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HAMILTON – Three touchdowns called back because of penalties, a crushing unsportsmanlike flag on the closing drive and then the only turnover of the game.
 
Those breaks were too much to overcome as Colgate dropped a 41-38 decision to Lehigh in the Patriot League opener for both teams.
 
The Raiders scored just three points instead of 21 because of the three nullifying penalties. And Colgate was driving to tie or take the lead late when yet another marker set them back.
 
The first penalty wiped out Owen Rockett's 93-yard kickoff return that would have made it 35-21 Colgate just before half. The Raiders instead had time for just a few snaps as the quarter ended 28-21.
 
The second flag took a 32-yard TD completion from Grant Breneman to Thomas Ives off the board early in the third quarter. Colgate missed a field goal six plays later and the score remained 28-21.
 
The third TD-erasing penalty came just past the midway point of the fourth quarter with the game tied 35-35. Breneman's 20-yard TD toss to Nick Martinsen was nullified, and Colgate wound up settling for a 27-yard Chris Puzzi field goal and a 38-35 lead with 5:16 remaining.
 
Lehigh answered with a five-play, 75-yard TD march to take a 41-38 lead, despite missing the PAT, with 3:36 remaining.
 
Colgate quickly drove into Lehigh territory and, on second-and-9 at the Mountain Hawk 40, Breneman hit Martinsen for a 29-yard completion to the 11. But Colgate was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play, backing the Raiders up to the Lehigh 26.
 
Two plays later, Colgate fumbled the handoff for the game's only turnover. Lehigh's Mark Walker made the recovery with 1:49 remaining and the Mountain Hawks converted one first down to ice the game.
 
Bottom Line
• Lehigh 41, Colgate 38

Won-Lost Records
• Colgate is now 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the Patriot League.
• Lehigh improved to 1-5 and 1-0.

Stats of the Game
• Lost in the disappointment was the fact that Colgate put together its best offensive showing of the season by far.
• Breneman completed 18-of-22 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns through the air, with one on the ground.
• He found Brett Gasiorowski from 4 yards in the first quarter and Tre Caine for 66 yards in the fourth.
• Those were the first career TD receptions for both Gasiorowski and Caine.
• Alex Mathews also had a career afternoon, carrying 27 times for 147 yards and two scores. All three of those figures are collegiate highs.
• Ives finished with three catches for 68 – including a highlight-reeler with one hand to set up Breneman's TD run that gave Colgate its first lead of the game, 21-14.
• Martinsen posted three receptions for 64 yards and Cain two for 77 and the score.
• Rockett in his first kickoff return duty finished with four for a 32.8-yard average – not counting most of what would have been the 93-yarder to the house.
• Colgate as a team returned seven kickoffs for a 27.6-yard average.
• Nick Ioanilli was the team tackle leader with 11. Jordan Jefferson, Ben Hunt IV and Alec Wisniewski added seven tackles apiece.
• Nick Wheeler contributed the game's only sack, a 14-yard loss for his fifth of the season.
 
From the Source
• Colgate head coach Dan Hunt: (On the game) "In the second half I was thinking to myself, 'The first team to turn the ball over is going to lose the game.' And that's what happened. We're not good enough to have penalties like we did. We had three touchdowns taken off the board and then field position late. That's on me; we've got to get that cleaned up. We've got to eliminate those mistakes.
 
"We really found a rhythm on offense today – and it's a lot of freshmen and sophomores, which is encouraging. But at the end of the day, that game was there for us and we just didn't get it done. There were enough little mistakes that we made to keep us from getting it comfortable. We've got to get better next week and keep playing."
 
Listen to the rest of Coach Hunt's comments HERE.
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Attendance inside Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium was 2,986.
 
Up Next
• Colgate is home again next Saturday against Fordham.
• The Rams are 1-5 after losing 14-10 Saturday at Lafayette.
• Kickoff is noon, with Stadium/PLN and WKXZ-FM carrying the action.