Mountain Hawks outlast Spiders; Hoyas roll in opener; Richmond’s Dawson and HC’s Cason return kicks for TDs
 
AT NO. 15/14 LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (1-0, 1-0 PL) 21, NO. 22/25 RICHMOND SPIDERS (0-1, 0-1 PL) 14
Goodman Stadium/Bethlehem, Pa.          Noon (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Sophomore running back Jaden Green’s four-yard touchdown run with 6:32 left in the game put Lehigh in front for good in a 21-14 victory over new League rival Richmond at Goodman Stadium.
*Green scored twice, including a 13-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. He rushed for a game-high 88 yards on 13 carries.
*Mountain Hawks’ sophomore safety Mekhai Smith sealed the win with his first career interception with 1:43 remaining in the game.
*Lehigh sophomore quarterback Hayden Johnson completed 13-of-24 passes for 135 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, with senior wide receiver Geoffrey Jamiel catching four passes for 68 yards, including a 29-yard third-quarter touchdown.
*Senior linebacker Brycen Edwards posted eight tackles and 1.0 TFL for a Mountain Hawks’ defense that limited the Spiders to 181 yards of total offense.
*Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Matt Spatny (Sr., DL) finished with two tackles, 2.0 TFLs and one sack.
*Richmond sophomore cornerback CJ Fraser’s first-quarter interception at the Lehigh 27-yard line set up the game’s first score, a one-yard touchdown run from senior quarterback Kyle Wickersham.
*Wickersham completed 14-of-20 passes for 113 yards and rushed 14 times for 44 yards and a touchdown to lead the Spiders’ offense.
*Spiders’ sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Dawson returned a kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown to even the score at 14, just 14 seconds after Lehigh took its first lead of the game in the third quarter.
*Richmond sophomore linebacker Peyton Seelmann recorded a game-high 12 tackles, while senior linebacker Carter Glassmyer finished with nine tackles.
*Fraser and sophomore linebacker Tayshaun Burney recorded interceptions for the Spiders.
RECAPS: Richmond | Lehigh
 
GEORGETOWN HOYAS (1-0, 0-0 PL) 51, AT DAVIDSON WILDCATS (0-1, 0-0 Pioneer) 14
Richardson Stadium/Davidson, N.C.         1 p.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Sophomore running back Savion Hart rolled for 201 total yards and three first-quarter touchdowns to help Georgetown pull away early in a 51-14 victory at Davidson to win its fifth straight season opener.
*Hart rushed for touchdowns of 69 and 27 yards and had a touchdown reception of 73 yards to put the Hoyas in front 20-7 after one quarter. He finished with 123 yards on eight carries and two receptions for 78 yards.
*Senior quarterback Danny Lauter completed 11-of-16 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Dez Thomas II added 126 passing yards and a touchdown, completing 6-of-7 attempts for a Hoyas’ offense that compiled 543 yards of total offense.
*Georgetown’s ground attack produced 282 yards, led by Hart and junior running back Bryce Cox, who finished with 68 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
*Senior wide receiver Jimmy Kibble finished with 58 receiving yards on two catches, including a 41-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.
*The Hoyas’ defense posted four sacks, including one from sophomore safety Damon Narcisse, who posted five tackles.
*Junior cornerback Quincy Briggs finished with four tackles and an interception in the second quarter that set up a GU field goal.
RECAPS: Georgetown
 
AT BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES (1-0, 0-0 ACC) 66, FORDHAM RAMS (0-1, 0-0 PL) 10
Alumni Stadium/Chestnut Hill, Mass.       2 p.m. (ACC Network Extra)
BOX SCORE
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Fordham could not keep pace with ACC opponent Boston College in a 66-10 season-opening loss at Alumni Stadium.
*Rams' junior quarterback Gunnar Smith completed 20-of-39 passes for 152 yards, one interception and a touchdown run.
*Junior wide receiver Nodin Tracy posted a team-high three catches for 34 yards.
*Graduate student linebacker James Conway, the Patriot League’s career tackles leader, finished with 17 tackles, including nine solo stops.
*Rams’ senior defensive back Alex Kemper recorded 10 tackles, while senior defensive lineman Sam Buerkle added six tackles and one sack.
*Sophomore placekicker Bennett Henderson connected on a 46-yard field goal in the first quarter to make the score 7-3 with 6:04 remaining in the first quarter.
*The Rams trailed 21-3 at halftime before the Eagles scored 38 straight points to open the second half.
*Smith’s one-yard touchdown run capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive for Fordham in the fourth quarter to halt BC’s run.
RECAPS: Fordham
 
AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES (1-0, 0-0 MAC) 19, HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS (0-1, 0-0 PL) 17
Huskie Stadium/DeKalb, Ill.          3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
DEKALB, Ill. – Holy Cross’ upset bid fell short in a 19-17 loss against MAC opponent Northern Illinois at Huskie Stadium in the season opener.
*Sophomore quarterback Cal Swanson completed 17-of-29 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed 12 times for 51 yards.
*Crusaders’ senior wide receiver Max Mosey caught six passes for a team-high 71 yards.
*Holy Cross took a 10-6 lead with 10:34 on the clock in the fourth quarter when Swanson found senior wide receiver Blake Youngblood for a 16-yard touchdown.
*The Huskies responded, returning the ensuing kickoff 96 yards to retake the lead at 12-10. They added a rushing touchdown six minutes later to extend their lead to 19-10.
*The Crusaders answered when sophomore wide receiver Alijah Cason returned a kickoff for 97 yards to bring them within two points at 19-17 with 4:03 left in the game. Holy Cross’ final possession resulted in a turnover on downs to seal NIU’s victory.
*Junior linebacker Cam Santee recorded a team-high 10 tackles, while junior defensive back Eli Thompson had six tackles and 1.0 TFL.
*Carlo Crocetti (Jr., LB) made his first collegiate interception in addition to three tackles
RECAPS: Holy Cross
 
AT AIR FORCE FALCONS (1-0, 0-0 Mountain West) 49, BUCKNELL BISON (0-1, 0-0 PL) 13
Falcon Stadium/Air Force Academy, Colo.              `3:30 p.m. (CBSSN)
BOX SCORE
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Bucknell fell victim to a four-touchdown run from Air Force between the second and third quarters in a season-opening 49-13 loss to the Falcons.
*Fifth-year quarterback Ralph Rucker IV completed 10-of-18 passes for 126 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
*Junior wide receiver Sam Milligan caught two passes for 41 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown reception from Rucker in the second quarter to cut the Falcons’ lead in half at 14-7. Air Force scored the next four touchdowns to extend its lead to 42-7.
*Bison senior placekicker Matt Schearer connected on field-goal attempts from 37 and 39 yards and hit his PAT attempt.
*Sophomore linebacker Brandon Biagiarelli made a team-high eight tackles, and junior safety Deuce Geter added six tackles and one sack to lead the Bison defense.
RECAPS: BUCKNELL
 
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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.