EASTON (Pa.) – The scene was a sold-out Fisher Stadium, with almost 12,000 fans in attendance, amidst freezing temperatures, for the 158th game of the Lehigh vs. Lafayette rivalry — the most played in all of college football.

The atmosphere was high with energy and emotion from warmups all the way to the final whistle, including afterward as well.

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks came into the game with a record of 2-8 while the Lafayette Leopards came in with a record of 3-7, but in a game like this records don’t mean a thing.

The players from both teams knew what was at stake…ultimate bragging rights and their spot in history books. With that being said, both teams came out fired up and ready to go. It was a chippy start to the game.

If you’ve been following along, you knew it would be a low-scoring, defensive battle that came down to whichever team made the least amount of mistakes and it was just that.

Lafayette opened up with clear intentions to establish the run game, as they are 3-1 when they rush for 100 yards or more.

Lehigh, on the other hand, looked towards their air attack which has given them some success this season.

It didn’t take long for the Leopards to get ahead as freshman running back Jamar Curtis broke for an electric 71-yard rushing TD on just their fifth snap offensively. The run from Curtis was the longest run from scrimmage this season for Lafayette and instantly gave them all the momentum.

Just 57 seconds later, Lafayette’s momentum augmented as Lehigh quarterback Dante Perri dropped back and fired a pass over the middle, which was intercepted by Lafayette linebacker Billy Shaeffer and returned 50 yards all the way to the end zone for a pick-six.

The big run by Curtis and defensive touchdown by Shaeffer put Lafayette up 14-0 with 7:02 still remaining in the first quarter.

The Mountain Hawks’ defense was able to regroup after an unfortunate start and hold stout for the remainder of the game, not allowing Lafayette on the board again.

The intensity of the game only increased as the game went on as Lafayette’s Gabe DuBois received an unsportsmanlike penalty toward the end of the first quarter.

After a series of defensive stops for both teams, Lehigh was finally able to put together a drive thanks to a defensive pass interference and a facemask penalty against Lafayette.

Despite the look of a promising drive, Lafayette’s defense was able to stiffen up and take advantage of a weak Lehigh offensive line, forcing Lehigh to settle for a 27-yard field goal with 4:57 left in the first half.

Although the Mountain Hawks were still down 14-3, getting on the board lit a fire within them and served as a crucial momentum shifter to keep their hopes alive.

At the end of the half, defensive stops by both teams sent the game into halftime with a 14-3 score in favor of the Leopards.

Mountain Hawk Misfortune

Both teams came out in the second half showcasing their stiff run defenses. Lehigh began to have success slinging the rock, though.

Catches by Freshman Geoffrey Jamiel, Connor Kennedy, and Eric Johnson along with running backs Gaige Garcia and Jack DiPietro began to make it a game of attrition.

The Mountain Hawks were driving and in scoring range, but their drive stalled once again and they had to attempt a field goal.

Lehigh kicker Dylan Van Dusen, who was 6-8 on field goals this season entering the game, lined up to attempt his second field goal of the day. This time it was from 29 yards out and had the chance to cut the lead to eight with 0:11 left in the third quarter, but he pushed it left

Despite the missed opportunity, the momentum of Lehigh’s offense was not hindered in the slightest.

After Lehigh’s defense got another stop, the offense took the field and drove right down the field through the air once again.

Eight plays later the Mountain Hawks were knocking on the door with a first and ten on the Lafayette 13-yard line.

Then came the play of the day for the Lehigh team…a monster one-handed grab by wide receiver Eric Johnson which cut the lead to five.

They decided to go for two to try to bring the game within three but instead, they failed and the score remained 14-9 with 12:06 left in the game.

After getting a big stop and forcing a punt, Lehigh set up from their own 15-yard line with 5:36 remaining and a touchdown on their minds. Lehigh was able to move the ball all the way to the opposite 15-yard line thanks to a Jalen Burbage catch for 37 yards.

Once again, Lehigh’s drive came to a halt at the hands of a solid Lafayette red zone defense, including an overthrow from Perri who had Jamiel for a possible touchdown.

The Mountain Hawks were now facing a fourth and ten with the game on the line.

This is when Lafayette star defensive end and NFL Draft prospect, Malik Hamm, came up with one of the biggest plays of the day. As Perri dropped back to pass, Hamm came screaming off the right side of the offensive line and was able to get his hand on the ball causing Perri’s pass to fall short, giving Lafayette possession with just 1:14 remaining in the game.

As they got the ball back, Lafayette ran the ball twice to diminish both of Lehigh’s remaining timeouts before running some more time off.

The Leopards intentionally took two delay-of-game penalties and following that, they took a safety making it a 14-11 score with 14 seconds left.

Lehigh returned the free kick to their own 39-yard line but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty pushed them back to the 24-yard line.

On the first play of what they were hoping for to be a miracle drive into field goal range, Perri connected with Eric Johnson for a 17-yard gain to the Lehigh 41-yard line.

In the next play, Perri failed to connect with Johnson again and they now had one second remaining to chuck one up to the end zone.

As Perri dropped back, Malik Hamm, Lafayette’s all-time leading sack leader who came into the game with 31 for his career, powered right through Lehigh’s left tackle and was able to put Perri down 17 yards behind the line of scrimmage and end the game, finishing off his career with sack 32.

With this win, Lafayette increased their series record to 81-72-5 and got their revenge from last year’s loss to Lehigh 17-10.. but it wasn’t over.

Fans began to storm the field as the Lafayette crowd roared and the Lehigh crowd dejectedly headed towards the nearest entrance.

Just when you thought it was all finished though, emotions from both teams boiled over resulting in a scrum at midfield just seconds after the game concluded. Regardless of a few punches being thrown, both sides were separated and Lehigh headed to their locker room.

Lafayette players, students, fans, and families all gathered on the field for a celebration.

In addition to the celebration, Lafayette linebacker Billy Shaeffer was named MVP of the game — the game’s first defensive MVP since 2010, for his 50-yard pick-six that put Lafayette up 14-0 midway in the first quarter.

As both teams now head into the offseason, they will look to get right back to work in search of more successful seasons next year after going a combined 6-16 for two seasons in a row.

STATS

Lehigh

27 First Downs, 404 Total Yards
QB, Dante Perri – 29/57, 343 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
RB, Gaige Garcia – 17 Car, 48 Yards, 0 TD, 3 Rec, 34 Yards
WR, Eric Johnson – 7 Rec, 108 Yards, 1 TD
WR, Geoffrey Jamiel – 7 Rec, 91 Yards
WR, Jalen Burbage – 4 Rec, 67 Yards
DB, TyGee Leach – 7 Solo, 3 TFL
LB, Nate Norris – 5 Solo, 6 TOT, 1 QB Hit

Lafayette

9 First downs, 180 Total Yards, 2/2 4th Down Conversions
QB, Ah-Shaun Davis – 15/21, 56 Yards
RB, Jamar Curtis – 10 Car, 108, Yards 1 TD
WR, Elijah Steward – 5 Rec, 25 Yards
LB, Billy Shaeffer – 1 INT, 50 Yards, 1 TD, 8 TOT
DB, Saiku White – 10 TOT
DB, A.T. Ntantang – 5 TOT, 5 PBU
DE, Malik Hamm – 4 TOT, 1 Sack/TFL, 2 PBU, 2 QB Hits