Patriot League Pick 'em - Week 1

[Gate83]

Fordham and Ball State agree to play in 2019. Nothing too exciting about this one imo. Colgate played them two years ago. If nothing else, Muncie is located near some great golf courses.....

Roach must have a friend at Ball State, he scheduled our game out there while at Gate. Worst FCS game in my memory, attracted zero interest...

[Fordhamanhattan]

Agreed. Ball State has ZERO sex appeal.

[Franks Tanks]

Tanks and I are in the same boat, pulling the same oars. We differ on one subtle point however. F'sTs thinks that Tavani is the problem. I think that Tavani is merely a symptom of the problem. Either way, his continued occupancy of the corner office in Bourger Varsity House is an impediment to progress.

I guess we are on the same page. Agree that administration and the AD is an issue, but I also firmly believe that a new coach would be much more successful under the same conditions that Frank deals with. Put Dan Hunt in charge of Lafayette, and Frank in charge of Colgate, and the fortunes of each program would quickly reverse course.

Frank doesn't watch film, doesn't appear to recruit (not even on twitter), and seems completely lost as how to build a roster using 60 scholarship football players. He has also put together a staff that is average at best, and have different players year after year making the same mistakes. What does Frank do well as a coach in 2016? I suppose he can still raise money, and he is good at making excuses in post game interviews.

This is all a shame, because attendance was really great at Lafayette for a few years after the stadium was built and the teams were good. In the late 2000's we had 7, 8, 9k a game for games against good opponents, and good weather games. 10k for Colgate in 09. 8-9 k for some of the early season match-ups with Penn, and some homecoming games. Since the team has been pretty poor the last few years, Frank has killed that attendance momentum. If we played Delaware at home 7 years ago, I would say 10k would be in the house. Given the current state of Lafayette football, especially if we lose this week, 6 or 7k is likely. Delaware football still has cache, and it has been many years since the hens visited Fisher. I think some Pard old timers will come out for the game, and there are a ton a Delaware alums in the area, so perhaps they come out as well.

[KillaBee]

Think! The Leopards have had six consecutive losing seasons and are coming off a 1-10 season. How worked up do you really think anyone, besides maybe KillaBee, is at this point? If, as I believe, you are worried about ticket availability, don't. Delaware, East Stroudsburg State, or Notre Dame, it won't make much difference on the home side of the field. If there's a push for tickets it will come from Delaware people, and you would know that better than anyone in Easton.

Standing room only,, get your tickets now!!! The place will be BUZZING... The leopards will not lose their 1st home game on their brand new turf!!!

Good luck hen, but Im sorry to let you know The Blue Hens wIill go down on Sept 10th..

[carney2]

The number of Lafayette players not suiting up for Friday's opener at CCSU has climbed to six or seven, including one more starter - DB Parrish Simmons.

[van]

sounds like we are down at least one, starting LB out this week

[carney2]

I guess we are on the same page. Agree that administration and the AD is an issue, but I also firmly believe that a new coach would be much more successful under the same conditions that Frank deals with. Put Dan Hunt in charge of Lafayette, and Frank in charge of Colgate, and the fortunes of each program would quickly reverse course.

Frank doesn't watch film, doesn't appear to recruit (not even on twitter), and seems completely lost as how to build a roster using 60 scholarship football players. He has also put together a staff that is average at best, and have different players year after year making the same mistakes. What does Frank do well as a coach in 2016? I suppose he can still raise money, and he is good at making excuses in post game interviews.

This is all a shame, because attendance was really great at Lafayette for a few years after the stadium was built and the teams were good. In the late 2000's we had 7, 8, 9k a game for games against good opponents, and good weather games. 10k for Colgate in 09. 8-9 k for some of the early season match-ups with Penn, and some homecoming games. Since the team has been pretty poor the last few years, Frank has killed that attendance momentum. If we played Delaware at home 7 years ago, I would say 10k would be in the house. Given the current state of Lafayette football, especially if we lose this week, 6 or 7k is likely. Delaware football still has cache, and it has been many years since the hens visited Fisher. I think some Pard old timers will come out for the game, and there are a ton a Delaware alums in the area, so perhaps they come out as well.

There have been objections raised previously in this thread about airing this laundry in public, but with me "banned" from the Lafayette board for not wearing my cheerleader outfit, this is the only place we have to "talk," so what the H. Agree with all your comments, but will add

The "culture" is the problem, and just how do you fix that?

A coaching change would lead to immediate vitality and a move toward winning. Eventually, however, the "culture" would grind down the new guy the same as it did his predecessors. Remember when Tavani was "the great motivator" and "the savior of the program?"

[Fordham]

you guys talking Lafayette football remind me of the past 20+ years of Fordham basketball. I feel like we finally turned a corner this past year but it took a new AD, a new coach and an administration that now seems 'ok' with trying to win. Even then it's not like we've gone lights out but more so that those who follow the program see a real difference across the board for the first time ever. I feel for you guys. It's so frustrating when it's institutional since it means you can't just upgrade one position to find success imo.

[Franks Tanks]

There have been objections raised previously in this thread about airing this laundry in public, but with me "banned" from the Lafayette board for not wearing my cheerleader outfit, this is the only place we have to "talk," so what the H. Agree with all your comments, but will add

The "culture" is the problem, and just how do you fix that?

A coaching change would lead to immediate vitality and a move toward winning. Eventually, however, the "culture" would grind down the new guy the same as it did his predecessors. Remember when Tavani was "the great motivator" and "the savior of the program?"

Yes. If we had a competent AD, he would hire guys who plan to stay for 5 but not 10 years. An upwardly mobile fellow who is here long enough to make his presence known, but seeks to advance in his profession. We haven't had a ton of guys this think in the league, but Clawson, Higgins and Moorhead come to mind. We don't need more coach for life's, we need really good young guys on the upswing. If you have to start over every few years, or swing and miss once in a while, I can live with that. Standing around and watching strike 3 blow past you over and over again is what Bruce currently does.

[carney2]

Yes. If we had a competent AD, he would hire guys who plan to stay for 5 but not 10 years. An upwardly mobile fellow who is here long enough to make his presence known, but seeks to advance in his profession. We haven't had a ton of guys this think in the league, but Clawson, Higgins and Moorhead come to mind. We don't need more coach for life's, we need really good young guys on the upswing. If you have to start over every few years, or swing and miss once in a while, I can live with that. Standing around and watching strike 3 blow past you over and over again is what Bruce currently does.

Amen, brother. And football isn't the only program that Brucie has invested with "Coach for Life" guys/gals.

[RichH2]

FT,P4L carney
Having played and lived thru a scenario eerily similar to that which Pard fans are enduring, I feel that your story is important for all the younger PL fans to.know. A cautionary tale if nothing else. When I was recruited to Lehigh we had just won the Lambert Cup. The HC was promoted to the AD. The Administration embarked on a short but devastating deemphasis in football( Actually just bringing football into the same as all other sports save wrestling.) It took Dunlap the rest of the decade to restore the program.
Lesson the slide down is fast, the climb back up depressingly slow and painful. Lehigh has bern blessed with Presidents like Likens who strongly supported athletucs as part and parcel of the university fabric.
Tavani has his faults no doubt but he is the least of Pard"s issues. Athletics can survive ,after a fashion, with a neutral Admin but not with an actively hostile one that Pards currently have. It gives the impression of benign neglect but actively enforces a non accountabilty rule for all coaches and administration personnel.
No one of us should feel that "It cant happen here." It can.

[RichH2]

FWIW
MASSEY
CCSU. 24-19
Cuse. 38-14
Navy. 49-19
Cross. 31-14
Hoyas. 38-7
Bison. 13-10
LU. 31-28

[bgsmitty43]

Wow! I can't help getting depressed about Lafayette football after reading these posts. I have always respected coaches that stay in one place for awhile. Tavani is one of those. I heard Nick Saban say recently that his greatest concern is "fighting complacency" at Alabama. I'm sure a seasoned coach like Tavani has the same concern. Staying on the cutting edge of football takes much effort. I'm a recent Georgetown fan who has been told I should feel the same way about the Hoya program, but I don't. I think GU could be 4-0 heading into the Harvard game and no I'm not drinking or smoking something funny. Even without scholarships, Georgetown football has had a couple good recruiting classes and could compete for PL honors in the next couple years. They made a good hire in Rob Sgarlata and have some experienced assistants. They have had about the same coaching staff the last 3 years and are coaching their tails off. $50 million donated for new stadium by 2018. They graduate their athletes with high grade point averages. I'm old fashioned, to me this is what college football should be about. I'm hoping for a Pard resurgence (except when they play GU) this season. We need that for a strong PL. Good luck this season, Lafayette. It all starts this Saturday!

[Go...gate]

FT,P4L carney
Having played and lived thru a scenario eerily similar to that which Pard fans are enduring, I feel that your story is important for all the younger PL fans to.know. A cautionary tale if nothing else. When I was recruited to Lehigh we had just won the Lambert Cup. The HC was promoted to the AD. The Administration embarked on a short but devastating deemphasis in football( Actually just bringing football into the same as all other sports save wrestling.) It took Dunlap the rest of the decade to restore the program.
Lesson the slide down is fast, the climb back up depressingly slow and painful. Lehigh has bern blessed with Presidents like Likens who strongly supported athletucs as part and parcel of the university fabric.
Tavani has his faults no doubt but he is the least of Pard"s issues. Athletics can survive ,after a fashion, with a neutral Admin but not with an actively hostile one that Pards currently have. It gives the impression of benign neglect but actively enforces a non accountability rule for all coaches and administration personnel.
No one of us should feel that "It cant happen here." It can.

It happened at Colgate, too. Very disheartening.

[Sader87]

I jumped ugly on carney earlier in this thread and now feel remorseful. Totally understand his pain....HC football has basically "spun its wheels" from 1992 (non-scholarship era) on. Much of it due to institutional/administrative neglect imo.

Difference between HC and Laffy today is that HC has a "new sheriff in town" with a new AD and an administration supportive of the football program. If Gilmore wins 5 games this year, he is gone...if Frank wins 2 or 3 games this year, he'll be back in Easton in 2017.

[carney2]

I'm a recent Georgetown fan who has been told I should feel the same way about the Hoya program, but I don't. I think GU could be 4-0 heading into the Harvard game and no I'm not drinking or smoking something funny. Even without scholarships, Georgetown football has had a couple good recruiting classes and could compete for PL honors in the next couple years. They made a good hire in Rob Sgarlata and have some experienced assistants. They have had about the same coaching staff the last 3 years and are coaching their tails off. $50 million donated for new stadium by 2018. They graduate their athletes with high grade point averages. I'm old fashioned, to me this is what college football should be about. I'm hoping for a Pard resurgence (except when they play GU) this season. We need that for a strong PL. Good luck this season, Lafayette. It all starts this Saturday!

I'm liking this - a lot. Someone who is positive and optimistic about Georgetown football. We don't see much of this, and, c'mon 'fess up, in your heart of hearts you want the Hoyas to be successful. It would be a real bonus for the Patriot League.

Smitty says 4-0. Not possible, ...

vs. Davidson = W, as close to a lock as there is for the Hoyas
@ Marist = W, but maybe closer to a tossup
vs. Columbia = ?, Al Bagnoli brings a whole new reality to sad-sack Lions football
@ Harvard = L, even the Jesuits don't have a prayer in this one

And a correction - it all starts on Friday.

[Franks Tanks]

FT,P4L carney
Having played and lived thru a scenario eerily similar to that which Pard fans are enduring, I feel that your story is important for all the younger PL fans to.know. A cautionary tale if nothing else. When I was recruited to Lehigh we had just won the Lambert Cup. The HC was promoted to the AD. The Administration embarked on a short but devastating deemphasis in football( Actually just bringing football into the same as all other sports save wrestling.) It took Dunlap the rest of the decade to restore the program.
Lesson the slide down is fast, the climb back up depressingly slow and painful. Lehigh has bern blessed with Presidents like Likens who strongly supported athletucs as part and parcel of the university fabric.
Tavani has his faults no doubt but he is the least of Pard"s issues. Athletics can survive ,after a fashion, with a neutral Admin but not with an actively hostile one that Pards currently have. It gives the impression of benign neglect but actively enforces a non accountabilty rule for all coaches and administration personnel.
No one of us should feel that "It cant happen here." It can.

Current Pard administration is neutral. Lafayette would not have the facilities it has it the admin was actively hostile. I am still of the belief that if we had a solid AD and solid head football coach the program would be just fine, and I believe this because it happened before with less.

[Fox 94]

Bucknell as always will be a handful for Marist. Given the history of the series, 21-3 sounds about right to me.

[carney2]

A Lafayette faculty member has gone on a hunger strike because he was denied tenure. (No lie!) He will drink water and Gatorade the entire semester - or until he gets his way. It occurs to me that alums like Franks Tanks and I could adopt the same tactic because we have been denied D-1 athletics. Whaddya think? I have a few extra pounds and could hold out for a while.

...

Perhaps I'll start slow and work into it. That's it - I won't eat Brussel sprouts until the Pards win a freakin' football game!

[DFW HOYA]

I'm liking this - a lot. Someone who is positive and optimistic about Georgetown football. We don't see much of this....

Add me to the list but I am also realistic. There's a reason why no other PL school said " scholarships are great but we don't need them to be successful." There's a reason no other school needs to play Davidson and Marist to collect their only projected wins of the season. The combination of scholarship free football and an AI that sends its recruiting ( particularly on offense) into a ditch every year is a reflection of a cold reality for Georgetown. It doesn't mean we can't support them every week or run up frequent flyer miles when people ask " you're going where and for what?" but Georgetown isn't where it needs to be as a program.

[RichH2]

Current Pard administration is neutral. Lafayette would not have the facilities it has it the admin was actively hostile. I am still of the belief that if we had a solid AD and solid head football coach the program would be just fine, and I believe this because it happened before with less.

Neutral? Agreed at first glance. A5dmin is going along with schollies and not actively campaigning against atletics. Lafayette has excellent facilities. Admin didn't stop them. Nor did they pay for them. Am alumni iniative. The Atletic Deppartment follows the same tact with benign indifference to winning or the performance of its teams or coaching staffs. The sole concern seems to be fielding teams in the required sports with appropriate uniforms.

[LeopardBall10]

Current Pard administration is neutral. Lafayette would not have the facilities it has it the admin was actively hostile. I am still of the belief that if we had a solid AD and solid head football coach the program would be just fine, and I believe this because it happened before with less.

I know what you are saying, but the facilities are all because of a very few specific donors who gave money specifically for the facilities. Shoot, the administration even went so far as to go directly against those donors and allow other sports on the field after "football only" was a direct condition of some of the donations. Or what about the money earned from the 150th in NYC? How much of that was even given back to athletics let alone football? In my mind that is where the administration is actively hurting the culture of the athletic department.

[LeopardBall10]

NThe sole concern seems to be fielding teams in the required sports with appropriate uniforms.

Even this isn't true. The football team only purchases new uniforms when the coaches can afford to spend donor (Maroon Club) money on them, which makes up more than half of their operating budget. Maybe I'm naive, but are there any other programs out there that base half of their operations on expected donations from alumni. Having been in that office I can tell you that if the alumni donations to the Maroon Club dried up all of a subbed the team would be out new should pads and helemts, meals for the bus on the way home, water and Gatorade for the bus rides, cleats, and the list goes on.

[DFW HOYA]

Maybe I'm naive, but are there any other programs out there that base half of their operations on expected donations from alumni.

Well, there's at least two of us...

[KillaBee]

Twas the day before CCSU, and all through the land
NoT a Leopard fan was working, productivity was canned.
The tailgates were planned and bar meetings set,
Old buddies argued about how great the team would get.

The coolers were packed full of bratwurst and beer,
The weather channel said the skies would be clear.
Now it is September 1st and the wind had a chill,
For throwing a football and meat on the grill.

I flipped the tube and there's Gary Laubach 's face!
"What a season we've got! It'll be quite a race!"
Ole' Leopard looked quite parched, as he searched for a brew,
After slamming one down, "It's Lafayette College Football anew!"
Now everyone's tied, nothin and nothin.
Every PL team's got some hope that this year will be somethin.
The Leopards and CCSU should be up in a row,
For tomorrow in New Britain, the season's a go.

But tonight rest well, your sleep you will need,
Your hunger for Lafayette College Football, tomorrow will feed.
As I turned off the tube, I saw The Leopards in my sight,
"Lafayette College Football to all, and to all a good-night!"

[Gangtackle11]

Twas the day before CCSU, and all through the land
NoT a Leopard fan was working, productivity was canned.
The tailgates were planned and bar meetings set,
Old buddies argued about how great the team would get.

The coolers were packed full of bratwurst and beer,
The weather channel said the skies would be clear.
Now it is September 1st and the wind had a chill,
For throwing a football and meat on the grill.

I flipped the tube and there's Gary Laubach 's face!
"What a season we've got! It'll be quite a race!"
Ole' Leopard looked quite parched, as he searched for a brew,
After slamming one down, "It's Lafayette College Football anew!"
Now everyone's tied, nothin and nothin.
Every PL team's got some hope that this year will be somethin.
The Leopards and CCSU should be up in a row,
For tomorrow in New Britain, the season's a go.

But tonight rest well, your sleep you will need,
Your hunger for Lafayette College Football, tomorrow will feed.
As I turned off the tube, I saw The Leopards in my sight,
"Lafayette College Football to all, and to all a good-night!"

You got a shot if you can get St.Nick to get his lead block down!

[crusader11]

Can't believe the season is, at long last, upon us.

Friday, September 2nd:
LAFAYETTE @ Central Connecticut - A decent test for Lafayette, and I hope they prove me wrong. CCSU isn't terrible, the 'Pards go on the road, and -- based on what I have read -- LC seems to already be banged up heading into week one. It's hard to pick a 1-10 team in 2015 to win this one.
COLGATE @ Syracuse - I really think Colgate can keep this close for a while, but their defense won't be able to slow down the Orange. They'll be able to move the ball, though.

Saturday, September 3rd:
FORDHAM @ Navy - Don't think this will be competitive at all, and would be surprised if Navy doesn't win by 3+ scores.
Monmouth @ LEHIGH - If Lehigh is a supposed contender in the PL this season, they have to win this game...and they do.
Davidson @ GEORGETOWN - The Hoyas probably won't win a game in the PL this year, but Davidson is closer to a NESCAC team than D1...Georgetown wins easily.
HOLY CROSS @ Morgan State - I don't think I have seen one pick for Morgan State, and that worries me just a bit. I think this game may be more competitive than some think, especially considering that Morgan State brings back Herb Walker Jr at RB. All that said, HC's offense is going to put up points this year, and a lot of them. HC by two scores.
BUCKNELL @ Marist - Middle-of-the-pack PFL teams aren't supposed to beat scholarship PL teams.

[carney2]

Killa, you're a poet - and a nut job. That puts you in the same category as Edgar Allan Poe. Rare company, indeed.

[blackbeard]

CCSU
Syracuse
Navy
Monmouth
Georgetown
Holy Cross
Marist

[Lehigh'98]

CCSU 21 Laf 14
Syracuse 41 Colgate 21
Navy 31 Fordham 30
Lehigh 3 Monmouth 0
Georgetown 35 Davidson 7
Cross 30 Morgan 28
Bucknell 28 Marist 3

[Ivytalk]

CCSU
Syracuse
Navy
Lehigh
Georgetown
HC
Bucknell

[LUHawker]

So other than the CCSU-Lafayette game there is fairly strong consensus for picks this week.

Several years back when Lafayette was playing well, Tavani was quoted after a close win (I think vs. Richmond) that "the Leopards learned how to win today". This will be a key component for LC this year. If they don't do it in week 1, I think they're in for a better, but still long season.

[aceinthehole]

For CCSU-Lafayette tickets, game notes, and links for free live audio, video, and stats.

http://www.ccsubluedevils.com/sports/fball/2016-17/releases/20160901lczhbc

[carney2]

Lots of late money coming in on CCSU.

[Franks Tanks]

I know what you are saying, but the facilities are all because of a very few specific donors who gave money specifically for the facilities. Shoot, the administration even went so far as to go directly against those donors and allow other sports on the field after "football only" was a direct condition of some of the donations. Or what about the money earned from the 150th in NYC? How much of that was even given back to athletics let alone football? In my mind that is where the administration is actively hurting the culture of the athletic department.

All good points. In regarding to what the maroon club pays for, this has been discussed on our board a few times. The college leans on donors to pay for necessities because they know donors will continue to do so. Donors keep support flowing because they love the program, and don't want to see it suffer, but at the same time the college is taking advantage of donor generosity. A real pickle.

Hell, lets just win some damm games so we have something else to talk about!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Fordham just got a sweet shout out from Stanford Steve on SVP's Sports Center! Pretty cool! Basically came down to take the Rams at the+26.5....

[RichH2]

Fordham just got a sweet shout out from Stanford Steve on SVP's Sports Center! Pretty cool! Basically came down to take the Rams at the+26.5....

A sucker bet but very tempting. Rams have an experienced but young D that was consistently inconsistent last year. Fluctuating between meehh to atrocious.
Rams can score but dont think they'll get much of a chance to.

[Leopard Loyalist]

Friday, September 2nd:

LAFAYETTE over Central Connecticut
Syracuse over COLGATE
Saturday, September 3rd:

Navy over FORDHAM
LEHIGH over Monmouth
GEORGETOWN over Davidson
HOLY CROSS over Morgan State
BUCKNELL over Marist

[LeopardBall10]

On page 29 of this pick 'em thread and I have no idea what my picks even were back on page 1... cannot wait for kickoff. Hope the Leopards can pull this one off, remember what it's like to win, and surprise a few teams along the way.

[Sader87]

CCSU
Cuse
Navy
Lehigh
GTown
Bucknell
HC

[DFW HOYA]

Davidson's OC (Vinny Marino) was the former OC at Georgetown and before that, Columbia. That may be a further advantage for the Hoyas in that Marino's play calling was very predictable.

[ColgateTD]

Killa, you're a poet - and a nut job. That puts you in the same category as Edgar Allan Poe. Rare company, indeed.

Didn't E.A. Poe play in Charlie Caldwell's single wing offense for Princeton in the 1950's?

Here's a shout out to Colgate, who plays Syracuse tonight.....(wanted to mention the Red Raiders on this Laf-LU-Bison thread ;) Incidentally they are still members of the Patriot League.

[Pard4Life]

Lafayette 24, CCSU 17
Syracuse 48, Colgate 21
Lehigh 17, Monmouth 14
Navy 45, Fordham 28
Georgetown 52, Davidson 7
Bucknell 21, Marist 18
Holy Cross 35, Morgan State 14

[LUHawker]

Didn't E.A. Poe play in Charlie Caldwell's single wing offense for Princeton in the 1950's?

Here's a shout out to Colgate, who plays Syracuse tonight.....(wanted to mention the Red Raiders on this Laf-LU-Bison thread ;) Incidentally they are still members of the Patriot League.

Is the Colgate - Cuse game on Campus Insiders? (or any other outlet?)

Go Raiders!

[the last indian]

[QUOTE=LUHawker;2369492]Is the Colgate - Cuse game on Campus Insiders? (or any other outlet?)

Go Raiders!
yes, on ESPN 3. You can get it on your iPad with Watch ESPN, on your computer or on Apple TV.

[RichH2]

We've talked a lot about the differences in the various cultures of Admins to football.
The new Lehigh President is hosting a pregame party at his house for the students.

[PAllen]

Home teams across the board

[Go...gate]

Syracuse's speed is really making a difference so far.

[Southsider]

Lafayette 24, CCSU 17
Syracuse 48, Colgate 21
Lehigh 17, Monmouth 14
Navy 45, Fordham 28
Georgetown 52, Davidson 7
Bucknell 21, Marist 18
Holy Cross 35, Morgan State 14

These look about right, except for LU. I think the Engineers double up Monmouth 34-17

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Lafayette has matched their 2015 win total before Labor Day!! xhypedxxhurrayxxbeerchugxxbandwagonx

[RichH2]

Nice to see Pards rally in the 2nd half to get the W.CCSU not a good team with a severe case of the yips. A W tho heading into a very tough OOC.

[ColgateTD]

'Cuse up by 19 in the 3rd vs. 'Gate so far....

[Go...gate]

Colgate offense having a difficult time.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Colgate offense having a difficult time.

Syracuse is completely dominating this game on both sides of the ball. Their QB is carving up the D...

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Syracuse 33 Colgate 7

Hopefully Colgate is putting these paychecks to good use. Next year they finally have a team, Buffalo, they can compete with....

[ColgateTD]

Good tune-up for the rest of the season. Hope nobody got hurt...

[RichH2]

Good tune-up for the rest of the season. Hope nobody got hurt...

As long as Melville survived Raiders will be fine. :)

[Go...gate]

Both teams got what they had to out of the game. Colgate tested itself against a tough program and always seems to benefit by playing such games. They will definitely need to work on the offense.

Syracuse got its new coach his first win and found out it has some speed and a capable passing attack (40 of 46 for over 400 yards) which will help it compete in the ACC.

Four times Syracuse drives stalled and Colgate's defense forced the Orangemen to kick field goals. A fifth SU drive was ended by a fumble forced by Colgate.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Both teams got what they had to out of the game. Colgate tested itself against a tough program and always seems to benefit by playing such games. They will definitely need to work on the offense.

Syracuse got its new coach his first win and found out it has some speed and a capable passing attack (40 of 46 for over 400 yards) which will help it compete in the ACC.

Four times Syracuse drives stalled and Colgate's defense forced the Orangemen to kick field goals. A fifth SU drive was ended by a fumble forced by Colgate.

How do you feel about heading to Richmond in two weeks? Is that a game you guys think you can win or is 0-2 in the cards? A lot of people are giving the Spiders a shot against UVA. Syracuse is better than the Cavaliers imo..

[Bogus Megapardus]

Gate played Syracuse tough, from what I saw in the second half. After the game Syracuse HC predicted Gate will "go deep into the FCS playoffs."

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Gate played Syracuse tough, from what I saw in the second half. After the game Syracuse HC predicted Gate will "go deep into the FCS playoffs."

They did a good job forcing Syracuse to kick FG's. Otherwise the score would have been much worse. The 'Cuse QB carved them up all game and the wr's ate 'Gate up in space. The offense did nothing outside of the first 5-6 minutes game.

The next game against Richmond will be a better barometer. If they're a Top 15 team they should give the Spiders a run. The Raiders have two weeks to prepare.

[Bogus Megapardus]

TThe 'Cuse QB carved them up all game and the wr's ate 'Gate up in space.

All true but Gate handled the 'Cuse DB speed better than I would have expected. Much better. Plus Gate tackled really, really well. I was impressed.

[TheValleyRaider]

How do you feel about heading to Richmond in two weeks? Is that a game you guys think you can win or is 0-2 in the cards? A lot of people are giving the Spiders a shot against UVA. Syracuse is better than the Cavaliers imo..

Actually, we have Yale in two weeks (I wrote UR in the other thread, my goof). Without seeing how the Spiders look at UVA, I'm not sure. I haven't studied UR much, so I'm not sure what the match-ups look like. We played well against UNH and JMU in the postseason, so I believe we can compete with a team like Richmond. I would still make them the favorites, though. As long as we don't get run off the field (a la Stony Brook in 2013) a win would be a good sign more than a loss would be a bad one, if that makes sense.

[TheValleyRaider]

They did a good job forcing Syracuse to kick FG's. Otherwise the score would have been much worse. The 'Cuse QB carved them up all game and the wr's ate 'Gate up in space. The offense did nothing outside of the first 5-6 minutes game.


All true but Gate handled the 'Cuse DB speed better than I would have expected. Much better. Plus Gate tackled really, really well. I was impressed.

We definitely gave the receivers a lot of space off the line. I'm guessing some of that was respect for the offense, but it did let them get into a lot of open areas. I wasn't in love with our tackling, and we let SU extend a few drives with some missed tackles. Their 2nd TD run saw 2 or 3 alone. Some of that was due to Syracuse's speed, but there were a few missed opportunities as well.

Of course, first game, room for improvement, and all that jazz :)

[Go...gate]

Gate played Syracuse tough, from what I saw in the second half. After the game Syracuse HC predicted Gate will "go deep into the FCS playoffs."

Welcome back, Bogus Megapardus!! We have missed you!

[Go...gate]

How do you feel about heading to Richmond in two weeks? Is that a game you guys think you can win or is 0-2 in the cards? A lot of people are giving the Spiders a shot against UVA. Syracuse is better than the Cavaliers imo..

IMO, Colgate could begin 0-3 and still win the conference. Playing the tough OOC will get Colgate ready for PL play.

Very happy to see Lafayette win their opener and hope the Engineers knock off Monmouth tomorrow.

I was surprised at the Army - Temple result. Army's rushing attack was reminiscent of the 1980's and 90's.

[Go...gate]

I thought this might be of interest.

Coaches and players seemed very gracious.

http://gocolgateraiders.com.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/2016/9/2/Syracuse_Colgate_Postgame_Quotes.pdf?id=4379

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

IMO, Colgate could begin 0-3 and still win the conference. Playing the tough OOC will get Colgate ready for PL play.

Very happy to see Lafayette win their opener and hope the Engineers knock off Monmouth tomorrow.

I was surprised at the Army - Temple result. Army's rushing attack was reminiscent of the 1980's and 90's.

If Colgate starts 0-3 they likely aren't going to be good enough to win the league this year. They need to get 1 out of the next 2 imo. 7-3 might get them an at-large bid, 6-4 equals no shot.

Terrible loss for Temple but that's what we do. We can never get truly over the hump.

[TheValleyRaider]

If Colgate starts 0-3 they likely aren't going to be good enough to win the league this year. They need to get 1 out of the next 2 imo. 7-3 might get them an at-large bid, 6-4 equals no shot.

We started 0-3 last year against Navy, UNH, and Yale. Worked out okay in the end xnodx

[CFBfan]

Syracuse is completely dominating this game on both sides of the ball. Their QB is carving up the D...

TERRIBLE scheme by D playing cover zero putting their smaller, slower cb's on an island with cuse's bigger, faster, stronger and quicker receivers who are torching them play ater play after play!!!!!!!

Didn't help that #3 dropped 2 cruscial 3rd down passes while the game was still very competive, that really took gate out of it

[RichH2]

TERRIBLE scheme by D playing cover zero putting their smaller, slower cb's on an island with cuse's bigger, faster, stronger and quicker receivers who are torching them play ater play after play!!!!!!!

Didn't help that #3 dropped 2 cruscial 3rd down passes while the game was still very competive, that really took gate out of it

Gate usually singles with their QB. Hunt relies on pressure to force short passing game. Ss play up for runs and crossing patterns. Ss do have over responsibility often. Gate did that a lot but without success.

[Franks Tanks]

Fordham D is getting destroyed. 21-3 Navy with 4 minutes left in the 1st. Navy scoring drives have been a handful of plays for big gains.

[Franks Tanks]

TD Fordham. They are moving the well on offense,

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Lehigh's D still looks terrible.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Lehigh D with an INT on 4th down. Can't do anything with good position.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Navy 28 Fordham 10 13:28 2Q

Enjoy the paycheck ...

[Franks Tanks]

They are on national tv, and doing quit well on one side of the ball. No problem with this game.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

TD Monmouth. LU front 7 is getting blown up. They're on pace for 300+ yards rushing..

7-0 12:10 2Q

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Lehigh offense can't get going. Monmouth is dominating but mistakes are killing them.

[DFW HOYA]

End of 1st:

Georgetown 0
Davidson 0

Georgetown has four yards of offense.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Navy 35 Fordham 10 5:07 2Q

Monmouth 7 Lehigh 0 half

Lehigh has been completely dominated on both sides of the ball. If Monmouth wasn't a comedy pf errors this would be 21-0.

[Franks Tanks]

Lehigh is very lucky they are only down by 7. 49 yards in the 1st half by the vaunted Lehigh offense.

What is the 9-2 Lehigh crowd have to say at this point?

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I think we can all point and laugh at a Lehigh. This is beyond embarrassing....

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Monmouth takes the second half kickoff and scores.

14-0 Monmouth 9:04 3Q

[PAllen]

I'm so glad we're not playing a regional FBS team that would dominate us to open the season. Instead, we can get humiliated at home by Monmouth.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

TD Lehigh!

14-7 Monmouth 4:53 3Q

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

End 3Q Monmouth 14-7

Lehigh 2nd and 2 from Monmouth 9 to start 4th...

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

TD Lehigh!

14-14 13:28 4Q

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Monmouth with a 46 yard FG

MU 17-14 10:13 4Q

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Shaf with an INT deep his own territory on the ensuing drive. TD Monmouth a couple plays later. Missed XP

Monmouth 23-14 8:36 4th Q

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

TD Lehigh!

Monmouth 23-21 4:09 4Q

[DFW HOYA]

How bad is Davidson?

On a fourth down at its 11 yard line, the snap is low and the punter kneels down to pick up the ball and the ball is whistled dead at that point. Hoyas score two plays later.

Davidson's first three series of the second half have all resulted in turnovers.

Georgetown pulling away in the 3rd, but there's no strong rushing game on this team. I hope this isn't the only win of the season, but wouldn't be surprised, either.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Monmouth is going to win 23-21. Lehigh front 7 still very weak.

I can easily see an 0fer in the OOC.

[RichH2]

Monmouth is going to win 23-21. Lehigh front 7 still very weak.

I can easily see an 0fer in the OOC.

A game we gave away. Lehigh vaunted O didn't show up til mid 3rd period.
We got that mediocre D we hoped for. If O plays the whole game a relatively eady W. Gotta wonder if O was too impressed with their preseason hype. Particularly the OL.
An 0-5? Princeton looks to be a solid chance for a W.

[crusader11]

Holy Cross doing what it's supposed to do against Morgan State, up 37-17 midway through the 3rd.

Morgan State is incredibly sloppy with turnovers, poor decision-making (too aggressive near the end of the first half, which led to an HC TD), and many penalties.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

A game we gave away. Lehigh vaunted O didn't show up til mid 3rd period.
We got that mediocre D we hoped for. If O plays the whole game a relatively eady W. Gotta wonder if O was too impressed with their preseason hype. Particularly the OL.
An 0-5? Princeton looks to be a solid chance for a W.

That game should not have been close. MU should have buried Lehigh in the first half. They looked physically more impressive. Lehigh's front 7 continues to look undersized.

It looked like a coupleof teams that will struggle to be .500. That was the most disappointed i've been to see the opener in years. It was as bad as Temple's game against Army last night.

[UNHWildcat18]

Lehigh 10-1 AMMMAAARIGHT?

[crusader11]

44-17 with 1:08 left in the 3rd, HC pouring it on against Morgan State.

[Sader87]

Holy Cross is the class of the PL this year.......

[Southsider]

That game should not have been close. MU should have buried Lehigh in the first half. They looked physically more impressive. Lehigh's front 7 continues to look undersized.

It looked like a coupleof teams that will struggle to be .500. That was the most disappointed i've been to see the opener in years. It was as bad as Temple's game against Army last night.

Without a doubt, this was the most pathetic performance I have seen, at home, in many, many years. This staff needs to go. Coen's bio proclaims him to be a fiery motivator. Really? O was flat, D stinks, clock management in Q4 was troubling. Clock just ticking away when you are down 2 scores with under 7 minutes to go. No sense of urgency, by anyone! But, just as in Easton, nothing will change. The next two in Philly will not be pretty. And, why was the band chanting "It's all over" as Monmouth was running out the clock? They seem lost as the player and staff!

[Fordham]

We lost all PL DE Crook, All PL DT Adeyeye, All PL MLB Thorpe (done for career) and three other DL during camp. Tall order for that group to compete against such a physical Navy squad/. With those losses the d I saw today will leave us struggling to be .500 this year.

Our offense will be great. We will out score our way to victory sometimes. Otherwise we will get scored on at will most of the time imo. Middle of the pack imo but I'll be there rooting. Those are tough tough injuries to deal with. Basically, a poor D lost most of the best returning players on it.

[crusader11]

HC beats Morgan State, 51-24.

HC at UNH next weekend will be very interesting.

[Go...gate]

A game we gave away. Lehigh vaunted O didn't show up til mid 3rd period.
We got that mediocre D we hoped for. If O plays the whole game a relatively eady W. Gotta wonder if O was too impressed with their preseason hype. Particularly the OL.
An 0-5? Princeton looks to be a solid chance for a W.

Don't be too sure. Princeton has some experience coming back at QB and has looked pretty good in camp so far.

[Go...gate]

I'm so glad we're not playing a regional FBS team that would dominate us to open the season. Instead, we can get humiliated at home by Monmouth.

Nice to know I'm not alone on stretch games.

This is not a bad loss for the Engineers. Monmouth is a 63-scholarship team and Kevin Callahan knows how to make good use of the extra depth.

[RichH2]

We lost all PL DE Crook, All PL DT Adeyeye, All PL MLB Thorpe (done for career) and three other DL during camp. Tall order for that group to compete against such a physical Navy squad/. With those losses the d I saw today will leave us struggling to be .500 this year.

Our offense will be great. We will out score our way to victory sometimes. Otherwise we will get scored on at will most of the time imo. Middle of the pack imo but I'll be there rooting. Those are tough tough injuries to deal with. Basically, a poor D lost most of the best returning players on it.

I wouldn't go that far. Navy does that to most teams.:)

[RichH2]

Nice to know I'm not alone on stretch games.

This is not a bad loss for the Engineers. Monmouth is a 63-scholarship team and Kevin Callahan knows how to make good use of the extra depth.
Most times I would agree. MU returned most of their O and this game usually close. The embarrassment today was the utter failure of our O in the 1st half. Andy credits MU preparation and execution. Maybe but the glaring lack of both by LU's offense is what I remember.

[crusader11]

And the Lehigh board is already calling for Coen's head.

Lehigh's OOC only gets tougher, too.

[Fordham]

I wouldn't go that far. Navy does that to most teams.:)
Appreciate the thought but I've never seen a Ram D like this. Those injury losses are brutal. Long, choppy season in the forecast imo

[RichH2]

And the Lehigh board is already calling for Coen's head.

Lehigh's OOC only gets tougher, too.

Oh him. Yeah he calls for Andy to be gone non stop. :)

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Don't be too sure. Princeton has some experience coming back at QB and has looked pretty good in camp so far.

Lehigh and Colgate are both in trouble to start the year given their schedules. Richmond stepped up and beat Virginia. The Spiders are at a level where that's not really an upset.

Lehigh needed to get today's win given the difficult schedule. That was echoed all season. They failed today which could lead to a rather ugly season.

I'm only board with Holy Cross being the best team. I was somewhat on that train since spring...

[LUHawker]

Oh him. Yeah he calls for Andy to be gone non stop. :)

Yes, it's me, but it isn't non-stop. I was usually supportive until the 150th. Since then it's been crystal clear to me. You guys just haven't arrived at this conclusion - yet. You will.

[Franks Tanks]

Yes, it's me, but it isn't non-stop. I was usually supportive until the 150th. Since then it's been crystal clear to me. You guys just haven't arrived at this conclusion - yet. You will.

Agree that Andy is just Ok. He is probably underperforming by a fair degree. I think Lehigh and Lafayette would both benefit from a change at the top.

[ngineer]

A game we gave away. Lehigh vaunted O didn't show up til mid 3rd period.
We got that mediocre D we hoped for. If O plays the whole game a relatively eady W. Gotta wonder if O was too impressed with their preseason hype. Particularly the OL.
An 0-5? Princeton looks to be a solid chance for a W.

The game was given away because they weren't ready to play. I think the 'O' spent too much time reading their press clippings and not enough getting their game faces on. A very winnable game. I thought the D played hard, overall. I still don't like the three-man front scheme, although they certainly made adjustments at halftime. They were on the field 21 minutes in the first half! We will find out next week how good or bad we really are. Coaches always say the improvement between week one and week two tells you the most about your team.

[ngineer]

That game should not have been close. MU should have buried Lehigh in the first half. They looked physically more impressive. Lehigh's front 7 continues to look undersized.

It looked like a coupleof teams that will struggle to be .500. That was the most disappointed i've been to see the opener in years. It was as bad as Temple's game against Army last night.

LU's front seven is much bigger than a couple years ago. DL is 285 avg and LB's 230. I still prefer a four man front. Better against the run.

[ngineer]

Without a doubt, this was the most pathetic performance I have seen, at home, in many, many years. This staff needs to go. Coen's bio proclaims him to be a fiery motivator. Really? O was flat, D stinks, clock management in Q4 was troubling. Clock just ticking away when you are down 2 scores with under 7 minutes to go. No sense of urgency, by anyone! But, just as in Easton, nothing will change. The next two in Philly will not be pretty. And, why was the band chanting "It's all over" as Monmouth was running out the clock? They seem lost as the player and staff!

They were chanting "It's NOT over".

[ngineer]

Nice to know I'm not alone on stretch games.

This is not a bad loss for the Engineers. Monmouth is a 63-scholarship team and Kevin Callahan knows how to make good use of the extra depth.

Monmouth has players. A lot of skill guys and decent size. The problem is they don't have "cache" for a lot of fans. People still remember how we dominated them ten years ago and still have the perception they are some small commuter school just starting football. Their coach has been around a long time. Still this was a very winnable game that if we played the first half like the second it would have been a nice win. Lost opportunity. Hopefully they learn from this debacle. Then, it can be considered a 'good' loss that got their attention.

[RichH2]

LU's front seven is much bigger than a couple years ago. DL is 285 avg and LB's 230. I still prefer a four man front. Better against the run.

Agree with a 4 front at least as a wrinkle. Now that we have a serviceable NG. a 4 front moving Caslow or Buskirk up could be affective. Hell just move Lynn in sometimes.

[Go...gate]

Lehigh and Colgate are both in trouble to start the year given their schedules. Richmond stepped up and beat Virginia. The Spiders are at a level where that's not really an upset.

Lehigh needed to get today's win given the difficult schedule. That was echoed all season. They failed today which could lead to a rather ugly season.

I'm only board with Holy Cross being the best team. I was somewhat on that train since spring...

No need to panic.

[Franks Tanks]

Monmouth is a very well coached team. Talent is solid, but still think it's mediocre for PL levels.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Monmouth is a very well coached team. Talent is solid, but still think it's mediocre for PL levels.

Lehigh probably had the best "true test" of any PL team this weekend. They didn't schedule a paycheck or a cupcake. Monmouth is far better than CCSU, Marist, Davidson and Morgan State imo. With that said, they're probably at best a Top 40 team?

All that matters is Lehigh is 0-1 and the road only gets harder. That's what made this game so crucial for setting the tone for the rest of the year.

[PAllen]

Monmouth has players. A lot of skill guys and decent size. The problem is they don't have "cache" for a lot of fans. People still remember how we dominated them ten years ago and still have the perception they are some small commuter school just starting football. Their coach has been around a long time. Still this was a very winnable game that if we played the first half like the second it would have been a nice win. Lost opportunity. Hopefully they learn from this debacle. Then, it can be considered a 'good' loss that got their attention.

While Monmouth is no Davidson or Valpo, let's not try to turn them into something they are not. Monmouth is the type of team that a program like Lehigh should beat easily on a regular basis. Today looked like Monmouth was playing against a good, but not great D-II squad. That's where this staff has us, playing like a good D-II squad.

As Andy said going into half time, it was a miracle that we were only down 7-0 at half. The O looked good for a drive and a half in the 3rd, but that was it. If Monmouth doesn't shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly with penalties, they win by 3-4 scores, and that's with their pathetic kicking game. Andy's excitement about the D improving in the last intrasquad scrimmage was clearly a case of the O getting worse more than the D getting better. We play like that against Nova and we lose by 35.

[RichH2]

Some good points but D not only missed Caslow but also 280 lb DT Lynn who had to sit out 1st half. Just found out over on our board.

[TheValleyRaider]

How do you feel about heading to Richmond in two weeks? Is that a game you guys think you can win or is 0-2 in the cards? A lot of people are giving the Spiders a shot against UVA. Syracuse is better than the Cavaliers imo..

So, after today I feel a little less good about our chances in this one...

[Gater]

Lehigh probably had the best "true test" of any PL team this weekend. They didn't schedule a paycheck or a cupcake. Monmouth is far better than CCSU, Marist, Davidson and Morgan State imo. With that said, they're probably at best a Top 40 team?

All that matters is Lehigh is 0-1 and the road only gets harder. That's what made this game so crucial for setting the tone for the rest of the year.

We get it. You're a Temple fan who hates FCS teams playing FBS schools. The problem is that the best FCS schools all play FBS teams. Richmond didn't crush Virginia for a paycheck today (though that was a nice bonus), they did it because they are a program with aspirations of winning a national championship at the FCS level. You're free to hate it, but if you want your other team to win a national championship, you had better start playing these games.

Colgate lost by 26 points to Syracuse. Syracuse completely picked them apart throwing the ball (40-46 passing) but couldn't run the ball against Colgate. (Take out one 49 yard run where Colgate missed a tacked and Syracuse ran the ball 34 times for 68 yards. Even with the run, it tells you that Colgate was competing up front--though maybe overcommitting to winning the battle of the trenches over the war.) Colgate also didn't hand the ball off to a tailback and only ran the ball once in the third quarter. (Anyone who knows Colgate football would have a hard time even picturing this.) Syracuse runs the fastest offense I've ever seen, and I'm not sure if that didn't influence Colgate's play calling. At the very least, Colgate didn't execute the way they did against UNH or JMU--but playing a fast team has a way of making that happen. If they did have a good game on O (beyond the opening drive) and Syracuse didn't make a few big time plays, Colgate loses by 10. That being said, Syracuse settled for a bunch of field goals and with a few different breaks, could have put up 50.

With a trip to Richmond (who appears to be no joke) and only ten games on the slate, the game at Yale in two weeks is really important for any shot at an at-large for the 'gate.

[Go...gate]

We get it. You're a Temple fan who hates FCS teams playing FBS schools. The problem is that the best FCS schools all play FBS teams. Richmond didn't crush Virginia for a paycheck today (though that was a nice bonus), they did it because they are a program with aspirations of winning a national championship at the FCS level. You're free to hate it, but if you want your other team to win a national championship, you had better start playing these games.

Colgate lost by 26 points to Syracuse. Syracuse completely picked them apart throwing the ball (40-46 passing) but couldn't run the ball against Colgate. (Take out one 49 yard run where Colgate missed a tacked and Syracuse ran the ball 34 times for 68 yards. Even with the run, it tells you that Colgate was competing up front--though maybe overcommitting to winning the battle of the trenches over the war.) Colgate also didn't hand the ball off to a tailback and only ran the ball once in the third quarter. (Anyone who knows Colgate football would have a hard time even picturing this.) Syracuse runs the fastest offense I've ever seen, and I'm not sure if that didn't influence Colgate's play calling. At the very least, Colgate didn't execute the way they did against UNH or JMU--but playing a fast team has a way of making that happen. If they did have a good game on O (beyond the opening drive) and Syracuse didn't make a few big time plays, Colgate loses by 10. That being said, Syracuse settled for a bunch of field goals and with a few different breaks, could have put up 50.

With a trip to Richmond (who appears to be no joke) and only ten games on the slate, the game at Yale in two weeks is really important for any shot at an at-large for the 'gate.

Well said, Gater. No substitute for playing the strongest possible schedule and testing yourself against the best possible opponents.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

We get it. You're a Temple fan who hates FCS teams playing FBS schools. The problem is that the best FCS schools all play FBS teams. Richmond didn't crush Virginia for a paycheck today (though that was a nice bonus), they did it because they are a program with aspirations of winning a national championship at the FCS level. You're free to hate it, but if you want your other team to win a national championship, you had better start playing these games.

Colgate lost by 26 points to Syracuse. Syracuse completely picked them apart throwing the ball (40-46 passing) but couldn't run the ball against Colgate. (Take out one 49 yard run where Colgate missed a tacked and Syracuse ran the ball 34 times for 68 yards. Even with the run, it tells you that Colgate was competing up front--though maybe overcommitting to winning the battle of the trenches over the war.) Colgate also didn't hand the ball off to a tailback and only ran the ball once in the third quarter. (Anyone who knows Colgate football would have a hard time even picturing this.) Syracuse runs the fastest offense I've ever seen, and I'm not sure if that didn't influence Colgate's play calling. At the very least, Colgate didn't execute the way they did against UNH or JMU--but playing a fast team has a way of making that happen. If they did have a good game on O (beyond the opening drive) and Syracuse didn't make a few big time plays, Colgate loses by 10. That being said, Syracuse settled for a bunch of field goals and with a few different breaks, could have put up 50.

With a trip to Richmond (who appears to be no joke) and only ten games on the slate, the game at Yale in two weeks is really important for any shot at an at-large for the 'gate.

I don't hate FBS games. I just don't like when teams schedule ones and can't come close to competing. Colgate has not sniffed victory in any of their recent matchups. The scores against Syracuse recently are ugly. It's not a competitive matchup. Fordham got absolutely run by Navy yesterday. The pulled a guy out of the crowd for to play...lol.

Lehigh will get theirs in two years...

[Southsider]

[/U][/B]They were chanting "It's NOT over".

Thanks for clearing that up......I guess in my state of anger I didn't pick that up......

[Southsider]

Agree that Andy is just Ok. He is probably underperforming by a fair degree. I think Lehigh and Lafayette would both benefit from a change at the top.


+1

[Lehigh'98]

Tough opening game. Never like to make too much out of one game, but it's hard to envision the playoffs after getting pushed around by Monmouth on your home turf. This will be a telling year with Coen. He's had a couple years to reestablish things after losing key staff that some argue were the reason for his success. Was there any Mayes sightings yesterday?

[Doc QB]

Tough opening game. Never like to make too much out of one game, but it's hard to envision the playoffs after getting pushed around by Monmouth on your home turf. This will be a telling year with Coen. He's had a couple years to reestablish things after losing key staff that some argue were the reason for his success. Was there any Mayes sightings yesterday?
Yes, he was on sideline wearing gold cleats. Seriously.

[RichH2]

Yes, he was on sideline wearing gold cleats. Seriously.

Gold cleats ? :):) There is a nickname in there somewhere.

[Gater]

I don't hate FBS games. I just don't like when teams schedule ones and can't come close to competing. Colgate has not sniffed victory in any of their recent matchups. The scores against Syracuse recently are ugly. It's not a competitive matchup. Fordham got absolutely run by Navy yesterday. The pulled a guy out of the crowd for to play...lol.

Lehigh will get theirs in two years...

Temple Owl, I feel like I've seen you on ESPN. Were you the guy on the field after Temple beat Penn State last year wearing the "We Should Only Be Playing MAC Teams Out of Conference" sweatshirt and the half Temple/half Lehigh hat telling everyone to stop celebrating?

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Temple Owl, I feel like I've seen you on ESPN. Were you the guy on the field after Temple beat Penn State last year wearing the "We Should Only Be Playing MAC Teams Out of Conference" sweatshirt and the half Temple/half Lehigh hat telling everyone to stop celebrating?

Nope, definitely wasn't me! Since the MAC is a fellow FBS conference I have no problem playing those schools. Likewise with Big 10 teams. Hell, we beat PSU but couldn't take care of Toledo in the bowl game.

I like what Fordham did,; open with a FBS then follow it up with a game against a D2 team. They're equal opportunity schedulers. xnodx

[Fordham]

Nope, definitely wasn't me! Since the MAC is a fellow FBS conference I have no problem playing those schools. Likewise with Big 10 teams. Hell, we beat PSU but couldn't take care of Toledo in the bowl game.

I like what Fordham did,; open with a FBS then follow it up with a game against a D2 team. They're equal opportunity schedulers. xnodxmeh, was supposed to be Columbia but they bailed so late on us that we had no good FCS options. Then again, playing and FBS and then scheduling Columbia sort of reinforces your point anyway.

Regardless, will be a long season in Ramland imo

[crusader11]

Where's carney with the Week 2 thread???

[RichH2]

Where's carney with the Week 2 thread???

:) Yeah, I am done with this week. Ugh :)

[ColgateTD]

So am I. Bring on Carney...

[TheValleyRaider]

Regardless, will be a long season in Ramland imo

I think you're reading a bit too much into one game. The Middies are a pretty good team, and will beat up on more than a few of their opponents. We got waxed by them last year, and it turned out okay.

For the most part, I think everyone in the League except Lehigh did what they should have given the competition. I'm not going to readjust my preseason expectations too heavily without a few more actual results to analyze.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I think you're reading a bit too much into one game. The Middies are a pretty good team, and will beat up on more than a few of their opponents. We got waxed by them last year, and it turned out okay.

For the most part, I think everyone in the League except Lehigh did what they should have given the competition. I'm not going to readjust my preseason expectations too heavily without a few more actual results to analyze.

I feel like they were destined to take a step back with the change at HC and a real shaky defense. The injuries could really derail them further if their depth isn't good. I'll be interested to see how they fair against Monmouth in a few weeks.

I know it's only week one but I think the league is already in trouble for at-large given how the schedules are going break. Lehigh and Colgate are near must win territory in their next game if they want to entertain the thought. Colgate having a 10 game schedule + the built in FBS loss is a brutal combo. I don't see them beating Richmond or going undefeated in the league again. Lehigh's OOC is stacked with sold teams. Fordham has three enticing opponents coming up after ECS. 2-1 would probably allow them to have one league hiccup. The level of competition will go up big time for HC. @ UNH and @ Albany are huge. 1-1 is probably needed to garner respect. Moral victories don't count now....

This week will really help tell the tail of the tape. Lehigh can completely change the narrative with a win.
Lehigh @ Villanova
Holy Cross @ UNH
Delaware @ Lafayette

Can't go 0-3 in those games imo. Villanova, UNH and Delaware are all good. But they're not Richmond/Jacksonville State/SHSU/UNI good. These are the type of games that matter for the PL. Not some paycheck contest against a team that's not in your classification...

[TheValleyRaider]

I feel like they were destined to take a step back with the change at HC and a real shaky defense. The injuries could really derail them further if their depth isn't good. I'll be interested to see how they fair against Monmouth in a few weeks.

That may be so, but I'm not sure you can definitively draw that conclusion from a loss to Navy.


I know it's only week one but I think the league is already in trouble for at-large given how the schedules are going break. Lehigh and Colgate are near must win territory in their next game if they want to entertain the thought. Colgate having a 10 game schedule + the built in FBS loss is a brutal combo. I don't see them beating Richmond or going undefeated in the league again. Lehigh's OOC is stacked with sold teams. Fordham has three enticing opponents coming up after ECS. 2-1 would probably allow them to have one league hiccup. The level of competition will go up big time for HC. @ UNH and @ Albany are huge. 1-1 is probably needed to garner respect. Moral victories don't count now....

This week will really help tell the tail of the tape. Lehigh can completely change the narrative with a win.
Lehigh @ Villanova
Holy Cross @ UNH
Delaware @ Lafayette

Can't go 0-3 in those games imo. Villanova, UNH and Delaware are all good. But they're not Richmond/Jacksonville State/SHSU/UNI good.

We're pretty much in agreement here. Those 3 matchups are very important to figuring out where the league stands nationwide, Lehigh and Holy Cross in particular.

I'm not going to panic yet regarding the at-large. The schedule doesn't set up particularly well for Colgate, sure, but a 9-2 HC with a win over UNH or Albany? Or Fordham with losses to Navy and the PL champ? Too early to say, and too much else to guess about nationwide, I think

[Gater]

Not in your classification? You mean like Temple playing a Power 5 Team?

The best teams in the FCS play FBS teams. Eastern Washington just beat Washington St.--which Massey had ranked 26th. The Citadel beat South Carolina last year. Richmond just beat Virginia. These are all "paycheck" games that also allow you to recruit kids who are considering FCS and FBS schools. Recruits want to play these games. They want to play in front of 40,000 people and see how they match up against some of the best teams in the country. Colgate is going to win some of these games (they will undoubtedly lose most). They will be a better program for it--win or lose. (Which means these are games they really can't lose.) Everyone at the FCS level wants to play these games. If you are first and foremost a fan of a mid-to-lower tier FBS school, I can see not wanting to play these games.

[RichH2]

I feel like they were destined to take a step back with the change at HC and a real shaky defense. The injuries could really derail them further if their depth isn't good. I'll be interested to see how they fair against Monmouth in a few weeks.

I know it's only week one but I think the league is already in trouble for at-large given how the schedules are going break. Lehigh and Colgate are near must win territory in their next game if they want to entertain the thought. Colgate having a 10 game schedule + the built in FBS loss is a brutal combo. I don't see them beating Richmond or going undefeated in the league again. Lehigh's OOC is stacked with sold teams. Fordham has three enticing opponents coming up after ECS. 2-1 would probably allow them to have one league hiccup. The level of competition will go up big time for HC. @ UNH and @ Albany are huge. 1-1 is probably needed to garner respect. Moral victories don't count now....

This week will really help tell the tail of the tape. Lehigh can completely change the narrative with a win.
Lehigh @ Villanova
Holy Cross @ UNH
Delaware @ Lafayette

Can't go 0-3 in those games imo. Villanova, UNH and Delaware are all good. But they're not Richmond/Jacksonville State/SHSU/UNI good. These are the type of games that matter for the PL. Not some paycheck contest against a team that's not in your classification...

the given the PL history losing OOC records are not determinative of PL title. May bear some relevance to our national posture. But, they are too early to mean all that much. See Gate last year.
Agree a PL 0fer for all FBS and CAA games ain't great :)

[PAllen]

I don't hate FBS games. I just don't like when teams schedule ones and can't come close to competing. Colgate has not sniffed victory in any of their recent matchups. The scores against Syracuse recently are ugly. It's not a competitive matchup. Fordham got absolutely run by Navy yesterday. The pulled a guy out of the crowd for to play...lol.

Lehigh will get theirs in two years...

Speaking of the last few years: I'd take Colgate's record in the playoffs over Lehigh's any day.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Not in your classification? You mean like Temple playing a Power 5 Team?

The best teams in the FCS play FBS teams. Eastern Washington just beat Washington St.--which Massey had ranked 26th. The Citadel beat South Carolina last year. Richmond just beat Virginia. These are all "paycheck" games that also allow you to recruit kids who are considering FCS and FBS schools. Recruits want to play these games. They want to play in front of 40,000 people and see how they match up against some of the best teams in the country. Colgate is going to win some of these games (they will undoubtedly lose most). They will be a better program for it--win or lose. (Which means these are games they really can't lose.) Everyone at the FCS level wants to play these games. If you are first and foremost a fan of a mid-to-lower tier FBS school, I can see not wanting to play these games.

Given the PL's redshirt rules/roster limitations/limits on transfers I think they're going to struggle far more than their BCS and CAA brethren when it comes to playing solid FBS teams early in the year. I don't think the PL is going to notch many FBS scalps as a result unless they run into some really bad teams. Army last year and Temple in 2013 would qualify as that.

Building depth and improving team continuity by playing fellow FCS peers is going to be the leagues best chance when it comes to the playoffs. Starting with an early paycheck game when you already play in a league that handicaps you will not.

Are you open to Colgate playing D2 games?

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Speaking of the last few years: I'd take Colgate's record in the playoffs over Lehigh's any day.

Colgate is 2-2 in the playoffs this decade which is the same as Lehigh. Last year was Colgate's first playoff win since 2003. I firmly believe that playing UNH earlier in the year helped them in their first round game 100% more than that early season beat down in Annapolis.

[Fordham]

I think you're reading a bit too much into one game. The Middies are a pretty good team, and will beat up on more than a few of their opponents. We got waxed by them last year, and it turned out okay.

For the most part, I think everyone in the League except Lehigh did what they should have given the competition. I'm not going to readjust my preseason expectations too heavily without a few more actual results to analyze.hope you're correct but my comments had more to go with what I saw on the field with my own eyes v just understanding that Navy is tough and was supposed to roll

[carney2]

Where's carney with the Week 2 thread???

Just up @ 7:15 or so on Sunday. Posting late this week. Perhaps next week too.

[Go...gate]

I don't hate FBS games. I just don't like when teams schedule ones and can't come close to competing. Colgate has not sniffed victory in any of their recent matchups. The scores against Syracuse recently are ugly. It's not a competitive matchup. Fordham got absolutely run by Navy yesterday. The pulled a guy out of the crowd for to play...lol.

Lehigh will get theirs in two years...

Has Sterrett announced who LU will play?

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Has Sterrett announced who LU will play?

Lehigh opens with Navy in 2018.

[Go...gate]

Given the PL's redshirt rules/roster limitations/limits on transfers I think they're going to struggle far more than their BCS and CAA brethren when it comes to playing solid FBS teams early in the year. I don't think the PL is going to notch many FBS scalps as a result unless they run into some really bad teams. Army last year and Temple in 2013 would qualify as that.

Building depth and improving team continuity by playing fellow FCS peers is going to be the leagues best chance when it comes to the playoffs. Starting with an early paycheck game when you already play in a league that handicaps you will not.

Are you open to Colgate playing D2 games?

No.

- - - Updated - - -


Lehigh opens with Navy in 2018.

You may do much better than you think, and I bet your players like the idea.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

No.

- - - Updated - - -



You may do much better than you think, and I bet your players like the idea.

As long as Niumatalolo is at Navy it will not be pretty. If I'm a sophomore DL i'm already dreading dealing with 3+ hours of cut blocks and the option. I don't see Coen having a team capable of competing against them. Then again, perhaps he won't be the coach then...

[ngineer]

Best to play Navy as an opener. Better chance to catch a team with rust and the "usual" first game mistakes. I can't wait for the trip to Annapolis. Alumni Association put together a great weekend many years ago when we went down there, sailing up to Annapolis from Baltimore with two big boats with food, drink and music both ways.

[Go...gate]

As long as Niumatalolo is at Navy it will not be pretty. If I'm a sophomore DL i'm already dreading dealing with 3+ hours of cut blocks and the option. I don't see Coen having a team capable of competing against them. Then again, perhaps he won't be the coach then...

Colgate survived and went deep into the playoffs. The players acknowledged that, notwithstanding the final score, seeing a team with Navy's multiple threats raised and broadened their game. When LU plays Navy they will have six years of scholarship recruiting behind them and will have talent and manpower.

[Lehigh'98]

I like the FBS games. As a player, simply put, you want to play the best. As a team, getting a game's worth of experience at a higher speed and stronger players makes it easier going against teams later on that are not so skilled.

[Gater]

Given the PL's redshirt rules/roster limitations/limits on transfers I think they're going to struggle far more than their BCS and CAA brethren when it comes to playing solid FBS teams early in the year. I don't think the PL is going to notch many FBS scalps as a result unless they run into some really bad teams. Army last year and Temple in 2013 would qualify as that.

Building depth and improving team continuity by playing fellow FCS peers is going to be the leagues best chance when it comes to the playoffs. Starting with an early paycheck game when you already play in a league that handicaps you will not.

Are you open to Colgate playing D2 games?

If you want Lehigh to be a second-tier FCS school, then you don't want them playing FBS games. It's just that simple. The best schools in FCS football play FBS teams. You can keep not wanting your second favorite team to not play these games but it will come at the expense of the program.

As for Colgate playing a Div II team, there aren't nearly the same incentives there for Colgate as there are for a team like Syracuse playing an FCS school. Syracuse makes a lot money hosting games and also needs winnable games to count towards being bowl eligible. That's two big reasons to play FCS schools. Colgate makes no money on home games and games against Div II schools can really only hurt when it comes to getting an at-large. I would much rather have Colgate play a good FCS team on the road (not getting a home and home) or a second FBS school than host a Div II school--but this is pretty unique to Colgate. I can certainly see why a FCS team making money off of home games would want to host a Div II team.

Also, I would have been fine with Colgate honoring the home and home with Bryant. It would have been pretty perfect to go Syracuse, Bryant, Yale, Richmond (and at least have one home game in the first four weeks of the season).

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

If you want Lehigh to be a second-tier FCS school, then you don't want them playing FBS games. It's just that simple. The best schools in FCS football play FBS teams. You can keep not wanting your second favorite team to not play these games but it will come at the expense of the program.

As for Colgate playing a Div II team, there aren't nearly the same incentives there for Colgate as there are for a team like Syracuse playing an FCS school. Syracuse makes a lot money hosting games and also needs winnable games to count towards being bowl eligible. That's two big reasons to play FCS schools. Colgate makes no money on home games and games against Div II schools can really only hurt when it comes to getting an at-large. I would much rather have Colgate play a good FCS team on the road (not getting a home and home) or a second FBS school than host a Div II school--but this is pretty unique to Colgate. I can certainly see why a FCS team making money off of home games would want to host a Div II team.

Also, I would have been fine with Colgate honoring the home and home with Bryant. It would have been pretty perfect to go Syracuse, Bryant, Yale, Richmond (and at least have one home game in the first four weeks of the season).

I obviously completely disagree with this premise. I don't see any correlation between scheduling FBS games and success in FCS. I think 95% of FBS-FCS game are scheduled for one reason, money. FCS football is general is a money loser. A large portion of its schools are not rich by any means. They're often second and third tier state schools facing budget constraints or private schools with modest endowments/resources. I don't believe competitive advantage has much, if anything to do with it. If you really don't need the money then they're not needed imo.

Colgate's recent FBS games have not been competitive nor were they expected to be. Their primary motivation for those games is money. Their game against Buffalo next year is different. That's a local FBS team that Colgate has a "fair" chance to beat imo should the Raiders have a solid team next year. I think it's a safe bet they're not getting a Syracuse/Air Force/Navy type pay day. Nor are they seeking a real "big time" environment for the players/fans/alums.

Lehigh will be a second-tier FCS school because of coaching and recruiting. They will emerge as a top-tier FCS by improved coaching, talent and beating fellow top-tier FCS schools in the regular season and in the playoffs. Playing Navy in 2018 will not have an effect on Lehigh's direction as a program. Just like the UConn game in 2003 or the Buffalo win in 2002 didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

I'm not completely against FBS games. What I'm against is whoring out your team for a beating just for cash.

You also can't first a rate FCS program by being outbid by Wagner for a playoff home game. I'd also argue that 10 game schedules and 4 home games a year aren't the best choices either if you want to go next level. Commitment to success comes from many different avenues. Scheduling teams from a different classifications is just a small small part of it. Ultimately, it comes down to beating the best FCS teams.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I'll say this on behalf of Lehigh AND Lafayette. We have the most played rivalry in college football! We have a seven day party each November for the biggest game of the year. No FBS, FCS, CFL, NFL opponent will come close to matching the meaning and emotion of that game. It's something that no other schools in the league and the country have.

Coach Ash spoke to me at length when lived in Bozeman about how much kids want to be a part of "The Brawl". It's a huge recruiting tool to get kids from Texas and California to come to Bozeman and Missoula, MT. The game creates an enhanced level of pride from football alums. Not to mention regular alums and fans.

The Montana schools do not play FBS games every year...

[Go...gate]

I obviously completely disagree with this premise. I don't see any correlation between scheduling FBS games and success in FCS. I think 95% of FBS-FCS game are scheduled for one reason, money. FCS football is general is a money loser. A large portion of its schools are not rich by any means. They're often second and third tier state schools facing budget constraints or private schools with modest endowments/resources. I don't believe competitive advantage has much, if anything to do with it. If you really don't need the money then they're not needed imo.

Colgate's recent FBS games have not been competitive nor were they expected to be. Their primary motivation for those games is money. Their game against Buffalo next year is different. That's a local FBS team that Colgate has a "fair" chance to beat imo should the Raiders have a solid team next year. I think it's a safe bet they're not getting a Syracuse/Air Force/Navy type pay day. Nor are they seeking a real "big time" environment for the players/fans/alums.

Lehigh will be a second-tier FCS school because of coaching and recruiting. They will emerge as a top-tier FCS by improved coaching, talent and beating fellow top-tier FCS schools in the regular season and in the playoffs. Playing Navy in 2018 will not have an effect on Lehigh's direction as a program. Just like the UConn game in 2003 or the Buffalo win in 2002 didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

I'm not completely against FBS games. What I'm against is whoring out your team for a beating just for cash.

You also can't first a rate FCS program by being outbid by Wagner for a playoff home game. I'd also argue that 10 game schedules and 4 home games a year aren't the best choices either if you want to go next level. Commitment to success comes from many different avenues. Scheduling teams from a different classifications is just a small small part of it. Ultimately, it comes down to beating the best FCS teams.

Agree that the Wagner situation, which, if I recall was in the Dave Roach regime, was horribly mishandled and an embarrassment. I don't believe under Vicki Chun (or with the watchful eye of Maroon Council) that will happen again.

As far as a 10-game season, is concerned, it was apparently a decision by our Board of Trustees to scrap the home and home with Bryant. Is this a big deal this year? No, because our SOS is already pretty good without the 11th game.

As for a fifth or sixth home game, frankly, it is not a tradition at Colgate the way it is at other schools and never will be. Colgate has always played the majority of games on the road because (1) it sought the best possible competition, and (2) very few schools, outside of the other Patriot schools (going back to long before the conference's formation), Cornell (once every two or three years) a few of the Ivies and Rutgers, would (or will) come to play in Hamilton. Players always know this when they are recruited for Colgate. That is one of the reasons Colgate is a pretty good draw at a place like a Princeton, Columbia, Rutgers or Yale, because it often gives alumni and families a chance to see Colgate play without the long drive to Hamilton.

[Go...gate]

I'll say this on behalf of Lehigh AND Lafayette. We have the most played rivalry in college football! We have a seven day party each November for the biggest game of the year. No FBS, FCS, CFL, NFL opponent will come close to matching the meaning and emotion of that game. It's something that no other schools in the league and the country have.

Coach Ash spoke to me at length when lived in Bozeman about how much kids want to be a part of "The Brawl". It's a huge recruiting tool to get kids from Texas and California to come to Bozeman and Missoula, MT. The game creates an enhanced level of pride from football alums. Not to mention regular alums and fans.

The Montana schools do not play FBS games every year...

You guys drew some 45-50,000 to Yankee Stadium. That speaks for itself. Lafayette-Lehigh is a very special rivalry.

[Gater]

I like the "whoring out" part. It sounds tough. What also sounds tough are kids who play football at a small school that is willing to take on bigger schools. Depends on what you are looking for in recruits. I would for sure rather sign the kid excited to take a crack at Syracuse than to bring in the kid who doesn't want to play those games. I have a feeling the Colgate kids didn't feel like they were being taken advantage of running onto the field at the Carrier Dome. I would imagine they felt like they were being given an opportunity to do something special.

Colgate's dropping Bryant was to (apparently) schedule a more "like-minded" school. This is a polite way of saying "better." For whatever reason, Colgate didn't get an 11th game (and might not have one next year). Colgate is a small school in the middle of nowhere in the poorest county in New York. Syracuse is 37 miles away. It will never make money hosting games. If Colgate ever has more than five home games you know they aren't playing a tough enough schedule. That's just part of playing football at Colgate and always has been.

As for not hosting Wagner, it's my understanding that the school was closed to students that weekend and there was a sense that playing in NYC would allow more alums (and maybe even students) to see the game. I don't know if it is true, but I didn't think it was a bad idea until I saw the game on TV. Colgate blew it by not bidding or being outbid to host. I have no idea if they will allow that to happen again in the future. I will say, that for the first time since the early 80's, the Colgate football community feels like the AD and school president really support the program.

Look, if Lehigh can rise to the top of the FCS not playing FBS games, more power to them. After all, as a Colgate fan, I should be rooting for this trailblazing approach. One thing I am certain of is that I am not going to change your mind. So, I will step away from this argument I have clearly won. Good luck this weekend against Stony Brook. Should be a good one!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Agree that the Wagner situation, which, if I recall was in the Dave Roach regime, was horribly mishandled and an embarrassment. I don't believe under Vicki Chun (or with the watchful eye of Maroon Council) that will happen again. As far as a 10-game season, it was apparently a decision by our Board of Trustees to scrap the home and home with Bryant. Is this a big deal this year? No, because our SOS is already pretty good without the 11th game. As for a fifth or sixth home game, frankly, it is not a tradition at Colgate the way it is at other schools and never will be. Colgate has always played the majority of games on the road because (1) it sought the best possible competition, and (2) very few schools, outside of the other Patriot schools (going back to long before the conference's formation) , Cornell (once every two or three years) a few Ivies and Rutgers, would (or will) come to play in Hamilton. Players have always known this when they are recruited for Colgate. That is one of the reasons Colgate is a pretty good draw at a place like a Princeton, Columbia, Rutgers or Yale, because it often gives alumni and families a chance to see Colgate play without the long drive to Hamilton.

I think a 10 game schedule does hurt because it's one less opportunity to showcase your team and notch a D1 win. Colgate started the year with a realistic chance to win 9 possible games. Their SOS being pretty good is a dime a dozen. Lehigh and Holy Cross's SOS will also be pretty good but they're playing 11 games. I think Colgate's only ticket to playoffs this year is to win the auto-bid. I don't think 7-3 would get them. I do think 8-3 with the additional D1 win would bolster their chances. I say this because I believe Richmond is a loss. The committee will discriminate against Colgate for their decision to play 10 games instead of 11 when comparing them to a 4th or 5th place team from the MVFC, CAA or BSC with a similar winning %.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I like the "whoring out" part. It sounds tough. What also sounds tough are kids who play football at a small school that is willing to take on bigger schools. Depends on what you are looking for in recruits. I would for sure rather sign the kid excited to take a crack at Syracuse than to bring in the kid who doesn't want to play those games. I have a feeling the Colgate kids didn't feel like they were being taken advantage of running onto the field at the Carrier Dome. I would imagine they felt like they were being given an opportunity to do something special.

Colgate's dropping Bryant was to (apparently) schedule a more "like-minded" school. This is a polite way of saying "better." For whatever reason, Colgate didn't get an 11th game (and might not have one next year). Colgate is a small school in the middle of nowhere in the poorest county in New York. Syracuse is 37 miles away. It will never make money hosting games. If Colgate ever has more than five home games you know they aren't playing a tough enough schedule. That's just part of playing football at Colgate and always has been.

As for not hosting Wagner, it's my understanding that the school was closed to students that weekend and there was a sense that playing in NYC would allow more alums (and maybe even students) to see the game. I don't know if it is true, but I didn't think it was a bad idea until I saw the game on TV. Colgate blew it by not bidding or being outbid to host. I have no idea if they will allow that to happen again in the future. I will say, that for the first time since the early 80's, the Colgate football community feels like the AD and school president really support the program.

Look, if Lehigh can rise to the top of the FCS not playing FBS games, more power to them. After all, as a Colgate fan, I should be rooting for this trailblazing approach. One thing I am certain of is that I am not going to change your mind. So, I will step away from this argument I have clearly won. Good luck this weekend against Stony Brook. Should be a good one!




I don't think we're even having the same discussion/arguement. Lehigh will be playing FBS games. The difference is the frequency in which these games are played. Lehigh won't be playing one every year like Colgate seems intent on doing.

I'm interested to see if Colgate's unique/aggressive scheduling benefits them. This year is a great case study given they're the league favorite.

[Go...gate]

Colgate's scheduling was traditionally aggressive with the exception of the Roach years. His tenure was generally considered to be a step back for Colgate athletics, with very few exceptions. No one in Hamilton mourned his departure to Fordham.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Colgate's scheduling was traditionally aggressive with the exception of the Roach years. His tenure was generally considered to be a step back for Colgate athletics, with a very few exceptions. No one in Hamilton mourned his departure to Fordham.

Weird because Roach has been rather aggressive scheduling at Fordham. He just signed a game with Ball State again. In fact, he seems to be doing a great job overall. Hoops even has a pulse under his watch.

[2ram]

I think you're reading a bit too much into one game. The Middies are a pretty good team, and will beat up on more than a few of their opponents. We got waxed by them last year, and it turned out okay.

For the most part, I think everyone in the League except Lehigh did what they should have given the competition. I'm not going to readjust my preseason expectations too heavily without a few more actual results to analyze.


tend to agree with this. our offense was a bit off tempo, which is odd given they're almost all returning starters. our D was decimated by injury in camp, losing 3 key DLs and our starting LB. navy was going to move the ball on the ground no doubt, but it was much worse given those key losses.

we had a bad game against a better team, nothing more to it than that. our season will hinge on how well our newly minted DL starters respond in PL play.

[Go...gate]

Weird because Roach has been rather aggressive scheduling at Fordham. He just signed a game with Ball State again. In fact, he seems to be doing a great job overall. Hoops even has a pulse under his watch.

Maybe he needed a different school, as it did not work out at Colgate. Agree that he has done a fine job for Fordham.

Brown was not a good fit for Roach, either, which is how Colgate got him.

As to Ball State, I believe he is friendly with Ball State's Head Coach (Lehigh's former HC).

[Lehigh'98]

Maybe he needed a different school, as it did not work out at Colgate. Agree that he has done a fine job for Fordham.

Brown was not a good fit for him, either, which is how Colgate got him.

As to Ball State, I believe he is friendly with Ball State's Head Coach (Lehigh's former HC).

Lembo was probably responsible for the scheduling w/Ball St. He has since left and is an assistant at Maryland under Durkin (former DC @ Michigan)