BETHLEHEM, Pa. – In an impressive display of skill, Hayden Johnson connected on three touchdown passes while Aaron Crossley made a remarkable 84-yard run for a score, leading Lehigh to a convincing 45-17 victory over Colgate on Saturday. This triumph keeps Lehigh tied with Holy Cross at the top of the Patriot League standings.

Lehigh’s record now stands at 7-3 overall and 4-1 in league play as they approach the end of the season. Next week, they are set to host Lafayette while Holy Cross will face Georgetown. Lehigh holds a crucial advantage in tiebreakers, having edged past Holy Cross with a narrow 10-7 win last week. Should both teams end the season tied for the championship, Lehigh would secure an automatic slot in the FCS playoffs due to their head-to-head victory.

The game began positively for Lehigh, who led 17-3 at the halftime break. They quickly built on this lead in the second half with another touchdown pass from Johnson, followed by Jaden Green’s impressive 33-yard rushing touchdown, extending their advantage to 31-3 by the end of the third quarter.

Colgate fought back in the fourth quarter, with quarterback Jake Stearney throwing two touchdown passes, but the match was ultimately decided when Johnson connected with Geoffrey Jamiel on a 51-yard touchdown pass, coupled with Crossley’s stunning long run for another score.

Lehigh’s powerful rushing attack was spearheaded by Green, Crossley, and Luke Yoder, accumulating a total of 266 yards out of the team’s 271 rushing yards. Green topped the charts with 103 yards, followed closely by Yoder with 83 yards and Crossley contributing 80 yards.

In terms of passing, Johnson completed 16 out of 21 attempts, totaling 204 yards. Jamiel was a standout receiver, hauling in seven catches, two of which resulted in touchdowns, for a total of 125 yards. On the other side, Stearney completed 33 of 42 passes for the Raiders, racking up 263 yards.