Bucknell University Athletics
Stephane Pluviose Named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week
10/15/2001 8:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 15, 2001
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Fresh off the finest performance of his young career, Bucknell sophomore inside linebacker Stephane Pluviose (Cliffwood Beach, N.J./Matawan Regional H.S.) was named the Patriot League "Defensive Player of the Week" on Monday.
In Bucknell's hard-fought 17-16 win at Lafayette Saturday, Pluviose logged a game-high 13 tackles (9 solo). He also recorded his first career sack and first career interception, the latter coming at the Bison 33-yard line with 10 seconds remaining in the game, thwarting the Leopards' comeback bid.
Now Bucknell's leading tackler this season with 39 stops, Pluviose added three pass breakups against Lafayette. The Bison defense has been stingy all season, ranking second in the Patriot League in scoring defense at 18.0 points per game, even including Division I-A Kent State's 38-point output in the season opener.
Pluviose was one of only Bucknell 10 freshmen to earn a varsity letter last season when he played in all 11 games, mostly on special teams. This season he secured a starting berth at inside linebacker and has been one of the team's most consistent performers.
Now ranked 32nd nationally in total defense, Bucknell's defensive unit has improved each week. Bison opponents are averaging only 3.0 yards per rush and have converted only 19 of 74 (.257) third-down opportunities. The Herd has compiled 13 sacks on the season (all in the last four weeks). When Lafayette's Chad Ritchie scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter last week, it was the first touchdown allowed by Bucknell's first-team defense since the third quarter of the Columbia game, a span of 12 quarters.
Bucknell has won four straight games and now stands 4-1 on the season, 2-0 in Patriot League play. The Bison host Patriot League rival Georgetown Saturday on Homecoming Day at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
Pluviose's citation is the first Patriot League weekly honor garnered by a Bucknell player this season. He was also named the Diversified Information Technologies Player of the Game, and a $1,000 donation to the University's scholarship fund will be made in his name.
