The Match-Up: Lafayette and Lehigh will square off for the 157th time overall and second time in 225 days when the Leopards travel to Bethlehem on Saturday for a noon kick at Goodman Stadium. The Leopards are looking for their third straight win over Lehigh, a feat they last achieved in 2004-07 when they won four in a row. 

2021 X2: The rivalry in the valley will be played twice in the same calendar year for the first time since 1944. The teams last played April 10, 2021 when the Leopards topped Lehigh 20-13 in a game postponed from the 2020 season due to COVID. The two meetings in 1944 were due to a limited schedule of seven games during World War II.

The Series: College football's most-played rivalry dates to 1884 (one year after standardized football rules were instituted in the U.S.) when Lafayette beat Lehigh 56-0 in Easton. The two teams met twice a year from 1884-1901 (three times in 1891) and once a year since then, with the exception of 1896 (when a player eligibility dispute canceled the game) and 2020 (COVID Pandemic). The Leopards lead the series 80-71-5. The rivalry had been played every year since 1897 without interruption, reaching 123 consecutive years in 2019.

Rivalry Amid World Events: Lafayette and Lehigh have played every year since 1884 with the exception of 1896 and 2020. In 1918, amid the height of the Spanish Flu pandemic in the Lehigh Valley, the schools considered canceling the game (due to the war effort), but did play on Nov. 23, 1918 as scheduled. The series took place during both world wars and was delayed by one week in 1963 following the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Series MVP: Media members have voted on the game MVP since 1960. Senior TE Steven Stilianos won the award in the April 2021, making a pair of TD grabs. Jeffrey Kordenbrock '21 captured the honor in 2019 -- the first Leopard kicker since 1970 to win. Prior to that, Ross Scheuerman '15 was the last Leopard winner (2014), running for a school-record 304 yards to lead Lafayette to a 27-7 win at Yankee Stadium in Rivalry 150. There have been nine two-time winners: Jon Hurt (2005, 06) Brad Maurer (2004, 06), Tom Costello (1988, 89) and Erik Marsh (1992, 94) from Lafayette and Kim McQuilken (1972, 73), Marty Horn (1983, 85), Ron Jean (1998, 99), J.B. Clark (2008, 09) and Nick Shafnisky (2015, 16) from Lehigh. In the series, there have been co-MVP's twice (1976 and 2006). For a complete list, see page 59 of the media guide. 

Consistent Performer: Senior Gavin Barclay will make history when he takes the field on Saturday at Lehigh as he will become the Lafayette career leader in games played and games started. The two-time All-Patriot League selection has started every one of the 47 games in which he has played on College Hill. The York, Pa. native started the first three games of his rookie season (2017) at left guard before playing the final eight games at right tackle. He started 11 games at right tackle in 2018, started 10 games at right tackle and two at left tackle in 2019 and started all three games at right tackle in the 2021 spring season. This season, he has started every game at right tackle. 

Early Returns: Freshman Michael Hayes is ranked 15th in the nation in kick return average (26.4 ypr). On the opening kickoff of the 2021 home slate, he ripped off a 93-yard kick-off return for a touchdown, the longest return of the season.

Sutton's 100+: Junior RB Jaden Sutton managed the second 100-yard rushing game of 2021 with 18 carries for 113 yards and a TD against Colgate in week 10. Senior Selwyn Simpson had 19 carries for 110 yards vs. Fordham on Oct. 2. 
    The Leopards did not have any 100-yard games in the three-game spring season. In 2019, Lafayette managed three 100-yard rushing performance — one by Sutton (100 yards) at Georgetown (10/19), one by Simpson (102) at Fordham (11/2) and another from Keegan Shoemaker (124) vs. Sacred Heart (9/14). 

A Long Drive: Lafayette's first scoring drive of the Colgate game used 18 plays and 12 minutes and 14 seconds to go 75 yards. It was longest scoring drive of the season in terms of time of possession and number of plays. 

A Century Later: The 2021 season marks the 100th anniversary of one of the Leopards' three national championships (1896, 1921, 1926). In 1921, Lafayette posted a 9-0 record, claiming wins over Muhlenberg, Pittsburgh, Dickinson, Bucknell, Fordham, Rutgers, Penn, Delaware and, of course, Lehigh. The largest man on that roster was 23 year-old J. WiIliams who checked in at 6-0, 214 pounds. California, Cornell and Iowa also lay claim to the national title in that year. 

Run the Ball...Stop The Run: In the Leopards' three wins this season, they have averaged 158 yards per game on the ground and limited opponents to 59 rushing yards per game. In their six losses, they have averaged 66.6 rushing yards per game and allowed 216. 

Olivas' Numbers: Junior LB Marco Olivas leads the Leopards with 104 tackles (second in the Patriot League, 8th in the nation) and a team-best 9.5 tackles for loss (fourth in the Patriot League). Versus Colgate, Olivas rang up two sacks for -14 yards. Against Bucknell, the Integrative Engineering major led Lafayette with 16 tackles and helped limit Bucknell to 89 rushing yards while earning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week laurels. At No. 19 Harvard, he followed with 15 stops and two tackles for loss. Olivas had a 13-tackle performance at Holy Cross.

Stevens Steps Up: Junior OLB Jyaire Stevens turned in a career-best performance at Holy Cross. With Billy Shaeffer out of the lineup, Stevens contributed a career- and game-high 15 tackles including a tackle for loss. He also blocked a first-half field-goal attempt that kept it a one-score game going into intermission. Against Colgate, Stevens had six tackles with a TFL.    

Unbroken: Senior LB Major Jordan is back from a broken wrist after missing parts of six games following the injury in week two. Playing with a cast, referred to by teammates as "the club," Jordan intercepted a pass at Holy Cross that fellow LB Reggie Thomas deflected. Jordan ran it back 50 yards for a touchdown. It was the team's second pick-six of the year and first of his career. Jordan has made 17 tackles in his three games back in the lineup. 

Capital Comeback: Lafayette climbed out of a 17-0 hole to come back and beat Georgetown on Oct. 30. The Leopards did not lead in the game until the 5:31 mark in the fourth quarter when Micah Pettit booted a 28-yard field goal to give Lafayette the 24-23 lead. 
    The defense needed to make one more stand and it did. Colin Hurlbrink blocked a 51-yard field goal try at the horn. Malik Hamm (8 tackles and 2.5 sacks) and the Leopards limited Georgetown to 77 rushing yards while he garnered Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time this season.
    Offensively, Ah-Shaun Davis and Julius Young churned out the bulk of the yardage, accounting for 150 yards on nine receptions, including a 47-yard touchdown. Young secured his first Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honor.
     The last time Lafayette won a game when trailing by 15 or more points was Nov. 8, 2014 at Colgate (19-16) after trailing 16-0 in third quarter.

Don't @ Me: Lafayette is playing four of its last five games on the road with last week's game vs. Colgate the only exception. Earlier in the season, the Leopards played four straight at home for the first time since 2011.

A Fresh Leg: Freshman PK Micah Pettit has been a sound addition to the special teams units. In week eight against Georgetown, Pettit nailed the game-winning 28-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. In week six, Pettit connected for a career-long 49-yard field goal vs. Bucknell and also added a 45-yarder. The 49-yard kick is tied for the fourth longest in school history and is the longest since 2010. When Pettit booted a 47-yarder at William and Mary, it was the longest make since 2011. The Utah native is 5-for-5 on kicks of 40 to 49 yards and 9-of-13 overall on the season to go along with 19-of-19 PAT conversions. Pettit was named the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 11 following the Bucknell game.  

The Opponent: Lehigh (2-8, 2-3) has recovered from a slow start to play its best football of late. The Mountain Hawks lost their first eight games to Villanova, Princeton, Richmond, Colgate (30-3), Yale, Penn (20-0), Fordham (35-28) and Holy Cross (31-12) before beating Bucknell (38-6) and Georgetown (23-9). 
    Lehigh has used four quarterbacks, but soph. Dante Perri is the one who has taken the bulk of the snaps in eight games. He has completed 121-of-201 for 1,200 yards with four TDs and five picks. Junior RB Zaythan Hill is the main ground option, netting 352 yards and five touchdowns.
    The Lehigh defense has been key in the last two outings, limiting Bucknell and Georgetown to 15 total points while allowing 170 and 237 yards, respectively. Junior DB Tygee Leech (64) and senior LB Nate Norris (63) lead the team in tackles. Senior LB Pete Haffner, a two-time All-P.L. selection, has returned from injury to bolster the defense. 
    Lehigh is coached by Tom Gilmore who was the Holy Cross head coach for 14 seasons after a four-year defensive coordinator and linebacker coaching stint at Lehigh from 2000-2003. He is in his third season with team brown.

Turnover Tales: For the season, Lafayette is minus-three in turnovers and 1-4 (Georgetown) when committing more turnovers than its opponent. The Leopards are 25th in the nation for fewest turnovers lost (11).

Freshman Factor: Freshman QB Ah-Shaun Davis has been selected as the Patriot League Rookie of the Week twice this season. He has started the last eight games, completing 117-of-199 (59%) with four touchdowns and five interceptions. At Georgetown, he was 15-of-22 day for 203 yards with a touchdown. Against Bucknell, Davis was 11-for-18 for 122 yards. The week prior he registered a 20-of-28, 354-yard, two-touchdown passing performance vs. Fordham when he went toe to toe with the reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. Davis did not throw an INT and also ran in a TD in the Leopards' first 300-yard passing game since 2019, earning Rookie of the Week honors.
    In his collegiate debut vs. No. 23 New Hampshire on Sept. 18, he was 16-of-23 for 192 yards with a pick while completing passes to five targets. Against Penn, Davis completed 12-of-18 for 157 yards and a TD and his second ROW honor. 

Under Pressure: Ah-Shaun Davis has been forced to work under pressure, as he has been sacked 33 times over eight games (an average of 4.1 sacks per game), skewed by a nine-sack game at Harvard.
    The Leopards did not allow a sack vs. Colgate in week 10, the first time since Oct. 27, 2018 at Fordham that a Lafayette quarterback went unscathed.

Big Plays For 14: On the Leopards' 28 plays of 20 yards or more from scrimmage in 2021, Ah-Shaun Davis has been involved in 16 of them, including the season-long play from scrimmage, a 74-yard TD toss to K.J. Rodgers vs. Fordham. The week prior vs. Penn, Davis heaved a 70-yard bomb to Joe Gillette.
 
2021 Non-League Play: Lafayette faced a formidable non-conference slate, opening at FBS foe Air Force (5-1), before traveling to William and Mary (4-1) and then hosting No. 23 New Hampshire (3-2). The Leopards dealt Penn (2-2) its first loss of the season and faced a 5-0 Harvard squad, ranked 19th in the nation. Those five teams were a combined 16-6 when Lafayette faced them.

Year Five In The Garrett Era: John Garrett is in his fifth season at Lafayette. Garrett took over the coaching reins on Dec. 21, 2016. He guided Lafayette to a pair of 3-8 campaigns in 2017 and 2018, a 4-8 mark in 2019 before a 2-1 clip in the spring 2021 campaign. Lafayette registered a third-place conference finish in 2017 (3-3) and a fourth-place finish in 2018 (2-4) before a break through with a second-place finish in 2019 when Lafayette won four of its last five games. The Leopards finished second in the Patriot League south division in the spring 2021 season.
    Garrett has more than 25 years of coaching experience at the NFL, NCAA FBS and NCAA FCS levels. Offensive coordinator stints at Richmond and Oregon State preceded his hiring.