Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football Looks to Keep Road Record Perfect Saturday at Holy Cross
10/28/2008 8:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 28, 2008
What: Bucknell (4-3, 1-1 PL) at Holy Cross (4-3, 2-0 PL)
Where: Fitton Field, Worcester, Mass.
When: Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008, 12:30 p.m.
Internet Video: goholycross.com
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: SportsJuice.com
Live Statistics: none
Bucknell Football Luncheon
Game Notes
With a Victory over Holy Cross, Bucknell Would ...
- ... win its first two Patriot League road games for the first time since 1997.
- ... surpass its Patriot League win total from all of 2007.
- ... help Tim Landis move past Pete Reynolds and into sole possession of eighth place on the program's win list (28).
- ... improve to 8-8 in November over the last six years.
- ... pull to within one win of guaranteeing a .500 record.
- ... improve to 4-0 on the road for the first time since 1997 and for the sixth time in program history.
- ... avoid its first losing streak since last November.
About the Game
Holy Cross has won four of its last five games and is part of a three-way tie for first place in the Patriot League standings, while Bucknell has won two of its last five outings. However, the Bison are an impressive 3-0 on the road this season. They will try to snap the Crusaders' two-game home winning streak and slow down their high-powered offense that ranks 13th nationally in scoring, averaging 36 points per game. Holy Cross senior quarterback Dominic Randolph is one of 16 players on the watch list for the Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the top player in the NCAA Football Championships Subdivision. He has thrown for nearly 2,300 yards this season and for more than 8,000 in his career. Randolph ranks first nationally in total offense with 336 yards per game.
Bucknell vs. Holy Cross Series Notes
- Holy Cross leads 15-9.
- Holy Cross has won three straight.
- The winning team has scored at least 40 points four times in the last five games.
- Since 2002 (six meetings) the closest margin of victory has been 15 points (in 2004).
- Holy Cross leads 10-3 in Worcester.
- First meeting was Oct. 31, 1925.
Last Time vs. Holy Cross
Holy Cross 45, Bucknell 21 (Oct. 27, 2007 - Lewisburg, Pa.)
Dominic Randolph competed 30 of 43 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns, leading Holy Cross to a 45-21 victory over Bucknell. The Crusaders won their fourth straight game, topping the 40-point barrier in each. Bucknell received two touchdowns from A.J. Kizekai, including a career-long 80-yard run. Terrance Gass led the Holy Cross ground game with 125 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, and he also caught three passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Maher also had one touchdown receiving and another on the ground. Marcello Trigg completed 5 of 13 passes for 119 yards and touchdown for the Bison, who barely had a chance to get their offense going. They possessed the ball for only 18:23 and ran 40 plays, compared to 92 plays for Holy Cross.
Colgate Game Recap
Colgate 52, Bucknell 28 (Oct. 25, 2008 - Lewisburg, Pa.)
Nate Eachus rushed for 214 yards on 36 carries and three touchdowns to lead Colgate to a 52-28 victory over Bucknell in a steady rain at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Shaun Pasternak caught eight passes for 150 yards and Brigham Farrand registered a career-high 18 tackles for the Bison. Bucknell, which had three touchdown drives in the first half that were each less than 45 seconds in length, trailed just 24-21 in the waning minutes of the first half, but turnovers on its final possession of the second quarter and its first of the third quarter helped Colgate jump out to a 38-21 advantage. The Raiders scored 35 consecutive points at one juncture as they came back from a 21-17 deficit to lead 52-21.
Inside the Colgate Box Score
- Shaun Pasternak recorded his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season. His 150 yards rank tied for ninth on Bucknell's single-game list.
- A.J. Kizekai had three plays (2 KR, 1 Rush) of at least 50 yards.
- Shaun Pasternak caught a 59-yard touchdown pass, the longest of his career.
- Marcello Trigg equaled his career high with two touchdown passes. It is the eighth time in his career he has recorded two touchdown passes in the same game.
- Brigham Farrand recorded a career-high 18 tackles, equaling Sam Nana-Sinkam for the most by a Bison this season. - Greg Jones posted a career-high 15 tackles.
- Colgate's 52 points were the second-most against a Tim Landis-coached Bucknell team and the most in the 57-game series.
- Colgate's 52 points were the most by a visiting team at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium since Lafayette posted 56 in 1994.
- Colgate won the time of possession battle, 38:26-21:34.
- Colgate had 28 first downs. Bucknell had 12.
- Bucknell and Colgate combined to go 9-for-9 when inside the red zone with nine touchdowns.
A.J.'s Returns
Junior A.J. Kizekai had a career day returning kickoffs last Saturday against Colgate. Kizekai totaled a career-high 178 kickoff return yards, eclipsing his previous high of 175 he recorded Oct. 11 against Hofstra. Thanks to his 419 yards over the last three games, Kizekai is now averaging 24.7 yards per return this season, placing him second in the Patriot League and 28th nationally. His 593 return yards this year place him third on Bucknell's single-season list that he tops with 1,113 yards last year. Kizekai had two returns of more than 50 yards against Colgate and his 178 yards rank second on Bucknell's single-game list. He holds five of the top 10 single-game marks in program history. Thanks to Kizekai's performance against the Raiders, which featured five kick returns of more than 20 yards, Bucknell jumped from 54th nationally to 20th in kick returns.
All-Purpose A.J.
Thanks to his career-high 178 kickoff returns yards, A.J. Kizekai piled up 250 all-purpose yards last Saturday against Colgate, marking the second-highest figure of his career. He now has 3,729 all-purpose yards in his career to rank fourth on Bucknell's all-time list. Kizekai now tops the Patriot League with 1,203 all-purpose yards this season and he stands ninth in the nation with an average of better than 170 yards per game. The Pawtucket, R.I., native has registered more than 100 all-purpose yards in six of seven games in 2008.
A New Career High for Trigg
With the passing game making a return to Bucknell this year, starting QB Marcello Trigg has already surpassed his career high for passing yards. The junior ranks fourth in the Patriot League with 1,280 passing yards, well above his previous high of 1,130 last year.
Game Captains
In a change from recent years, Bucknell did not name team captains in the preseason. Instead, the Bison will elect captains on a game-by-game basis. Three players will serve in the captain role this Saturday against Holy Cross. Junior LB Greg Jones will be making his third consecutive appearance as team captain, while senior RB Kevin Mullen will be a captain for a fourth time this season, tying him with Sam Nana-Sinkam for most on the team. Junior RB A.J. Kizekai will captain the special teams for the second time this season.
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 four 100-yard receiving games in the same season since current Iowa assistant coach Lester Erb in 1989. Pasternak leads the Patriot League in receiving yards per game (102.9) and receptions per game (6.3). He is in the top 20 nationally in both categories. Just four yards from breaking into Bucknell's top 10 for season receiving yards, Pasternak is just 17 yards shy of 1,000 for his career. Still a sophomore, Pasternak is on pace to join Tom Mitchell and Jim Horan as the only Bison receivers to ever record 2,000 yards in their careers.
Touchdowns for Mullen
Senior Kevin Mullen put Bucknell on the board last Saturday vs. Colgate with a 17-yard touchdown run on the second offensive play. The four-time team captain has now rushed for at least one touchdown in each of his four seasons. His seven career rushing touchdowns rank tied for third on the team with classmate Andrew Lair. Marcello Trigg (13 rushing TDs) and A.J. Kizekai (8) pace the squad.
Career-High Tackles
With leading tackler Sam Nana-Sinkam out for the season with an ankle injury, juniors Brigham Farrand and Greg Jones stepped up against Colgate. Farrand recorded a career-high 18 tackles, surpassing his previous high of 11 by halftime. Jones' previous career high was also 11. No pair of Bison have combined for 30 tackles in a game in more than a decade.
Reduced Rushing
Bucknell rushed 25 times for 128 yards last Saturday against Colgate. It was the fewest number of rushes for the Bison since the final game of the 2000 campaign, a 24-21 loss to Colgate. Bucknell also rushed 25 times in that contest. The Bison, who had not rushed fewer than 30 times in a game since 2000 entering this season, registered 26 rushing attempts in a come-from-behind win at Marist the first weekend in October. Bucknell has had at least 483 rushing attempts each of the last five years, but is on pace for just 443 this year.
Fewer Penalties
Bucknell was whistled for just one penalty for 10 yards last Saturday against Colgate. It marked the fourth time in the last two years the Bison have committed one or fewer penalties. After piling up 15 penalties in their first two games, the Bison have just 17 over their last five contests.
Special Teams Tackles
Two-time team captain Casey Williams ranks 10th on the Bison with 23 tackles this season, but paces the squad with 11 special teams tackles. The junior also has two tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks despite not starting a game this year.
Special Teams Tackles
1. Casey Williams - 11
2. Brigham Farrand - 9
3. Tyler Anderson - 6
Landis Moving up Pair of Lists
Sixth-year Bucknell head coach Tim Landis has increased his victory total as the Bison coach to 27 thanks to the 4-3 start to the season. He is just one win shy of taking sole possession of eighth place on the program's all-time list. Additionally, the 44-year-old coach will be on the sidelines for his 64th game at Bucknell on Saturday. That will tie him with Lou Maranzana for sixth in program annals.
Peaking at the End
Bucknell, which has four games this November, is 7-8 (.467) over the last five years in the final month of the football season. The Bison are just 6-14 (.300) in October and 8-11 (.421) in September over that same span. This is the first time Bucknell has had four games on its November schedule since 2003.
Among the National Leaders
Four different Bison are among the national leaders in a particular individual statistical category this year, and none are members of the senior class. QB Marcello Trigg, WR Shaun Pasternak, LB Sam Nana-Sinkam, and RB A.J. Kizekai all show up in the national rankings.
Bucknell Players in Top 25 of Individual National Statistics
Marcello Trigg - 8th in passing efficiency (163.1)
Shaun Pasternak - 9th in receiving yards per game (102.9)
- 18th in receptions per game (6.3)
A.J. Kizekai - 9th in all-purpose yards (171.9)
Sam Nana-Sinkam - t-17th in tackles per game (10.3)
Success on the Road
Bucknell improved to 3-0 on the road this season with its 27-24 victory at Georgetown two weeks ago. It is the eighth time in program history, and the first time since 1997, the Bison have opened their road slate undefeated through three games. Dating back to the final game of the 2007 campaign Bucknell has won four straight road contests, marking the first time it has done that since 1997.
Bucknell's 3-0 Road Starts
2008: 3-0
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 for a meeting with Lafayette next Saturday, Nov. 8. The Bison have lost six in a row to the Leopards, who have outscored Bucknell 65-7 the last two years. The game will be televised by the Lafayette Sports Network and will be available on RCN-4, WBPH-60 and MASN.
