Lehigh Mountain Hawks
Overall Rank: #18
#1 Patriot
Lehigh Team Page
2010 Record: (10-3, 6-0)
2010 Postseason: FCS Playoffs
Coach: Andy Coen (30-27 at Lehigh, 30-27 overall)
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Michael Colvin, QB, 245 yards
Passing: Chris Lum, QB, 2,881 yards
Receiving: Ryan Spadola, WR, 1,130 yards
Tackles: Mike Groome, LB, 131
Sacks: Colin Newton, LB, 7.5
Interceptions: Bryan Andrews, CB, 1; Mike Groome, LB, 1
Lehigh had a very memorable 2010 campaign and they will look to build on that success with another trip to the FCS Playoffs in 2011. However, the Mountain Hawks did not just make it to the playoffs. They were the first Patriot League team since Colgate in 2003 to win a playoff game. Coach Andy Coen returns more than enough talent to repeat as conference champions and then they will look to make a deeper playoff run.
Strengths:
Quarterbacks Chris Lum and Mike Colvin are back, making this a dynamic offense. Lum threw for 2,881 yards and 19 touchdowns. He is not a major threat to run, but he is pretty elusive in the pocket and can make people miss while he looks down field for his talented receivers. Colvin will come in for special occasions and he ironically rushed for 245 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 245 yards and three touchdowns in 2010. Ryan Spadola will get most of the receptions. After tallying 1,130 receiving yards and nine touchdowns a year ago, the Lum to Spadola combination should be even more productive this season. Jake Drwal is the tough receiver who can go over the middle. His willingness to take hits will continue to open up space for Spadola down the sidelines. Matt Fitz figures to emerge as the Mountain Hawks third receiver. On the other side of the ball Lehigh will rely on their stellar pass rush. Colin Newton and Mike Groome are two of the best linebackers in the Patriot League. Newton is the pass rusher who tallied 7.5 sacks last season. Groome is not opposed to causing havoc in the backfield, but he also recorded 131 tackles in 2010 and is the main man in the middle of the Mountain Hawks defense. Add Tanner Rivas to the mix, who was second on the team with 5.0 sacks, and the linebackers spend a lot of time in the backfield. The front line is not bad at creating pressure either. Andrew Knapp and Ben Flizack garnered some conference accolades last season and the return of Phil Winnett, who missed much of the last two years with injuries, will give this group a ton of depth.
Weaknesses:
The pass defense was arguably the weak point of the team last season and now four starters need to be replaced. Corner Bryan Andrews is the only player with any significant experience outside of playing on special teams. He started a couple games last year and will be looked upon to be a leader of this inexperienced unit. Gabe Johnson and Kenyatta Drake will battle it out with a handful of sophomores for the starting job opposite of Andrews. Jonathan Littlejohn and Billy O’Brien do not have too much experience, especially at the safety position, but they do form one of the best named safety duos in the nation. On the other side of the ball it is the ground game that could stall this offense. Jay Campbell is gone after rushing for 652 yards and five touchdowns. Lehigh is not opposed to using three or four running backs, but having somebody emerge as the main back like Campbell did would be beneficial. Zach Barket has the most experience. Keith Sherman had a pretty good freshman campaign and could emerge as a great change of pace back this season. Marcus Dormevil will also be in the mix after missing time in 2010 with an injury. Campbell may not have put up great numbers, but he was a very efficient back and he will not be that easy to replace.
The Bottom Line:
The key to the offensive success of Lehigh and the ground game will likely depend on the offensive line. The loss of Ricky Clerge and Will Rackley is huge. Rackley was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft and Keith Schauder will likely slide over to the left tackle spot to replace Rackley. Jim Liebler is a three year starter at center and Troy McKenna is a fine tackle, but it is hard to think that this unit can be better without Rackley. Lehigh does not need a consistent ground game to win the Patriot League, but they do need to keep the pressure off of Lum.
Projected Postseason: FCS Playoffs
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 103.54 (97th in nation, 5th in conference)
Passing Offense: 241.85 (25, 2)
Total Offense: 345.38 (64, 4)
Scoring Offense: 23.31 (65, 2)
Rushing Defense: 134.77 (40, 2)
Pass Defense: 210.15 (69, 3)
Total Defense: 344.92 (46, 2)
Scoring Defense: 19.08 (16, 1)
Turnover Margin: .31 (37, 1)
Sacks: 2.85 (13, 1)
Sacks Allowed: 1.08 (16, 2)
