BETHLEHEM, Pa. (Interstat) — In a commanding display that underscored their undefeated season, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks methodically dismantled the Holy Cross Crusaders 38-3 in a Patriot League contest Saturday at Goodman Stadium.

The Mountain Hawks, now 10-0, used a punishing ground attack and a series of explosive plays to overwhelm a Holy Cross team that struggled to find any offensive consistency, dropping its record to 1-9.

Lehigh set the tone early, marching 65 yards on its opening possession. The drive was capped by a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Hayden Johnson to receiver Mason Humphrey, giving the Mountain Hawks a 7-0 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Holy Cross managed its only points of the game late in the second quarter. A promising drive, highlighted by a 44-yard completion from quarterback Dominic Campanile to Alijah Cason, stalled inside the Lehigh 10-yard line. The Crusaders were forced to settle for a 32-yard field goal from Luis Palenzuela, cutting the deficit to 7-3.

Any momentum for the visitors was short-lived. Lehigh answered emphatically on its ensuing drive, which was dominated by running back Luke Yoder. The Palm Harbor, Florida, native broke the game open with a 42-yard touchdown run up the middle, restoring a two-score lead for the Mountain Hawks at 14-3 heading into halftime.

The second half belonged entirely to Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks scored 24 unanswered points, starting with a 32-yard field goal from Connor Poole on their first possession of the third quarter. On the very next play from scrimmage following the kickoff, Johnson connected with receiver Geoffrey Jamiel on a short pass that turned into a 45-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 24-3.

The ground game continued to wear down the Holy Cross defense. Yoder, who finished with a staggering 142 yards on 17 carries, punched in his second touchdown of the day from one yard out late in the third quarter. Johnson then found Jamiel for an 11-yard scoring strike early in the fourth quarter to complete the rout. Johnson, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, finished the day 8-of-18 for 174 yards with three touchdowns through the air, adding 59 yards on the ground.

For Holy Cross, the offensive struggles were pervasive. Campanile completed 19 of 34 passes for 195 yards but was sacked multiple times and under constant pressure. The Crusaders’ rushing attack was held to just 53 total yards. Joseph Williams was a rare bright spot, leading the team with 55 receiving yards. The defense managed two interceptions, from Amari Gardner and Eli Thompson, but the offense could not capitalize.

The victory keeps Lehigh’s perfect season intact as they head into their final two games against Colgate and Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks outperformed pregame projections, as Interstat’s game simulator had projected a much closer 28-23 final, and their ELO system gave Lehigh an 87.7% probability to win. Despite being installed as a 20.5-point underdog, Holy Cross failed to cover the spread, and the combined score of 41 fell under the over/under line of 45.5.

Holy Cross, mired in a difficult season, will look to regroup next week on the road against Bucknell.