Bucknell University Athletics
Orange Tops Blue In Bucknell Spring Game
4/21/2001 8:00:00 AM | Football
April 21, 2001
WILLIAMSTOWN, Pa. - Bucknell sophomore place-kicker Chris Lundberg (Phoenix, Ariz./Thunderbird) connected on a 24-yard field goal in the second overtime session to give the Orange a 17-14 win over the Blue in the annual Spring Football Game. For the first time in school history the game was not contested at Bucknell, but rather at Viking Stadium in Williamstown, Pennsylvania - home to Williams Valley High School and a region Bucknell heavily recruits.
"This was a great day for our program," said head coach Tom Gadd. "What you want in your spring game is for both sides of the ball to come out of it with some confidence. I think our young defense, which had been beaten up pretty good during spring practice, stepped it up this afternoon and played well."
Gadd was equally pleased with the experience of taking the Spring Game on the road. "We open the season with three straight road games next fall, and we wanted to get the kids away from campus and on a field other than their own. In addition, we were able to bring the Bucknell football experience to the folks here in the Williams Valley area who welcomed us with great hospitality and treated our kids very well."
After a scoreless first half, the Blue squad got on the board first when junior linebacker Nick Sajone (Shenandoah, PA./Shenandoah Valley) stepped in front of a Todd Wenrich (Herndon, Pa./Line Mountain) pass and returned it 25-yards for a touchdown. Joe Lourdeaux (San Francisco, Calif./St. Ignatius) added the point-after and it was 7-0 early in the third quarter.
The Orange answered by driving 65 yards in 14 plays to even the score. Wenrich completed five-of-seven passes on the drive, including a 17-yard touchdown pass to freshman Jess Brinson (Ambridge, Pa./Ambridge) on the last play of the third period for the score. Brinson caught the ball over the middle and eluded several would-be tacklers en route to the corner of the end zone.
Neither team could score in the fourth quarter and overtime entered the picture. It was predetermined that each team would get four downs from the other team's 10-yard line if the game went into OT. The Blue squad had the ball first, and freshman quarterback Ryan Colton (Taunton, Mass./Choate Rosemary Hall) wasted little time in hooking up with classmate Al Marquardt (Girardsville, Pa./North Schuylkill) on a 10-yard corner route to take the lead.
After the all-important point-after by Lourdeaux, the Orange squad got its chance with the ball, trailing 14-7. Faced with a fourth-and-five from the five, Wenrich found junior Kyle Harris (Provo, Utah/Ricks J.C.) in the right-hand side of the end zone for the equalizer.
In the second overtime period, the Orange defense rose to the occasion and forced junior Jabu Powell (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips) to cough up the football as he tried to go up the middle. Junior Richard Bailey (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton) laid the hit on Powell that popped the ball loose and sophomore defensive back Adam Minggia (Reading, Pa./Reading) recovered, ending the possession for the Blue.
The Orange played it conservatively on their next possession, and after gaining three yards on the first three plays summoned Lundberg and the field goal unit. The All-Patriot League kicker drilled the ball through the uprights, giving the Orange the 17-14 win.
Wenrich completed 15-of-33 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and was intercepted three times. Colton was 14-of-25 for 85 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Brinson carried the ball 14 times for 60 yards and caught six passes for 50 yards to account for 110 all-purpose yards for the winners, while Marquardt led the Blue team with six receptions for 49 yards.
Defensively, Sajone, freshman Mike Leatherman (Colora, Md./John Carroll School) and sophomore Dane Helsing (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) each had interceptions for the Blue, while Minggia collected one for the Orange. Freshman Stefan Pluviose (Cliffwood Beach, N.J./Matawan Regional) led the Orange with seven tackles, while sophomore Ken Lockard (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) paced the Blue with seven stops.
Bucknell will open the 2001 season on September 8 at Division I-A Kent State University. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
