Bucknell University
Georgetown
Dante Ross' Record-Setting Day Propels Bucknell to 35-19 Win over Georgetown
10/2/2004 8:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 2, 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On a day when both team's offenses struggled on a muddy track, Bucknell parlayed two electrifying kickoff returns for touchdowns by Dante Ross into a 35-19 victory over Georgetown on Saturday afternoon at Harbin Field.
In their Patriot League opener, the Bison won their third straight game and improved to 3-1 on the season. Georgetown dropped its fourth straight and fell to 1-4, 0-3.
Seconds after Georgetown took a 13-7 lead in the second quarter, Ross gave the Bison the advantage for good with a 97-yard touchdown return. Ross then ran the opening kickoff of the second half back for an 85-yard touchdown, in the process breaking school and Patriot League records for return yards (198) and touchdowns in a game.
Bucknell's offense was mistake-prone for most of the day, losing 4 of 8 fumbles and watching two interceptions returned for touchdowns. But, clinging to a 21-19 lead after Maurice Banks' 11-yard interception return and a failed two-point conversion, the Bison pieced together their most important offensive drive of the game. After converting third-and-long passes to Kenny Davis and Ian Nutt, Davis capped a 14-play, 69-yard drive with a 1-yard dive with 9:53 remaining to make it 28-19.
Sean Conover's sack for an 11-yard helped stop Georgetown on downs, then the Bison tacked on an insurance score on Daris Wilson's 20-yard run with 1:19 to play.
Senior Anthony Lovelace, Bucknell's third-string fullback who had never before carried the ball in a varsity game, rushed for 95 of Bucknell's 233 yards on 17 carries. The Bison began the day without starting fullback Blamah Sarnor, then Frank Lazio, normally a starting slotback who moved to fullback, went out with a hand injury early in the second quarter and did not return. Wilson ran for 68 yards on 25 carries and completed 6 of 10 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. While two of the pass attempts went back for touchdowns, all six of his completions went for first downs.
Bucknell limited the Hoyas to only 162 total yards of offense, 74 rushing and 88 passing. Georgetown had under 100 total yards until collecting 68 on a final-minute possession with the Bison nursing a 16-point lead. Bucknell sacked two Hoya quarterbacks a total of four times, including a career-high three by Brandon Bailey, one shy of the school record.
The first half featured fireworks on both sides with consecutive scoring plays in a span of just 14 seconds covering 99 and 97 yards. First it was Georgetown freshman safety Matt Barbiasz stepping in front a Wilson pass just in front of the goal line and sprinting 99 yards along the right sideline for a touchdown. The point-after was hooked wide, though, leaving the Hoyas' lead at 13-7.
On the very next play, the Bison took the lead for the first time when Ross returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a score. Ross broke through the initial wave of defenders untouched and only had to fake out kicker Michael Gillman.
Ross' burst was the third-longest kickoff return in school history, trailing only a pair of 99-yard returns from Justin Brumbaugh against Dickinson in 1929 and Terrance Parham against Towson in 1996. It was Bucknell's first kickoff return score since Jabu Powell went 93 yards against Columbia in 1998. Barbiasz's interception return was the longest in Georgetown history.
The Hoyas grabbed a quick 7-0 lead after Bucknell put the ball on the ground on errant pitches on its first two offensive plays of the game. The second was recovered by Georgetown's Sheldon Epps at the Bison 2, and two plays later Emir Davis scored on a 1-yard run.
The Bison took advantage of good field position to even things up. After forcing Georgetown to punt out of its own end zone, Bucknell took over at the Hoya 45 and scored eight plays later when Wilson connected with Frank Lazio out of the backfield on a 10-yard pass on the first play of the second quarter.
At the start of the second half Georgetown kicked off in the direction of Nisan Trotter and held him to a modest return. But the Hoyas were flagged for having an unbalanced line on the kick, and after a 5-yard penalty Ross fielded a bouncing ball and cut across the field and away from the defense.
In one afternoon Ross tied the Bucknell career record for kickoff return touchdowns, also held by Parham. The Patriot League career record is also two, with Fordham's Javarus Dudley and Lehigh's Ronald Jean joining Parham and Ross.
Ross also averaged better than 11 yards per punt return with 69 on six attempts, including a 39-yarder that set the Bison up deep in Georgetown territory. The Bison failed to convert on that chance, though, after kicker Ryan Korn lost his footing in the mud and missed on a 35-yard field goal attempt.
Kim Sarin led Georgetown with 61 rushing yards on 16 attempts. Starting quarterback Keith Allan completed just 1 of 6 passes for minus-1 yard before giving way to Drew Crawford, who connected on 5 of 13 passes for 89 yards, 45 coming on a tipped Hail Mary reception by Janeiro Wooten on the final play of the game. Wooten was tackled a yard shy of the end zone.
Bucknell returns to action next Saturday against Penn with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
