2001 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team

The 2001 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Lehigh was undefeated in the regular season and won a fourth consecutive Patriot League championship, but lost in the second round of the Division I-AA national playoffs.

2001 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football
Patriot League champion
Conference	Patriot League
Record	11–1 (7–0 Patriot)
Head coach	Pete Lembo (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Tom Gilmore (2nd season)
Captains	Brant Hall Matt Salvaterra Josh Snyder Morris Taylor
Home stadium	Goodman Stadium
Seasons ← 2000 2002 →

2001 Patriot League football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Lehigh $^		7	–	0					11	–	1
Colgate		5	–	1					7	–	3
Fordham		5	–	2					7	–	4
Bucknell		4	–	3					6	–	4
Holy Cross		3	–	4					4	–	6
Towson		2	–	5					3	–	7
Lafayette		1	–	6					2	–	8
Georgetown		0	–	6					3	–	7
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

In their first year under head coach Pete Lembo, the Mountain Hawks compiled a 11–1 record (10–0 in the regular season).^[1] Brant Hall, Matt Salvaterra, Josh Snyder and Morris Taylor were the team captains.^[2]

The Mountain Hawks outscored opponents 410 to 182.^[3] With the addition of Georgetown to the conference, Lehigh's undefeated record made it the first team to win seven Patriot League games in one year.

The Mountain Hawks were ranked No. 10 in the preseason Division I-AA national poll, and rose in the rankings as their 10-game win streak progressed, ending the season at No. 5. Lehigh qualified for the Division I-AA playoffs, hosting and winning a first-round game before losing, in the quarterfinals, to eventual national runner-up Furman.

Like most of the Patriot League, Lehigh played just 10 of its 11 scheduled regular season games, after its September 15 matchup, against Ivy League opponent Penn, was canceled following the September 11 attacks.^[4]

Lehigh played its home games at Goodman Stadium on the university's Goodman Campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 1	at Georgetown	No. 10	Kehoe Field Washington, DC	W 41–14	2,512	[5]
September 15	at Penn*	No. 10	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA	Canceled		[4]
September 22	Princeton*	No. 10	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 34–10	10,893	[6]
September 29	Central Connecticut*	No. 10	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 58–10		[1]
October 6	at Cornell*	No. 8	Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY	W 38–35	5,687	[7]
October 13	Towson	No. 6	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 47–12	10,645	[8]
October 20	at Fordham*	No. 7	Coffey Field Bronx, NY	W 31–21		[1]
October 27	Holy Cross	No. 8	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA	W 47–14	14,232	[9]
November 3	at Colgate	No. 8	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY	W 25–22	6,222	[10]
November 10	at Bucknell	No. 7	Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	W 21–14		[1]
November 17	Lafayette	No. 5	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA (The Rivalry)	W 41–6	15,600	[11]
December 1	No. 9 Hofstra*	No. 5	Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA (Division I-AA playoffs)	W 27–24 OT	10,131	[12]
December 8	at No. 4 Furman*	No. 5	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC (Division I-AA playoffs)	L 17–34	10,189	[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Year-by-Year Results". Lehigh Football Record Book (PDF). Bethlehem, Pa.: Lehigh University. p. 22. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
2. "Lehigh Football Captains". Lehigh Football Record Book (PDF). Bethlehem, Pa.: Lehigh University. p. 12. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
3. "Football All-Time Year-by-Year Results". Patriot League Football Record Book (PDF). Center Valley, Pa.: Patriot League. 2020. p. 8. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
4. Blaudschun, Mark (September 14, 2001). "After Prodding, Correct Choice Finally Made". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. E6 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Emerson, Seth (September 2, 2001). "Hoyas Stumble Against Lehigh in Their Patriot League Debut". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. p. D9 – via ProQuest.
6. "Princeton Struggles in Its Opener". Asbury Park Press. Asbury Park, N.J. Associated Press. September 23, 2001. p. H16 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Feaver, Christopher (October 8, 2001). "Close, but Not Quite for Big Red". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, N.Y. p. 4B – via Newspapers.com.
8. Groller, Keith (October 14, 2001). "Hall, Defense Leads Engineers Past Towson". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Courogen, Chris A. (October 28, 2001). "Substitute Ciannello Teaches HC a Lesson". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. C19 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Groller, Keith (November 4, 2001). "Lehigh Stands Alone After Toppling Colgate". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Meixell, Ted (November 18, 2001). "Engineers Awaken in 2nd Half". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Groller, Keith (December 2, 2001). "It Takes OT, but Lehigh Finds a Way". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pa. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Davis, Adam (December 9, 2001). "Paladins Enjoy a Sub Ride". The Greenville News. Greenville, S.C. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.