Lehigh loss gives PL presidents more to think about

FROM THE MORNING CALL

NEWARK, Del. — The school presidents in the Patriot League are set to meet next week and are expected to make some sort of announcement about whether it will allow its football members to give out scholarships, and, if so, in what form.

The pro-scholarship people can use Lehigh's 42-20 loss to Delaware on Saturday as fresh fodder for why they are needed, at least if winning a national championship is the ultimate goal.

The defeat ended a stature-restoring 10-3 season for the Mountain Hawks, who, for the first time since 2001, won an outright Patriot League title, a playoff game, and 10 games overall.

It was a satisfying fall on many levels, especially for coach Andy Coen who had suffered through three straight losing seasons and took his share of blame.


Lehigh fans clamored for a return of the glory days of Kevin Higgins and Pete Lembo, who combined to guide the program to 45 wins and four straight league titles and playoff appearances from 1998-2001.

But as good as those teams were, they didn't advance past the second round of the playoffs either.

Only one PL program, Colgate — with a lot help from their tundra-like locale of Hamilton, N.Y. — has won more than one playoff game in the same season since 1997. And even those 2003 Raiders were ripped, 40-0, by Delaware in the national championship game.

Coen would never disrespect the talents of his own players when assessing what had happened on Tubby Raymond Field. He loves these kids, especially the seniors who stayed the course after struggling through seasons of 5-6, 5-6 and 4-7.

But he mentioned "the same old song" of an opponent that's bigger, faster, stronger and more talented his squad.

Why does it seem to happen every year to the Patriot rep in the postseason?

"It's the scholarships, but one other thing that doesn't get a lot of attention is that a lot of these teams we face redshirt people," Coen said. "If I could bring a [former All-American linebacker[ Matt Cohen back or a [All-American left tackle] Will Rackley back that would make a big difference.

"This year, due to some injuries, we had three freshmen on the field for us at times this year. So, that's just another challenge you face."

All media covering Patriot League football have talked about the scholarship issue at length while waiting for the presidents to decide something.

The latest grapevine whispers suggest that scholarships will be granted, at least in some form. We'll see.

With all the movement going on at both the FBS and FCS levels — UMass and Villanova expected to move from the FCS level to join the big boys in the FBS, for example — there's no time like now for the league to make scholarships an option to attract new members.

Army and Navy, who are considered Patriot League members even though they don't compete in the league in football, would play at least one PL team per year to enhance the schedule.

And giving scholarships also boosts the attractiveness of FCS teams looking for big paydays against FBS teams looking to become bowl eligibility.

Why shouldn't a Lehigh or Lafayette have a shot at pulling off a shocker like James Madison beating Virginia Tech or Appalachian State topping Michigan?

There are obstacles to overcome, obviously, or it would have been done a long time ago.

But the bottom line is that unless scholarships are implemented, Lehigh's lone national title in 1977 will be its last one.

While trying as hard as it could, Lehigh was just one step behind Delaware a lot of the time on Saturday.

The Mountain Hawks, a sure-tackling unit throughout the team's eight-game win streak, often seemed in position to make stops.

But Blue Hens' playmakers either slipped through Lehigh's grasp or just sped by.

"As a defense, we knew what type of players they had on their team," said senior Al Pierce, one of Lehigh's several standout linebackers. "At times, we missed tackles and just didn't make plays. At other times, they just made them. That's a real good offense."

Lehigh had its share of offensive highlights, too, as Chris Lum offered hope for a bright 2011 with his best overall performance since the 44-14 rout of Colgate at the end of October.

But no matter what's to come — scholarships or not — Coen will never forget this season or what these guys meant to him, the program and its future.

"I am so happy for so many people, and there are a lot of people involved in this thing," Coen said. "But I am not going to lie, I am also happy for myself and my family. I'm at a great place and love being here and it has taken time to get to this point. Now, we'll just keeping working.

"I saw some guys here today who played for us in 1998 and '99 when the program turned a corner. This group of seniors reminds me a lot of those guys. They're great kids who have worked hard. I'm just so happy that this year, finally, they got rewarded for their hard work."

http://www.mcall.com/sports/college/mc-lehigh-football-column-1204-20101204,0,1485411.story