Lehigh Lafayette

Back-to-back PL champs 2016 and 2017.... but need to get back to relevance in the national FCS scene.
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ngineer
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Re: Lehigh Lafayette

Post by ngineer » Sun Apr 11, 2021 11:54 pm

TMH wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 12:18 am Wow... you really have it in for Gilmore and I'm not really interested in why. He took over a team that had 1 1st team PL player returning (Portoreal) and 1 2nd team player (McCloskey). The defense gave up 35 ppg in 2018 and 41 ppg the year before and in his first year, the group he inherited held opponents to the lowest total since 2011. I find that to be pretty remarkable.

My point however is that this spring is indicative of nothing. Dave C did a great job here at Lehigh but Bucknell scored 6 points against us with only about 230 yds of total offense. Is that indicative of him being a terrible offensive coach? I think we can agree that it does not.

Finding a new O/C may be the an answer to the offense. I don't know if that decision lies with Gilmore or Sterrett.
One thing I am fairly certain of is that the entire offense revolves an offensive line that is not only talented but cohesive. Lehigh has had 3 different O/L coaches in the last 3 years. They have been decimated with both injuries and graduations. We are currently starting 2 sophs and a freshman. There is only 1 senior on the OL on the team. So there is the area of focus. Gilmore, in his 2nd recruiting class has 2 *** O/L recruits and one of the top OG in PA. With luck these guys wil gel with our other young OL as a cohesive group.
Developing a QB?. In this extremely limited off-season, our 2 deep has had no previous experience operating our offense on the field and extremely limited practice time.

Can we fix the offense in "real" year 2 of the Gilmore era like we did the defense? That remains to be seen but I would base absolutely nothing on this spring.
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LUopa
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Re: Lehigh Lafayette

Post by LUopa » Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:43 am

Lehigh Defense finished 9th in country of 96 FCS teams in total yards this spring. Very young unit with almost everyone back. We knew the OL was going to be a challenge with the opt outs for the spring. TG is only in his 2nd year and he had some culture he needed to change. The spring season was productive. I think the spring season will give us an advantage over the 3 Ivies next season. We got to see Frosh that would have never been on the field last fall to see if they were players. The transfer portal has added a new capability to fix holes very quickly. We have an advantage over others with an excellent grad school program.
LUFAN
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Re: Lehigh Lafayette

Post by LUFAN » Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:20 am

LUopa wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:43 am Lehigh Defense finished 9th in country of 96 FCS teams in total yards this spring. Very young unit with almost everyone back. We knew the OL was going to be a challenge with the opt outs for the spring. TG is only in his 2nd year and he had some culture he needed to change. The spring season was productive. I think the spring season will give us an advantage over the 3 Ivies next season. We got to see Frosh that would have never been on the field last fall to see if they were players. The transfer portal has added a new capability to fix holes very quickly. We have an advantage over others with an excellent grad school program.
Can we stop blaming an OL that returned 3 starters!! News flash....it’s not the OL. Saturdays OL had over 60 games started. Bucknell starts two true freshman and put 38pts up on Lafayette. Every year the offense struggles, the OL is the scapegoat. Give this group a break. These kids can play.
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Re: Lehigh Lafayette

Post by TMH » Mon Apr 12, 2021 12:25 pm

LUFAN wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:20 am
LUopa wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:43 am Lehigh Defense finished 9th in country of 96 FCS teams in total yards this spring. Very young unit with almost everyone back. We knew the OL was going to be a challenge with the opt outs for the spring. TG is only in his 2nd year and he had some culture he needed to change. The spring season was productive. I think the spring season will give us an advantage over the 3 Ivies next season. We got to see Frosh that would have never been on the field last fall to see if they were players. The transfer portal has added a new capability to fix holes very quickly. We have an advantage over others with an excellent grad school program.
Can we stop blaming an OL that returned 3 starters!! News flash....it’s not the OL. Saturdays OL had over 60 games started. Bucknell starts two true freshman and put 38pts up on Lafayette. Every year the offense struggles, the OL is the scapegoat. Give this group a break. These kids can play.
I'm not sure if we are watching the same thing. When I saw Bucknell against Lehigh, they put up 6 points.

Here is the saga of the OL through my eyes. In 2017, Lehigh lit the FCS up offensively with All-Americans at RB, QB and WR. The following year, we returned the same HC, OC and RB and QB and suddenly the offense was really mediocre. The difference is we lost 3 outstanding OL in Duffy' Short and O'Hara who played together as a unit for 4 years.
So why couldn't we just transition into a new great OL? Jackson Evans who started as a freshman gets injured and never fully returned. Eric Hawkinson who started 2 games on the unit...ditto. Taylor Curlin who played as a freshman...ditto. Alex Motley who had star written all over him missed 3 years. Nick Rosen missed his senior year (2019) due to injury and decided not to return for a 5th year in the Covid environment. Matt Fest, a starter, also left. I'm sure there are others. In their place, we needed to move guys around from position to position and substitute bodies. We also changed OL coach 3 X during that time.

I've watch a lot of Lehigh football. There are no holes for the RB to run through and the QB constantly seems to be running for their lives. The result, sacks and fumbles.

No, IMO, correct the OL, allow time for some real cohesion within the unit and the skill players are there.

PS Lafayette threw 4 interceptions and lost a fumble in the game against Bucknell. That may have had something to do with the 38 points.
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Re: Lehigh Lafayette

Post by LUFAN » Mon Apr 12, 2021 2:02 pm

TMH wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 12:25 pm
LUFAN wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:20 am
LUopa wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:43 am Lehigh Defense finished 9th in country of 96 FCS teams in total yards this spring. Very young unit with almost everyone back. We knew the OL was going to be a challenge with the opt outs for the spring. TG is only in his 2nd year and he had some culture he needed to change. The spring season was productive. I think the spring season will give us an advantage over the 3 Ivies next season. We got to see Frosh that would have never been on the field last fall to see if they were players. The transfer portal has added a new capability to fix holes very quickly. We have an advantage over others with an excellent grad school program.
Can we stop blaming an OL that returned 3 starters!! News flash....it’s not the OL. Saturdays OL had over 60 games started. Bucknell starts two true freshman and put 38pts up on Lafayette. Every year the offense struggles, the OL is the scapegoat. Give this group a break. These kids can play.
I'm not sure if we are watching the same thing. When I saw Bucknell against Lehigh, they put up 6 points.

Here is the saga of the OL through my eyes. In 2017, Lehigh lit the FCS up offensively with All-Americans at RB, QB and WR. The following year, we returned the same HC, OC and RB and QB and suddenly the offense was really mediocre. The difference is we lost 3 outstanding OL in Duffy' Short and O'Hara who played together as a unit for 4 years.
So why couldn't we just transition into a new great OL? Jackson Evans who started as a freshman gets injured and never fully returned. Eric Hawkinson who started 2 games on the unit...ditto. Taylor Curlin who played as a freshman...ditto. Alex Motley who had star written all over him missed 3 years. Nick Rosen missed his senior year (2019) due to injury and decided not to return for a 5th year in the Covid environment. Matt Fest, a starter, also left. I'm sure there are others. In their place, we needed to move guys around from position to position and substitute bodies. We also changed OL coach 3 X during that time.

I've watch a lot of Lehigh football. There are no holes for the RB to run through and the QB constantly seems to be running for their lives. The result, sacks and fumbles.

No, IMO, correct the OL, allow time for some real cohesion within the unit and the skill players are there.

PS Lafayette threw 4 interceptions and lost a fumble in the game against Bucknell. That may have had something to do with the 38 points.


Holy Cross coughed it up three times and Lehigh scored 3 points.

Bucknell, with two freshman, nearly rushed for more yards against Lehigh's stout defense than Lehigh rushed for in 3 games combined. The point is simple, there are no excuses in D1 football. Three returning starters, a soph, and one freshman is not an excuse for the offensive issues. These are D1 offensive lineman.

To understand you correctly, no holes to run through is because the three starters on the Lehigh OL cannot block well? Is that your conclusion?

I quickly looked back at some 2019 game stats. Lehigh rushed for nearly 300 yards in the last two games of the season with 3 of the same lineman, TE, and the same RB. They didn't forget how to block and run.

Just my opinion. Too easy to point at the OL and I think deeper evaluation of the offense provides a different picture.
TMH
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Re: Lehigh Lafayette

Post by TMH » Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:50 pm

Passarelli only played 1 game this spring. Fournier played in 2. Only Gurth, who is transitioning back to Center played in all 3. Only 6 OL were even available for the Bucknell game. This team as a whole has had very little practice in a year and a half. Last spring was cancelled as for the rest of the PL. The equivalent of spring football at Lehigh was essentially cancelled due to a 5 week lockdown in fall. The Lehigh Valley was then crushed with snow in March when spring practices were to rev up, relegating many teams to share Rauch. It has certainly been a different kind of year.

I would like your opinion however. In 2017, Lehigh averaged about 36 points and 475 yds/game. In 2018, we averaged 17 points and 302 ypg. What changed to cause such a dramatic decline.
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RichH
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Re: Lehigh Lafayette

Post by RichH » Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:35 pm

LUopa wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:43 am Lehigh Defense finished 9th in country of 96 FCS teams in total yards this spring. Very young unit with almost everyone back. We knew the OL was going to be a challenge with the opt outs for the spring. TG is only in his 2nd year and he had some culture he needed to change. The spring season was productive. I think the spring season will give us an advantage over the 3 Ivies next season. We got to see Frosh that would have never been on the field last fall to see if they were players. The transfer portal has added a new capability to fix holes very quickly. We have an advantage over others with an excellent grad school program.
Agreed. I am relieved that this stunted season is over. Very productive but still depressing to go 0-3.

Lots of issues on offense not just the OL. Inexperience,injuries,opt outs and transfers. Not gonna rehash all the arguments here.
Lets be clear tho on the OL. An OL lives and dies on cohesion even more than talent. The talent is necessary but without cohesion that alone will not achieve much consistently. Cohesion is all 5 working in sync. 4 of 5 rarely succeeds. The patchwork OL that we've had this Spring proves that. Different starting units each game. Players switched positions. Heck one guy wound up at OG and OT and flipped left to right. 3 of the 5 had no game experience and none of them had any experience working together as a unit. Not a formula for even a mediocre OL. I was impressed that that this motley group strung together plays with solid blocking. add in a 1st year transfer QB with little pocket awareness and inconsistent accuracy. That was our offense.
these 2 issues will still be here come preseason practice. Not sure what more needs to be done to remedy these problems but its on Gilmore to figure it out.
LUFAN
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Re: Lehigh Lafayette

Post by LUFAN » Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:13 pm

TMH wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:50 pm Passarelli only played 1 game this spring. Fournier played in 2. Only Gurth, who is transitioning back to Center played in all 3. Only 6 OL were even available for the Bucknell game. This team as a whole has had very little practice in a year and a half. Last spring was cancelled as for the rest of the PL. The equivalent of spring football at Lehigh was essentially cancelled due to a 5 week lockdown in fall. The Lehigh Valley was then crushed with snow in March when spring practices were to rev up, relegating many teams to share Rauch. It has certainly been a different kind of year.

I would like your opinion however. In 2017, Lehigh averaged about 36 points and 475 yds/game. In 2018, we averaged 17 points and 302 ypg. What changed to cause such a dramatic decline.
Two unbelievable all-time WR talents on the outside that combined for over 2100 yards and 22 TDs. Did you actually ask that question?

Yes, that was a seasoned offensive line but to insinuate that the current problem is in any way a “player” problem, when Lehigh has 137 yards and 8 first downs in a game, in a below average conference is laughable.

Not looking for an argument. I’m a Lehigh fan for years but seems obvious to me.

So I will ask this question again. Why was Lehigh successful running the football the last two weeks of 2019?
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Re: Lehigh Lafayette

Post by Richb-3 » Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:57 pm

Crushed with snow in March? Crushed with Snow in February, yes. In Harrisburg March had no snow except a day or two with flurries.

Still February was an obvious problem 6 rectangular outdoor field sports trying to find good conditions. Any update on the new fieldhouse?
TMH
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Re: Lehigh Lafayette

Post by TMH » Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:16 pm

Richb-3 wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:57 pm Crushed with snow in March? Crushed with Snow in February, yes. In Harrisburg March had no snow except a day or two with flurries.

Still February was an obvious problem 6 rectangular outdoor field sports trying to find good conditions. Any update on the new fieldhouse?
Sorry..just knew it was during the period after practice finally began. In Nazareth, we had 36 inches followed by 3 more snowstorms over the next week. Teams were scrambling for a place to practice. I haven't heard much personally on a new fieldhouse except for some wishful thinking. Lehigh was seriously behind on the fundraising for the Path to Prominence before Covid even hit. I wouldn't expect anything for a long time unless some very generous alumnus comes forth.
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