Lehigh will be without leading wide receiver Ryan Spadola when the Mountain Hawks visit North Dakota State in the 2011 FCS playoffs quarterfinals (4 p.m., ESPN3).
Spadola, named an All-American on Wednesday after catching 96 passes for 1,614 yards and 11 touchdowns, was suspended for the game following an incident involving social media. He retweeted a comment sent from a former high school teammate that included a racial slur, a decision the Division I Football Championship committee called "an inappropriate and repugnant racial reference."
The Mountain Hawks still have quarterback Chris Lum, a finalist for the Walter Payton Award given to the outstanding player in the FCS. Lum, who completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,739 yards and 31 touchdowns during the regular season, completed 36-of-48 passes for 351 yards and a touchdown during Lehigh's second-round win against Towson last week. The Mountain Hawks broke a 38-38 tie by forcing a safety with 5:14 left, then killed the rest of the clock with a long drive to end the game.
North Dakota State, who beat FBS member Minnesota earlier this season, beat James Madison 26-14 in the second round. The Bisons enter Saturday's game ranked No. 2 in the nation, featuring a defense that allows fewer than 15 points per game.
Lum said advancing to the semifinals wouldn't just be for Lehigh. It would also be for the Patriot League, hardly ever included among the top FCS football conferences.
"The Patriot League had not been faring well in the playoffs before the Northern Iowa game," Lum said. "That game was greater than just our team. We were representing our school but also the Patriot League. We recognize that and we’re aware of that."