Lehigh (5-6) at Stony Brook (9-2), Saturday 2:00
What a start Lehigh got off to to begin 2017. Expectations were soaring, they began the season ranked #9 in the CSM FCS Top 25. After five weeks, they sat at 0-5 and appeared to be the biggest disappointment of the year. Finally, Patriot League action came around and the turnaround slowly materialized with a win over Colgate. Little did anyone know how big that victory was, as it was the result in that game that gave them the tiebreaker advantage to winning the conference’s automatic bid. Lehigh becomes the second team to qualify for the playoffs with a sub-.500 record. The other, ironically, was their long-time rival, Lafayette, who had an identical 5-6 record. The Mountain Hawks have no problems scoring, averaging 36.5 points per game, powered by QB Brad Mayes and RB Dominick Bragalone. Unfortunately, the defense surrenders 39.4 ppg. Shootouts are their style.
Stony Brook seemed to sneak up on the FCS this year. An opening season loss to FBS South Florida should have been a flag to notice, as they only lost 31-17. Then the wins started piling up, and save for a mid-season loss at home to Delaware, they were flawless the rest of the way. Their trip through the CAA involved lighter lifting than it could have, as they missed Elon and James Madison on their schedule. They did beat New Hampshire and Richmond, so they did pass a few of the sterner tests. The Seawolves only surpassed 30 points four times this season, but held all FCS opponents to 24 points or less. The defense gives up just under 100 yards per game.
So who will enforce their will? That will be the question. A shootout would definitely seem to favor Lehigh, but if Stony Brook can ground their offense some, the Seawolves offense should be able to mount some solid numbers against a porous defense.
Projected Score: Stony Brook 45, Lehigh 21
