Lehigh makes goal-line stand to secure a 21-14 victory over Richmond for 15th Patriot League title

Tight end Joseph Marranca recovered a fumble in the end zone with 4:21 remaining, and Lehigh made a goal-line stand to secure a 21-14 victory over Richmond for the program’s 15th Patriot League championshipByThe Associated PressNovember 14, 2026, 5:46 PMRICHMOND, Va. -- Tight end Joseph Marranca recovered a fumble in the end zone with 4:21 remaining, and Lehigh made a goal-line stand to secure a 21-14 victory over Richmond on Saturday for the program's 15th Patriot League championship.Luke Yoder rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown for Lehigh — and he nearly had a second score before fumbling it at the goal line for Marranca to secure. Lehigh had a bad snap on the two-point conversion attempt, but a procedure penalty gave them another chance to convert.Richmond went 71 yards in 12 plays to bring up a fourth-and-goal with 48 seconds left, and Jack Callaghan’s pass under pressure came up short of his receiver on the outside. Lehigh (9-2, 7-1), ranked 17th in the Stats Perform poll, earned its third straight auto-bid to the FCS playoffs with the win — combined with a Holy Cross win over Villanova earlier.Freshman Patrick Coan was 10-of-21 passing for 82 yards and a touchdown for Lehigh. Aiden Schomp made a one-handed grab and went in for a 15-yard touchdown for a 14-13 lead with 9:27 left in the third. Callaghan threw for 207 yards with a touchdown for Richmond (6-5, 4-4). Popular ReadsLehigh: Plays at Lafayette in a regular-season finale next Saturday.Richmond: Hosts William & Mary next Saturday.___Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.Sponsored Content by Taboola