Nov. 23, 2002
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EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette's Joe McCourt ran for 103 yards and scored the winning touchdown with less than six minutes remaining as the Leopards secured a 14-7 victory over No. 20 Lehigh on Saturday at Fisher Field. The Lafayette win in college football's most-played rivalry snapped Lehigh's seven-game win streak in the series.
Lafayette's victory over the Mountain Hawks in the teams' 138th meeting was also the first win in the series for Leopards' head coach Frank Tavani who is in his third season on College Hill.
Lafayette (7-5, 5-2 Patriot League) faked a 51-yard field goal on fourth-and-four with seven minutes remaining and the holder, backup quarterback Michael O'Connor, ran free to gain the Leopard first down at the Lehigh 26. McCourt scored the winning touchdown eight plays later on a three-yard run, marking the first time all season that the Mountain Hawks allowed a fourth quarter touchdown.
McCourt's 103 yards rushing was his 10th 100-plus yard rushing game this season. He earned game MVP honors as voted on by the media members in attendance.
Lehigh (8-4, 4-3 Patriot League) got on the scoreboard first on Chad Schwenk's one-yard run six seconds into the second quarter. Lafayette came back to even the score with 4:09 remaining in the quarter on a 10-yard touchdown strike from Marko Glavic to Tim Walsh.
The Mountain Hawks had a chance to pull ahead and take momentum in the third with a field goal, but Matt Douglas could not connect on the 26-yard attempt. Lehigh's seven points marked the first time since 1996 that the Mountain Hawks were held to less than 10 points, covering a span of 76 games.
Glavic broke Lafayette's single-passing record with 75 yards on 10-of-21 for 2,669 total yards on the season. The previous record was 2,621 set by Frank Baur in 1988.
Defensively, the Leopards forced three turnovers and were led by Chris Patridge's game-high 17 tackles.
Lafayette earned a third-place finish in the 2002 Patriot League standings behind Fordham and Colgate. The Leopards' 2002 contests versus Fordham and Colgate were both decided by seven points. Three-time defending league champion Lehigh finished the season in fourth place.
