Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Sweeps Patriot League Football Weekly Honors
10/6/2003 8:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 6, 2003
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell's 31-10 road victory over 14th-ranked Fordham caught the eye of more than just Bison fans back in Lewisburg. A panel of media members and sports information directors from around the Patriot League selected Bucknell players for each of the three league player of the week categories on Monday.
Junior quarterback Daris Wilson (Kenner, La./Archbishop Rummel), who turned in the 11th-highest rushing performance - and highest ever by a quarterback - in school history with a 199-yard effort against Fordham, was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week as well as the Lewisburg Hotel Bison Athlete of the Week.
Junior linebacker Kevin Ransome (Bear, Del./Christiana) was honored as the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week following his 13-tackle performance against the Rams, while rookie kicker Ryan Korn (Shirley, N.Y./William Floyd) notched his second straight Patriot League Freshman of the Week citation after scoring seven points on Saturday.
Wilson gained 150 of his 199 yards in the opening half as Bucknell raced to a 24-7 halftime lead and never looked back. Wilson had his third 100-yard performance of the season and is averaging 105.0 yards per game, the third-highest mark in the league and 20th-best in the nation. In directing Bucknell's spread option offense to its third win in five tries this season, Wilson also completed 3 of 7 passes for 44 yards. He opened the scoring with a 1-yard run on the game's opening drive, and drove the final nail in the coffin with a 3-yard TD plunge with six minutes left in the game.
Ransome's season-high 13 tackles gave him 51 for the season and vaulted him into the Patriot League lead in that category. He turned in one of the game's biggest plays with Bucknell nursing a 24-10 lead in the fourth quarter. With Fordham deep into the Bison red zone, Ransome decked Fordham receiver Jamaal Hunte at the Bucknell 5-yard line, forcing a fumble that thwarted a scoring opportunity.
The turnover was one of seven on the day caused by the Bucknell defense, including five interceptions of quarterback Kevin Eakin, who had thrown only one all season entering the contest. The Rams had been averaging 39.5 points per game but were held to 10 by the Bison.
Korn was perfect on all four of his extra-point tries and kicked a 37-yard field goal that gave Bucknell a 10-0 second-quarter lead. For the season, Korn is now 8-for-11 (.727) on field goal tries and ranks third nationally with an average of 1.6 trifectas per game.
Bucknell, which received votes in this week's Sports Network/CSTV Division I-AA Top-25 poll, faces another nationally-ranked foe this Saturday when it travels to 15th-ranked Penn for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff.
