Football squad rolls past Saint Marys

In his first start of the season, junior Kyle Keating threw for 124 yards and one touchdown as Lehigh (4-2) defeated Saint Mary’s (CA) 35-7 on Saturday afternoon at Goodman Stadium. Lehigh spread the ball out through the air and on the ground and used a total team effort to defeat the Gaels and send the Mountain Hawks into their bye week on a high note.
Saint Mary’s (0-6) tried to steal momentum early, with an onsides kick on the opening kickoff, but Lehigh recovered. After a three and out series, Saint Mary’s took possession, but Lehigh sophomore Royce Morgan, attempting to bat down the attempted pass, picked off Saint Mary’s quarterback Cordel Webb and rumbled 45 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Mountain Hawk lead. On its next possession, Saint Mary’s again tried to get tricky with a fake punt attempt, but Lehigh stuffed the Gaels and took over on downs. Lehigh then faked a punt of its own, as junior Kyle Keating took the snap and gained five yards for the first down. On the ensuing play, Keating, one of only two players in Division I who plays both quarterback and punter, found senior wide receiver Dave Crockett from 12 yards out and Lehigh was up 14-0.
Just before halftime, senior running back Dave Wilson punched in a touchdown from one yard out and the Mountain Hawks took a 21-0 lead into the locker room. Although it led at halftime, Lehigh only gained 152 yards in the first half, compared to Saint Mary’s 114. The Gaels, averaging 102 yards rushing per game, gained 103 in the first half alone, and held Lehigh to 28 yards on 16 carries.
After Saint Mary’s scored on the second half’s opening possession, to cut the Lehigh lead down to 21-7, Mountain Hawk sophomore Gerran Walker electrified the crowd with a spectacular 84-yard kickoff return, that showed off his brilliant speed and brought the Lehigh lead back up by 21.
Sophomore Mark Borda relieved Keating in the fourth quarter and tossed a touchdown pass to junior Adam Kovacs to set up the final score.
Lehigh’s defense shut down the Saint Mary’s offense in the fourth quarter, putting constant pressure on the Gaels quarterbacks and forcing them into third and long situations time after time. Senior Mike Gregorek, Morgan and sophomore Will Mitchell all had outstanding defensive days for Lehigh, with Mitchell also picking up an interception.
Lehigh is off next weekend, and will return to action on October 25, when the Mountain Hawks travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the Hoyas of Georgetown. Kickoff is slated for 1:00.
Scoring
Saint Mary’s: 1st-0 2nd-0 3rd-7 4th-0 Final: 7
Lehigh: 1st-14 2nd-7 3rd-7 4th-7 Final: 35
Team Stats
First Downs:
St. Mary's: 16
Lehigh: 15
Yards Rushing:
St. Mary's: 211
Lehigh: 67
Yards Passing:
St. Mary's: 64
Lehigh: 192
Total Yards:
St. Mary's: 275
Lehigh: 259
Penalties:
St. Mary's: 9-90
Lehigh: 4-45
Time of Possession:
St. Mary's: 36:30
Lehigh: 23:30
Passing
Player: Att.-Comp.-Int., Yards, TD
Kyle Keating, Lehigh: 22-10-0, 124, 1
Mark Borda, Lehigh: 7-3-0, 68, 1
Parker Magnum, St. Mary’s: 12-6-1, 53, 1
Cordell Webb, St. Mary’s: 5-2-1, 11, 0
Rushing
Player: Carries, Yards, TD
Parker Magnum, St. Mary’s: 17, 74, 0
Dave Wilson, Lehigh: 12, 58, 1
Cordell Webb, St. Mary’s: 10, 40, 0
Jermaine Pugh, Lehigh: 11, 29, 0
Receiving
Player: Catches, Yards, TD
Adam Bergen, Lehigh: 4, 46, 0
Dave Crockett, Lehigh: 3, 41, 1
Ryan Coogler, St. Mary’s: 3,19,0
Kevin Swiryn, St. Mary’s: 1, 27, 1