With the defense pitching a second half shutout, Monmouth had outscored LU 10-0 in the second half to overcome a 21-7 halftime deficit and climb to within four points with 7:12 to play in regulation. The Hawks had driven down to the Lehigh eight. On third and two the Hawks rushed for one yard and the Hawk coaching staff elected to attempt to take the lead. On the next play MU appeared to get the first down but the ball was stripped and recovered by Lehigh at the Mountain Hawk seven.
"We got ourselves in a little bit of a hole in the first half," said Callahan. "We started a little slower on both sides of the ball than we would have liked to. "In the second quarter we started to balance the field a little bit and get a foot hold. I thought we came out in the third quarter and overcame the two-touchdown deficit. I thought we played extremely well on defense in the second half. We put ourselves in a position to win the game but didn't finish off the way we would have liked to."
Still trailing by four, the Hawks got the ball back at their own 15 with 3:28. Fifth-year senior quarterback
Kyle Frazier (Gaithersburg, Md./Damascus) ran and passed his way up the field, moving to the Lehigh 35 with a nine yard completion to tight end
Mike McLafferty (Morgan, N.J./War Memorial). With just under a minute left Frazier's pass was deflected and intercepted by linebacker John Mahoney ending the chance at a comeback.
The Monmouth defense held once more and the Hawks attempted a last second pass and lateral play, which ultimately led to a questionable fumble call that was scooped up by Lehigh for a touchdown as time expired.
Lehigh opened up a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring on their first drive of the game. Senior quarterback Mike Colvin capped off an 11-play 78 yard drive with a five yard touchdown on a draw play.
On the next LU possession, the Hawk defense forced a fumble which was recovered by safety
Andrew Sutton (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown) but three plays later Frazier was intercepted by Lehigh's Ricky Hill. The Mountain Hawks would capitalize on the ensuing drive, as Colvin found Derek Knott for a 19 yard touchdown, completing a six play 63 yard drive.
The Hawks would cut into the lead on a one-yard
Julian Hayes (Middletown, Conn./Xavier/The Hun School) touchdown with 9:13 to play in the half. Redshirt sophomore
Kwabena Asante (Silver Spring, Md./James Hubert Blake/WVU) carried the ball four times for 22 yards on the drive while Frazier connected 12 yard passes to sophomore
Neal Sterling (Belmar, N.J./Manasquan) and
Tristan Roberts (Ansonia, Conn./Lackawanna CC). The score made it 14-7 with 9:13 to play in the half.
Lehigh would score once more, taking over on the MU 36 after a 21 yard Jason Suggs punt return. Working quickly, Colvin hit Ryan Spadola for 11 yards then on a third and 10 found wideout Lee Kurfis all alone in the endzone for a Lehigh touchdown with 52 seconds left before the break.
Monmouth drove down the field on the first possession of the second half but had to settle for a 39 yard
Eric Spillane (Howell, N.J./Colts Neck) after a sack and third and four pushed them back to the LU 22.
After converted wide receiver
Mitchell Pollard (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) recorded his first career interception, Monmouth marched 59 yards on five plays and closed to 21-17 on a 15 yard Frazier to Sterling hookup. The MU drive was aided by a pair of pass interference calls but it was Sterling who caught the ball, broke a tackle and sped to the endzone with 2:35 to play in the third frame.
Lehigh missed a field goal and the team's traded punts before the Hawks started the fourth quarter drive that ultimately ended in a fumble.
Frazier, playing in his first contest since suffering a season-ending knee injury in week six of 2011, was 23-of-41 for 151 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Frazier also scrambled for 39 yards on 11 carries. It was a coming-out party for Asante, who averaged an impressive 8.5 yards per rush after finishing with 11 carries for 94 yards. Roberts led the Hawks with 44 receiving yards on seven receptions with a long of 17.
Colvin was 17 of 32 with two interceptions and two touchdowns, throwing for 221 yards. He also ran the ball 13 times for 56 yards with a touchdown. All-American wideout Ryan Spadola had 111 yards on nine receptions, but the MU defense held him to just one catch in the second half. Senior RB Zach Barket carried the ball 14 times for 61 yards with a long of 27.
Sophomore linebacker
Colin Cooper (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva) led the Hawks with eight tackles, including six solo stops. Senior captain
Reggie Hildebrandt Jr. (Seat Pleasant, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt/Morgan State) had five tackles and an interception in the contest. Linebacker
Dan Sullivan (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) had five tackles but harassed Colvin all afternoon, causing errant throws on a number of occasions.
The Hawks are now 0-4 all-time against Lehigh and 0-3 at Goodman Stadium. The loss snapped a five-game road winning streak for the Hawks.
Monmouth will return home to host Colonial Athletic Association opponent Rhode Island at 1 p.m. next weekend.
Nest Notes:
-Monmouth is now 4-16 all-time in season openers
-Spillane is now ninth all-time in scoring in just his 23rd game for the Hawks
-Pollard not only intercepted a pass in his first game as a defensive back but also made three solo stops
-
Kyle Frazier is one passing touchdown away from moving into a tie for fourth all-time with Bill Rankin.
-Monmouth led in time of possession, 32:43 to 27:17
-The Hawks are now 0-2 when playing on Sept. 1
-Monmouth had 21 first downs compared to Lehigh but the Mountain Hawks held a 360-333 advantage in total yardage
-Prior to today's game, Asante had never had a carry in a game
Quotes:
Coach Callahan on the decision to go for it on fourth and one from the Lehigh 8-
"I felt like we had their defense on their heels. I felt like their defense was extremely tired. We had them, we knocked them off the ball, we gained four yards on the play but fumbled the ball at the end of the run.
Callahan on finishing games and what he told the team post game-
"We put ourselves in a hole early, we did a tremendous job of fighting and clawing our way back in the game. We made key stops defensively and were driving offensively and put ourself in a position to win the game. What you have to take away is regardless of who you play you need to finish it out. To say 'Hey we played the 11th ranked team in the nation in a good game' is selling our own team a little bit short. We expect more of ourselves than that, I certainly expect more because I know we are capable of that. I want to see them finish games and do all the things we need to do in order to finish games successfully."
