Bucknell University
Fordham
Overtime Field Goal by Carney Helps Bucknell Football Win Season Finale Over Fordham, 24-21
11/22/2008 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 22, 2008
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LEWISBURG, Pa. - On Senior Day it was a senior who helped the Bucknell football team to a victory in its final game for the third consecutive year. Playing in his final contest, Will Carney connected on a 36-yard field goal in overtime to lead the Bison to a come-from-behind 24-21 victory over Fordham Saturday afternoon at a cold and windy Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
The Bison scored a pair of touchdowns in the final seven minutes of regulation to even the score at 21-all and force overtime. The final score came with four seconds remaining when freshman quarterback C.J. Hopson found Justin Pulgrano wide open in the corner of end zone. Carney then connected on the game-tying extra point to send the contest to overtime.
In overtime, Fordham quarterback John Skelton connected with Clayton Busch on a 9-yard pass play, but a five-yard loss and an incomplete pass followed, forcing the Rams to attempt a 38-yard field goal. Adam Danko, who had already missed a pair of field goals from 33 and 44 yards, hit the left upright, setting up Carney's heroics.
Like Fordham, Bucknell struggled moving the ball during its overtime possession. Hopson rushed three times for six yards, setting up the second game-winning overtime kick of Carney's career. The Bison sideline spilled onto the field as the boot sailed through the uprights and ended Bucknell's four-game losing streak.
Fordham's final drive in regulation was key to the outcome of the game. The Rams, who led 21-14 following a Hopson to Pasternak touchdown pass, took control of the ball with 6:39 on the clock and twice converted on third down, keeping the drive alive and melting time off the clock. Fordham converted what appeared to be a third third down on the drive and moved to the three-yard line, but was whistled for an illegal block and ended up in a third-and-21 situation from the 26 instead. After an incomplete pass, Danko attempted a 44-yard field goal that would have sealed the game, but came up short.
Bucknell took possession of the ball at its own 27-yard line with 1:43 on the clock. Hopson engineered a 12-play, 73-yard scoring drive in which he completed 8 of 9 passes for 69 yards to five different receivers and rushed for four more. The Bison were 3-for-3 on third down on the drive after converting just 3 of 13 third down chances up until that point. The touchdown pass to Pulgrano came on third down when Hopson dropped back to pass and was forced to scramble, but found a wide open Pulgrano in the left corner of the end zone before crossing the line of scrimmage.
A touchdown pass by Hopson, who made his second career start and was 18-for-28 for 229 yards and two touchdowns, to Pasternak with 6:42 remaining in regulation began the Bison comeback. That score, the 12th TD reception of the season for Pasternak, capped a seven-play, 83-yard drive in which 71 of the yards came on three completions to Pasternak, who caught nine passes for 156 yards, the eighth-most in program history.
In addition to adding his name to the Bison single-game ledger, Pasternak broke the program's single-season receiving yards record with 1,083. The previous record was 1,029 by Dave Kucera more than two decades ago. Saturday's performance was also the fifth 100-yard outing of the season for Pasternak, tying Tom Mitchell for the most in a single season. Pasternak finished the season with 72 catches, one shy of Kucera's program standard.
Bucknell (5-6, 2-4 PL) its 14-point hole by turning the ball over early. On the very first play of the contest a Hopson pitch was wide and Nichol Magiera scooped it up and ran it into the end zone to put Fordham up 7-0 just 14 seconds in.
Hopson, who rushed 23 times for a team-best 58 yards, fumbled on the second drive as well. Fordham followed the second of Bucknell's four turnovers with a 10-play, 53-yard drive that finished with a one-yard touchdown run by Quasand Lewis.
The first Bison score came following Fordham's only turnover. Travis Nissley picked off a Skelton pass near midfield. On the very first play of the ensuing drive Hopson found Pasternak for 40 yards down the left sideline. Two plays later Hopson ran it in for the Bison's first score.
The series of first-half turnovers continued when Ryan Darcey returned a fumble by Hopson 40 yards for a touchdown on Bucknell's next possession to make the score 21-7. Neither team would tally another point until the Bison started their comeback midway through the fourth quarter.
Bucknell limited Fordham (5-6, 1-5 PL) to 314 yards of total offense and was led on defense by Greg Jones. The junior tallied a career-high 17 tackles, while Nissley (12) and Todd Manjuck (10) also reached double figures. Jones ended up leading the team with 89 stops this season.
Xavier Martin led Fordham with 147 rushing yards, while Skelton completed 16 of 31 passes for 141 yards. He spread his 16 completions around to 10 different receivers.
Fordham was solid on third down in the game as it converted eight of its first 10 and 11 of 19 for the game. The Bison were nearly as strong on fourth down, converting 5 of 7 opportunities.
Bucknell won its final game of the season for the third consecutive year and for the fifth time in six years under head coach Tim Landis.
Prior to the game 16 Bison seniors were honored as part of Senior Day ceremonies.
Bucknell's 5-6 record in 2008 marks a two-win improvement over 2007 when the Bison concluded the season with a 38-24 victory at nationally-ranked Fordham.
