South Mountaineer Volume 39, Issue 08

              PATRIOT LEAGUE HONORS
Split end Deron Braswell was named Co-
Offensive Player of the week for his seven
catch, 131-yard performance against the
University of Pennsylvania Saturday.
FOOTBALL: Lehigh beats UPenn for 2nd Ivy league win, 8
OLYMPIC SPORTS: Women's cross country team sweeps, 7
Women's tennis finishes fifth in Patriot League Tourney, 7
South Mountaineer
Volume 10, Issue 8
Lehigh University Athletics Weekly
October 22,1996
Lehigh ices Penn in chilly Philly
A cold, wet and windy Franklin Field
proves more miserable for Quakers
by Matt Leedy '98
South Mountaineer Editor
Lehigh defeated its second Ivy
League foe of the season and improved its record to 2-1 against the
rival conference with a 28-24 win
over the University of Pennsylvania.
Lehigh (3-4) charged back from a
14-0 first quarter deficit with three
second quarter touchdowns to beat
the Quakers (2-3) in front of more
than 5,000 fans at Franklin Field.
A 23-yard reception by Joe
Falzone and an 11-yard sideline grab
by Deron Braswell keyed Lehigh's
first scoring series.
Quarterback Seka Edwards
scrambled out of the pocket to the
right side and broke into the open
field toward the left sideline for a 15-
yard touchdown jaunt. A nice down-
field block by Braswell opened
enough daylight inside the 5-yard
line for Edwards to score.
On the next play from scrimmage, cornerback Tahir Rivers
stepped in front of John James and
intercepted Penn quarterback
Stephen Teodecki. Rivers returned
the ball untouched 27 yards down
the right sideline for the score.
The Engineers chalked up 14
points in the span of 19 seconds and
the momentum shift had begun.
Edwards manufactured another
touchdown drive with 3:30 left in the
half that ended in a 54-yard bomb to
Braswell. Braswell was forced to
come back to the ball for the catch.
"It was a simple fade route,"
Braswell said. "I stopped, he bit on
the fake a little bit and I turned
around for the catch."
Braswell caught seven passes for
131 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
"It was a great performance by
the kid Braswell," Penn Coach Al
Bagnoli said. "He is as good a player
as we will see all year."
Tailback Brian Baker also had a
big day, rushing for his third 100-
yard game of the season. The
sophomore ran for 139 yards on 26
carries, a 5.35-yard average.
Freshman Phil Stambaugh was
the third quarterback to finish off a
win for the Engineers this season.
But if it was a quarterback who won
the game, it was Edwards.
Edwards completed 20 of 36
passes for 248 yards and a pair of
touchdowns. Edwards was punished
by the Quakers for much of the
game and was sacked five times.
"Seka took a lot of hits," Lehigh
Coach Kevin Higgins said. "But he
is a battler and he kept getting up."
Edwards was knocked out of the
game in the fourth quarter when
Larry Rascoe caught up to him and
came crashing down on his left
shoulder after a 5-yard gain.
Higgins described Edwards' injury
as a severe bruise or worse.
Lehigh's defense preserved the
win in the final three quarters.
The Quakers moved the ball for
just four first downs and 10 points
in the second half. Lehigh's pass
defense stifled Penn for 24 yards
through the air after the half.
"Our defense probably doesn't
get enough credit," Higgins said.
"Our offense put us in a hole a few
times and our defense could have
softened up, but we have tough,
intense kids that love the game"
Joe Ryan
Deron Braswell had 7 grabs for 131 yrds.
Abdullah Update
Joe Ryan
Tahir Rivers returned an interception 27 yards to spark Lehigh's comeback.
Lehigh University announced
Wednesday that injured tailback
Rabih Abdullah has decided to
petition for eligibility next year
under NCAA medical hardship
waiver regulations. Abdullah's
decision came after extensive
consultation with his family,
academic advisors, the Lehigh
Sports Medicine Staff and Coach
Kevin Higgins.
Abdullah was injured in
Lehigh's first game ofthe 1996
season. The diagnosis was a
partial tear of a medial collateral
ligament. According to Lehigh
Sports Medicine Officials, the
normal recovery period for an
injury such as the one sustained
by Abdullah would be eight weeks,
though a return to full effectiveness is somewhat dependent upon
the position.
Kevin Higgins expressed
support of Abdullah's decision, but
disappointment with the loss of
the preseason Division I-AAA11-
American tailback.
"I'm proud of the decision
making process that Rabih used,"
Higgins said. "He certainly talked
with a lot of people to gather
input, including our university
president. He feels sure that he is
doing the right thing, and I will
surely support him. Our football
program will miss his talents, but
he will continue to be a part of
what we are doing and we'll
benefit from his leadership."
NCAA rules require student-
athletes who seek medical hardship waivers to petition for
eligibility through their conference offices. An athlete who is
hurt in his first half of a year,
participates in less than 20% of
the scheduled contests, and does
not return for the balance of the
year may qualify for a medical
hardship. The Patriot League also
requires all student-athletes who
seek to participate in a fifth year
to petition for eligibility to ensure
that traditional "redshirting" is
not taking place.
LEHIGH / PENNSYLVANIA
GAME STATS
ScoreByQuarters
1    2 3 4    F
Lehigh 0    21 7 0 28
Pennsylvania   14 0 3 7  24
LEHIGH        PENNSYLVANIA
24 First Downs 18
148 Net Rushing 187
248 Net Passing 95
396 Total Yards 282
10-79 Penalties 8-45
5-2 Fumbles/Lost 3-1
2 had intercepted     2
31:34 Possession 28:26
1 Sacks By 5
Lehigh statistical leaders
Rushing: Brian Baker 26-139
Passing: Seka Edwards 20-248
Receiving: Deron Braswell 7-131
Tackles: David Sunderland 9
QUOTEBOARD
"It was a great performance by
the kid Braswell. He is as good a
player as we will see all year."
Al Bagnoli
Pennsylvania Coach
"Seka took a lot of hits. But he is
a battler and he kept getting up."
Kevin Higgins
Lehigh Coach
"Our defense probably doesn 't
get enough credit. Our offense
put us in a hole a few times and
our defense could have softened
up, but we have tough, intense
kids that love the game of
football"
Kevin Higgins
Lehigh Coach
"We obviously couldn 't let them
drive down and score. We made
the big plays when we had to."
Mark Miller
Lehigh Safety
"It was kind of like two different
games. Early in the game we
controlled the offense. Then they
started to make big plays,
especially on third down, third
down and very long sometimes."
Al Bagnoli
Pennsylvania Coach