Lehigh 21 Fordham 17

[ngineer]

Don't know how many of you attended this one or saw on tv, but I hate to come away from a win with a dissatisfied feeling, which I did yesterday. A win is a win, and the defense came up huge when needed, but there were, also, huge breakdowns in the secondary with wide open receivers that helped create the closeness of the game. At the same time, the offense still sputters, stops and starts. While Campbell got some decent yards rushing, half of them came late in the game when he created something out of nothing and bounced into some big runs. Not getting a couple inches on that fourth down attempt was embarrassing. Fordham's QB is very mobile, but I thought the defense did well in stopping the ground game. The pass defense is concerning, and maybe it comes from the blitzing leaving some guys on an island who shouldn't be left on one. Still, this was the type of game last year's team would have found a way to lose when the pressure was on in the fourth quarter. So the fact that the team hung on and made the plays on defense when needed was good to see. The Barket catch for TD along the sideline was a true highlight of the game.
We should definitely be underdogs at Harvard, though the Crimson seem to be struggling at times and can be taken if we play a full game. I just haven't seen that near to happening yet.

[Seawolf97]

Would like to see both these clubs on our future schedules espcially Fordham. Being an hour apart a home and away would attract fans from both schools. Add to that a home and away with Lehigh at a future date would be good to see.

[CFBfan]

Would like to see both these clubs on our future schedules espcially Fordham. Being an hour apart a home and away would attract fans from both schools. Add to that a home and away with Lehigh at a future date would be good to see.

your Sea Wolves got some nice ink in todays NY Times....

[heath]

NGINEER,2 questions, isn't your secondary full of seniors and picked to be a strong point this year on D,-a couple of pre-season all PL? Why not rotate some new talent in if they're not up to the task.Also, Fordhams record may be deceiving,didn't they beat URI,and Columbia?

[carney2]

Did not see the game (I had my own problems on another channel), but some of the stats say that the Squawks were more lucky than good:

1st downs: F 21, L 18

Total Yds.: F 415, L 270

[RichH2]

Very experienced 2ndary. Have seen them 2x this year. We seem to be playing zone but not well. cbs are playing off wrs . Man to man some success but big breakdowns. Cannot explain fall off this yr from last except that front 7 last yr had excellent rush. May be that dbs are asked to cover too long since pass rush not as good this yr.

I have no explanation for OL .They are big athletic experienced and ineffective

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

The stats are somewhat misleading imo. I doubt any Fordham fans believe they outplayed Lehigh despite the yardage difference. It was a pretty even game to watch. Lehigh had a couple golden opportunities to blow the game open in the second half but never could. Credit Fordhams ability to keep the LU offense in check.

The biggest problem on offense for Lehigh is a lack of a playmaker. They don't have anyone who can score from anywhere on the field. They have to rely on grind it out drives which end with any sort of penalty or negative play.

On defense their DB's have no idea how to play the ball once its in the air. Yesterday the entire crowd yelled "turn around" on the TD Cribbs gave up. I've never seen a secondary that has the ability to cover the opposing wr's yet never intercept the ball or knock it down. This has been an ongoing problem for a few years now. The run defense remains very good which will give them a chance against Colgate imo.

Overall, this is a better team than the recent editions because there is finally good leadership. Part of that leadership comes from the numerous upper classman who have learned how to win the close games. They also don't make nearly the mistakes they've made in the past. For the first time since Coen has been here the team seems organized.

I maintain that they're still the second best team in the league because of this but their margin for error is very, very small. In fact it would not completely shock me for the team to go 3-3 or even 2-3 the rest of the year if the offense does not improve.

This week against Harvard will be interesting. They've played tough against Harvard in recent years but couldn't pull it off. The loss two years ago in Cambridge was a heart breaker.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

Very experienced 2ndary. Have seen them 2x this year. We seem to be playing zone but not well. cbs are playing off wrs . Man to man some success but big breakdowns. Cannot explain fall off this yr from last except that front 7 last yr had excellent rush. May be that dbs are asked to cover too long since pass rush not as good this yr.

I have no explanation for OL .They are big athletic experienced and ineffective

I don't think the OL is much of a problem. They're excellent in pass blocking and are pretty good at straight ahead run blocking. The biggest problem is the lack of speed at RB. Campbell had about 3 runs yesterday that he could have gotten 20+ yards instead of 9 or 10. He can never outrun the defenders tackling angle. Someone has to step up and be a difference maker.

[ngineer]

The secondary is experienced, but I think Kennedy is not 100%. Andrews has seen a lot of time at his corner. Veniero blew coverage on the flea-flicker which went for about 60 yards, and while I think he's a heck of hitter, he is not the speediest for a safety and has been been beaten on more than one occasion over the past year and a half. I agree on the DBs not 'looking back' for the ball. They seem to be able to stay with the receiver, but don't seem to know when to turn. I also agree, that we have not uncovered a 'playmaker' who can score from anywhere on the field, but I don't that too many of those athletes exist in the PL. Frosh Sherman is expected to be a major player, but he's not ready yet. The comment about Fordham being better than we give them credit for may be valid considering two of their victims being URI and Columbia, who have shown themselves to be better than expected this year. But this game should have been blown open in the third period and we failed to step on the Rams' neck. The offense just doesn't show a 'killer instinct' where they can take control of a game. We're relying on the D too much to hold the fort.

[heath]

Thanks, buddy of mine a Colgate grad and trying to get me up for the 10/30 game at Goodman....what ya think?

[carney2]

Thanks, buddy of mine a Colgate grad and trying to get me up for the 10/30 game at Goodman....what ya think?

Colgate, and not breathing very hard.

[Go...gate]

Those who saw the Engineers vs. Rams - what's your take on Fordham? They seem to be underperforming.

[Fordham]

I thought it was 2 pretty evenly matched and pretty crappy teams overall.