ESPN College Football

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Michael Colvin passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns in his debut as Lehigh's starting quarterback and the Mountain Hawks defeated Monmouth (N.J.) 27-17 on Saturday in the teams' season opener.

Lehigh, which made it to the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals last season, took a 14-0 lead and led 21-7 at halftime before Monmouth battled back with 10 third-quarter points.

Monmouth drove to the Lehigh 10 in the fourth quarter, but the Mountain Hawks stopped Julian Hayes for no gain at their 7 and forced a fumble on fourth-and-1 with 7:12 remaining.

Lehigh, which has won its last 10 regular-season games, added a final touchdown on the last play when it recovered a Monmouth fumble after a completion and a couple of laterals.

Colvin, a senior, completed 17 of 32 for Lehigh with two interceptions. Ryan Spadola had nine catches for 111 yards after catching 96 passes a year ago.