career-high 17 tackles as Lehigh's new look defense limited the Blue Devils to 274 yards of offense.
James Madison, ranked 11th (Coaches) and 13th (STATS Media) in the two FCS polls opened its season with a 56-7 victory over Morehead State last Saturday. The Dukes went 9-4 in 2014 and earned an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs, dropping a 26-21 opening-round decision against Liberty. JMU was picked second in the CAA preseason poll with tight end Deane Cheatham and offensive lineman Mitchell Kirsch named preseason All-CAA.
The Dukes racked up 713 yards of total offense against Morehead State and limited the Eagles to just 252. Senior quarterback Vad Lee, a Georgia Tech transfer, passed for 297 yards and three touchdowns and was one of three Dukes to gain more than 100 yards rushing as well, along with Khalid Abdullah and Cardon Johnson. Linebacker Gage Steele led the Duke defense with ten tackles. Lee was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week while safety Raven Greene was named Defensive Player of the Week.
Shafnisky shook off a pair of first quarter turnovers to lead Lehigh to its season-opening win at CCSU. Shafnisky gained 346 yards of total offense, rushing for 83 yards and a touchdown, while completing 70 percent of his passes for 263 yards and another score. He rushed for a career-best 121 yards in last year's opener against James Madison and owns a 5-8 record as Lehigh's starting quarterback.
Freshmen Dom Bragalone and Micco Brisker were the first two Mountain Hawks up at tailback in Lehigh's season-opening win at CCSU. Bragalone earned the start and netted 68 yards on 17 carries, while Brisker's hard-nosed rushing style contributed 33 yards on 11 rushes. Both players delivered key first downs on the final drive of the game as Lehigh ran seven plays, gained three first downs and successfully ran out the clock. Bragalone added a key 46-yard reception on the first drive of the third quarter, and was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for his efforts.
Lehigh's top two slot receivers enjoyed strong nights in the Mountain Hawks' opening night victory at CCSU. Senior Derek Knott played his first game in nearly a year and caught three passes for 37 yards. Junior Trevor Socarras also saw time in the slot and enjoyed a breakout game with six receptions for a team-leading 80 receiving yards. Socarras' longest reception went for 26 yards which set up Ed Mish's third quarter field goal.
Caslow will be looked upon to be a leader of Lehigh's defense, and he responded with a career-high 17 tackles in the season-opener at CCSU. Caslow made eight solo stops and assisted on nine others while also combining on a tackle for loss. Caslow's previous career high was 13 set against Lafayette in the 2014 season finale. Caslow owns four career double-digit tackle games and has 148 tackles for his career.
For four seasons from 2009-2012 Lehigh led the Patriot League in sacks. In fact, the Mountain Hawks led the nation in sacks in 2009. Lehigh's sack production has dropped over the last two seasons, with the Mountain Hawks registering just 20 in 2013 and 15 last year, which ranked last in the Patriot League. Lehigh's pass rush generated three sacks in its opener with senior Matt Laub and junior T.J. Stubbs both contributing 1.5.
Six Mountain Hawks made their first career starts in the win at Central Connecticut State. Offensively, sophomore Tim O'Hara got the nod at left tackle, senior Derek Knott started at slot receiver and freshman Dom Bragalone started at tailback. On defense, lineman Tyler Cavenas and safeties Quentin Jones and Brian Githens all made their first career starts.
Lehigh and James Madison meet for the fourth time with the Dukes holding a 2-1 advantage. All three previous meetings were played in Bethlehem, with Lehigh winning 31-14 at Taylor Stadium in November 1980, James Madison prevailing 14-13 in the first round of the 2004 I-AA playoffs en route to the national title and JMU spoiling Lehigh's 2014 season-opener with a 31-28 win.
Saturday's game kicks off just after 4 p.m. from Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Va.The game will not be televised but streaming video will be available for free via MadiZONE HD Sportsnet
Radio coverage for Saturday's game will be available on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 with pregame coverage beginning at 3 p.m.
The Mountain Hawks open their home schedule against Penn September 19 on Youth Sports Day at Goodman Stadium. Tickets to the Penn game and all Lehigh home football games can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting LehighTickets.com.
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh will face a tough early season road test on Saturday as the Mountain Hawks make their first visit to Harrisonburg, Virginia to meet No. 11/13 James Madison at Bridgeforth Stadium. The Mountain Hawks opened their season with a 20-14 win at Central Connecticut State. Junior quarterback Nick Shafnisky gained 346 yards of total offense and had a rushing and passing touchdown, while junior linebacker Colton Caslow registered a career-high 17 tackles as Lehigh's new look defense limited the Blue Devils to 274 yards of offense.
James Madison, ranked 11th (Coaches) and 13th (STATS Media) in the two FCS polls opened its season with a 56-7 victory over Morehead State last Saturday. The Dukes went 9-4 in 2014 and earned an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs, dropping a 26-21 opening-round decision against Liberty. JMU was picked second in the CAA preseason poll with tight end Deane Cheatham and offensive lineman Mitchell Kirsch named preseason All-CAA.
The Dukes racked up 713 yards of total offense against Morehead State and limited the Eagles to just 252. Senior quarterback Vad Lee, a Georgia Tech transfer, passed for 297 yards and three touchdowns and was one of three Dukes to gain more than 100 yards rushing as well, along with Khalid Abdullah and Cardon Johnson. Linebacker Gage Steele led the Duke defense with ten tackles. Lee was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week while safety Raven Greene was named Defensive Player of the Week.
Shafnisky shook off a pair of first quarter turnovers to lead Lehigh to its season-opening win at CCSU. Shafnisky gained 346 yards of total offense, rushing for 83 yards and a touchdown, while completing 70 percent of his passes for 263 yards and another score. He rushed for a career-best 121 yards in last year's opener against James Madison and owns a 5-8 record as Lehigh's starting quarterback.
Freshmen Dom Bragalone and Micco Brisker were the first two Mountain Hawks up at tailback in Lehigh's season-opening win at CCSU. Bragalone earned the start and netted 68 yards on 17 carries, while Brisker's hard-nosed rushing style contributed 33 yards on 11 rushes. Both players delivered key first downs on the final drive of the game as Lehigh ran seven plays, gained three first downs and successfully ran out the clock. Bragalone added a key 46-yard reception on the first drive of the third quarter, and was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for his efforts.
Lehigh's top two slot receivers enjoyed strong nights in the Mountain Hawks' opening night victory at CCSU. Senior Derek Knott played his first game in nearly a year and caught three passes for 37 yards. Junior Trevor Socarras also saw time in the slot and enjoyed a breakout game with six receptions for a team-leading 80 receiving yards. Socarras' longest reception went for 26 yards which set up Ed Mish's third quarter field goal.
Caslow will be looked upon to be a leader of Lehigh's defense, and he responded with a career-high 17 tackles in the season-opener at CCSU. Caslow made eight solo stops and assisted on nine others while also combining on a tackle for loss. Caslow's previous career high was 13 set against Lafayette in the 2014 season finale. Caslow owns four career double-digit tackle games and has 148 tackles for his career.
For four seasons from 2009-2012 Lehigh led the Patriot League in sacks. In fact, the Mountain Hawks led the nation in sacks in 2009. Lehigh's sack production has dropped over the last two seasons, with the Mountain Hawks registering just 20 in 2013 and 15 last year, which ranked last in the Patriot League. Lehigh's pass rush generated three sacks in its opener with senior Matt Laub and junior T.J. Stubbs both contributing 1.5.
Six Mountain Hawks made their first career starts in the win at Central Connecticut State. Offensively, sophomore Tim O'Hara got the nod at left tackle, senior Derek Knott started at slot receiver and freshman Dom Bragalone started at tailback. On defense, lineman Tyler Cavenas and safeties Quentin Jones and Brian Githens all made their first career starts.
Lehigh and James Madison meet for the fourth time with the Dukes holding a 2-1 advantage. All three previous meetings were played in Bethlehem, with Lehigh winning 31-14 at Taylor Stadium in November 1980, James Madison prevailing 14-13 in the first round of the 2004 I-AA playoffs en route to the national title and JMU spoiling Lehigh's 2014 season-opener with a 31-28 win.
Saturday's game kicks off just after 4 p.m. from Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Va.The game will not be televised but streaming video will be available for free via MadiZONE HD Sportsnet
Radio coverage for Saturday's game will be available on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 with pregame coverage beginning at 3 p.m.
The Mountain Hawks open their home schedule against Penn September 19 on Youth Sports Day at Goodman Stadium. Tickets to the Penn game and all Lehigh home football games can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting LehighTickets.com.
| Date: | September 12, 2015 |
| Opponent: | No. 11/13 James Madison Dukes |
| Kickoff: | 4:05 p.m. |
| Stadium: | Bridgeforth Stadium/24,877/FieldTurf |
| Location: | Harrisonburg, Va. |
| Tickets: | Tickets can be purchased through James Madison at (540) 568-3853 |
| Lehigh's Record: | 1-0 overall, 0-0 Patriot League |
| JMU's Record: | 1-0 overall, 0-0 CAA |
| Series: | James Madison leads 2-1 |
| Television | None |
| Radio | ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 beginning at 3 p.m. with Matt Kerr, Matt Markus and Steve Lomangino |
| Internet Broadcast: | Video on MadiZONE HD Sportsnet Audio at ESPNLV.com |
| Key Stats: | •Lehigh rushed for 287 yards against James Madison last season, the second-highest single game total in nine-plus seasons under Andy Coen. •The Mountain Hawks and Dukes combined for 1,110 yards of total offense in last year's meeting at Goodman Stadium (JMU 606, Lehigh 504) •Lehigh's roster features 33 freshmen, 17 sophomores, 19 juniors and 19 seniors. |
| Behind Enemy Lines: | http://www.jmusports.com |
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