Villanova proves it'a already a level above Lehigh

FROM THE MORNING CALL

Andy Coen turned the corner and walked into the media room at Lehigh's Goodman Stadium late Saturday afternoon only to find that Villanova was already there set to begin its postgame press session.

It summed up the day for the Mountain Hawks coach.

The Wildcats were a step ahead of Lehigh all day in a 35-0 non-league rout that spoiled an otherwise gorgeous day for 8,168 spectators.

The defending national champs scored at least one touchdown in every quarter and had five different players score in all.



Villanova outgained the Mountain Hawks 495-215 and had the ball 14 minutes and 14 seconds longer.

Only three turnovers, including a fumble at the Lehigh 5, kept it as close as it was.

"We needed to move the ball and keep our defense from doing exactly what they wound up doing, and that's being stuck on the field [too long]," Coen said. "We also wanted to limit their big plays and we gave up three big ones that led to scores for them."

It was the fourth straight victory for Villanova in a series that will be discontinued. Lehigh beat the Wildcats in 2006 but have lost the last four meetings by increasing margins of 10, 19, 21 and now 35 points.

Villanova is studying a potential move from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to become members of the Big East Conference.

But make no mistake, the scholarship-giving Wildcats are already at a higher level than Lehigh and the rest of the Patriot League, which has had its champion eliminated by Villanova in the playoffs the last two years.

Everyone knew the home team would be in for an uphill battle, but the mountain was made taller by numerous Mountain Hawks mistakes.

"Our kids thought if they did all of the right things today, they had a chance to win the football game," Coen said. "But we didn't do all of those things and played a very good team that executed very well on both sides of the ball. When that happens, you end up in these types of games."

Lehigh unveiled a much-needed new scoreboard at Goodman Stadium that actually can be clearly seen, even in the sunlight's glare.

But Lehigh's total was stuck at "00" since the Mountain Hawks were just 2-for-13 on third-down conversions.

The home team had just three first downs in the first half and didn't have a possession extend more than 31 yards until the fourth quarter.

One first-half possession was a microcosm of Lehigh's day.

It began at the Villanova 24 after an interception by Jarard Cribbs. But a delay-of-game penalty, a sack, and a near interception put Lehigh in reverse for 14 yards.

"We wanted to keep the game as close as long as we could and get into the fourth quarter down only one or two scores," Coen said. "But we certainly weren't able to do that."

Lehigh never tried to establish a running game and junior quarterback Chris Lum and the passing game couldn't string together enough completions.

Lum was 18-for-31 for 172 yards, but had three interceptions. Michael Colvin, used to change tempo as a running quarterback, completed two of his five passes.

"I am still confident we can throw the ball," Lum said. "It was just a mental mistake here, [lack of] execution there. That's what constantly stopped us. Yeah, Villanova's a great team. But it doesn't matter who you're playing. You have to execute."

Coen thought his team would rally in time for next week's game against Princeton.

As for Villanova, the Wildcats were able to take out their frustrations after a disappointing loss to city-rival Temple in their season opener.

"Any time you get a shutout, you're really happy," Villanova coach Andy Talley said.

He said all the Big East chatter was a distraction.

"This came at the worst time, frankly, being 0-1 and needing a win," Talley said. "All I know is that there will be a study over time. I've just got to get ready to play Towson [Villanova's next opponent]."

http://www.mcall.com/sports/mc-lehigh-villanova-0911-20100911,0,4313783.story