Saturday, November 16, 2013

Lehigh beats Colgate 31-14; sets up league title game with Lafayette next week in meeting No. 149

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/

FROM KEITH GROLLER


Lehigh -- 7 -- 10 -- 7 -- 7 -- 31
Colgate -- 7 -- 0 -- 7 -- 0 -- 14
Meeting No. 149 between Lehigh and Lafayette will be extra special.
That's because it will decide the Patriot League title and the league's automatic NCAA FCS playoff berth.
Lehigh set that up with an impressive 31-14 win over Colgate Saturday at Andy Kerr Stadium in surprisingly balmy Hamilton, N.Y.
Senior Keith Sherman ran for 184 yards on 27 carried and scored one touchdown and in his first collegiate start, freshman Nick Shafnisky threw two touchdown passes to Lee Kurfis as the Mountain Hawks (8-2, 3-1)) played perhaps its best overall game of the season.
Lafayette will enter next week's game, a 12:30 p.m. start at Goodman Stadium, also 3-1 in the league. The Leopards were set to play Fordham late Saturday afternoon at Fisher Stadium.
Shafnisky was 11-for-21 for 134 yards and the two TDs with one interception when he was hit as he released the ball. He also ran for 26 yards on nine carries.
Shafnisky was solid, but the day belonged to the Lehigh defense which got a fumble return for a touchdown when Lehigh Valley products Matt Laub (Parkland) and Noah Robb (Central Catholic) converged on Colgate quarterback Gavin McCarney and Tim Newton came away with the ball for a touchdown.
Colgate scored on its first possession, but Lehigh scored the next 24 points before the Raiders (4-7, 3-2) reached the end zone again.
Lehigh put the game away with a fourth-quarter touchdown run by Sherman, who also had two catches for 40 yards.
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
C--Demetrius Russell 2 run (Jonah Bowman kick) 9:00 (Drive: 10 plays, 82 yds, 4:48)
L--Tim Newton 2 fumble recovery (Ryan Pandy kick) 2:58
SECOND QUARTER
L--Lee Kurfis 6 pass from Nick Shafnisky (Pandy kick) 9:19 (Drive: 12 plays, 80 yds, 5:30)
L--Pandy 36 FG 1:10
THIRD QUARTER
L--Kurfis 9 pass from Shafnisky (Pandy kick) 9:58 (Drive: 5 plays, 51 yds, 2:20)
C--DeCicco 24 run (Bowman kick) 4:49 (Drive: 12 plays, 72 yds, 5:02)
FOURTH QUARTER
L--Sherman 3 run (Pandy kick) 8:19 (Drive: 7 plays, 76 yds, 2:59)


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