Lehigh football hosted Dartmouth at Goodman Stadium, while fans and families gathered for the annual family and founder’s weekend game to see the Mountain Hawks take on the Big Green.
This game marks the first time Dartmouth has come back to face Lehigh at home in 30 years. The Mountain Hawks lead against Dartmouth all-time, with a 5-3 record since their first matchup in 1950.
Dartmouth started the game with the ball, but couldn’t capitalize and went three-and-out.
Lehigh set the tone in their first possession, with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Luke Yoder.
Yoder ran for 150 yards throughout the game, bringing his season total to 419 rushing yards.
Shortly after, Dartmouth got on the board, with senior kicker Owen Zalc converting on a 49-yard field goal in their second possession.
The score remained 7-3 with Lehigh in the lead to end the first quarter.
Dartmouth kept the ball moving to start the second quarter, with a second field goal from 50 yards out by Zalc.
With four minutes left in the half, Lehigh sophomore quarterback Derek Morgan threw 13 yards to junior wide receiver Nick Palumbo for a touchdown, which was upheld after a referee review of the catch.
This game is Morgan’s first ever start as a Mountain Hawk, with starting quarterback Hayden Johnson not playing.
Morgan passed for a total of 73 yards and one touchdown.
Lehigh capitalized on its red-zone scoring opportunities in the first half, with two touchdowns on two close-up chances.
Dartmouth ended the second quarter with a 33-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Ky’Dric Fisher, which brought the score to 14-13.
While Lehigh had the lead going into halftime, Dartmouth tripled the Mountain Hawk’s passing yards with 138 in the first half.
Lehigh started off the third quarter with a nine minute possession, but they were stopped at the end zone with a blocked pass by Dartmouth linebacker Sean Chester, which led to a 27-yard field goal from Zalc.
Dartmouth then held possession the rest of the third quarter, capitalizing on a 42-yard pass from senior quarterback Grayson Saunier that led them to the 1 yard line. Sophomore running back Myles Craddock then carried it in for the Big Green, giving Dartmouth a 20-17 going into the fourth quarter.
Saunier led Dartmouth throughout the game, ending with 262 passing yards.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Yoder capitalized on a pass interference call against Dartmouth and carried the ball two yards into the endzone, despite back by back-to-back penalties for the Mountain Hawks on the drive.
This score brought Lehigh back in the lead, 24-20.
With four minutes left in the game, Dartmouth’s Saunier ran 10-yards to complete a fourth-down for the Big Green, but the next pass was incomplete and the Mountain Hawks took over on downs.
Dartmouth got the ball back from a Lehigh punt and worked its way up to the Lehigh 26 yard line, but senior defender DJ Brown intercepted a Dartmouth pass to end the game.
This win is the first of Lehigh’s non-conference schedule for the 2026 season.
Next up, the Mountain Hawks will take on the University of Pennsylvania away in Philadelphia, for their second non-conference game of the season.