Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football Closes Out 2008 Campaign Hosting Fordham Saturday
11/19/2008 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 19, 2008
What: Bucknell (4-6, 1-2 PL) vs. Fordham (5-5, 1-4 PL)
Where: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, Lewisburg, Pa.
When: Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008, 1 p.m.
Internet Video: Bison Vision
Radio: Eagle 107 (107.3 WEGH)
Internet Radio: SportsJuice.com
Live Statistics: GameTracker
Bucknell Football Luncheon
Game Notes
With a Victory over Fordham, Bucknell Would ...
- ... snap a four-game losing streak.
- ... snap a four-game home losing streak, its longest since 1991.
- ... defeat the Rams for the third consecutive season.
- ... help Tim Landis move past Pete Reynolds and into sole possession of eighth place on the program's win list (28).
- ... finish a season with at least five wins for the fourth time in six years under head coach Tim Landis.
- ... win its final regular-season game for the third straight year and fifth time in the last six seasons.
- ... finish fifth in the Patriot League standings.
About the Game
Bucknell and Fordham close out the 2008 campaign on Saturday with the winner earning sole possession of fifth place in the final Patriot League standings. The two teams faced each other in their final contests of the 2007 season as well. Bucknell won that contest at Jack Coffey Field by a 38-24 score over the nationally ranked Rams. That victory snapped a five-game losing streak for the Bison, who enter Saturday's contest having lost four in a row. Bucknell has struggled with injuries in the latter part of the year as starting quarterback Marcello Trigg went down Nov. 1 against Holy Cross and junior linebacker Sam Nana-Sinkam was lost for the season in mid-October. At the time he was among the nation's leading tacklers. Marques Morgan and Robert De La Rosa, stalwarts in the defensive lineup, did not start last week at Lehigh, while key contributors Will Braaf, Brigham Farrand and Todd Manjuck have also missed some time recently. After struggling defensively of late (opponents were averaging more than 500 yards of total offense over previous three games), Bucknell limited Lehigh to a season-low 204 yards, including just 67 in the first half, last Saturday. Fordham has alternated wins and losses over its last six contests and is coming off a 17-0 win over last-place Georgetown. The Rams have scored more than 17 points just once in their last five games, but rank 23rd nationally in passing offense. Even with a strong passing attack, RB Xavier Martin leads the Patriot League in rushing with 1,090 yards and has seven touchdowns to his credit.
Bucknell vs. Fordham Series Notes
- Bucknell leads 15-8.
- One of two Patriot League teams Bucknell owns a winning record against (Georgetown).
- Bucknell has won four of the last five.
- Last four games decided by an average of eight points.
Last Time vs. Fordham
Bucknell 38, Fordham 24 (Nov. 17, 2007 - Bronx, N.Y.)
Bucknell's Marcello Trigg needed only five pass completions to throw for 214 yards and two long touchdowns, and Corin Erby rushed for 129 yards and a score in his final collegiate game to lead the Bison to a 38-24 upset of 18th-ranked Fordham. One of Trigg's big plays was an 82-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Kizekai, who broke the Bucknell single-season all-purpose yardage record. With 82 receiving yards, 57 rushing yards and 64 kickoff return yards, the sophomore logged 203 all-purpose yards on the day. That gave him 1,908 for the season, breaking Hall of Famer Ken Jenkins' 27-year-old record of 1,884. Fordham quarterback John Skelton completed 34 of 50 passes for 366 yards, but the Bison intercepted him twice in the second half. Asa Lucas caught 10 passes for 178 yards to lead all receivers. Bucknell held Fordham to only 81 rushing yards - 111 below its season average. Jonte Coven, who came in with 891 rushing yards, led the Rams with 35. Bucknell outgained Fordham 475-447 on the day, compiling 261 rushing yards and 214 through the air en route to a season-high for total offense. After giving up a go-ahead touchdown with only 11 seconds left in the first half, Bucknell took over the game after halftime, scoring 24 straight points to win its season finale for the fourth time in the last five years.
Inside the Lehigh Box Score
- Freshman QB C.J. Hopson made his first career start for Bucknell.
- Shaun Pasternak broke the Bucknell single-season record with his 11th touchdown reception.
- Travis Nissley equaled his career high with his team-high nine tackles.
- Todd Rinaldo had a career-high two sacks, the most for a Bison since Josh Eden in 2006.
- Tim Bolte had his first career interception in his third career game.
- Bucknell limited Lehigh to 204 yards, the fewest by an opponent since 2004.
- C.J. Hopson's 32 pass attempts were the most for a Bison quarterback since 2002.
- Marlon Woods recorded Bucknell's first blocked punt since 2005, which also occurred against Lehigh.
- Bucknell recorded its first safety since 2003.
- Shaun Pasternak caught nine passes for 97 yards as he just missed his fifth 100-yard game of the season.
- Bucknell registered more first downs than its opponent for the first time since Oct. 18 vs. Georgetown.
Rookie of the Week
Freshman QB C.J. Hopson made his first career start last Saturday at Lehigh and has already been honored by the Patriot League despite being just two games into his career. The Maryland native was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week on Monday after completing 17 of 32 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown. He also ran 21 times for a game-high 76 yards and one touchdown. His 76 yards rushing were more than double anyone else on either team, while his 32 pass attempts were the most by a Bucknell quarterback since Cole Ciesnolevicz was 23-for-36 in a tight 32-31 loss to Georgetown in 2002. Hopson was Bucknell's second Rookie of the Week selection this year, following Robert De La Rosa. Overall, the Bison have had five different players honored by the Patriot League this season.
Touchdown Record
Freshman C.J. Hopson found sophomore Shaun Pasternak for Bucknell's first touchdown last Saturday at Lehigh. While it was the first career touchdown pass for Hopson, it marked the 11th score of the season for Pasternak, breaking the Bison single-season standard. Lester Erb held the previous record with 10 touchdown grabs in1990. Pasternak now has 13 career receiving touchdowns, just five shy of the career record and he still has two more years to play.
More Receiving Records on Horizon for Pasternak
While Shaun Pasternak broke the Bucknell single-season record for touchdown receptions against Lehigh, that is not the only record he might have at the end of Saturday's contest with Fordham. Pasternak enters the final game of the campaign just 10 receptions shy of the single-season record, while he is just 102 yards short of first place in the Bison record books in that category. With 73 yards against Fordham Pasternak will become the first Patriot League player since 2003 to record at least 1,000 receiving yards in a season, although Colgate's Pat Simonds enters the weekend with 960 yards this year to pace the league.
Last Games
Bucknell has had success under sixth-year head coach Tim Landis in its final games of the season. The Bison have won the season finale four of the last five years, including two straight. Last year Bucknell defeated Patriot League champion and No. 18 Fordham 38-24 in the final game of the season.
Starting Streaks
Defensive stars Marques Morgan and Robert De La Rosa did not appear in last Saturday's game at Lehigh. It brought Morgan's consecutive starts streak of 14 to an end, while De La Rosa's stopped at nine. That leaves Rob Gerlach as the only Bison defensive player to start all 10 games this season. A.J. Kizekai's 16 consecutive appearances in the starting lineup paces the squad.
Who Will Finish Fifth?
The winner of Saturday's Bucknell-Fordham contest will finish fifth in the final Patriot League standings. The two teams enter the contest with matching 1-4 league records. The winner will not be able to jump over Lafayette or Lehigh, which are tied for third with 3-2 records. The loser will not fall behind Georgetown, which is 0-5, but has concluded its season.
Strong Defense
Bucknell limited Lehigh to 204 yards of total offense last Saturday. It marked the lowest total for a Bison opponent since Georgetown managed just 162 in 2004. The last time a Bucknell opponent had fewer than 204 yards and still won was Fordham in 2001. The Rams posted a 17-12 win over the Bison despite just 193 yards of total offense.
High-Scoring Offense
Bucknell's offense has been clicking this year. In fact, the Bison are averaging 24.5 points per game, their second-highest total this decade. The 1999 squad averaged 29.1 points per game and since that time only the 2004 team (26.9 points per game) has averaged more than the current edition of the Bison.
Highest Scoring Averages (since 2000)
1. 2004 - 26.9
2. 2008 - 24.5
3. 2001 - 24.0
High-Scoring Offense - Part 2
Bucknell has tallied at least 15 points in each of its 10 games this year. Only five times has Bucknell avoided a single-digit score for an entire season.
100-Yard Games for Pasternak
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 is second in the Patriot League in receiving yards per game (92.7) and is first in receptions per game (6.3). He is in the top 25 nationally in both categories. Pasternak is within range of becoming the second Bison with 1,000 yards in a season. Still a sophomore, Pasternak, whose 63 receptions are the third most by a Bucknell player, is on pace to join Tom Mitchell and Jim Horan as the only Bison receivers to ever record 2,000 yards in their careers.
All-Purpose A.J.
Rewriting the Bucknell kickoff return record book is not all that A.J. Kizekai is doing. He is also etching his name into the all-purpose yards ledger. The junior has totaled at least 190 all-purpose yards in five of the last six games, including four outings with more than 200 yards. Kizekai's 184 all-purpose yards per game, which rank him fourth nationally, place him atop the Patriot League in that category with second-place Matt McGowan more than 50 yards behind. Kizekai, who is averaging more than 215 all-purpose yards per game at home, posted a career-high 285 yards against Lafayette, the seventh-best mark in program history.
Kizekai's All-Purpose Yards
vs. Duquesne: 137; at Robert Morris: 139; vs. Cornell: 169; at Marist: 83; vs. Hofstra: 235; at Georgetown: 190; vs. Colgate: 250; at Holy Cross: 254; vs. Lafayette: 285; at Lehigh: 98
National All-Purpose Yards Leaders
1. William Osborne (Texas Southern) - 204.20
2. Nick Miller (Southern Utah) - 195.40
3. Larry Warner (Southern Illinois) - 193.30
4. A.J. Kizekai (Bucknell) - 184.00
Fewer Penalties
While Bucknell was flagged for four penalties each of the last two weeks, it is still one of the least-penalized teams in the nation. The Bison, who led the country with just 29 penalties in 2007, have been whistled 41 times this season. Bucknell has just 26 penalties over its last eight contests.
Fewest Penalties (FCS) Fewest Penalties per Game (FCS)
1. Princeton - 35 1. Davidson - 3.70
2. Davidson - 37 2. Princeton - 3.89
3. Bucknell - 41 3. Indiana State - 4.09
4. Colgate - 42 4. Bucknell - 4.10
Holding Halftime Leads
Bucknell is 8-1 in the last nine games in which it has held a lead at halftime. Three weeks ago the Bison lost to Holy Cross after leading 10-7 at the half, marking their first loss in that situation since 2005.
Among the National Leaders
Three 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 and RB A.J. Kizekai all show up in the national rankings.
Bucknell Players in Top 25 of Individual National Statistics
A.J. Kizekai - 4th in all-purpose yards (184.0)
- 15th in kickoff returns (26.3)
Marcello Trigg - 4th in passing efficiency (168.8)
Shaun Pasternak - 16th in receiving yards per game (92.7)
- t-18th in receptions per game (6.3)
Young Offensive Line
Of Bucknell's 50 starts on the offensive line this year, 20 have been by freshmen and 11 by sophomores.
Home vs. Road
Bucknell has done the exact opposite of what is expected by going 1-4 at home and 3-2 on the road. The Bison opened their road slate 3-0 for just the eighth time in program history. Bucknell is in the midst of its first four-game home losing streak since 1991 and it has not lost five in a row at home since 1981-82.
Senior Day
Bucknell's seniors will be playing at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium for the final time on Saturday. Prior to the game the seniors will be recognized on the field as part of Senior Day ceremonies. Bucknell's 16 seniors are: Nolan Applegate, Phil Azarik, Ben Bouffard, Will Carney, Stephen Edwards, Robert Firman, Jay Harper, Chris Hayes, Julius Hopson, Andrew Lair, Todd Manjuck, Marques Morgan, Kevin Mullen, Alex Odenbach, Todd Rinaldo and Chris Wancowicz.
Young Starting Lineup
While Bucknell will have 16 seniors honored on Senior Day, there are just four seniors that are listed first on the depth chart for the contest. Fordham has seven senior starters, including four on the defensive side of the ball alone.
