Lehigh Travels to No. 9 Richmond for FCS Championship First Round Game (11.29.24)

Patriot League Champion Mountain Hawks meet future League rival Richmond in FCS Playoffs opener

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Lehigh (8-3, 5-1) travels to future Patriot League rival Richmond, Va., to take on No. 9 Richmond (10-2, 6-0 CAA) in the 2024 NCAA DI FCS Championship First Round on Saturday. Live coverage on ESPN+ begins at 2 p.m. with Jason Ross and Tyoka Jackson on the call. The winner of the Mountain Hawks – Spiders game will advance to the quarterfinal round to take on No. 8 Idaho (9-3, 6-2 Big Sky).
 
LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (8-3, 5-1 PL) AT NO. 9 RICHMOND SPIDERS (10-2, 6-0 CAA)
Robins Stadium/Richmond, Va.          Saturday, Nov. 30 – 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
LIVE STATS
BROADCAST (ESPN+): PxP – Jason Ross; Analyst – Tyoka Jackson
SERIES HISTORY:  Lehigh and Richmond meet for the fourth time in series history, with the Mountain Hawks trailing, 2-1. The Mountain Hawks and Spiders met for the first time in the postseason in 1998, when Lehigh used a 30-yard field goal from Jaron Taaffe with three seconds remaining in the game to give the program its first playoff win since 1979.
LAST MEETING: (Sept. 17, 2022) – Richmond 30, at Lehigh 6
NOTES: LEHIGH | RICHMOND
 
LEHIGH VS. RICHMOND
Nov. 28, 1998 – Lehigh 24, at Richmond 23 (Div. I-AA Playoffs)
Sept. 11, 2021 – At Richmond 31, Lehigh 3
Sept. 17, 2022 – Richmond 30, at Lehigh 6
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE IN THE FCS PLAYOFFS
Patriot League teams are 9-17 in FCS Playoff games since 2010, winning at least one postseason game in eight seasons during that span. The Crusaders fell to eventual national champion South Dakota State (42-21) in the second-round last season after defeating NEC champion Sacred Heart (13-10) in the first round. Colgate fell to eventual FCS Champion North Dakota State in the quarterfinal round in 2018 after defeating James Madison (23-20) in the second round. Colgate leads the Patriot League with six postseason victories, while Lehigh (5), Fordham (3) and Holy Cross (2) have all earned victories in the playoffs.
 
LEHIGH IN THE FCS PLAYOFFS
The Mountain Hawks will be playing their 15th FCS playoff game when they travel to Richmond for their first-round matchup. Lehigh is 5-9 in FCS postseason appearances, losing to Stony Brook 59-29 in its most recent appearance in 2017.
1998 – At Lehigh 24, Richmond 23
1998 – At UMass 27, Lehigh 21
1999 – At Hofstra 27, Lehigh 15
2000 – Lehigh 37, at Western Illinois 7
2000 – At Delaware 47, Lehigh 22
2001 – At Lehigh 27, Hofstra 14
2001 – At Delaware 34, Lehigh 17
2004 – James Madison 14, at Lehigh 13
2010 – Lehigh 14, at Northern Iowa
2010 – At Delaware 42, Lehigh 20
2011 – Lehigh 40, at Towson 38
2011 – At North Dakota State 24, Lehigh 0
2016 – At New Hampshire 64, Lehigh 21
2017 – At Stony Brook 59, Lehigh 29
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.