Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football Orange vs. Blue Game Slated for Saturday Night
4/21/2006 8:00:00 AM | Football
April 21, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The annual Orange vs. Blue Spring Football Game, the fourth under head coach Tim Landis, is slated for Saturday evening at 7 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Admission is free, and the game can also be heard live on WVBU 90.5 FM and on the internet at BucknellBison.com via SportsJuice.com.
For the third straight year, the game will feature the Bison offense (Orange) against the Bison defense (Blue), with a special scoring system in place. In addition to the traditional scoring methods (6 for touchdown, 3 for field goal and 1 for PAT), the offensive team will also score two points for each first down.
The defense has three ways to score points - 7 for a touchdown, 6 for a caused turnover and 4 for a change of possession with no points allowed. The offense will have approximately 12 possessions, at least half coming from the first team. Possessions will start at either their own 40, the defense's 40 or the defense's 20-yard line.
The game will also feature two guest alumni coaches in Bucknell Athletics Hall of Famer Gene Hubka '47 and Doug Williams '63. A three-year football starter and co-captain of the 1944 team, Hubka was an outstanding quarterback, halfback, safety and punter for the Bison. He once had a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown against F&M in 1943, and he still holds the Bucknell record for punt return yards in a game (140 vs. Muhlenberg in 1944). Williams was a quarterback on coach Bob Odell's outstanding teams in the early 1960s, and he is currently chairman of the Bison Club Board of Directors.
Offensively, Landis will rotate three quarterbacks, and Bison fans will be able to get their first look at newcomer Andrew Lair, a transfer from Navy who has looked good in spring drills thus far. Sophomore Terrance Wilson, the starter coming out of preseason camp last season, is healthy again after missing the final 10 games of 2005 with a broken jaw. Sophomore Ryan Ahern is also having a fine spring and will see plenty of game time on Saturday.
Other offensive returnees to watch are freshmen receivers Zach Allen and Daniel Zvara, backs Josh DeStefano, Peter Kaufman and Kadero Watson, and veteran linemen Stefan Niemczyk, Greg Conti, Chad Glasser, Jonathan Grainger and Joel Hoffer.
Defensively, the team's top three tacklers last season are back in linebackers Dorian Petersen and Ryan Slater and free safety Stephen Collage. Other returning defensive starters include defensive lineman Ryan Walsh and cornerbacks David Frisbey and Devon Lutz. Also back are starting punter Phil Azarik and kicker Will Carney.
This will be Bucknell's final team workout until preseason camp begins in August, in preparation for the Sept. 2 season opener against Duquesne.
