No effort. Collapse in The Rivalry.

[Chalkeye]

So many little mistakes cost Lehigh so many times over the season. One example that typifies this is early in Q3, Lehigh driving, faces a 3rd and long 2. They throw a quick out to the TE that is incomplete. They had 2022 PL OROY stalk blocking the safety, and the TE with 2 catches all year trying to pick up a long two yards. WHY? or Why not have those roles reversed. #9 is impossible to cover in small spaces and is sure-handed, But the ball falls incomplete. Lehigh punts and Laf drives down and scores. Missed passes, fumbles, dropped passes and failure to convert on 3rd down were recurring themes all year long. Lehigh is not skilled enough to sustain long drives and not explosive enough to score from anywhere. Hopefully next year that will change.

[Hawktalker]

Chalkeye,

I don't disagree with you about the play call but you did understate the tight end's stats for the season. He had 14 catches for 140 yards including one that went for 46 yards. He had three catches in Saturday's game.

I don't know if it would have changed anything this season, but i think the tight ends were not used enough.

[Old Timer]

They also had a 3rd and 3 or so and they call that silly

throw to the sideline 4 yards behind LOS. Sure enough, 5 yard loss and a punt. Hunt is simply terrible. He needs to go now!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Was a shame that they played their best half of football of the season, and then pissed on it. The secondary was very young this year and everyone knew going in that would be the 'achilles heel', especially if no strong pass rush. Pick your poison, blitz and leave the DBs to fend for themselves, or help in coverage that gave some excellent passers too much time in the rocking chair over the season. We have received some excellent verbal commitments so far at skill positions, but we really need to beef up both lines. DL giving away too much weight and getting worn down by the fourth quarter. Hopefully, these 'sparks' of success that occurred during the year will provide motivation for prepping for '24 and realizing the work that is needed to be put in. As coach said in the press, we have too many guys playing football and not enough football players for this level. I like Cahill's approach, attitude and focus. The players appear to have bought in to his plan forward. I agree there were about 3-4 games this year that we lost that could have easily been 'W's" due to horrible turnovers and penalties. It is possible that by not winning those 4 additional games, we did not end up with a 'false" winning record of 6-5, which would have many people think that the corner had already been turned. It hasn't. We are in the process of turning around a battleship to a new course, and that takes time. Like everyone, I hope we get lucky and snag some great recruits that can make an immediate impact, but at level of FCS football, that is easier said than done. Next year's schedule has its challenges, but I still see the potential for 4-6 wins. We won't really see our progress until next August 31 at West Point!! Go LEHIGH!

I'm not sure if Coach Cahill should have made such a remark. Unless he is planning on purging the roster, ala Coach Prime (how's that working out?), of these players who are not FCS caliber what is the point? The best coaches take walk-ons and the "under recruited" and turn them into key contributors. Otherwise, you basically have a coach who openly does not believe in the players he's coaching/leading/developing. Pat Narduzzi made a similar comment about Pitt's current roster which caused many players to turn against him on social media.

Narduzzi had to issue a public apology for making such a comment. IMO, Cahill still has a lot to learn about being a head coach...

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news ... -comments/

https://www.si.com/college/2023/10/29/p ... s-comments

[Sundayamqb]

I'd like to see a new OC, too.

(Loved that throwback Lafayette used on an early TD. I remember when Air Lehigh executed that sucker to perfection over a several-year period.)

Now's the time to look.

[HFO]

Was a shame that they played their best half of football of the season, and then pissed on it. The secondary was very young this year and everyone knew going in that would be the 'achilles heel', especially if no strong pass rush. Pick your poison, blitz and leave the DBs to fend for themselves, or help in coverage that gave some excellent passers too much time in the rocking chair over the season. We have received some excellent verbal commitments so far at skill positions, but we really need to beef up both lines. DL giving away too much weight and getting worn down by the fourth quarter. Hopefully, these 'sparks' of success that occurred during the year will provide motivation for prepping for '24 and realizing the work that is needed to be put in. As coach said in the press, we have too many guys playing football and not enough football players for this level. I like Cahill's approach, attitude and focus. The players appear to have bought in to his plan forward. I agree there were about 3-4 games this year that we lost that could have easily been 'W's" due to horrible turnovers and penalties. It is possible that by not winning those 4 additional games, we did not end up with a 'false" winning record of 6-5, which would have many people think that the corner had already been turned. It hasn't. We are in the process of turning around a battleship to a new course, and that takes time. Like everyone, I hope we get lucky and snag some great recruits that can make an immediate impact, but at level of FCS football, that is easier said than done. Next year's schedule has its challenges, but I still see the potential for 4-6 wins. We won't really see our progress until next August 31 at West Point!! Go LEHIGH!

I'm not sure if Coach Cahill should have made such a remark. Unless he is planning on purging the roster, ala Coach Prime (how's that working out?), of these players who are not FCS caliber what is the point? The best coaches take walk-ons and the "under recruited" and turn them into key contributors. Otherwise, you basically have a coach who openly does not believe in the players he's coaching/leading/developing. Pat Narduzzi made a similar comment about Pitt's current roster which caused many players to turn against him on social media.

Narduzzi had to issue a public apology for making such a comment. IMO, Cahill still has a lot to learn about being a head coach...

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news ... -comments/

https://www.si.com/college/2023/10/29/p ... s-comments

I concur. Rookie move by our Head Coach. Throw those who show up and put in the work under the bus.
In WW II, if that were the attitude, we all would be speaking German. We showed up from the inner city, the farms, with no experience, but the "right attitude" and men ready to train and lead and we did our part.

This Cahill seems more and more like just another loser.

[ngineer]

I note that we have 26 seniors who will not be returning (unless a few seek and are awarded 5th years). You will note that there were few seniors playing this year, so it's quite possible that the 'purge' someone mentioned may be via the 'natural' way.

[Old Timer]

Well, maybe it’s time to be honest! What’s been done for the past 8-10 years has clearly not worked. This level of FB is no place for Snowflakes. I guess we’ll see, won’t we.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I note that we have 26 seniors who will not be returning (unless a few seek and are awarded 5th years). You will note that there were few seniors playing this year, so it's quite possible that the 'purge' someone mentioned may be via the 'natural' way.

Even if that's the case, wouldn't the "odds" (based on time removed from Coen/success vs the "Gilmore Influence") suggest next year's soph, jr, and sr classes are just as weak or weaker than the class that just left? Granted, recruiting had to be compromised in 2018/2019 given Andy's health and the coaching transition. I just don't think it's wise to devalue 75% or so your roster (unless he's having individual consultations and embracing the portal) by making a rather blanket statement.

I say this because I don't think this team is devoid of talent! I have stood by this mantra all season and will continue to do so. They are competitively bad rather than some hapless outfit who lack athleticism and/or semblance of competency. I'm not buying the DL/front 7 is size is undersized or weak. First Lehigh has never had big DL (outside of Pettit and Slaton combo in the late 90s/early 00s as the DTs or Chagani/Royce Morgan, who were athletic balls of muscle) Lehigh has never been noted for interior linemen. I thought the DL and LBs performed pretty well all season and would happily roll with whoever returns next year. The OL improved as the year went along. It needs some work/continuity but I don't see it as a true negative. The issue is QB play. That HAS to improve! The RB's/WR's are "solid" (who in the league has a great set of skill guys? Fordham? What did that get them. HC runs QB power 80% of the game, Lafayette? Curtis is good and the rest just fit together). Going into next year the QB position has to be an open competition and there has to be a commitment from the staff for development.

I am not throwing in the towel on the players. I saw WAY too many good things this season, similar to last year, that indicates there's a foundation for a pretty quick turnaround. It comes down to the coaches squeezing every bit of good from these guys; position changes, proper rotations, schemes that fit the talent, commitment to development, positive intersquad competition, etc. This comes down to Cahill doing what is necessary to facilitate net gains in 2024.

I watch Temple football and DePaul basketball. I know what "terrible" and "lost" look like. Lehigh football is nowhere near that level. However, next year will mark 8 years since the last winning season. A decade lost is closing in which NO ONE would have imagined at any point during Lehigh's Division 1-AA/FCS days (aka the modern era). You can't keep kicking the can down the road...

[mookie]

Essentially Cahill was saying the roster is filled with a lot of stiffs.