Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Colgate
Colgate Outlasts Bucknell Football 28-24 on Last-Minute Touchdown
10/6/2007 8:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 6, 2007
HAMILTON, N.Y. - Jordan Scott capped a 45-carry, 270-yard day by scoring the game-winning touchdown with 31 seconds to play, helping host Colgate to a wild 28-24 victory over a game Bucknell team Saturday afternoon on Homecoming Day at Andy Kerr Stadium.
The Bison received an incredible performance from sophomore A.J. Kizekai, but they fell to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the Patriot League after Colgate took the ball following a 62-minute lightning delay and drove it 80 yards for the winning score.
Kizekai scored a career-high three touchdowns in the game, each coming in different ways in the first half. Kizekai, who ranked in the top 10 nationally in all-purpose yards before seeing only a handful of touches in last week's rout of Marist, scored on a 5-yard rush, a 92-yard kickoff return and a 19-yard reception. He had 251 all-purpose yards in the game, nine shy of his career high.
Colgate outgained Bucknell 378-149 and held the ball for nearly 20 minutes in the opening half, but thanks to Kizekai's touchdown hat trick the Bison managed a 21-21 tie at the break.
The Bison took a 24-21 lead on Will Carney's 35-yard field goal on the first possession of the second half, and the Bucknell defense really stiffened in the second half, forcing three straight punts to start the half. Then after the Raiders crossed midfield inside 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter, quarterback Alex Relph looked for big-play receiver Erik Burke on a long pass into the end zone, but freshman safety Tyler McFarlane came up with his first career interception.
Colgate stopped the Bison on third-and-2 near midfield with five minutes to play, and after Phil Azarik's punt trickled into the end zone, the game was stopped when a heavy thunderstorm passed through unseasonably warm Hamilton.
The delay proved beneficial for the Raiders, who got an hour to rest Scott, their workhorse back. Bucknell had stopped Colgate on six straight possessions dating back to the first half, but taking over at its own 20 with 4:53 to play after the delay, Colgate methodically marched the ball down the field. Relph completed all five of his passes on the drive, and Scott carried seven times. His 14-yard run brought the ball to the 4-yard line, then he ran it in from there with 30.8 seconds left.
With Colgate kicking away from Kizekai, Justin Pulgrano returned the ball to the Bucknell 37, but Marcello Trigg threw two incompletions, then fumbled when sacked from behind by Pat Nolan. Nolan's recovery sealed the victory for the Raiders (3-2, 1-1).
The first quarter was a track meet, with 35 points scored and five plays of 38 yards or longer. The two teams swapped punts to start the day, but then things got crazy, with five touchdowns coming in a span of 5:07.
Colgate receiver Pat Simonds started the flurry with a 62-yard touchdown reception at the 9:32 mark of the first quarter. Bucknell cornerback Jason Davis had good initial coverage on the play but fell down just before Relph's long pass fell into Simonds' arms.
The Bison needed only three plays and 1:15 to strike back, the second of which was a 58-yard catch-and-run by slotback Nolan Applegate. Kizekai scored from the 5-yard line on the next play to tie the game at 7-7.
Scott's 2-yard touchdown run, set up by a 52-yard pass from Relph to Burke, put the Raiders back ahead 14-7, but Kizekai evened it up in a flash with his first career kickoff return touchdown. Kizekai backpedaled to field the punt at the 8-yard line, maneuvered past the initial wave of coverage, then shrugged off one last would-be tackler around the Bucknell 35-yard line before sprinting the rest of the way to the end zone.
Kizikai's burst was the seventh-longest kickoff return in Bucknell history and the team's first since 2004 at Georgetown, when Dante Ross ran two back in the same game. It was the first kickoff return touchdown allowed by Colgate since 2002.
Scott's 38-yard rush to the Bucknell 20 put the Raiders right back in scoring position, and with 4:25 left in the opening quarter Scott scored from seven yards out to make it 21-14.
Even though Colgate continued to move the ball effectively, Bucknell came up with two second-quarter stops to keep the Raiders off the board. First, Mike Buck missed a 33-yard field goal with 9:33 left in the half, then Burke was ruled to have juggled the ball on an apparent sideline catch on fourth down, turning it back over to the Bison with 1:21 left in the half.
Trigg directed a well-executed hurry-up drive, with the last of his four straight completions connecting with Kizekai for a 19-yard touchdown. The score came with 18 seconds left in the half and evened the score at 21-all.
Bucknell took the ball first to start the second half, and again it was Kizekai playing the starring role in a scoring drive. His 41-yard reception on a wheel route along the right sideline moved the ball deep into Colgate territory, and the Bison settled for a 35-yard field goal by Carney to take their first lead of the day, 24-21.
Kizekai finished with a team-high 66 rushing yards on 10 carries, caught three passes for 71 yards and returned two kickoffs for 114 yards. He averaged 16.7 yards every time he touched the ball in the game.
Trigg completed 8 of 13 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown without an interception.
For Colgate, Relph was 17-for-26 for 247 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Burke caught nine passes for 114 yards.
Scott's 270 yards were the second-most in Colgate history, 10 shy of Jamaal Branch's mark set against Holy Cross in 2003.
Bucknell now has a bye week before returning home to play Georgetown on Homecoming on Oct. 20. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
