South Mountaineer Volume 39, Issue 09

              PATRIOT LEAGUE HONORS
Ian Eason was name the Patriot League's
Rookie of the Week after recording a
game-high 17 tackles, including three
for a loss. Ben Talbott received league
honors after punting for a 50.1-yard average.
FOOTBALL: Lehigh drops a defensive battle to Bucknell, 12
OLYMPIC SPORTS: Eagles agree to extension with Lehigh, 11
Updated schedule and scores for Lehigh's Fall teams ,     10
South Mountaineer
Volume 10, Issue 9
Lehigh University Athletics Weekly
November5,1996
Bucknell squeaks past Lehigh
Lehigh defense squeezes Lemon in a
dominating effort but falls to Bison
by Matt Leedy '98
South Mountaineer Editor
Bucknell had a grand time in its
1,000th game.
The Bisons' 7-6 win over Lehigh
put them in the driver's seat for the
Patriot League Championship. The
Brown and White are left in the
awkward position of having their
fate decided by their Patriot League
rivals.
"We have three games left and
we have to keep our heads up," said
Lance Eckenrode, who recorded 12
tackles. "Now we have to hope
somebody knocks Bucknell off."
Of all the first-year students who
hosted their families for Freshmen
Parents' Weekend, none were under
a brighter spotlight than quarterback Phil Stambaugh.
Stambaugh got the first collegiate start of his career Saturday
afternoon in front of 10,296 fans at
Goodman Stadium. It was the
second largest crowd Lehigh (3-5, 1-
1 Patriot League) has welcomed this
season.
Stambaugh made few mistakes
but was unable to take advantage of
a Brown and White defense so
dominating it held Bucknell to a
single score. Freshman weakside
linebacker Ian Eason had a game-
high 17 tackles, including three for a
loss.
Stambaugh completed 18 of 37,
including a 36-yard touchdown bomb
to sophomore Deron Braswell late in
the fourth quarter.
Lehigh Coach Kevin Higgins
found many positives in the debut of
his young quarterback.
"I liked his composure," Higgins
said. "I liked his leadership skills.
He didn't seem to be rattled in a
game that went back and forth for
four quarters."
Stambaugh lofted a pass into the
front right corner of the endzone to
Braswell. The split end, sandwiched
by Bucknell defensive backs George
Howanitz and Erich Muzi, went up
strong and came down with six
points.
"It was an option route for him,"
Stambaugh said. "He could take an
out or go up and he came up with a
great catch."
Braswell finished with three
catches for 56 yards.
Freshman Matt Swartz missed
the extra point — a mistake that
proved costly in the end.
"It was a good snap, a good hold
and he just missed it," Higgins said.
When Lehigh's defense was
handed Lemon - one of Division I-
AA's most prolific running backs —
it made lemonade. The Brown and
White squeezed Lemon tight
enough to fill a pitcher.
Lemon was held to just 68 yards
on 21 carries, a meager 3.2-yard
average. Lehigh was less successful
in defending quarterback Rich Fox.
The senior completed 24 of 41
passes for 209 yards. He also threw
to seven different receivers. However, it was Lemon who left a soar
taste in Lehigh's mouth.
The senior ran four yards
around left end for the score and a
6-6 tie with just 1:47 left. Miller's
extra point gave the Bison a 7-6
win.
When it mattered most,
LEHIGH /BUCKNELL
GAME STATS
ScoreBy Quarters
Joe Ryan
A host of Lehigh players, including Ian Eason (41) converge on Rich Fox.
Joe Ryan
Right end Mike Taluskie devours Rich Fox.
Lehigh's special teams unit was very
ordinary. Swartz's missed extra point
allowed Bucknell to take the lead after
Miller's point after.
The Bisons' special teams were also
far from spectacular. Miller missed field
attempts from 24 and 42 yards out. His
previous failures took some pressure off
his extra point try.
"I guess I thought I couldn't do any
worse than I did earlier in the game,"
Miller said. "Being a senior and a little
bit more mature, I was able to overcome having a bad game."
With a strong wind behind him,
Miller's game-winning point after sliced
through the cross bars.
"It [the wind] wouldn't have been a
factor if I had kicked it straight," Miller
said.
Lehigh senior punter Ben Talbott
had another impressive day, kicking
seven times for a 50.1-yard average and
a 67-yard long.
The win was especially satisfying for
the Bison after last year's loss to
Lehigh led to their eventual demise.
Bucknell's only Patriot League loss
last season pinned them with a 4-1
conference record and a second place
finish. Bucknell may have returned the
favor Saturday.
"I figure we had a lot of revenge
coming in because of last year's loss,"
Lemon said. "It took the fourth quarter,
60 minutes and every play to beat
them."
"We just couldn't complete anything," Bucknell Coach Tom Gadd
added. "I give a lot of credit to them. I
really thought they played like champions. With all the injuries they've had to
their quarterback [Seka Edwards] and
running back [Rabih Abdullah] they
played really well today. Lehigh did an
excellent job keeping us off balance."
12    3
4    F
Bucknell           0    0    0
7   7
Lehigh
0    0    0
6    6
LEHIGH
BUCKNELL
18
First Downs
23
117
Net Rushing
98
159
Net Passing
209
276
Total Yards
307
5-45
Penalties
2-20
1-0
Fumbles/Lost
0-0
2
had intercepted
0
29:56
Possession
30:04
2
Sacks By
1
Lehigh statistical leaders
Rushing: Brian Baker 27-83
Passing: Phil Stambaugh 18-159
Receiving: Falzone 5-42
Tackles: Ian Eason 15
"I thought our kids played well
but Lehigh did an excellent job
keeping us off balance. That
offensive line was the best we
have played all year, with the
exception of maybe William and
Mary."
Tom Gadd
Bucknell Coach
"He [Mark Miller] has played me
hard all four years I've played.
He straps it up and hits hard
even though he isn 't the biggest
guy."
Rich Lemon
Bucknell Running Back
"I thought we would be able to
run the ball better against them.
They brought an extra linebacker or two on each play. We
thought we would wear them
down by the fourth quarter with
our offensive line."
Kevin Higgins
Lehigh Coach
"Our defensive plan was good.
Coach did a good job of preparing us. We are pretty confident
on our defense. We feel we are
the best in the league. With three
games left we have to keep our
heads up."
Mark Miller
Lehigh Safety