"He looks like he should be playing on the sprint football team," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said of Lehigh senior running back Jermaine Pugh.
But don't let his height and size deceive you.
The 5'6", 165 pound tailback has averaged over 120 yards per game this season.
"This kid is the real deal," Bagnoli said. "He's as good a back as we may see the whole year."
Pugh headlines No. 19 Lehigh's offense, which has averaged nearly 30 points per game this season.
"It kind of defies logic," Bagnoli said. "He's an all-purpose guy... that their offense kind of revolves around."
In Penn's 24-21 upset victory over then-No. 4 Lehigh last year, Pugh scored two of the Engineers' three touchdowns and ran for a game-high 112 yards. He was the only rusher all season to get more than 55 yards against Penn's defense.
After such a dominating performance last season, the Quakers are conscious of the impact he could have.
"Obviously we have to know where he is," Bagnoli said. "Our success in the game will depend on how well we can contain him."
Pugh enters the game with the same mindset he brings to every game. He wants to improve Lehigh's 3-0 record to 4-0.
"I'm not going to do anything different personally," he said. "My game plan is to win the football game."
There is little -- no pun intended -- question that Pugh has established himself as one of the premier backs in Division I-AA.
In Lehigh's Sept. 13 victory over then-No. 9 Fordham, Pugh rushed for a career-high 238 yards and one touchdown.
The question is, how does the seemingly undersized tailback achieve such great success?
Pugh credits the guys that clear space for him to run.
"Our biggest strength is our offensive line this season," he said. "They open up huge gaps for me to run through."
Bagnoli, on the contrary, believes that Pugh's success derives from his own strengths.
"He's really a talented guy --great quickness, great speed, great acceleration," Bagnoli said. "He's stronger than you think he is, with better balance than you think he has."
According to Bagnoli, it's not all that rare to see a player of Pugh's size on the football field.
But it is rare, Bagnoli noted, to see a guy his size take around 35 snaps a game, block, catch the ball and return kicks and punts. Even Lehigh is unsure of his height, listing him both at 5'4" and 5'6". Bagnoli says it would be generous to list him at 5'5".
"He's touching the ball catching, he's touching it returning kicks -- those are full-speed collisions," Bagnoli added. "I give the kid a lot of credit. He must be a really, really tough kid."
In addition to Pugh, No. 19 Lehigh boasts many other weapons, namely junior tight end Adam Bergen, wide receiver Dave Crockett and tailback David Wilson.
"You can't totally commit to [Pugh] and say that's the only thing you're going to do," Bagnoli said. "We do what we do, and hopefully we do a better job of containing him."
Another challenge facing the Quakers on Saturday is that they'll be playing Lehigh on the road at Goodman Stadium, where Penn is 0-3 all-time. Including the playoffs, the Engineers have won 30 of their last 31 games at home.
It's no wonder that Pugh loves playing there.
"It's a great environment to play in," he said. "We always like playing at home."
Pugh faces a Penn defense that limited Duquesne's heralded offense to 10 points last week.
Nevertheless, Pugh seems confident in his abilities.
"It's going to be one of the best games to watch on Saturday -- in the country."
Jermaine Pugh School: Lehigh Year: Senior Height: 5'6" Weight: 165 pounds Position: Running back
Rushed for 238 yards on Sept. 13 against Fordham. Rushed for 112 yards and two TDs last year against Penn. Lehigh has won 30 of its past 31 games at home.
