Lehigh University football team beats Towson, advances to FCS quarterfinals

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

In a high-scoring game, it seemed a little cliché, a tad ironic and all-but-too predictable that defense would somehow be the deciding factor.

Well, that was exactly the case as the Lehigh University football team hung on to beat Towson 40-38 in the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs on Saturday afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,196 at Unitas Stadium.

Junior defensive end Tom Bianchi sacked quarterback Grant Enders in the end zone with 5:14 left as the sixth-ranked Mountain Hawks advance to the quarterfinals at No. 2 North Dakota State, which beat James Madison 26-14.

The time and date will be determined today.

“All I can say about it was that it was the perfect play call,” Bianchi said. “Coach (Dave) Kotulski made a great call. (Linebacker) Colin Newton and I exchanged responsibilities and I maintained the contain, saw the quarterback spin outside and was in the perfect place at the perfect time.

“As soon as I looked, I wasn’t sure if it was a safety. I wasn’t 100 percent sure, but I knew I sacked him. Once I got up and saw the ref signal it, it was awesome.”

Lehigh (11-1), which advances to the tournament’s final eight for the first time since 2001, tied the score at 38-38 on senior quarterback Chris Lum’s 1-yard sneak with 8:17 remaining.

Despite recovering an onside kick that bounced off a Tigers’ defender, the Mountain Hawks were forced to punt as Towson (9-3) began the drive on its own 8.

Freshman running back Terrance West (11 carries, 52 yards, 2 TDs) gained just 1 yard on first down, setting up second-and-9 from the 9.

Then, on a naked bootleg, Enders rolled right and was met by Bianchi, who came off the edge untouched, in the end zone.

“We ran a naked and the defensive end was pretty disciplined,” third-year Towson coach Rob Ambrose said. “It was probably a bad call on my part.”

“It’s kind of ironic the deciding play in this game was a defensive play,” Lehigh coach Andy Coen said.

For the first three-plus quarters, the contest unfolded the way it was anticipated -- the two potent offenses going score-for-score with one another.

With the game knotted at 24-24, the Colonial Athletic Association champion Tigers took a 31-24 advantage on Enders’ 5-yard TD run with 1:25 left in the third quarter.

Lehigh needed just six plays to reply as two big catches of 39 and 7 yards by junior wideout Ryan Spadola got the ball eventually down to the Towson 1. Senior running back Matt Fitz punched it in on first-and-goal for the game’s fifth tied score.

“Coach preached to us that we had to maintain poise and focus,” said Spadola, who had 152 yards and a TD on 13 receptions. “We knew we had to come back and match it. All game it was back and forth.

“We knew they’d make plays and it was our job that if we kept scoring, we knew our defense would stop their offense and it’s how it worked out.”

While the Mountain Hawks’ usual suspects of Lum (36-for-48 for 351 yards, TD), Spadola, Newton (12 tackles) and Mike Groome (11 tackles) had an impact, there were others that played key roles.

After being pinned to within the 1 yard line on a kickoff return blunder in the second quarter, Lehigh marched 99-plus yards on 11 plays in 4:38 for a touchdown, taking a 17-10 lead.

Lum, showing his confidence in all his receivers, connected with Spadola on gains of 14, 14 and 4 yards and sophomore fullback Zach Hayden for two 14-yard gains, setting up fourth-and-1 on the Towson 23.

Lum handed off to Fitz (16 carries, 49 yards, 2 TDs), who took a step forward and lobbed a 23-yard touchdown pass to wide open junior tight end Jamel Haggins (5-69).

“Every single person; it’s just great players making great plays,” Lum said. “They’ve been doing it all year at every position.

“I’m very fortunate to have the supporting cast I do and it starts with the offensive line giving me time.”

The game appeared as if it was going to be decided by whichever team had the last offensive possession after the Tigers took a 38-31 advantage with 12:36 left. Enders connected with junior wideout Gerard Sheppard for a 52-yard catch-and-run score on the drive’s third play.

No surprise as the Lehigh offense answered, but it was the defense -- seeing starters Billy Boyko (Northampton) and Gabe Johnson leave early with injuries -- that decided the final outcome.

“I think sometimes our league doesn’t get the notoriety that it should on the national level,” Coen said. “This is us now beating Missouri Valley Conference champ (Northern Iowa) on the road last season and beating the Colonial Athletic Association champ on the road this year.

“I think the Patriot League handles itself pretty well this time of the year.”

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/lehigh/index.ssf/2011/12/lehigh_university_football_tea_63.html