Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Fordham
Bucknell Football Falls to Fordham in Season Finale, 34-7
11/23/2002 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 23, 2002
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Kevin Eakin threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead 25th-ranked Fordham to a 34-7 victory over Bucknell at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. With the victory, Fordham captured its first-ever Patriot League championship.
Eakin completed 23 of 34 passes for 204 yards, including second-quarter TD passes to Travis Johnson and Steve Porco that gave the Rams a commanding 27-0 lead at halftime. Kirwin Watson, who ran for 74 yards on 26 carries, opened the scoring with a 1-yard run just 2:51 into the contest, and Fordham later added a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown from Dan McGrath.
Bucknell quarterback Daris Wilson ran for 77 yards on 18 carries and completed 13 of 19 passes for 130 yards. Wilson's 6-yard scoring run with 9:36 remaining in the fourth quarter snapped Bucknell's drought of 171:03 without reaching the end zone.
The Bison fumbled six times, losing four, and also had a pass intercepted. Two of the miscues led to Fordham touchdowns.
Bucknell, which lost 19-3 to Lafayette two weeks ago and 24-0 at Lehigh last week, had not been held in single digits in three straight games since 1991. The Bison's 2-9 record is its worst since a 1-9 showing in 1991, and they went winless (0-7) in Patriot League play for the first time ever.
Fordham (9-2, 6-1) will share first place in the Patriot League with Colgate, which eked out a 25-20 win over Holy Cross on Saturday, but the Rams will advance to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs for the first time ever based on their 40-31 win over Colgate on Sept. 14.
Fordham's nine victories this season are its most since moving to Division I-AA in 1989. The Rams finished 0-11 just three seasons ago.
Watson broke the Fordham single-season rushing record, finishing with 1,312.
Bucknell senior wide receiver Jim Horan had seven receptions Saturday and missed Tom Mitchell's school career record by just a single catch. Horan finished his fine career with 172 receptions.
