BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Yale football lost its first game of the season Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 8 Lehigh 31-13 on the road. The Bulldogs kept the game within one score up through the third quarter, but the Mountain Hawks pulled away in the fourth to secure the victory.
The loss drops the Bulldogs to 2-1 on the season, while the Mountain Hawks improve to 6-0 for the first time since 2012.
Key Players
- Nico Brown recorded his first-career multi-touchdown game, scoring one in each half of play to go along with 85 receiving yards.
- Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye followed up his Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week performance from last week with a 13-tackle day against the Mountain Hawks, including 10 solo stops.
- Lehigh's Luke Yoder recorded 158 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.
Big Moments
- Near the end of the first half, Dante Reno led the Bulldogs on a 15-play, 89-yard drive that culminated in a 27-yard touchdown pass to Brown, halving the Lehigh lead at the time.
- On a 4th and 1 with 6:25 left in the third quarter, Reno found Brown again for a 44-yard touchdown, cutting into the Mountain Hawk lead again.
Game Notes
- Jaxton Santiago recorded a career-high six receptions for 85 yards.
- Reno completed a season-high 25 passes for 247 yards.
- Ayo-Durojaiye's 10 solo tackle game was the first by a Bulldog since Abu Kamara had 12 solo stops against Central Connecticut in 2024.
- Reese Keeney recorded three punts that went an average of 46.3 net yards, a season-high.
- Keeney also recorded a career-high 63-yard punt.
Hear From Coach Reno
"Credit to a strong Lehigh team. There were opportunities we did not capitalize on and that comes down to discipline and execution," said Tony Reno, Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of Football. "We will use this week of practice working on finishing strong in all phases of the game."
Up Next
The Bulldogs will be back on the road next week when they take on Ivy League foe Dartmouth on Oct. 11 at 1:30 p.m.
