NEW YORK – Columbia football wraps up non-conference play against No. 7/8 Lehigh this Saturday, October 11, at Robert K. Kraft Field on Northern Manhattan Neighbors Appreciation Day. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m. on ESPN+ with Lance Medow, Shawn FitzGerald '80CC and
CJ Brown '24CC on the call.
OPENING DRIVE
• Columbia will wrap up non-conference play when No. 7/8 Lehigh visits Wien Stadium.
• The Lions and Mountain Hawks will meet for the first time since 2013.
• Columbia is the only FCS team in the country that has not allowed a passing touchdown this season.
• Jack Smiechowski has three interceptions in his last two games and currently leads FCS in interceptions per game.
• Justin Townsend has posted back-to-back two-sack games. He leads the Ivy League in the category and is second in the nation in sacks per game.
A WIN WOULD...
• Be the first victory against Lehigh since 1963.
• Be the first win over a top 10 opponent since 1947.
• Give the Lions a winning non-conference record for the eighth consecutive season.
POSTGAME NOTES - PRINCETON
• The Lions built an early 10-0 lead, but allowed 17 unanswered to suffer a 17-10 defeat at Princeton last Friday.
• Lucas Bullock scored his first career touchdown, a two-yard rush, at the end of the first quarter.
• Columbia forced multiple turnovers for the second consecutive week. Keller Patterson recovered a fumble forced by Liam Donagher and Jack Smiechowski picked off his third pass in two weeks.
• Justin Townsend is now up to No. 3 on Columbia's all-time sack list with 18.5, passing former NFL player Josh Martin '13CC. Additionally, seven of his career sacks have come against the Tigers.
• Smiechowski tallied 15 tackles, the most for a Lion since John Harris '20CC did so in 2019.
• Titus Evans had a season-high of eight catches for 93 yards.
• Princeton was 8-of-15 on third downs.
LEHIGH'S STATUS
• Lehigh is coming off a 31-13 victory over Yale. Luke Yoder rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns, while Lehigh's defense forced three turnovers. The Mountain Hawks have won six straight to begin the season and are currently ranked No. 7 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
• Kevin Cahill is in his third season leading the Mountain Hawks. Last season, he led Lehigh to a Patriot League title and a FCS playoff victory over No. 9 Richmond before falling to No. 8 Idaho. Cahill earned Patriot League Coach of the Year honors and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award.
• Lehigh's offense is averaging over 400 yards per game. The Mountain Hawks lead the Patriot League in touchdowns, points, yards per game, rushing yards, and rushing yards per game. Luke Yoder's 694 rushing yards are good for fourth in the nation, while quarterback Hayden Johnson's 11 touchdowns lead the Patriot League.
• Lehigh's defense is allowing less than 300 yards of offense per game. Those two statistics are good enough to lead the Patriot League. Brycen Edwards is second in the Patriot League in solo tackles (33), while Matt Spatny is second in tackles-for-loss (5.5).
• Lehigh's special teams lead the Patriot League in field goal percentage (6-for-6) and PAT percentage (26-for-26), with Nick Garrido responsible for the kicking duties. Connor Poole's 45 yards per punt are good enough for the Patriot League lead.
SERIES HISTORY
Columbia and Lehigh will meet for the first time since 2013. The programs have met 18 times previously, with the Mountain Hawks holding a 12-5-1 record all-time in the series.
Lehigh has won the last five meetings and is unbeaten in the previous 10 matchups, which includes a 28-28 tie in 1994. The last time the Lions defeated the Mountain Hawks was in 1963, a 42-21 triumph in New York.
TICKETS
Tickets start at just $13.
Click here to purchase game tickets or call 888-LIONS-11
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