Patriot League Football FCS Championship Second Round Notebook (4/12/24)

Lehigh travels to No. 8 Idaho for the second round of the FCS Championship

PatriotFB Notebook (.PDF)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh (9-3, 5-1 PL) travels to Moscow, Idaho to face No. 8 Idaho (9-3, 6-2 Big Sky) in the second round of the 2024 NCAA DI FCS Championship on Saturday. Live coverage on ESPN+ begins at 9 p.m. ET, with Shawn Kenney providing play-by-play and Marcus Ray adding analysis. An audio broadcast of the game will also be available on Fox Sports Radio Lehigh Valley (94.7 FM/1230 AM), with Matt Kerr, Jim Guzzo and Connor Brown. The winner of the Mountain Hawks and Vandals will face the winner of No. 1 Montana State vs. UT Martin in the quarterfinals.



LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (9-3, 5-1 PL) NO. 8 IDAHO VANDALS (9-3, 6-2 Big Sky)

P1FCU Kibbie Dome/Moscow, Idaho Saturday, December 7 – 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
LIVE STATISTICS
BROADCAST (ESPN+): PxP – Shawn Kenney; Analyst – Marcus Ray
BROADCAST (Fox Sports Radio 94.7 FM/1230 AM): PxP – Matt Kerr; Analyst – Jim Guzzo; Sideline – Connor Brown
SERIES HISTORY: Lehigh and Idaho meet for the second time in series history. The Mountain Hawks fell 77-14 at the Kibbie Dome in 1993, a week before winning their first Patriot League title with a 39-14 victory over Lafayette.
LAST MEETING: (November 13, 1993) – At Idaho 77, Lehigh 14
NOTES: LEHIGH | IDAHO



LEHIGH DEFEATS FUTURE PATRIOT LEAGUE RIVAL #9 RICHMOND IN FIRST ROUND OF FCS CHAMPIONSHIP
Patriot League co-champion Lehigh defeated No. 9 Richmond (10-3, 6-0 CAA) 20-16 in the first round of the 2024 FCS Playoffs. The Mountain Hawks scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to erase a 16-7 deficit. First-year RB Jaden Green opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 65-yard touchdown run. Fy. QB Hayden Johnson found Jr. WR Geoffrey Jamiel for a 54-yard touchdown pass with 6:21 left in the fourth quarter to give Lehigh the lead for good. The Mountain Hawks earned their first postseason win since 2011 and sixth in program history.



PATRIOT LEAGUE IN THE FCS PLAYOFFS
•Since 1997, Colgate and Lehigh have been tied for the Patriot League lead with six FCS playoff wins. Fordham (3) and Holy Cross (2) also have victories in the playoffs.


•Patriot League teams are 10-17 in FCS playoff games since 2010 and have won at least one postseason game in nine seasons during that span. A Patriot League team has reached the quarterfinals four times since 2010: Lehigh (2011), Colgate (2015 and 2018) and Holy Cross (2022).


•Prior to this season, the last Patriot League playoff victory came to Holy Cross, which defeated New Hampshire 35-19 in the second round of the 2022 FCS playoffs before falling to eventual national champion No. 1 South Dakota State (42- 19) was defeated. 21) in the quarterfinals. The Crusaders had also defeated NEC champion Sacred Heart 13-10 in 2021. In 2018, Colgate reached the quarterfinals, losing to eventual FCS champion North Dakota State after defeating James Madison, 23-20, in the second round.



LEHIGH IN THE FCS PLAYOFFS
The Mountain Hawks will play their 16th FCS playoff game when they travel to No. 8 Idaho for their second-round matchup. Lehigh is 6-9 in FCS postseason appearances.
1998 – Lehigh 24, Richmond 23
1998 – At UMass 27, Lehigh 21
1999 – Hofstra 27, Lehigh 15
2000 – Lehigh 37, Western Illinois 7
2000 – Delaware 47, Lehigh 22
2001 – Lehigh 27, Hofstra 14
2001 – Delaware 34, Lehigh 17
2004 – James Madison 14, Lehigh 13
2010 – Lehigh 14, at Northern Iowa
2010 – Delaware 42, Lehigh 20
2011 – Lehigh 40, at Towson 38
2011 – North Dakota State 24, Lehigh 0
2016 – New Hampshire 64, Lehigh 21
2017 – At Stony Brook 59, Lehigh 29
2024 – Lehigh 20, Richmond 16



ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic success and continues to prove that student-athletes can excel in both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain true to its founding principle of admitting and developing student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League facilities is considered an important part of a well-rounded education.