HAMILTON – Colgate scored early and often building a 24-3 halftime lead and coasting to a 30-3 victory over Lehigh in the Patriot League opener for both teams. The victory was the first for Colgate Fred '50 and Marilyn Dunlap Head Coach Stan Dakosty.

The Raiders dominated on both sides of the ball, amassing 449 total yards to just 101 for the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh recorded only two first downs in each half.

Colgate scored just 1:40 into the game on a nine-yard rush by quarterback Grant Breneman. The Raiders were working off a short field following a Collin Heard interception at the Lehigh 27 on the Mountain Hawks first pass play from scrimmage. It took Colgate only two plays to cover the 27 yards.

Following a three and out for the Mountain Hawks, Colgate capped a seven play 53-yard drive with a nine-yard jet sweep by Garrett Oakley and a 14-0 lead with 8:38 remaining in the first quarter.

Lehigh got on the board with a 32-yard field goal by Dylan VanDusen following a fumbled snap which resulted in a Colgate blocked punt. The Mountain Hawks lost five yards on the possession, but VanDusen drilled the field goal with 12:29 left in the second quarter.

The Raiders answered on a 27-yard Jacob Jaworski field goal on their next possession following a 12 play 66-yard drive. The big play on the drive was a Breneman 22-yard gallop to the Lehigh 10.

Following a three and out for Lehigh, Colgate went 57 yards in just four plays to take a 24-3 lead into halftime. Included in the drive was a 34-yard rush by Breneman and a Breneman to Myles Bradley 20- yard completion for the score.

Jaworski connected on field goals from 34 yards in the third quarter and a 40-yarder in the fourth to give the final margin.

Breneman led Colgate in rushing with 119 yards on 16 carries. John Cox added 75 yards on only eight carries.

Trevor Thompson tallied seven tackles and a tackle for loss for Colgate and Tyler Flick also had seven stops to lead the Raiders.

FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Stan Dakosty

"To start the Patriot League off 1-0 is a huge deal. Our coaching staff has worked hard the last couple months to get to this point and the guys have bought in. I'm just really happy for them. Singing the fight song on the 50 – that was probably the biggest thing for me, watching our guys do that because they've worked hard and they've earned it.
 
"This first win means a lot. There have been a lot of firsts over the last couple months. You try to appreciate everything in the moment – my dad was in the locker room after the game and that was great. It was great to see our guys excited too. I got the game ball and I'll always have that. This will always be a great memory.
 
"We didn't mention Lehigh at all this week, it was about us and getting better. It's a good feeling to get a win against an opponent like Lehigh because there have been so many moments in Patriot League history that involve the two of us. We've broken their hearts and they've broken ours. It's an important win for the guys who have played here in the past too. Now let's take this and build off of it."
 
UP NEXT
Colgate will travel to Georgetown University Saturday, October 2, at 12:30 p.m.