EASTON, Pa. (AP) — Luke Yoder rushed for 234 yards and four touchdowns, Hayden Johnson threw for a touchdown and Lehigh finished the regular season undefeated after a 42-32 victory over Lafayette on Saturday to become back-to-back Patriot League champions.
Lehigh (12-0, 7-0), ranked No. 4 in the FCS Coaches Poll, earned the league's automatic berth into the FCS playoffs in the 161st meeting of college football's hottest rival. Lehigh's 17-game regular season winning streak is the longest in the FCS.
Lehigh trailed 17-14 at halftime before Yoder's two third-quarter touchdowns, the first from 80 yards, gave the Mountain Hawks a 28-24 lead entering the fourth. His 6-yard score made it 35-24.
After Lafayette got the score within 35-32 on a 4-yard touchdown and 2-point conversion, Lehigh went on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that took over five minutes and ended with Johnson's 1-yard run with 1:53 left for a 10-point lead.
Johnson rushed for 64 yards on seven carries for Lehigh, which cruised to a 27-7 win over Colgate in a game that was canceled due to lightning with 3:54 left in the game.
Kente Edwards rushed for 157 yards on 41 carries and scored three times for Lafayette (8-4, 6-1), which advanced to the Patriot League for the first time in program history with a 6-0 record. The Leopards went 5-0 in 1988, '92 and '94.
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