Courtesy of Dave Rudin

The Yale football team (2–1, 1–0 Ivy) lost to Lehigh (6–0, 2–0 Patriot League) on Saturday in Pennsylvania at their first away game of the season. 

The Bulldogs came into the matchup undefeated with back-to-back wins against Holy Cross (0–6, 0–1 Patriot League) and Cornell (0–3, 0–1 Ivy). Meanwhile, the Mountain Hawks entered the matchup as the eighth-ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision — the second-highest level of Division I football — after picking up five victories to start their season. 

On Saturday, Lehigh jumped out to an early 14-0 lead after two long touchdown passes by quarterback Hayden Johnson. Following the two touchdowns, the Yale defense seemed to settle into the game and did not surrender another point before halftime.

Their offensive teammates started showing signs of life late in the first half when they marched down the field with a methodical 15-play, 89-yard drive capped off by a Nico Brown ’26 27-yard touchdown reception with 43 seconds left to go in the second quarter. 

Coming out of halftime down seven, the Bulldog offense picked up right where it had left off with a few completions by Dante Reno ’28. However, their first drive of the half ended with a turnover on fourth and eighth. With no other options, Reno forced a deep pass that was picked off by Lehigh defensive back Davis Rice.

Three plays later, thanks to a 59-yard completion, Lehigh was back in the endzone, both extending their lead and recapturing the game’s momentum.

Yale trotted back onto the field with just under ten minutes remaining in the third quarter, and showed their resiliency. 

However, the offense slowed down and the Bulldogs found themselves facing yet another fourth down in Lehigh territory. With only 2 yards to go, the Yale coaching staff chose to go the aggressive route again and sent Brown on a seam route right up the middle of the field. Reno hit him in stride for a 44-yard touchdown, his second of the day.

After a missed point-after-attempt by Yale, the Mountain Hawks answered with a field goal to go up 24-13. 

The Bulldogs, attempting to pull the game back into reach, marched down the field once more only for Reno to get picked off in the Lehigh endzone on a 3rd and 12 from the 13-yard-line. 

After that, Lehigh added another touchdown to their total and the Bulldogs were unable to climb out of the hole. The final score finished 31-13. 

“Credit to a strong Lehigh team. There were opportunities we did not capitalize on and that comes down to discipline and execution,” head coach Tony Reno said in a Yale Athletics news release about the game. “We will use this week of practice working on finishing strong in all phases of the game.”

Despite the loss, there were a few achievements for Yale football players. Dante Reno threw for a career high 247 yards and 25 completions, while Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye ’26 led the game with 12 tackles, including 10 solo stops. 

Yale will be back in action next Saturday when they head north to Hanover to take on Dartmouth (2–1, 0–1 Ivy). The game will kickoff at 1:30 p.m. and air on ESPN+.