By Michael Kelley ’14
Photo and graphic by Steven Tringali ’13/ The Lafayette
One reporter at Tuesday’s media luncheon dubbed it the matchup of what could have been. And that’s exactly what it is. When Lafayette and Lehigh kickoff the 148th edition of “The Rivalry” tomorrow afternoon, many spectators will be asking themselves, “What if?”
Three weeks ago, both teams were tied for first place in league standings. Excitement was building for what could have been an epic showdown with a Patriot League Championship at stake.
But fast forward to present day and so much has changed. Lafayette (5-5) is currently on a three game losing streak, suffering losses to Georgetown, Colgate, and most recently Fordham. Lehigh (9-1) saw their back-to-back championship hopes end suddenly last Saturday in a stunning 35-24 loss to Colgate.
So what’s left to play for, you may be asking? Plenty.
There is, and always will be, the undeniable aspect of the pride and joy that stems from beating your fiercest competition.
“It’s always important to get a win over your archrival,” Coach FrankTavani said. “There’s always a lot of excitement surrounding this week and my biggest job is to keep everyone at an even keel.”
For the 14 seniors, this rivalry has become somewhat personal. Lehigh has won the past four matchups, including last year’s 37-13 blowout.
“The fact that, with the exception of the coaches, no one on this team has beaten them. That is always extra motivation no matter who you’re playing. With them being your rival, that just adds to it,” senior defensive lineman Jason Marshalek said.
A win would go a long way toward mitigating the disappointments that riddled the latter half of the season. At one point, Lafayette stood 3-0, full of confidence and swagger. But ever since, they have seen a once promising season slowly slip away, and are now in jeopardy of suffering their third straight losing season.
Three times in two months, Tavani has been forced to suspend players – most recently three seniors and one other for their failure to adhere to team curfew on the Friday night before last Saturday’s game against Fordham.
As a co-captain, cornerback Darius Safford ’13 admits aspects of this season have been frustrating. So recently, knowing that he was in the final weeks of his college career, he asked his teammates for a favor: their undivided attention.
“I remember specifically telling a couple young guys, “Give me 20 days,” Safford said. “Show that we appreciate this ‘Family Always Sticks Together’ motto. If you can sacrifice that for me, that shows you’re really my brother.”
Finally and possibly most importantly, Lafayette has a golden opportunity to end their archrival’s season, a goal thatTavani has surely drilled into his player’s heads leading up to kickoff tomorrow at 1 p.m. Lehigh needs a win to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA playoffs. A loss would seriously impair their chances.
The task is tall. Safford and the defensive secondary will need to limit wide receiver Ryan Spadola, generally considered the top wide receiver in the Patriot League. The senior has 49 catches for 764 yards, an average of 15.6 yards per catch.
On offense, quarterback Zach Zweizig ’15 will need to continue to look for the sure-handed Mark Ross ’14, who has 66 catches for 912 yards. With running back Ross Scheuerman ’15 doubtful with a hip injury, Vaughn Hebron ’13 will need to lead the running attack.
So while it may be considered the matchup of what could have been, there is undoubtedly much on the line. And as for the overall hype of another Lafayette-Lehigh matchup – “All that excitement will culminate Sunday,” Tavani said.
