Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football Opens 2004 Campaign at No. 10 Villanova on Thursday
8/30/2004 8:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 30, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
After a long offseason and several arduous weeks of preseason camp, the Bison are finally ready for some enemy competition as the 2004 football campaign kicks off Thursday night at Villanova. Bucknell was one of the nation's most improved teams a year ago, vaulting from 2-9 and 0-7 in the Patriot League in 2002 to 6-6/4-3 in 2003 under new head coach Tim Landis. Year No. 2 of Landis' tenure begins with high hopes, as the Bison open the campaign with a veteran lineup that features nine returning starters on defense and seven on offense. The 2004 lidlifter will be far from easy, however, as the Bison square off against 10th-ranked Villanova, one of the preseason favorites in the loaded Atlantic-10.
TOURING THE HERD
• ON THE SIDELINE: Head coach Tim Landis posted a 6-6 record in his first year at Bucknell in 2003 and led the Bison to a third-place finish in the Patriot League. Landis is now 59-58-1 (.504) in his career, which also includes head coaching stints at Davidson (1993-99) and St. Mary's (2000-02). This will be Landis' first-ever game against Villanova.
• THE OFFENSE: In its first season running the spread option attack, the Bison offense enjoyed many shining moments in 2003. They scored 30 or more points four times and ranked 10th nationally in rushing offense at 242.3 yards per game. With the return of QB Daris Wilson, FB Blamah Sarnor and a veteran offensive line, that average could rise this fall.
• UNDER CENTER: When healthy, QB Daris Wilson was one of the Patriot League's most lethal weapons both running and throwing a year ago. Now a senior, Wilson is coming off a season in which he ran for 720 yards and threw for 848 (2 TD, 3 INT), despite missing all or part of four games with an ankle injury. Another pair of seniors back up Wilson in John Henry Jackson and Cole Ciesnolevicz. Both have started games at the varsity level.
• BACKS & RECEIVERS: Junior FB Blamah Sarnor ran for a career-best 928 yards and seven TDs a year ago, thriving as the fullback in the spread option offense. The Bison are not nearly as experienced at the slotback positions, where converted fullback Frank Lazio and sophomore Peter Kaufman will begin the season as starters. The duo has one career start between them, and that was Lazio's cameo at fullback in place of an injured Sarnor last year at Delaware State (he made the most of it, though, rushing for 114 yards and 3 TDs). A gaggle of freshmen are also in the mix at slotback, including Roosevelt Davis, Greg Sutton, Corin Erby and Josh DeStefano, as well as sophomore transfer Kenny Davis.
• THE O-LINE: One of the most experienced position groups on the squad is the offensive line, where tackles Jon Scharf and Justin Gibson, center Stephen Watts and guard Aaron DeGraffenreidt all have plenty of starting experience. Michael Boccella at RG is likely to be the lone first-time starter at Villanova.
• THE DEFENSE: "Opportunistic" was the word to describe the Bison defense in 2003. Bucknell allowed its share of yards, ranking seventh in the Patriot League at 406.9 per game, but the Herd also ranked 11th in the nation with 33 forced turnovers. They were sixth nationally in interceptions with 20. This season, nine returning starters lead what should be a much-improved defense.
• DEFENSIVE FRONT: A lack of a pass rush hurt the Bison for much of the 2003 season, but they hope a five-sack effort in the season-finale against Georgetown was a sign of things to come. Senior DT Corey Mayo and junior DE Sean Conover are both all-star caliber linemen, while senior ILB Kevin Ransome returns from a 116-tackle season a year ago. Sophomore ILB Dorian Petersen showed promise in a three-start trial at the close of last season and will fill the other inside spot next to Ransome.
• DEFENSIVE SECONDARY: Bucknell registered an impressive 20 interceptions last season, and 18 of the 20 return in 2004, including starting corners Jerome Acy and Dante Ross, and FS Virgil Rush. All three are potential all-conference picks, with a combined 48 starts between them. Senior CB Joe Glenn, who led the league with six picks last year, also returns as an extra DB.
• SPECIAL TEAMS: Ross emerged as one of the Patriot League's premiere return men a year ago, leading the league in punt return average (13.7) and ranking a close second in kickoff returns (26.9). Sophomore K Ryan Korn broke the school record with 14 field goals in 2003, while junior kickoff specialist Ryan Bower and senior P Ryan Berry also return.
BISON FOOTBALL NOTES & NOTABLES:
• BISON COMING OFF FINE PRESEASON: Two-a-days in the hot August sun is hardly a football player's dream, but Bucknell head coach Tim Landis described the 2004 preseason camp as one of his best ever in 12 years as a head coach, in terms of his team's attitude and chemistry. The Bison had intrasquad scrimmages on each of the last two Thursdays, and both were fairly evenly matched between the offense and defense.
• THE BISON IN SEASON OPENERS: Bucknell boasts a gaudy 82-35-1 (.699) record in season openers, with 42 of those wins coming by shutout. The Bison topped Duquesne 28-21 to snap a three-game opening day losing streak last season. Bucknell has opened one season with Villanova, that a 30-17 loss in 1988.
• THURSDAY NIGHT LINEUP: For the first time in 13 years, Bucknell is playing a non-Saturday contest. The Bison last suited up on a day other than Saturday in the 1991 season-opener, when they fell 43-7 at Hofstra on a Friday night. Bucknell is the first Patriot League team to play a game this season.
• PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: Bucknell over the summer was picked fourth in a preseason poll of Patriot League head coaches and sports information directors. Defending champion Colgate received 12 of 14 first-place votes and 72 total points, and the Raiders were a near-unanimous choice to repeat as league titlists. Lehigh (59) received the other two first-place nods and was picked second, followed by Fordham (51), Bucknell (40), Lafayette (26), Georgetown (23) and Holy Cross (23).
• TOUGH TESTS: Bucknell this season will play four teams that ranked in the top 25 in the final 2003 Sports Network/CSTV Division I-AA poll, including No. 2 Colgate, which lost to Delaware in the national championship game. Also on the schedule are No. 12 Penn (10-0), No. 21 Lehigh (8-3) and No. 25 Villanova (7-4). A fifth opponent, Fordham, was ranked as high as 14th last season before losing 31-10 at home to the Bison.
• FIRST-TIME STARTERS: According to the pregame depth chart, a handful of Bison are expected to make their first career starts opposite Villanova. On offense, OL Michael Boccella, WR Richard Simpson and RB Peter Kaufman would be first-time starters. Defensively, every projected starter has made at least one career start, with DL Jacob Burney and LB Jeffrey Montagna doing so exactly once apiece.
• PHILADELPHIA FEVER: Bucknell has a host of players on its roster who hail from the Philadelphia area. Among them are projected starters in junior FB Blamah Sarnor (Coatesville H.S.) and senior DT Corey Mayo (Coatesville H.S.). Others include sophomore OL Stefan Niemczyk (Broomall/Malvern Prep), a second-string guard, and junior LB James Lachman (Bryn Mawr/St. Joseph's Prep), a second-string outside linebacker. Senior DL Zach Richards (Clidton Heights/Upper Darby) and junior RB Michael Treston (West Chester/Malvern Prep) are both injured and likely out for the season.
• CAPTAINS NAMED: In a vote of their teammates, seniors QB Daris Wilson and LB Kevin Ransome have been named team co-captains for 2004. They will be joined each week by rotating game captains, to be named by the coaching staff.
• WILSON AMONG NATION'S TOP QB RUSHERS: Despite a mid-season ankle injury that shelved him for all or part of four contests, senior QB Daris Wilson passed his first test as an option quarterback with flying colors. In addition to completing over 61 percent of his passes, he rushed for 720 yards. That total ranked second nationally among quarterbacks, behind only Bethune-Cookman's Allen Suber (987).
• RANSOME NOTES: Senior LB Kevin Ransome is Bucknell's lone All-Patriot League selection returning in 2004. He is coming off a terrific junior season in which he compiled 116 tackles, 15th-most in school history. Despite a third-place finish, Bucknell managed to land only two players -- second-team picks Ransome and OL Rashad Stallworth -- on the All-Patriot League squad in 2003.
• TIM CAMP TAKES OVER AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Tim Camp, who joined the Bison coaching staff in 2003 and served as offensive line coach last season, will serve as offensive coordinator this season. Camp replaces Ian Shields, who accepted a coaching position at Cal Poly in February. Camp will direct Bucknell's spread option offense, which led the Patriot League and ranked 10th nationally in rushing offense at 242.3 yards per game last year. Camp came to Bucknell last June after previously serving as offensive line and tight ends coach at Nebraska-Omaha. A 1996 graduate of Oregon State, he was a four-year starter and All-Pac-10 honoree for the Beavers. A Morris Trophy nominee, Camp spent one season with the NFL's San Diego Chargers after graduation.
• UP NEXT: The Bison will have their lone bye week of the season next week and will thus have 16 days off prior to their next contest, the Sept. 18 home opener against Cornell. The Big Red handed Bucknell a heartbreaking 21-19 loss last season in Ithaca, N.Y.
• BISON BRIEFS: A 79-yard TD run by QB Daris Wilson and a 64-yard TD pass from QB John Henry Jackson to WR Nisan Trotter highlighted last Thursday's intrasquad scrimmage ... not including former Patriot League rival Towson, which joined the Atlantic-10 this season, Bucknell's last victory over an A-10 opponent was a 21-14 victory over Northeastern on Sept. 28, 1985 ... Ralph Isernia (slotbacks) and Brian Hoffner (assistant offensive line) joined the Bison coaching staff just prior to preseason camp.
