NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Yale completed its non-conference schedule with a perfect 3-0 record and improved to 3-2 overall after a 38-23 victory over the Lehigh on Breast Cancer Awareness Day at the Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field.

With the win, the Bulldogs retained the Yank Townsend Trophy, which is given in recognition of competition between Yale (founded 1701) and Lehigh (founded 1865), the lifetime achievements of their graduates, and the generations of families that have attended both universities. Yale initially won the trophy in 2006 and successfully retained it twice, before Lehigh captured the trophy for the first time in 2011 and reclaimed it in 2016. The Bulldogs won the most recent meeting in 2021.

Key Players

• Yale running back Tre Peterson led the Bulldogs with 98 yards rushing on the day, including a 57-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to give his team a 21-point lead.
• Joshua Tarver and Da'Quan Gonzales both led the defense from the secondary. Tarver recorded two interceptions and eight total tackles, while Gonzales scored his first career touchdown on a pick-six late in the first quarter.

HE IS GONE!

It's Tre Peterson taking it 57 yards to the house!

Yale 38, Lehigh 17 | 3rd, 0:57#ThisIsYale | #Team151 pic.twitter.com/otFu8ucQgy

— Yale Football (@yalefootball) October 19, 2024

Game-Changing Plays

• Halfway through the second quarter, Lehigh quarterback Hayden Johnson, down 14-10 with the ball, found wide receiver Mason Humphrey behind the defense for what should have been a go-ahead 63-yard touchdown. Instead, it went off Humphrey's hands. Yale made a stop the very next play, and rallied for two more touchdowns before halftime, at which it led 28-10. 
• Early in the second half, Lehigh running back Luke Yoder ripped off a 28-yard run into Yale territory, but before he could go down Yale defensive back Abu Kamara knocked the ball loose, then recovered by Yale linebacker Jacob Biggs. It was the third of four turnovers forced by the Bulldog defense on the day.

Bulldog Bytes

• Gonzales' first quarter pick-six was the first defensive touchdown scored by the Bulldogs since Oct. 7, 2023, when Sean Guyton returned an interception 70 yards to the end zone at Dartmouth.
• The Yale defense held Lehigh to four yards passing in the first half, including the two interceptions from Gonzales and Tarver. 
• Shamus Florio punted the ball five times for an average of 38.8 yards per kick, including a 56-yard boot in the second quarter. 
• Peterson's 12 rushing attempts for 98 yards and a touchdown were all season highs for the senior. 
• Wide receiver Mason Shipp caught a season-high six passes for 55 yards.
• Quarterback Grant Jordan's second quarter rushing touchdown marked the third-straight game the senior found the endzone using his legs. His 55 rushing yards were a season high. 

Hear from Coach Reno
"As we all know, growth happens over the course of a season," said Tony Reno, Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "We probably grew more from Tuesday to 3:38 p.m. today than we had all season. We made good decisions and really improved in a lot of different areas that related to our standards at Yale football."

Looking Ahead
Yale will head to Philadelphia on Friday, Oct. 25 for a night match up against Penn. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU. The Bulldogs hope to snap a two-game losing streak to the Quakers.