Hypothetical Playoff Matchup: Lehigh at Wofford

[Rob Iola]

Who would win? For sake of argument assume neither is seeded and Wofford outbids Lehigh for home field...

[RichH2]

heck of a game. Could W D slow down LU's air game. Doubtful. LU D can limit W O. Running will be quite difficult vs Lehigh front 7. Like playing there, weather bound to be better than Lehigh Valley. Not saying LU could on a yr to yr basis win out in Socon. Probably not w/o merit aid. This yr , one game. We win.

[OLDMAIN80]

Wofford

[introvertedGSUfan]

Wofford

[WrenFGun]

Wofford. If people think that Wofford is better than UNH, and the polls certainly indicate that, then ... Wofford.

[GSU_Alum08]

Wofford. Easy

[TheRevSFA]

Lehigh trucks in some of that PA Coal Dust and throws it in the eyes of the Wofford players....

[Bogus Megapardus]

I'd have to say Lehigh. It would be a terrific game.

[ngineer]

Assuming a 'nice day' weather-wise, Lehigh. More diversified offense--60% pass/40% run. Wofford's D will not have faced nor will be able to practice against the type of offense Lehigh's Cecchini would be throwing at them. Being able to prepare, on the field, for something you don't see frequently can be tough and take a defense some time to adapt during game. On the other hand, Wofford is very dependent on their vaunted run game. Their best defense against Lehigh would be keeping the ball away from Lehigh's offense. While that can work, Lehigh's defense has been pretty tough against the run, and has been for years. Lehigh was able to shut down Wofford's ground game about 11-12 years ago, and while the personnel is different the systems of both schools at that time and now are similar. Cecchini was the Lehigh OC back then, as now. He also spent several years at the Citadel, so he is familiar with Wofford's defensive system and philosophy.
A lot of variables mentioned above, but overall, I give the edge to Lehigh, with the exception of current special teams play, which is inconsistent. By year's end, one would think those issues will have been straightened out.

[GATA_Eagles]

Woffy

[ngineer]

Regarding home field, IF Lehigh runs the table, I would think we have a very good shot at a home game first round or even be one of the 'bye' teams, which would mean a home game second round. Similar if Woffy runs through its remaining schedule.

[van]

Regarding home field, IF Lehigh runs the table, I would think we have a very good shot at a home game first round or even be one of the 'bye' teams, which would mean a home game second round. Similar if Woffy runs through its remaining schedule.

Getting a bye in the first round is no guarantee of a home game second round. The 5 seeds get home games in quarters. That leaves 3 games to compete for a home game. Must out bid your opponent to get a home game. This is not even in play if you get assigned to play the #5 seed.

[blueballs]

Wofford by at least two scores.

[RichH2]

Must say Wofford supporters are pithy in their analysis of such a match up.

[van]

Must say Wofford supporters are pithy in their analysis of such a match up.

They should get Bogus to help them.

[Reign of Terrier]

Wofford by 2 scores. This thread was started for troll's sake so I'm not going to bite quite yet with analysis

[asumike83]

I think it would be a good match-up but in the playoffs, I tend to like the team who had to beat the most tough teams to get there. Wofford's offense is a risky one to run because it is difficult to win if you face a deficit early, not built to play from behind. However, Wofford has a very good pass rush; could make life difficult for Lum and I don't see many teams being able to jump on them early.

Wofford by 7.

[RichH2]

Not a likely matchup but it would be fun. It would be great if we could actually schedule a series rather than just a game a decade

[Baldy]

Wofford in a rout.

[extremerouge]

I would think Wofford would win by 2 touchdowns, especially at home.

[LehighU11]

In front of a record 20,430 crowd in Bethlehem, Lehigh QB Lum combines with the top WR combo (Spadola and Drwal) in the FCS for 350 yards passing and 4 TD's - all in the first half. Wofford scores 2 TD's in first half.

As Wofford pulls a linebacker for an added defensive back to cover Spadola and Drwal, Lehigh unleashes RB Barket, the Pennsylvania State high school record holder for TD's and Rushing yards in a season, as he rushes for 180 yards and 3 TD's, all in the second half. Wofford scores only one TD in the second half, as its QB is sacked 9 times attempting to catch up with Lehigh through the air.

Final score:

Lehigh - 52
Wofford - 22

Can always count on The Fan to sensationalize the Mountain Hawks xthumbsupx. Considering Wofford beat a good App State team and provided #7 Clemson with their 2nd closest win all season in Wofford's only loss, this would be a close game should Lehigh prevail. A crowd that size would be unbelievable. 12,000+ in Goodman would be a great postseason turnout considering attendance in recent years.

[RichH2]

c'mon 11, i was surprised it took FAN so long to post on this thread. Love his spirit , if not so sure about his excessive zeal,

[FurmanWins!!]

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/2788/img0117rt.jpg

[LehighU11]

Remember that this might just be a semi-final game with Lehigh QB Lum approaching 5,000 yards passing and 50 TD's. The whole metropolitan NY and Philly areas would be following and rooting for Lehigh and a last chance to see Lum in person before he is drafted into the Pros.

I would hope that attendance for a home playoff game, especially the semis, would be that high but unfortunately I don't think the media would help hype it up. You would think that since the Eagles hold camp up here that Lehigh would occasionally get some coverage by the Philadelphia stations or by CSN. Lehigh-Laf makes it into the CSN SportsNight each year and the basketball team was shown when they played Kansas, but other than those occurrences, there is not much coverage of Lehigh in the Delaware Valley.

[asumike83]

NY and Philly are pro sports towns. Too many transplants to have any real support for local college football, especially FCS. The FCS playoffs aren't even a blip on the radar of NY/Philly sports media.

[LakesBison]

would fcs committee ever send Ga Southern up to ndsu since they backed out on a contract this year, that would be hilarity.

[LehighU11]

the 5,000 yard, 50 TD QB will get the attention of the media in Philly and NY....

Delaware/Penn State QB Pat Devlin got more coverage in the Philly media as a high school junior than he did last season as a future pro leading the Blue Hens to the FCS championship game. The Eagles, Penn State (sometimes Temple), and the top high schools are the only football teams that are covered by the Philly media.

I'd expect Lum to already have 50 TDs should Lehigh reach the semis.

[JMU_71]

Wofford going away...

[ngineer]

Wofford in a route. Fixed it for ya! (;-)

I-95? US 1? I-78?:D

[Reign of Terrier]

Assuming a 'nice day' weather-wise, Lehigh. More diversified offense--60% pass/40% run. Wofford's D will not have faced nor will be able to practice against the type of offense Lehigh's Cecchini would be throwing at them. Being able to prepare, on the field, for something you don't see frequently can be tough and take a defense some time to adapt during game. On the other hand, Wofford is very dependent on their vaunted run game. Their best defense against Lehigh would be keeping the ball away from Lehigh's offense. While that can work, Lehigh's defense has been pretty tough against the run, and has been for years. Lehigh was able to shut down Wofford's ground game about 11-12 years ago, and while the personnel is different the systems of both schools at that time and now are similar. Cecchini was the Lehigh OC back then, as now. He also spent several years at the Citadel, so he is familiar with Wofford's defensive system and philosophy.
A lot of variables mentioned above, but overall, I give the edge to Lehigh, with the exception of current special teams play, which is inconsistent. By year's end, one would think those issues will have been straightened out.
Okay Okay, I'll bite for the rational posts. I don't think Lehigh will have seen a defense like Wofford's before. UNH is a playoff team, but from what I see in a scoring perspective, they don't seem to be too tough defensively. Wofford is in the top 5 in total offense and defense so far this season. Our pass rush/run defense is what makes the defense so special. We've controlled the line of scrimmage in almost every game we've played in (some could argue clemson, but I'm not going that far). We're 8th in the nation in sacks and we haven't allowed anyone to rush for more than about 100 yards in every FCS game we've played. We'd shut down the run, especially against a team like Lehigh that is a pass-first team. I also think we'd force Lum to make mistakes with our pass rush and ultimately just try to rough him up. Lehigh won't see anything like our offense and it will be very hard for them to prepare for in a week. Ultimately I think we'd rush for 350 easily. I'd say we'd win going away as well.

[The Eagle's Cliff]

Neither team would win:

Such a clash between Wofford, the #1 Offensive and Defensive team in the nation and Lehigh, led by perhaps the greatest player in FCS since Steve McNair, would cause a massive tear in the Space-Time Continuum sucking both teams into another Dimension. We can only hope one of these teams beat themselves on the way to Frisco to avoid the Apocalypse.

[heath]

If both teams are healthy and assuming Lehigh is the underdog,the home team might have the advantage................but,NObody and I mean NOBODY is willing to give a non-scholly any chance of advancing past the 2nd round. With that being said, unless you can out score Lehigh,you can't win.Wofford has really only been tested by Clemson thru the air,and I feel Lehigh has a better passing attack.Wofford has a great rushing attack,but goes at Lehighs strength-the front 7.If this game goes down....LU gets 400 passing,Wofford gets 300 rushing,game goes to overtime...
TO BE CONTINUEDxsmileyclapx

[Gringer1]

Wofford and it wouldn't even be close. Lehigh is good and I have them in my top 25, but Wofford might be the best team in the country.

[heath]

Wofford and it wouldn't even be close. Lehigh is good and I have them in my top 25, but Wofford might be the best team in the country.

Have you seen them both this year? People tell me Lehigh is a better team than the team that beat UNI.

[Reign of Terrier]

Have you seen them both this year? People tell me Lehigh is a better team than the team that beat UNI.

that wasn't a very good UNI team last year....they got in because they won the MVC and that's about it if I'm not mistaken

[MSUBobcat]

In front of a record 20,430 crowd in Bethlehem...

6 of 10 posts on page 3 debate whether or not a 20K crowd would show up in Bethlehem. Am I the only one who finds this argument irrelevant and unnecessary in a thread title, Hypothetical Playoff Matchup: Lehigh AT Wofford? The original post stated to assume neither got a seed and Wofford outbid Lehigh.

[Reign of Terrier]

ha!

see bold below

then review these stats:

Rushing Yards Allowed per game:
99 - Lehigh
113 - Wofford

Defensive Sacks per Game
3.3 - Lehigh
3.3 - Wofford

14 yards....such a big difference. We played Clemson ya know? and 2 bubble teams...who has Lehigh played besides UNH?

[Reign of Terrier]

but but but, please tell us more about one of your major strengths, the pass/rush defense, in which I have shown you that Lehigh's is just as good or better than Wofford's

It's not....you haven't played any of the teams on the level Wofford has

[MSUBobcat]

Neither team would win:

Such a clash between Wofford, the #1 Offensive and Defensive team in the nation and Lehigh, led by perhaps the greatest player in FCS since Steve McNair, would cause a massive tear in the Space-Time Continuum sucking both teams into another Dimension. We can only hope one of these teams beat themselves on the way to Frisco to avoid the Apocalypse.

xlolxxlolx That is some funny $h!t.

[Reign of Terrier]

you mean teams like

Virginia-Wise
and
The Citadel


oops!

UVA Wise...you got me...easy pickings. but The Citadel could beat 3/4 of the patriot league. Clemson rushed for 215, UVA wise rushed for -5. Not to mention the citadel is an option team and we pulled the starters after the first possession of the second half so it could have been less. Averaging 114 yards after playing an option team, and a FBS-top offense is pretty good.

ouch/oops!

[Reign of Terrier]

and hence this is why you have a somewhat low yards allowed rushing defense

hey, thanks for pointing this out

without the Virginia Wise game Wofford would be ranked 38th in the FCS in rushing defense at 138 yards/game....

ouch!

It cancels out the poor showing against an FBS team (ouch!). Factor that in your equation why don't you? Not to mention we've played a rush-heavy team in the Citadel. So far, we've been more impressive. Held bubble teams Samford to less than 40 yards rushing and App State, who never has trouble rushing the ball it seems, to 101. the starters held the Citadel to about 100 yards total offense at half and then went out after the first series. We've proved to be far more impressive than the stats would show.

You can't win this one, and I understand you're trolling, but there's no merit to your arguments xlolx

[Reign of Terrier]

ha!

Classic response when a poster gets destroyed with the FACTS soon after he was using stats to prove a point!

I've rebutted the stats easily, considering the starters have only been in 1/2 of the last 2 games, take out the clemson game and we're fine.

[MSUBobcat]

Clemson, net yards rushing against Wofford

215 yards

ouch!

You do realize that if you take out the Clemson game, which Wofford played as tough as any FCS school could expect to, that gives them a 93 yard/game average. 6 yards better than Lehigh.


you mean teams like

Virginia-Wise

and

The Citadel

and

Presbyterian College

oops!

Presbyterian has a better Sagarin ranking than both Princeton and Fordham. The Citadel has a better Sagarin than all Lehigh's opponents except UNH and Liberty. Virginia-Wise obviously I couldn't compare. Wofford's remaining opponents, Clemson, App, and Samford have higher Sagarin ratings than ANYONE Lehigh has played. Therefore, I think its a fair statement that you haven't played as tough a schedule so 14 yards difference hardly means your rush defense is superior.

[Reign of Terrier]

youngterrier, maybe I can help you out a little

this is what I posted:

"without the Virginia Wise game Wofford would be ranked 38th in the FCS in rushing defense at 138 yards/game...."

no more
no less

just

"without the Virginia Wise game Wofford would be ranked 38th in the FCS in rushing defense at 138 yards/game...."

So let me get this straight....you'll discount the stat that will help us, but not the one that will hurt us (Clemson) both games being non-FCS, there's just as much merit.

Lehigh will not make it past the first round

[Reign of Terrier]

You do realize that if you take out the Clemson game, which Wofford played as tough as any FCS school could expect to, that gives them a 93 yard/game average. 6 yards better than Lehigh.



Presbyterian has a better Sagarin ranking than both Princeton and Fordham. The Citadel has a better Sagarin than all Lehigh's opponents except UNH and Liberty. Virginia-Wise obviously I couldn't compare. Wofford's remaining opponents, Clemson, App, and Samford have higher Sagarin ratings than ANYONE Lehigh has played. Therefore, I think its a fair statement that you haven't played as tough a schedule so 14 yards difference hardly means your rush defense is superior.

What this guy said

[FurmanWins!!]

How many TD's passes will Furman QB Forcier complete against Wofford this weekend?

keep an eye on this stat

should be interesting...


Agree.

[Reign of Terrier]

ahh, but it was the Wofford supporter that was mentioning that Wofford's strength was its pass/rush defense, and it was shown that Lehigh's was comparable, no more no less...

no. It's not. Socon> Patriot any day of the week, any team for that matter. How many times has Lehigh made the playoffs all time anyway?

[Reign of Terrier]

Agree.

Shut up, I hate purple.

[MSUBobcat]

youngterrier, maybe I can help you out a little

this is what I posted:

"without the Virginia Wise game Wofford would be ranked 38th in the FCS in rushing defense at 138 yards/game...."

no more
no less

just

"without the Virginia Wise game Wofford would be ranked 38th in the FCS in rushing defense at 138 yards/game...."

If you are going to take out Virginia-Wise, then you have to take out the other outlier in Clemson. This yields a 117 ypg. 18 ypg more than Lehigh against tougher FCS opponents.


ahh, but it was the Wofford supporter that was mentioning that Wofford's strength was its pass/rush defense, and it was shown that Lehigh's was comparable, no more no less...

Lehigh's stats are comparable, but their opponents are not. Wofford's FCS opponents' average Sagarin: 138; Lehigh: 173.

[Reign of Terrier]

oh, ok, so now you are saying that Lehigh's rush defense is not comparable to Wofford's even though the number of sacks is about the same per game and the rushing yards allowed are much lower for Lehigh?

gee, that makes a lot of sense...

oh, ok....

If you think the level of competition that Lehigh has been playing is on the same level as Wofford and thus their performance against said opposition is comparable, you don't understand football

[Reign of Terrier]

32, 4, 23 ranked rushing teams, and pardon me but I couldn't find PC's rushing stats compared to 110, 102, 62, 50, 53, 38, 64 ranked rushing teams in the FCS, and I'd say that Wofford has played better rushing teams as well....easily. Clemson is the 20th ranked rushing offense in FBS as well

[Reign of Terrier]

come back and apologize on Saturday once Wofford loses to Furman by several TD's

do you have nothing better to do but throw random words together on the internet?

[CropDuster]

do you have nothing better to do but throw random words together on the internet?

He was spouting off all this BS last week about GSU before we played Furman. xblahx

[Reign of Terrier]

come back and apologize on Saturday once Wofford loses to Furman by several TD's

is that all you got?

ouch!

[Fear the Bird]

Ha when he runs out of nonsense he repeats himself its a recurring trend

Watch he will now say " Feel the Bird how do those THREE losses feel"

[Fear the Bird]

youngterrier, tell us again how Wofford, who would be ranked 38th in rushing yardage defense per game in the FCS (without the Virginia Wise game) is the great rushing defensive team that you are foolishly claiming.

what about without the #7 FBS team Clemson

[Reign of Terrier]

youngterrier, tell us again how Wofford, who would be ranked 38th in rushing yardage defense per game in the FCS (without the Virginia Wise game) is the great rushing defensive team that you are foolishly claiming.

you lack intelligence in all forms of the word

[Reign of Terrier]

ha!

someone with a degree from lowly Wofford is telling other people that they lack intelligence!
someone with reading comprehension skills would know I don't have a degree

xcoffeex

[Fear the Bird]

fear the bird, good question and MSU answered it:

"If you are going to take out Virginia-Wise, then you have to take out the other outlier in Clemson. This yields a 117 ypg. 18 ypg more than Lehigh"

Thats what you are hanging your hat on? 18 yards or 4.5 a quarter or basically 1.5 a drive?

When you cant even compare the competition each team has played?

[Squealofthepig]

ha!

someone with a degree from lowly Wofford is telling other people that they lack intelligence!

"Lame" does not even begin to describe how poor this is as a come-back. You are making all Princeton graduates (as if you actually have that cv) seem like non-drooling compatriots by comparison. Even Oxford (comma not-withstanding) grads understand capitalization.

[Fear the Bird]

someone with reading comprehension skills would know I don't have a degree

xcoffeex

Now now YT you know Fan doesnt let facts get in the way

[Reign of Terrier]

fear the bird, good question and MSU answered it:

"If you are going to take out Virginia-Wise, then you have to take out the other outlier in Clemson. This yields a 117 ypg. 18 ypg more than Lehigh"

Do you want me to refer you to the Saragin rating that show the average FCS opponent wofford plays is better than the average FCS opponent Lehigh plays or do you want me to refer you to the fact that Wofford has played 3 teams who are in the top 35 in rushing while Lehigh hasn't played maybe one at that? Come on man, I understand you're trolling but you have to be more creative, this circular logic and repetitiveness is getting annoying

[Squealofthepig]

someone with reading comprehension skills would know I don't have a degree

xcoffeex

You assume too much about the in-bred, youngterrier. Do not worry, they are a relatively rare part of the world, and you should not even justify their peurile comments with an informed response.

[Fear the Bird]

youngterrier, yes thanks for admitting how uneducated your are....

Isnt he in high school? You nitwit

[Squealofthepig]

youngterrier, yes thanks for admitting how uneducated your are....

un-educated should be hyphenated, you know.

[Squealofthepig]

well thank you youngterrier

now we have established that Wofford's competition, on average, has been tougher than Lehigh's competition and that Lehigh's rushing yards allowed per game has been lower than Wofford's

good stuff

Sentences generally begin with capital letters, and end with punctuation. There's the period, the question mark, and even the exclamation mark! Please return to third grade and report back when you stop drooling on yourself.

[Reign of Terrier]

well thank you youngterrier

now we have established that Wofford's competition, on average, has been tougher than Lehigh's competition and that Lehigh's rushing yards allowed per game has been lower than Wofford's

good stuff

thus we can logically assume that the 15 yards is due to the higher competition. Game, Set, Match.

[Reign of Terrier]

Fear the Bird,

well, thanks for pointing out that an uneducated high school student is questioning the intelligence of Ivy League graduates...

I could make it in an Ivy.....awaiting my perfect score math in the SAT as we speak

[Squealofthepig]

Fear the Bird,

well, thanks for pointing out that an uneducated high school student is questioning the intelligence of Ivy League graduates...

of AN Ivy League graduate. Though I seriously, seriously, SERIOUSLY doubt that this is the case, unless the Ivy League has drastically dropped their standards. In which case this speaks of how ****ty the Ivy League is, much more than how your inbred, extra-y chromosome *** managed a degree! Congratulations on being erudite! Do you not lust after your sister less now?

[Squealofthepig]

sorry younterrier, but it takes more than a perfect Math SAT score to be admitted to an Ivy league school, let alone the best undergraduate school in the Country, Princeton...

Only math? Wow, please stroke yourself EXTRA hard!

[Reign of Terrier]

oh wow youngterrier, and how does this conclusion of yours support that fact that you claimed that Wofford was a much better team on the rush defense than Lehigh?

oops!
post hac ergo propter hac

[Reign of Terrier]

sorry younterrier, but it takes more than a perfect Math SAT score to be admitted to an Ivy league school, let alone the best undergraduate school in the Country, Princeton...

by the look of things, you might barely get into the local state school
I'm afraid you don't know me or my credentials....and you're clearly trolling, I'm only responding to pass the time

[Squealofthepig]

post hac ergo propter hac

hoc, I do believe. But it is a legitimate counter none-the-less.

[Squealofthepig]

oh look, a hick from Montana is trying to write

With capitalization and punctuation. It is such the 21st century thing. Care to stop ****ing your sister for a second and have a legitimate come-back?

[Reign of Terrier]

hoc, I do believe. But it is a legitimate counter none-the-less.

We still forget to mention that our first team defense hasn't played 1/2 of the last 2 games...just around around and around we go

[Squealofthepig]

squeal, I am sorry, but is there something to this post of yt's that I was responding to that you missed?

Originally Posted by youngterrier
I could make it in an Ivy.....awaiting my perfect score math in the SAT as we speak

No no, I just feel sorry for anyone who didn't have a perfect SAT. It's not like it was difficult or had any real challenge.

[Reign of Terrier]

obviously someone who is posting on the Internet that they will be getting a perfect score on the Math SAT is clearly not someone that would be admitted to an Ivy League institution, let alone Princeton

yeah, they'd be much too smart for that xlolx

[MSUBobcat]

yeah, they'd be much too smart for that xlolx

+1. I was away for a while and this thread blew up, so you beat me to this response. FWIW, I got a 34 in math on my ACT (36 is perfect) and Harvard (that's an Ivy League institution I hear) started sending me unrequested material, so The Fan is correct. Ivies don't want people with perfect math scores. Why that is, I have no idea.

[MSUBobcat]

ha!

and the hick from Montana attempts to write again

You do realize how ridiculous it looks to criticize someone's writing skills when you have yet to master the basics of sentence structure, e.g. capital letters and punctuation...

[Reign of Terrier]

I like this Fan guy, he's got spunk.....but he needs to develop new material. Opie/Alexale/Chattown have been better at developing new arguments, as flawed as they may be, instead of doing the redundancy deal

[Reign of Terrier]

youngterrier, isn't it kind of late for you to be awake?

have you gotten permission from mom and dad to stay up past your 10:00 pm deadline?
do you realize how old that smack is? certainly you could come up with something more original

[MSUBobcat]

youngterrier, isn't it kind of late for you to be awake?

have you gotten permission from mom and dad to stay up past your 10:00 pm deadline?

Why do you ask? Are you tired of him giving you an intellectual beat down? xlolxxnodx

[MSUBobcat]

oh good for you

you received one of the 26,000 letters sent out by Harvard to high school students that got better than a 30 on the ACT

That's kind of my point. I didn't get perfection and they want people like me, but per your own words, they wouldn't take someone who did get a perfect score. You'd think the "prestigious" Ivies would have it the other way around... Apparently, basic grammar AND reading comprehension are glossed over at Princeton.

[PAllen]

26-0
34-14

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Grizalltheway]

sorry younterrier, but it takes more than a perfect Math SAT score to be admitted to an Ivy league school, let alone the best undergraduate school in the Country, Princeton...

by the look of things, you might barely get into the local state school

This from the guy who can't quite figure out the quote function, and randomly capitalizes country. xconfusedxxrolleyesx

Get over yourself. No one on here really gives a flying **** where you attended college, or how much the cardigans you wore while there cost. Seriously.

[LehighU11]

The Fan likely has a cousin who goes to high school in Princeton, NJ. This explains his support for the university in his avatar.

What you do with your degree is what matters. Apparently for some people, that means spending hours picking fights on FCS message boards with high school students and detracting from actual discourse pertaining to college football...

[gasoutherneagle]

Wofford by three touchdowns. Total rout.

Sorry, not getting suckered-in on an obvious trolling thread explanation of my pick. Especially, since Southern isn't involved.

[LehighU11]

At Wofford, Lehigh would be hard pressed to come away with a win. Such a matchup would likely be decided by who is on home turf. At home, Lehigh would put forth a gritty performance and top the Terriers with a fourth quarter comeback, winning 34-27.

"Some guy" has been to every home game for the past 5 years and is a Lehigh alum with 2 degrees. The same cannot be said about others. oops!

[GaSouthern]

Wofford by 17

[RichH2]

Gee, Fan against Socon , mano a mano, no holds barred. A conversation that goes nowhere . fun nonetheless. Socon fans do seem , somewhat justified, to be convinced of their own superiority. W/o schollies clear that Lehigh could not successfully compete weekly to win Socon. One game match quite different. Would be an interesting match of different schemes. Probability is that W would win a homegame. That said LU's pass O is unique and really doubt W cold shut them down.

[GaSouthern]

Gee, Fan against Socon , mano a mano, no holds barred. A conversation that goes nowhere . fun nonetheless. Socon fans do seem , somewhat justified, to be convinced of their own superiority. W/o schollies clear that Lehigh could not successfully compete weekly to win Socon. One game match quite different. Would be an interesting match of different schemes. Probability is that W would win a homegame. That said LU's pass O is unique and really doubt W cold shut them down.

Do you think Wofford could play within 7 points of Clemson?

[Reign of Terrier]

Elon has a pretty unique pass game....just saying

[Doc QB]

Elon has a pretty unique pass game....just saying

For 4-3 Elon, Thomas Wilson (Elon) Comp % 66.18, INT 15, Pass yds 1854, TDs 13, rating 128.18, clearly not bad, leads SoCon, but too many picks, and doesn't strike fear into me.

Now, playing you guys in playoffs, well it would. If you run the table (ie beat GSU) and we go to your place, I think Lehigh has some trouble slowing you down as we have not seen your type of attack with playoff caliber speed all year, and it is tough to prepare for it typically either way. Personally, I think it would be a barnburner, high scoring affair, and would love to see it in playoffs. Great match up of Air vs Ground.

[OLDMAIN80]

Wofford 38-22 final score and time of possession.

[RichH2]

Elon ,under lembo used the LU offense, guess they still are. Dont get your point tho. Sowhat if they are, they are not LU. Not having seen them cant say whether they are better or worse than LU.Q is how would we do at W in a playoff game. Better than most of Socon fans think.

[appfan2008]

Wofford and not close...

[MSUBobcat]

youngterrier, tell us more how you claim how great a rush defense team Wofford is, particularly compared to Lehigh.

how do they compare in rushing yards allowed per game and defensive sacks per game?

This has been beaten to death. After removing Clemson and Virginia-Wise to get results for FCS competition only so we are comparing apples to apples, Wofford is the #27 rushing defense, yielding 116.5 ypg. This was done against pretty good rushing offenses. Their opponents' rushing offense rankings are: Presbyterian - #53, 153.5 ypg, Samford - #32, 181.33 ypg, App State - #23, 194.33 ypg, The Citadel - #4, 271.67. The average of these opponents is #28, 200.21 ypg. Lehigh has a better ranking at #13, 99.14 ypg, but it is against fairly pedestrian competition: Monmouth - #54, 153.17 ypg, UNH - #65, 142.17, Princeton - #38, 169.80 ypg, Liberty #50, 157.57, Yale - #63, 144.20 ypg, Bucknell - #103, 94.71 ypg, and Fordham - #110, 75.67 ypg for an average of #69, 133.89 ypg. Yes, Lehigh is 17 ypg better against the run, but the level of competition is significantly weaker, averaging 66 less ypg than Wofford's opponents do. FWIW, the best rushing team Lehigh played, Princeton, rushed for 166 yards that game (only 3 yards short of their season average). Hopefully we can all move past the "whose defense is better against the run" argument.

Since you've failed to argue the point that favors Lehigh, I will give you a hand. I hate seeing mouth breathers struggle to formulate a decent argument. Instead I decided to look at each teams offensive strengths to the how the opponents' defense ranks. Lehigh has the #1 pass offense in the nation, averaging 373 ypg. (I'm not going into comparing the level of passing defenses Lehigh played. If someone else wants to tackle that, more power to you.) Wofford has the #6 pass defense @ 156.25 (again adjusted for non-FCS competition), but it too was against less than impressive passing offenses. Presbyterian - #109, 143.3 ypg, Samford - #49, 223.33 ypg, App State - #78, 186.83 ypg, and Citadel - #121, 44.17 (WOW!) for an average of #89, 149.91. Definitely not top flight passing offenses.

What this tells me is that neither team's has seen anything close to the likes of what the other offense brings. Lehigh's defense hasn't seen a rushing offense like Wofford, and the best one they played basically reached their average. Wofford is the #2 rushing offense averaging a whopping 353.17 ypg (#1 w/ 381.5 ypg if you exclude non-FCS). Wofford's defense hasn't played a good passing offense so you have to take their pass defense ranking in context. IMHO, I think BOTH defenses would struggle with the style of offense the other brings, leading to a high scoring game. In this hypothetical situtation, I give the edge to Wofford because of chewing up the clock and being at home. xtwocentsx

All statistics, except Presbyterian, were obtained from http://statistics.ncaafootball.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ncaa-football&page=cfoot2/stats/stats.aspx. Presbyterian's stats came from their website http://www.gobluehose.com/fls/18100/stats/football/2011/teamcume.htm. This resulted in lowering Monmouth, UNH, Yale, Bucknell, and Fordham's rushing offense ranking and Citadel's passing ranking by one, as Presbyterian is excluded from the NCAA website.

[Terrierforlife]

Don't know alot about Lehigh football. I'll take a look and get back to ya! BTW, shouldn't have taken the bait YT. He was hiding behind the bushes. LOL.

[MSUBobcat]

So MSU, returning to the original thread started by yt, do you agree that the big difference in the teams is the completely overpowering rush defense of Wofford compared to Lehigh?

Because certainly I don't agree with this.

Seriously, dude. This dead horse has been beaten to a pulp! Wofford held good running teams (LOWEST ranked is #53 nationally) to 66 ypg less than their cumulative average. Lehigh held weak teams (HIGHEST ranked is #38) to 35 ypg less than their cumulative average. Princeton, the best rushing team Lehigh faced, ran for it's season average. If Wofford did that they'd have over 350 yards rushing! The "big difference" between the teams is quite simple. Lehigh is a passing team, Wofford is a running team.

Focus on the argument you can win, that Wofford has played against weak passing defenses and this is the style offense Lehigh excels at. The point is that the quality of their run defense will have little impact on the game - Lehigh wouldn't be focusing on running the ball. Most likely, Wofford will rack up yards on the ground and Lehigh will rack em up through the air, resulting in an exciting, high scoring affair. The fact that their run defense is (or even isn't) as good as Lehigh is irrelevant. If this game comes down to whose run defense is better, I would be amazingly shocked. The defense that stops the other's main offensive weapon (Lehigh pass attack v. Wofford pass defense and Wofford running game v. Lehigh run defense) more, wins the game. Period.

[MSUBobcat]

MSU, thank you for UNDERSCORING EXACTLY what I had said. That the big difference is NOT the incredible rushing defense of Wofford - which is what YT was claiming....

so stop clowing around with your attacks, which are unfounded...

Yet you kept coming back to the point that Lehigh gives up 17 ypg less to the run, which somehow makes them better than Wofford's run defense. This lead to a bunch of post showing you why this wasn't the case. I don't recall a single time where you state that Wofford's run defense will have no chance to impact the game due to Lehigh's dedication to the passing game. If you want to get back on the thread's topic and argue that Lehigh wins due to their pass game matching up well against Wofford's relatively untested pass defense, I bet there is a lot more civil discussion. If you would rather make ridiculous comments that Lehigh has the superior run defense to Wofford, carry on. I'm sure there are people who will keep telling you the same stats over and over. As for me, I'm done with that conversation.

[LEHIGH61]

Wofford going away...

Nobody is "going away from Lehigh. That's what people thought when Lehigh played Northern Iowa last year.

[Reign of Terrier]

Nobody is "going away from Lehigh. That's what people thought when Lehigh played Northern Iowa last year.

What about Delaware?

[MSUBobcat]

MSU, take some time to read my posted messages on this thread

correct your statements below, several of which are false

then

come back and apologize

now, if you don't want to pursue this course, then I will simply do it for you, proving that several of the statements that you have made below are FALSE...

here is a hint. This is how I responded to YT's post about the big advantage that Wofford had in rush defense compared to Lehigh:

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?97258-Hypothetical-Playoff-Matchup-Lehigh-at-Wofford&p=1701745&viewfull=1#post1701745

It was a table with pure STATS showing that Lehigh's rush defense stats were comparable to Wofford and nothing about the specific comments that you claimed that I made...

oops!

If you can't understand that stats have to be taken in the context of the level of competition they are facing, then you don't understand football and I can't help you. Go check out the UND 1st half stats thread to see the comments about how their stats don't mean as much due to their SoS. You conveniently ignore my statement that the best run offense Lehigh faced (hint: it's your supposed alma mater) managed to rush for 166 yards, which is basically their season average. Samford, which ranks 32nd and 6 places higher than Princeton, was held to 34 yards rushing by Wofford, 147 less than their average. App State (#23 in rushing) was held to 101 yards, 93 less than their average. Lehigh's stats are inflated by weak rushing teams and when facing a decent one, they got what they have all season. Wofford holds good rushing teams to much less than their season averages. The case is closed on which run defense is better, and it's Wofford.


MSU, gee, so I guess specifically stating that Lehigh will pass for 350 yards and 4 TD's against Wofford in the FIRST HALF alone is not underscoring that Lehigh's strong passing attack will be overpowering Wofford's weak pass defense, like I posted here early on :

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?97258-Hypothetical-Playoff-Matchup-Lehigh-at-Wofford&p=1701564&viewfull=1#post1701564

oops!

I freely admit I forgot this quote, probably partially due to the fact that I noticed how the posts got sidetracked by your comment and ensuing argument about whether or not 20k would come to see them play AT LEHIGH, when the title and 1st post clearly stated that in this hypothetical situation the game would be AT WOFFORD. As my comment said, "I do not recall", so obviously I didn't go back and read all 14 pages. Were there more where you focus on Lehigh's passing game rather than your delusion that their run D is better? If not, I'd say its fairly easy to forget one post in the grand scheme of life.

BTW, that oops! thing is weak and definitely played out.

[Reign of Terrier]

stop feeding the trolls....hey-zeus

[LEHIGH61]

LUM HAD A GREAT GAME AGAINST DELAWARE< EVEN THOUGH LEHIGH LOST. AND THIS YEAR's LEHIGH TEAM IS MUCH BETTER OFFENSIVELY THAN LAST YEAR'S.

[Reign of Terrier]

LUM HAD A GREAT GAME AGAINST DELAWARE< EVEN THOUGH LEHIGH LOST. AND THIS YEAR's LEHIGH TEAM IS MUCH BETTER OFFENSIVELY THAN LAST YEAR'S.

but what was the score?

[Doc QB]

What about Delaware?

Played UD, a national finalist and very easily a ***** call away from a national championship very tough, nothing at all to feel bad about, just as dropping a 3 pt loss to GSU should not make you feel bad either (although, Delaware followed with a very comfortable win over that same GSU the next week, but I digress...)

[GaSouthern]

but what was the score?

LOL

Just give them their moral victory hahaha

[DSUrocks07]

Isn't it obvious that neither defense compares at all to those in the MEAC.

[GaSouthern]

Isn't it obvious that neither defense compares at all to those in the MEAC.

Yeah because the MEAC has such a stellar playoff record.

[DSUrocks07]

Yeah because the MEAC has such a stellar playoff record.

hey now, A&T is 2nd in the nation, and Lehigh is a paltry 44th xlolx xnonox

http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fcs/current/team/1042

Trolololol xlolxxrotatehx

[GaSouthern]

I won't lie, I was pretty scared of SCSU's Defense last season when we played them in the playoffs, I think they were top 5 in the nation, but it had more to do with the kinds of teams they were shutting down, they did a respectable job against our offense but they could not stop us.

[eaglemachine]

MSU, gee, so I guess specifically stating that Lehigh will pass for 350 yards and 4 TD's against Wofford in the FIRST HALF alone is not underscoring that Lehigh's strong passing attack will be overpowering Wofford's weak pass defense, like I posted here early on :

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?97258-Hypothetical-Playoff-Matchup-Lehigh-at-Wofford&p=1701564&viewfull=1#post1701564

oops!

chattownmocs, is that you?

I wonder who would win in a fight between Coleman and Lum?

[Tribe93]

This game wouldn't even be close. Wofford by 30.

[alvinkayak6]

Wofford isn't going to beat the Lehigh Lums by 30. Lehigh can hang with anybody in the FCS bc of its passing game.

[ngineer]

but what was the score?

Last year's score is irrelevant to this year's team. Same way people are saying you can't compare Lehigh's win over Northern Iowa last year because the teams are different. Last year, we snuck up on most as we were not expected to win the PL let alone make the playoffs. Very young team last year. 16 starters back this year have shown what a difference a year can make. I truly wish we could play the Hens again this year...and of course, in Goodman.

[Skjellyfetti]

Last year's score is irrelevant to this year's team.

Didn't you use a game from 11 or 12 years ago as a reason Lehigh would win earlier in the thread? xlolx


Lehigh was able to shut down Wofford's ground game about 11-12 years ago, and while the personnel is different the systems of both schools at that time and now are similar.

[ngineer]

Didn't you use a game from 11 or 12 years ago as a reason Lehigh would win earlier in the thread? xlolx

That was in reaction to people sniffing that Lehigh doesn't belong on the same field with Wofford or any other scholarship schools. I did not say that because of what happend back then Lehigh would win a rematch this year. Read slower. I fully agree that what our schools did over a decade ago means nothing about what would happen this December; but what it does show is that our program is fully capable of playing toe to toe with some of the so-called elite. Lehigh has probably the best record of any of the non-scholarship schools in post-season play.

[heath]

before Wofford plays Lehigh in a playoff game they should 1st worry about the last 2 games on the schedule,..one of those teams ended their season twice last year. To ALL the terriers out there-one game at a time and do not look ahead. Lehigh has the easier road to a higher seed.xsalutex

[X-Factor]

Lehigh by 2 scores

[Reign of Terrier]

(insert name of team here) has the easier road to a higher seed.xsalutex

Couldn't we all agree that that is a contradiction if there ever was one? If you have an easy road, chances are you won't be seeded high, but that's just my opinion

[LEHIGH61]

What a come-from- behind team. Wofford goes down big - they don't scare me a bit. Youngterrier, that's what happens when you have a BIG MOUTH. And smacking teams you know nothing about.

[heath]

Couldn't we all agree that that is a contradiction if there ever was one? If you have an easy road, chances are you won't be seeded high, but that's just my opinion

Guess Woffords road became a little bumpy today for that higher seed.Do you understand now that if Lehigh finishes 10-1 because they have an easier schedule the rest of the way-meaning an easier road,they will have the higher seed?xnodx

[Reign of Terrier]

What a come-from- behind team. Wofford goes down big - they don't scare me a bit. Youngterrier, that's what happens when you have a BIG MOUTH. And smacking teams you know nothing about.

We lost to Lehigh today?

[Reign of Terrier]

youngterrier, Wofford lost to Furman today, 26-21

Furman rushed for 208 yards

how did that work out for you?

It's one game that wasn't our best. We can still win the Socon and make the playoffs. I don't understand the Lehigh fans jumping for joy over this, talking as if they won the game.

[Reign of Terrier]

so youngterrier, as you lose another game before the playoffs and allow more than 200 yards rushing again, what are you going to say?

oops!

I'll say GSU is a good team and that we can still make the playoffs and make a run...because that very well could happen

[Reign of Terrier]

ha!

you will lose to another team, in addition to GSU, which is a given...

okay

[Doc QB]

It's one game that wasn't our best. We can still win the Socon and make the playoffs. I don't understand the Lehigh fans jumping for joy over this, talking as if they won the game.

Because you displayed a rather big mouth regarding a hypothetical match up with us, and then lost to a team you should have beaten (based on #5 ranking, your commentary, whatever). We are an argumentative bunch even without The Fan, I guess.

However, if you do manage to win out (with the rest of your schedule being damn tough), I would expect you guys to do well in playoffs, and as I have said earlier on, would rather not play you in playoffs coming off a hot streak like that and with that option offense.

[Reign of Terrier]

Because you displayed a rather big mouth regarding a hypothetical match up with us, and then lost to a team you should have beaten (based on #5 ranking, your commentary, whatever). We are an argumentative bunch even without The Fan, I guess.

However, if you do manage to win out (with the rest of your schedule being damn tough), I would expect you guys to do well in playoffs, and as I have said earlier on, would rather not play you in playoffs coming off a hot streak like that and with that option offense.


What a come-from- behind team. Wofford goes down big - they don't scare me a bit. Youngterrier, that's what happens when you have a BIG MOUTH. And smacking teams you know nothing about.
I just don't understand the point of this comment....the fact that Furman beat Wofford has nothing to do with Lehigh. The fact that we lost to Furman has nothing to do with how well wofford would do against Lehigh

[heath]

I just don't understand the point of this comment....the fact that Furman beat Wofford has nothing to do with Lehigh. The fact that we lost to Furman has nothing to do with how well wofford would do against Lehigh

Read the thread.................in order to make the playoffs you need to win gamesxthumbsupx

[AppMAN04]

Wofford!

[Reign of Terrier]

cool story bro

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

"The Fan", what do you think Lehigh's record would be if you had played Wofford's schedule up until now?

[DP_ASU]

TheFan does not understand SoCon football...bless his heart.

[gasoutherneagle]

Lehigh's chance to win this match-up just fizzled into oblivion with that Wofford loss. Ain't NO WAY Wofford loses this week. Lehigh is gonna get slapped down hardcore by a raging mad Terrier squad.

[crusader11]

Lehigh would have lost to Clemson, but that is about it in terms of losses

although that Div. II Virginia Wise team that Wofford played this year would have been tough, eh?

What are Lehigh's chances of winning the National Championship?

10%? 50%? Just curious what you're thinking.

[RichH2]

Possible ,yup. Probable nope