WORCESTER – The Holy Cross football team looked forward to the challenge of and the opportunity to face nationally-ranked Lehigh, the defending Patriot League champion, in its season opener Aug. 29 at Fitton Field.
The Crusaders, largely new in 2026 with the infusion of 15 transfers and 18 first-year players and coming off a 3-9 campaign, were hopeful of starting the year fresh.
The No. 11 Mountain Hawks quickly dispelled those aspirations during a dominant first quarter.
Lehigh star senior running back Luke Yoder rushed for 90 of his 130 yards and two of his three touchdowns in the first 15 minutes, and the Mountain Hawks rolled to a 35-10 win in Rich Nagy’s debut as coach.
“Against a (top team in the country), you’re going to find out real quick where you’re at,” HC coach Dan Curran said. “There were some things we’re excited about and there are some things we have to correct moving forward.”
The date marked the earliest HC had opened a season in program history. The Crusaders fell to 0-8 all-time in the month of August.
Junior David Lynch, who transferred to Holy Cross from Pitt, started at quarterback and was 25-40 for 313 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Lynch beat out senior Cal Swanson and sophomore Dom Campanile in a tight competition during preseason camp.
The Crusaders made three trips inside the Lehigh 10-yard line in the first half and came away with just three points.
“I felt good and I’m blessed with the opportunity,” Lynch said. “The red zone (troubles) were such a big piece of the start. We have to finish. We moved the ball and we had some flashes of great football, and some really bad football, too.”
Lynch found his favorite receiver in junior Myles Abernathy, a transfer from Georgia State who had nine catches for 129 yards.
Holy Cross knew it would have to contain Lehigh’s vaunted ground attack, led by Yoder, the 2025 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. The Mountain Hawks outrushed HC, 344-20, in last year’s 38-3 win.
This time around, Lehigh outgained the Crusaders, 281-78, and junior quarterback Hayden Johnson’s 65-yard touchdown run up the middle gave the Mountain Hawks their first points less than 3 minutes into the game.
“(Johnson) has some timely pulls on some of that zone read stuff,” Curran said. “He pulled a big one. That was huge for them and helped them get their run game going.”
Yoder scored on runs of 4 and 33 yards and Lehigh jumped to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.
Holy Cross went three and out on its first two possessions, but Lynch’s 37-yard completion to Abernathy on the final play of the first quarter pushed the Crusaders to the Lehigh 14.
HC got as far as the 6 before turning the ball over on downs.
Later in the second, the Crusaders made it to the Lehigh 7, and they settled for an Owen Saraceno 26-yard field goal.
Midway through the second quarter, Lynch had three straight completions totaling 60 yards and the Crusaders were on the move again.
On second and 4 from the Lehigh 7, HC sent in freshman quarterback Liam Zelman to run the ball, but Zelman fumbled to end the drive. Lehigh’s Aidan Williams recovered.
“Liam flashed a little during camp,” Curran said, “and Lehigh does a really good job with red-zone defense and the plus-one run game can sometimes be the X factor. We were excited to get him in there. The moment was a little big for him. He’s a young guy, but he’ll learn from that and grow.”
Not taking advantage in the red zone was even more frustrating considering HC shut out Lehigh in the second quarter.
“It was a slow start for our defense,” HC senior linebacker Adam Due said, “but once we got settled in we did a good job and we’re hoping to build on that next week.”
Holy Cross travels to PL foe Colgate on Sept. 5.
Johnson threw a 14-yard TD pass to Nick Palumbo with 7 minutes left in the third quarter and Yoder closed out the scoring with a 6-yard TD run with 9:59 left in the game.
Earlier in the fourth, Lynch completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Drae Tyme to cap an 82-yard drive.
Curran said Lynch’s command of the offense, his decision making and his accuracy ultimately set him apart in the quarterback battle.
“All of those guys did a great job,” Curran said. “We felt David gives us the best chance to win games, and we’re excited about what he’s going to provide moving forward.”
‒Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Lehigh dominates Holy Cross in season opener
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