Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football Opens Patriot League Play at Georgetown Saturday
10/14/2008 8:00:00 AM | Football
What: Bucknell (3-2, 0-0 PL) at Georgetown (1-4, 0-2 PL)
Where: Multi-Sport Field, Washington, D.C.
When: Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008, 1 p.m.
Internet Video: guhoyas.com
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: SportsJuice.com
Live Statistics: GameTracker
Game Notes
***Purchase Photos from Bucknell-Hofstra Football Game
***
With a Victory over Georgetown, Bucknell Would ...
- ... avoid its first losing streak of the season.
- ... surpass its win total from all of 2007.
- ... help Tim Landis draw even with Pete Reynolds for eight place on the program's win list (27).
- ... win its Patriot League opener for the first time since 2004 (vs. Georgetown).
- ... open its road schedule 3-0 for the first time since 1997.
- ... win a game that is played outside of Pennsylvania or New York for the first time since winning at Georgetown in 2006.
About the Game
Bucknell and Georgetown were picked to finish sixth and seventh, respectively, in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. The two teams have combined for just seven Patriot League wins since the beginning of the 2005 campaign, but that does not mean they haven't played some competitive games. The last three meetings between the two teams have been decided by a total of 16 points, with two going to overtime. Bucknell enters the contest looking to avoid its first losing streak of the season and improve to 3-0 on the road this year, while Georgetown hopes to snap a four-game losing streak and avoid an 0-3 Patriot League start. With a win, the Bison will vault into a five-way tie atop the Patriot League standings at 1-0. Bucknell and Georgetown are the only Patriot League teams to be playing a league game this week.
Bucknell vs. Georgetown Series Notes
- Bucknell leads 10-9-1.
- Two of the last three meetings have been decided by a last-second field goal.
- The last three meetings have been decided by a total of 16 points.
- The home team has not won since 2003.
- The average score of the last three games has been 19-13.
- There was a 61-year gap between games from 1939 to 2000.
Last Time vs. Georgetown
Georgetown 20, Bucknell 17 (Oct. 20, 2007 - Lewisburg, Pa.)
A 38-yard field goal by Eric Bjonerud with 10 seconds left handed Bucknell its second consecutive tight Patriot League loss as the Bison fell by a 20-17 margin to Georgetown in front of a Homecoming crowd of 6,084 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Marcello Trigg completed 16 of 25 passes for 207 yards, all of which were career highs, and a pair of touchdowns to freshman Shaun Pasternak for Bucknell, including a game-tying score with just 43 seconds remaining.
Hofstra Game Recap
Hofstra 45, Bucknell 31 (Oct. 11, 2008 - Lewisburg, Pa.)
Brock Jackolski carried nine times for 170 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Cory Christopher ran for two scores and threw for another to lead Hofstra to a 45-31 victory over Bucknell. Bison quarterback Marcello Trigg competed 11 of 16 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, while Andrew Lair came on after Trigg went out with a sprained ankle and ran for a career-high 78 yards and a two touchdowns on 13 carries.
Inside the Hofstra Box Score
- Andrew Lair rushed for a career-high 78 yards and a career-high two rushing touchdowns.
- A.J. Kizekai equaled the Bucknell single-game record with seven kickoff returns.
- A.J. Kizekai's 175 kickoff return yards rank second on Bucknell's single-game list. Kizekai now holds four of the top eight spots on that list.
- A.J. Kizekai's 235 all-purpose yards were 20 shy of seventh place on Bucknell's single-game list.
- Sam Nana-Sinkam recorded double-figure tackles (15) for the third consecutive game.
- Bucknell was 7-for-13 on third downs, while Hofstra was 2-for-7.
- Bucknell earned a season-high 24 first downs.
- Bucknell won the time of possession battle by nearly 10 minutes one game after losing it by nearly 13 minutes, a swing of more than 11 minutes.
- Bucknell had seven plays of at least 20 yards.
- Bucknell had three drives of at least 10 plays and scored on each.
Kizekai's Kick Returns
Quietly, A.J. Kizekai had a big day returning kicks against Hofstra. The junior tied the Bucknell record with seven kick returns, becoming the first Bison to reach that figure since Earl Beecham in 1985. Additionally, Kizekai piled up 175 return yards, which is the second-highest total in program history. Kizekai now owns four of the top eight single-game return yardage marks. As a team, Bucknell moved from 93rd nationally in kick returns entering the Hofstra game to 54th entering Saturday's outing at Georgetown.
All-Purpose A.J.
Thanks to his 175 yards on kickoff returns, A.J. Kizekai recorded 235 all-purpose yards against Hofstra. That number helped increase his career total to 3,289 as he jumped over Brad Myers and Lester Erb and into sixth place on the program's ledger. With just 195 more yards, Kizekai, who is just a junior, will move into fourth place.
Home/Road Splits
Bucknell is averaging 33.0 points and 383.3 yards per game in its three home games this season. The road is a different story as the Bison are averaging 19.0 points and 326.0 yards in their two away contests.
Last Team to Start PL Play
Each of the other six teams in the Patriot League have already played at least one conference game, but Bucknell is just opening its league slate vs. Georgetown. They Hoyas would be playing their fourth Patriot League contest if their matchup with Colgate two weeks ago had not been canceled due to a virus spreading around the Georgetown campus. The last time Bucknell opened its Patriot League schedule later than Oct. 18 was in 1996 when it opened with Holy Cross on Oct. 26. The Patriot League only played five conference games then.
Patriot League Openers
Bucknell is 12-10 all-time in Patriot League openers. The Bison are 2-3 under sixth-year head coach Tim Landis and have lost their last three.
Return of Running Game
After totaling just 135 yards rushing in its previous two games, the vaunted Bucknell rushing attack returned last week against Hofstra. The Bison piled up 229 yards on the ground, their second-highest total of the season. Bucknell's season average went from 143 yards per game to 160, while its national ranking jumped from 53 to 42. The Bison ran for 200 yards just three times in all of 2007.
Closing Season vs. Patriot League
Bucknell plays its final six games against Patriot League foes. The last time the Bison played their entire conference schedule consecutively at the end of the season was 2002, when their final seven games were against Patriot League opponents.
Traveling Outside Keystone and Empire States
This is the sixth year Tim Landis has been head coach at Bucknell and this Saturday's game at Georgetown is just the seventh time Bucknell will be playing outside of Pennsylvania or New York. The Bison are 4-2 in those contests, with wins against Delaware State, Georgetown (twice) and Holy Cross. The two losses have come to Holy Cross and Richmond.
Lair Provides Relief
Senior QB Andrew Lair stepped in for an injured Marcello Trigg against Hofstra and rushed for a career-high 78 yards and a career-high two scores. It was the most rushing yards by a Bison quarterback since Terrance Wilson registered 108 yards and two touchdowns last year at Marist. Lair had just 170 career rushing yards entering the contest.
Patriot League Shutout
For the first time this season, Bucknell failed to earn a Patriot League weekly award on Monday. The Bison have picked up five weekly honors from the league this year, including at least one after each game leading up to Hofstra.
2008 Bucknell Patriot League Honors
Offensive Player of the Week: Marcello Trigg (9/8, 10/6)
Defensive Player of the Week: Sam Nana-Sinkam (9/22)
Special Teams Player of the Week: Sam Nana-Sinkam (9/15)
Rookie of the Week: Robert De La Rosa (10/6)
Pasternak Receiving Headlines
Sophomore WR Shaun Pasternak is putting up numbers that have not been seen at Bucknell in a long time. He is the first Bison with three 100-yard receiving games in the same season since current Iowa assistant coach Lester Erb had four in 1989. Pasternak leads the Patriot League in receiving yards per game (97.8) and is 15th in the nation in that category. He ranks tied for 26th in receptions per game (6.0) and is tied for second in the Patriot League.
Most Receiving Yards under Head Coach Tim Landis
1. Albert Marquardt - 682 (2003)
2. Shaun Pasternak - 489 (2008)
Most Receptions under Head Coach Tim Landis
1. Albert Marquardt - 35 (2003)
2. Shaun Pasternak - 30 (2008)
Among the National Leaders
Five different Bison are among the national leaders in a particular individual statistical category this year. QB Marcello Trigg, WR Shaun Pasternak, LB Sam Nana-Sinkam, RB A.J. Kizekai and P Phil Azarik all show up in the national rankings. Three of those players are juniors, while Azarik is a senior. Pasternak represents the sophomore class.
Bucknell Players in Top 25 of Individual National Statistics
Marcello Trigg - 3rd in passing efficiency (175.5)
Sam Nana-Sinkam - 10th in tackles per game (11.4)
Shaun Pasternak - 15th in receiving yards per game (97.8)
A.J. Kizekai - 21st in all-purpose yards (152.6)
Phil Azarik - 24th in punting (41.8)
Double-Figure Completions
Marcello Trigg has opened the season completing at least 10 passes in each of the first five games. It marks the first time since 2002 a Bison quarterback has accomplished that feat. That season Todd Wenrich opened the campaign with at least 10 completions in the first six contests.
New York State of Mind
Saturday's game at Georgetown marks the only non-New York State foe for the Bison in a stretch of five games. Bucknell will conclude that span next week when it hosts Colgate.
100+ Tackles
LB Sam Nana-Sinkam leads the Patriot League in tackles with 57 and is on pace for more than 120 stops this season. Only two players have tallied more than 100 tackles since 2003, the year Tim Landis took over as head coach. Kevin Ransome recorded 116 tackles in 2003, while Dorian Petersen totaled 102 in 2006. Nana-Sinkam has registered double-figure tackles in each of the last three games, the longest streak by a Bison since Kevin Ransome did it in four consecutive contests in 2003.
Success on the Road
Bucknell enters Saturday's contest at Georgetown with a 2-0 record on the road this season. The Bison last started a road slate 3-0 in 1997, when they won their first six road contests en route to a 10-1 overall record. Overall, Bucknell has been 3-0 on the road just seven times in program history.
Bucknell's 3-0 Road Starts
1997: 6-0
1971: 4-0
1964: 5-0
1962: 3-0
1952: 3-0
1951: 4-0
1929: 4-0
Up Next
Bucknell returns home next Saturday, Oct. 25, for a Homecoming matchup with Colgate. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Bison trail the all-time series 40-16, but have claimed two of the last four meetings. The last three games in the series have been decided by a total of 13 points. Bucknell will be looking to win its Patriot League home opener for the first time since 2003.
