BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Holy Cross football team pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Lehigh, 31-12, on Saturday, Oct. 30.
The Crusaders (6-2, 3-0) led by just two points headed into the final frame, but used a 17-point fourth quarter to secure the victory. Holy Cross held the Mountain Hawks (0-8, 0-3) to just 122 yards of offense, including -15 rushing yards.
Senior linebacker Liam Anderson paced the Holy Cross defense with eight tackles, including four tackles for loss with a pair of sacks. Junior linebacker Jacob Dobbs recorded eight tackles with a sack and two tackles for loss. Junior cornerback Devin Haskins had five tackles, with a tackle for loss, and a 36-yard interception return.
Sophomore quarterback Marco Siderman threw for 111 yards on 8-of-14 passing, throwing for a touchdown and running for another. Sophomore wide receiver Jalen Coker had a touchdown and 65 receiving yards.
Holy Cross returns to action on Nov. 6 with a home matchup against Lafayette. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. at Fitton Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- After Holy Cross fumbled the opening kickoff and Lehigh took over at the 14-yard line, the Crusaders were able to hold the Mountain Hawks to just a field goal.
- Lehigh maintained the 3-0 lead until the second quarter, when Siderman completed a 36-yard pass to Coker for a touchdown with 5:39 to go in the half.
- Siderman kept the ball for a one-yard touchdown with 47 seconds left in the half, giving Holy Cross a 14-3 lead heading into halftime.
- Lehigh hit another field goal with 6:08 left in the third to cut within 14-6.
- The Mountain Hawks blocked a Holy Cross punt to take over at the Crusaders’ nine-yard line. Lehigh completed a nine-yard touchdown pass, but was unable to secure the two-point conversion, making the score 14-12 late in the third.
- Early in the fourth quarter, Lehigh had a bad snap on a punt attempt, and Holy Cross took over on the Lehigh seven-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Matthew Sluka promptly had a seven-yard touchdown run to extend the Holy Cross lead to 21-12.
- The Crusaders held the Mountain Hawks at bay on the next drive, forcing Lehigh to punt after a sack by senior cornerback John Smith. Senior kicker Derek Ng hit a 50-yard field goal on the ensuing Crusader drive, pushing the Holy Cross advantage to 24-12.
- Haskins intercepted the first pass of the following Lehigh drive, returning the ball to the Mountain Hawks’ six-yard line. That set up another touchdown rush for Sluka, making the Crusaders’ lead 31-12 with 5:40 remaining.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- With his 50-yarder, Ng now owns the two longest field goals in Holy Cross history; Saturday’s field goal was his longest of the year and the longest in the Patriot League this season. He previously hit a 51-yard field goal — the school record — at Lehigh during the Spring 2021 season.
- This marks the first time a Holy Cross opponent has recorded negative rushing yards since the 2017 season.
